Corsair h150i pro top or front

I'm getting a fractal design define r6 and corsair h150i pro. I saw this post about how to place the radiator. Where should i place it? top or front?

 

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For that case I would definitely go up top as exhaust. The front is the only intake, it looks problematic with the psu shroud/floor plate, and the natural shape of the case sets up for a top mount as well. Differences in case temperature top/front are going to be really small. It seems silly to compromise your design for 1-2C.

I did a similar build (H150i + R6) a couple of days ago. I used the H150i as input at the front and the 3 stock fans as exhaust at the rear and top.

 

I went with that after watching this: [ame]

[/ame] It appears that mounting the AIO at the front helps CPU cooling, but decreases GPU cooling. A top-mounting AIO does the vice versa.

 

I definitely found my "open design" GPU a tad warmer than what I would like it to be. However, I believe that can be fixed by adding a fan as exhaust at the bttom.

 

Note, I am having some odd issues with my idle temps: http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=185857

I don't think there is a fatal decision here. There are quite a few puff pieces out there that attempt to tackle the issue, but usually come up way short with very limited metrics or even logical examination. You easily can try both and see which you prefer.

 

Generally speaking, a radiator is going to cut your airflow potential by 50%. So three 120mm fans that would move 150 cfm at full speed (50x3), will only move 75 cfm. This may or may not be consequential, but if you don't have another source of intake air it usually matters to some degree. The counterpoint is the top 3 inches of your case are likely 2-3C warmer than the front rail. That sounds irrelevant since most people's room temps fluctuate by more than that, but that is also usually about the potential gain or loss when considering these things. It is a small variance one way or the other for most people.

 

I tend to worry a bit about closed front panel cases and radiator restricted fans. It is very case specific, but the cumulative resistance between fins and slats can sometime really choke down airflow. There are a few cases we've seen that really struggle with the combination. I do not know if that is the underlying factor in Reckless' high idle temps, but it is a possibility that air is not getting through efficiently at lower speeds.

 

A final consideration for this instance is you do not want to use a dust filter in front of the radiator and definitely not in radiator + closed front. I don't consider this a strong negative, but you will need to clean the dust out every few months. Others are appalled by this consequence (or cleaning at all) and for some putting it up top frees up the front panel for a dust filter, quieter intake fans, and direct CPU exhaust out of the case. Again, since it is an AIO and this a pretty big case, you can swap it in minutes and see which you prefer.