460X/570x with H80i GT

I was reading a some threads about this but didn't find a definitive answer.

 

I have a cooler master haf xb but I really enjoy the looking of the Corsair 460x and 570x with it's tempered glass.

 

My system is the following:

i7 6700k @ 4.5ghz

1080 TI Zotac Amp Extreme

2x SSD

2X 3.5 HD

Asus Maximus hero VIII - z170

2x 8GB Corsair LPX DDR4 3000mhz vegeance

 

And a H80i GT cooling the cpu.

 

As you can see, nothing is low profile.

 

I'm worried that a rear mounting of the radiator would be my only option.

I read some people claiming it would be possible to mount it on the front, would that work?

How can I fix it?

I would use one of the 3 frontal fans plus one of the fans I already have fixed on the radiator?

I was reading a some threads about this but didn't find a definitive answer.

 

I have a cooler master haf xb but I really enjoy the looking of the Corsair 460x and 570x with it's tempered glass.

 

My system is the following:

i7 6700k @ 4.5ghz

1080 TI Zotac Amp Extreme

2x SSD

2X 3.5 HD

Asus Maximus hero VIII - z170

2x 8GB Corsair LPX DDR4 3000mhz vegeance

 

And a H80i GT cooling the cpu.

 

As you can see, nothing is low profile.

 

I'm worried that a rear mounting of the radiator would be my only option.

I read some people claiming it would be possible to mount it on the front, would that work?

How can I fix it?

I would use one of the 3 frontal fans plus one of the fans I already have fixed on the radiator?

 

I just moved my stuff over from a HAF 932 to a 460X, and I have the H100i V2 currently top mounted on the case but I had it front mounted before that and didn't like the air flow. In the top mount config, I had to remove just little material off one of the fans so it would clear the memory.

 

Also, when I moved my stuff over I had my mechanical HDD mounted in the case with 2 SSD's in the rear brackets. After wanting to add a commander pro to my setup and RGB light strips and 6 of the 120HD fans I ran out of space in the case for and moved my HDD to an external case.

 

Here's some pictures of my setup right now with only 5 of the 6 HD fans installed:

 

http://i.imgur.com/4akQGQIl.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/9gIiLfXl.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/JizEToOl.jpg

I just moved my stuff over from a HAF 932 to a 460X, and I have the H100i V2 currently top mounted on the case but I had it front mounted before that and didn't like the air flow. In the top mount config, I had to remove just little material off one of the fans so it would clear the memory.

 

Also, when I moved my stuff over I had my mechanical HDD mounted in the case with 2 SSD's in the rear brackets. After wanting to add a commander pro to my setup and RGB light strips and 6 of the 120HD fans I ran out of space in the case for and moved my HDD to an external case.

 

Here's some pictures of my setup right now with only 5 of the 6 HD fans installed:

 

http://i.imgur.com/4akQGQIl.jpg

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/9gIiLfXl.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/JizEToOl.jpg

 

What a beautiful setup! Thank you for your pictures.

 

So I have a few questions about your setup, are you using low profile ram? And when you say you removed some material off the fans, you meant like using a dremel and "sanding" part of the plastic?

 

I honestly would like to setup my radiator on top, as this is the most logical spot for it, the problem is that the H80i GT radiador is thick and uses 2 fans, like a sandwhich for it.

 

Did you noticed any temperature differences moving the radiador from the front to top?

 

As much as I wish, even using a dremel on the fan I don't think the H80i GT would fit on the top mounting of the case, sadly.

The H80i GT/v2 should be mountable on either of the top 2 front 120mm fans. My preference would be for the top slot from a heat management perspective. Yes, you can leave the SP120 RGB on the front and use another fan on the back for push-pull, maintaining the front LED look. The only catch is the SP120 RGB fans are DC motors and will not be controllable from the H80i GT pump. You need PWM fans to run from the cooler's controller. The HD series fits the bill, but that is a definite cost upgrade. The 3 pin SP120 RGB can be powered and controlled from the motherboard like any other fan. You could run the stock SP120L on the back side from the pump while leaving the front 3x120 to the motherboard. It should not be a big deal as long as the speeds don't get too far apart. When they do, the slower fans becomes resistance and mildly affects cooling, but more noticeable is you often get some strange fan sounds between the two.

The H80i GT/v2 should be mountable on either of the top 2 front 120mm fans. My preference would be for the top slot from a heat management perspective. Yes, you can leave the SP120 RGB on the front and use another fan on the back for push-pull, maintaining the front LED look. The only catch is the SP120 RGB fans are DC motors and will not be controllable from the H80i GT pump. You need PWM fans to run from the cooler's controller. The HD series fits the bill, but that is a definite cost upgrade. The 3 pin SP120 RGB can be powered and controlled from the motherboard like any other fan. You could run the stock SP120L on the back side from the pump while leaving the front 3x120 to the motherboard. It should not be a big deal as long as the speeds don't get too far apart. When they do, the slower fans becomes resistance and mildly affects cooling, but more noticeable is you often get some strange fan sounds between the two.

 

Hi C-attack.

I've read this thread http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=165255 and thank you for having the patience to answer a similar question.

 

I'm doing some reading about using the H80i GT with just one fan. Some guy did few tests and the difference in temps would be around 3C.

If that is the case, and since the LPX modules are low profile, maybe I can mount in on the top.

If that would be possible, should I use the fan pushing or the fan pulling?

 

Looking at some images online the H100 uses a pushing fan on the radiator.

I am totally fine with front mounting a H80i or H100i sized cooled in the 460X. Trying to use them elsewhere requires some compromise and changes the interior "shape" of things. If you put the H80i GT/v2 in the highest front slot, most of its waste heat should go out the top centimeters later. You should also be able to use two fans in push-pull with that arrangement. I have used a single 120mm fan on the prior 38mm H80i. I was not terribly pleased with the results and I needed more speed for a lesser level of cooling in that particular set-up. The GT/v2 is even thicker at 50mm. If the tradeoff is really only 3C, that sounds like a good compromise, but I would have a back up plan just in case.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about push vs pull with the one fan. From a cooling perspective, it normally makes little difference. However, the sound it makes can often change. A fan between the case mesh and radiator is likely to make more noise and than one that only has one surface interacting with the blades. This is normally a subtle difference and most people are going to be happy choosing the option that looks better. This is always case and fan dependent, so set it up how you want. If it seems off, make the change.

What a beautiful setup! Thank you for your pictures.

 

Thanks it was a challenge to put together but worth it.

 

So I have a few questions about your setup, are you using low profile ram? And when you say you removed some material off the fans, you meant like using a dremel and "sanding" part of the plastic?

 

I have G.Skill Rip Jaw V ram, I don't know if it's low profile or normal. With the rad and fans it was just a little too tall, I wasn't about to grind on my ram so I took a grinder to the edge of the fan that was contacting it and it cleared no problem after that. Sometimes you have to improvise and dive into modding things to get them to work. Since it's in the back, you can't even tell were I removed the material and it wasn't that much. Now I'll say without the radiator on top, I had zero clearance issues. Also since your rad is smaller you would have a lot more options to try out even with the double fan (although I don't think 2 fans are required on the radiator, you might look into that).

 

I honestly would like to setup my radiator on top, as this is the most logical spot for it, the problem is that the H80i GT radiador is thick and uses 2 fans, like a sandwhich for it.

 

Did you noticed any temperature differences moving the radiador from the front to top?

 

I think you could make it work, maybe with just one fan and a push config like mine? There's multiple mounting slots on the top of the 460x. As for temp difference, yes I noticed a slightly higher temp on GPU when my CPU Rad was front mounted by 3-5C (I have a hybrid and it pumps a lot of hot air off that GPU). My CPU was about the same temp front mount vs top mount so no real change there. Also your GFx Card is moves air over the ram and cooler for the GPU and dumps it in to the case, so you want to make sure you have good air circulation and removing the hot air out of the case is going to be critical. So a front mount option might be best for your setup.

 

As much as I wish, even using a dremel on the fan I don't think the H80i GT would fit on the top mounting of the case, sadly.

 

Think that's going to depend on the setup, MOBO and how many fans you really need on the H80I. I just watched build video done by Bitwit on his new HTC setup and he used the H80i with a single fan and a similar 1080I as you're running. Might do some digging and make sure that push/pull setup is really needed.

Thanks c-attack and Masada. I'm waiting for my next payment to order the 460X. I watched some reviews and I decided this is the way to go.

 

I'll try to mount it on the front first and take some notices on the temps.

 

My final question is, if I order the HD120 PWN Fan, do you think the LED color of it is close to the SP120?

And can I control it's led together with the other 2 SP120 on the case?

My final question is, if I order the HD120 PWN Fan, do you think the LED color of it is close to the SP120?

 

And can I control it's led together with the other 2 SP120 on the case?

 

No, the HD and SP-RGB series look very different. The SP-RGB looks more like the ML series with traditional 4 corner LEDs and a large clear center hub that creates a "center glow". The HD series is wild, with 12 LEDs. In it's standard form with the basic controller you get the rainbow of colors plus white and then some patterns. There is no reason to order a single. You either go all HD or stick with the SP's. Wanting a PWM fan for the cooler is not a good enough reason to spring for an entire HD set-up. Also, the real fun is when you get a Lighting Node Pro or Commander Pro so you can control the lights, blend colors, and adjust brightness. That is definitely an expense, so perhaps that is something down the line. You cannot combine HD and SP fans on the basic controller. They would each need their own.

 

If you don't want to use the included SP120L grey fans that come with the cooler, get another SP120 RGB. You can run the two radiator fans from CPU and OPT. Put the H80i lead on W_PUMP/AIO, and then balance the rest of the case fans on the CHA headers. All of those SP fans can run from a single basic controller. The only catch I can foresee is this would give you 7 SP fans in the case in total. The controller can only handle six and you must power it from a controller. Thus, you would need to loose a fan somewhere or run two controllers. That part should be an easy fix since the case has a built in controller, plus one of your 3 packs will have another. They would be on separate color cycles, but I suspect you could work with that and it only matter for the one "sequenced" color pattern.

what c-attack said x2

 

I swapped out all my fans to the HD120's and hooked them into a commander pro. If you're going to go that route, don't get the 460X RGB, just get the 460x red, green or whatever color they have because its cheaper (I should have done that).

 

If you look at my build you can see the commander pro on the bottom of the case under the PSU cover (at the right angle). It controls the 4 fans in the system (3 front and one on the GPU Rad) and the other two are controlled by the H100I PWM. All 6 fans have custom fan curves for silent web browsing and max cooling while gaming. The commander pro has 2 LED channels and it controls all 6 fan lights with and the LED light strips in the case.

 

Here's a couple pics of the lights changing:

 

http://i.imgur.com/EWFVQE6l.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/HMUbCSwl.jpg

 

Next I need to figure out how to get my RGB lights on the desk to sync up with the ones in the case...but for now it's just static.

No, the HD and SP-RGB series look very different. The SP-RGB looks more like the ML series with traditional 4 corner LEDs and a large clear center hub that creates a "center glow". The HD series is wild, with 12 LEDs. In it's standard form with the basic controller you get the rainbow of colors plus white and then some patterns. There is no reason to order a single. You either go all HD or stick with the SP's. Wanting a PWM fan for the cooler is not a good enough reason to spring for an entire HD set-up. Also, the real fun is when you get a Lighting Node Pro or Commander Pro so you can control the lights, blend colors, and adjust brightness. That is definitely an expense, so perhaps that is something down the line. You cannot combine HD and SP fans on the basic controller. They would each need their own.

 

If you don't want to use the included SP120L grey fans that come with the cooler, get another SP120 RGB. You can run the two radiator fans from CPU and OPT. Put the H80i lead on W_PUMP/AIO, and then balance the rest of the case fans on the CHA headers. All of those SP fans can run from a single basic controller. The only catch I can foresee is this would give you 7 SP fans in the case in total. The controller can only handle six and you must power it from a controller. Thus, you would need to loose a fan somewhere or run two controllers. That part should be an easy fix since the case has a built in controller, plus one of your 3 packs will have another. They would be on separate color cycles, but I suspect you could work with that and it only matter for the one "sequenced" color pattern.

 

Ok I took the day to look into how I can connect everything.

I'm going the SP route, I can't afford 7 HD120 plus the commander pro plus the new pc case.

 

One thing I don't understand is how the SP controller works.

My motherboard has the following headers for fans:

 

1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (4 -pin)

1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s) (4 -pin)

4 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (4 -pin)

1 x Water Pump header (4-pin)

 

So I'll use the cpu fan and opt for 2 SP120 attached to the radiador.

The water pump header for the pump and this covers the WC.

But what about the controller?

 

As far as I can see you hook all the fans to the controller, the controller has a kind of sata power connector, so I guess all the power for the leds and fans comes from this.

So what exactly do you hook into the motherboard after the controller?

Does the controller have a 4 pin connector for each fan that is connected to it?

And I only have 6 fan headers, should I bridge two into a single connector?

Like stripping their cables and soldering them together?

The controller for the HD and SP-RGB series is really a light box. Corsair solved the power issue by splitting the fan power and lighting power into two separate lines. This means you have two wires on each fan. One is your traditional voltage/speed line to the motherboard header. The other goes to the "lightbox". That lightbox also has an inline controller with a few buttons to change color, pattern, cycle speed. They are both very small. So, you plan your board connections normally, but there will be a second wire leading back to the control box. The one on your case is built into the outside, but I don't know exactly where the connector is located internally.

Well my mind is made then. I'll get the 460x with 3 SP120 and 3 more. 2 for the top and one for the rear.

I'll mount the radiator on the upper front slot.

 

I'll still use one of my grey fan with the H80i this way I can use a single controller and it will be cheaper.

All the fan speed control I'll do from my motherboard software.

 

Thank you for all the advices.

It is totally fine to use one of the stock fans on the back side of the H80i v2. I would suggest connecting that one to the pump because of power draw and simple header management. You could also get another SP120 RGB or try your single fan and see how it goes. Don't worry about the two controllers. As mentioned, they come with the fans and one is built into the case. You will have more than you need. The only real issue is each controller has it's own programming, so you could make all fans red or white or even try to manually sync a slow color change. Rapid sequenced effects from fans 1-7 would be hard to manage.

I've got the tree SP120 fans I pulled out of the case I'll part with for cheap if you want them? I can't use them since I moved to the HD120's.

Hey Masada, thanks for the offer but I live in Brazil and international shipping takes up to 3 to 6 months to arrive because of the terrible customs.

 

460X ordered + 3 SP120 fans.

Everything should arrive by the weekend

 

I'll take some pictures of the final build and post here :)

Please excuse me for butting in here guys... but im doing the same set up, I want to put a AIO cooler on my CPU and have the rad monted on top. But....I have bought 6 x HD120 RBG fans ( & Commander Pro).

Would I be right in saying the Rad can only be fitted one way up ? Or either side up ? So the HD 120's need to be on top of the Rad sucking the air up throught it.. Rather than blowing through it ??

 

You have lost me guys surely the fans only spin one way ?

 

BTW I have 2 x 2 pack SP120 Brand new & 3 x SP120 from 570X never been used.& 2 controllers All needing a good home :laughing:

 

xl.....out