Jump to content
Corsair Community

Cooling the 500D SE


Holts

Recommended Posts

Hello all,

 

I recently purchased a Corsair 500D RGB SE case that comes with 3 LL120 fans. I want to optimize cooling as I'm eventually going to be putting an RTX 2080 and i9 9900k in the case and overclocking them.

 

For my build, I plan on purchasing the H150i Pro and placing it in front of the case. My goal is to have the stock LL120 fans in front and the stock ML120 fans in the rear both as intake for a push/pull config. I also plan on placing another LL120 at the rear as an exhaust. Finally, I will finish the build by placing two additional 120LL fans at the top of the case for additional exhaust.

 

Anyways, my question is whether or not this would be an optimal setup for cooling? Would I run into any issues having two sets of different fans surrounding the H150i? Should I drop the stock H150i fans and rely solely on the 3 LL 120 fans in the front?

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The LL fans are not the strongest radiator fan out there. They certainly work, but may result in slightly higher coolant temperatures. Assuming a 200W load on the 9900K, maybe 2C, but only when that load is constant. It shouldn't be an issue for normal dynamic loads. If you run long CPU heavy renders/encoding etc., then you want additional support.

 

You can certainly use the ML120 Quiet (non-RGB) on the back side of the radiator for additional support. I was just doing this with the 140mm models on a 280mm. It is an improvement. It does help eliminate the potential +2C coolant increase, but on my 140s it tends to make a bit of air noise. Not smooth flowing air, but turbulence. Depdending on the case this may or may not be of consequence. I would think it would be less noticeable on the front panel of a 500D, unless of course that is right by your ear. Ideally you have the same blade type on both sides of the radiator (6xLL120, 6xML120) but that is not a requirement. It would make more sense to give it a go first before splurging on more fans.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The LL fans are not the strongest radiator fan out there. They certainly work, but may result in slightly higher coolant temperatures. Assuming a 200W load on the 9900K, maybe 2C, but only when that load is constant. It shouldn't be an issue for normal dynamic loads. If you run long CPU heavy renders/encoding etc., then you want additional support.

 

You can certainly use the ML120 Quiet (non-RGB) on the back side of the radiator for additional support. I was just doing this with the 140mm models on a 280mm. It is an improvement. It does help eliminate the potential +2C coolant increase, but on my 140s it tends to make a bit of air noise. Not smooth flowing air, but turbulence. Depdending on the case this may or may not be of consequence. I would think it would be less noticeable on the front panel of a 500D, unless of course that is right by your ear. Ideally you have the same blade type on both sides of the radiator (6xLL120, 6xML120) but that is not a requirement. It would make more sense to give it a go first before splurging on more fans.

 

Thank you for the reply! I think I'm going to stick with the stock ML120's on the back and keep the LL120's on the front. If it gets too noisy I'll go ahead and switch out the ML120's for 3 LL120's.

 

I did have one additional question though if you don't mind. In terms of the top fans, would you recommend two LL120's or LL140's for exhaust? Would there be a performance difference between the two? Would this create too much negative air pressure in my case?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I generally prefer a 140mm fan whenever I can. A 140 moves more air than a 120mm at the same noise level. However, a few things you might consider: 1) you don’t really need extra exhaust. 120x3 radiator restricted intake, then either 3x120 free air or 120 + 2x140 free air. There’s never going to be a need to blast those top fans. Moderate speed will take all the intake volume you’ve got. 2) 120x3 front, 120 rear, 120x2 top? Might be some aesthetic preference for the all 120 look, ease of swapping fans around if needed, and possibly a more consistent tone from the total fan array. There isn’t a wrong choice here, but one or the other might be more preferable.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...