10 fan setup help for ql120 + h150i PRO (3 for AIO, 7 for case)

Hi, So i'm building my first PC and decided to go all out and build my dream PC and I need a little assistance.

My case is a Lian-Li PC-O11D XL and it can support 10 120mm fans. I'm planning to buy 10 QL120 fans and I want to put 1 on the rear, 3 on my h150i PRO (top), 3 on the side and 3 on the bottom.

I'm buying 3x QL120 triple packs so I will have 3 Lighting Node Cores and I purchased a Commander Pro.

So now that I got the basic details out of the way, I have absolutely no idea how to set these all up and I was really hoping someone could give me a hand because I've never done this before, let alone BUILT a pc before.

I saw another forum with someone asking for help with a 9 LL120+H150I PRO setup and someone drew them a diagram ( https://imgur.com/dMbVSoz ) and if I could get a visual aid like that it would be so helpful.

Any advice and help is appreciated and sorry if this entire post sounds really stupid but it's out of pure desperation at this point.

Thank you! :biggrin:

Hey mate, don't panic!! We're here for you!! :)

First of all, you have chosen great components! Very similar to my rig.

Let's go in order... from what you wrote it seems you are planning to replace the AIO fans with QL. You can do this, but I wanna tell you it's not the only solution... I'm running a H150i with push/pull configuration at the moment, and it fits both the side slot and the top one.

Have you ever managed RGB fans? Let's assume no, so I tell you every RGB fan comes with 2 cables, one for RGB management and one for RPM management. The first one is to be plugged into the RGB Hub, each Hub supports up to 6 fans. So you can plan to take only 2 3-fans packs and go for 3 spare fans, depending on the prices you find.

RPM cables must be plugged into the Commander Pro that only has 6 ports... here you must use Y splitters to plug 2 fans in each port (cables from AIO fans are to be plugged into AIO's header).

The RGB Hubs must be connected to the CoPro LED ports (2).

The AIO has a cable for pump speed reading to be plugged into the motherboard (CPU_FAN header) and a USB cable to be plugged into the CoPro USB port.

Finally, every Corsair piece (CoPro, RGB Hub, AIO) has a SATA plug for power... remember to plug this cables directly to the PSU, without using Y SATA splitters to ensure proper powering and avoid possible burnout (usually Y SATA splitters are poor quality components).

The main issue in building up this configuration is the case, as it has narrow spaces in the back part (but enough!), so you have to route cables carefully to avoid messy muddle.

Here is a photo of my case during installation, not all the cables are in their place:

Here is my diagram, here you see I'm using LL fans but 2 3-packs of QL are on their way home... and I'm also using some powered RPM splitters to group fans into groups of 3, so I can manage them zone per zone (red is RGB connection, green RPM, black SATA, blue LED, purple USB):

Hope I didn't mess up your ideas to much, answer any question you like!

Baio

EDIT

Forgot to say that CoPro comes with also 4 Thermal probes to be placed in strategic points inside the case. They are really important to monitor temperatures and also can be very useful to tune a custom fan curve within iCUE.

Hi, I'm sorry for the late response but I seriously really appreciate your help. The diagram and the detailed explanation was way more than I could have asked for. Thank you so much.

I just have 2 quick question, do you have any splitters you recommend for the fans? I don't know much about splitters and I don't want to risk getting some untrustworthy ones.

Also I know everyone says that there is no difference, but from your personal experience do you recommend mounting the H150i on the top of the case or the side?

Hi, I'm sorry for the late response but I seriously really appreciate your help. The diagram and the detailed explanation was way more than I could have asked for. Thank you so much.

 

I just have 2 quick question, do you have any splitters you recommend for the fans? I don't know much about splitters and I don't want to risk getting some untrustworthy ones.

 

Also I know everyone says that there is no difference, but from your personal experience do you recommend mounting the H150i on the top of the case or the side?

Y spliiters that work for sure are Noctua NA-SEC1 (and all otther colored variants). Unfortunately the powered splitters you see in my diagram resulted not to work with QL fans and probably burned a port on my CoPro. So, as is always adviced in this Forum, don't use more that 2 ways splitters, meaning a maximum of 2 fans for each port.

About AIO placement I can say that there is not a great difference between top slot and side slot, a couple of degrees less con CPU for the side solution if mounting its fans as intake. Obviously top solution brings to higher CPU temperatures because the radiator takes the hotter GPU air against fresh air of side solution. But you must also consider that I have a blower GPU, so my situation is even more particular.

Let's say there is not a "perfect" solution, depending on the hardware you have and how you use your pc. Here is good starting point (even if the case is the former model, it makes no such difference):

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In this moment my personal preference goes to top solution, as placing it into the case allows to cover some wires that plug into the upper headers of the mobo and also frees up a little space in the back part.

But never say never! Mess up our pc is the final reason why we all are here! ;-)

Baio

Hey Mate,

I want to do the exact same Setup. Is there already a time when you want to build it? Would like to see a picture.

Greetings,

Jones

Hi man, I’m waiting for the last few pieces to arrive, then I’ll have to RMA a faulty QL.

Maybe I’m gonna post some pics!

At the moment I’m studying every part position, adding 2 fan hubs complicates things quite a lot...

Baio

EDIT

Here is the updated diagram: