Obsidian 450d fan questions

[ducky87]

First off, I have a new PC as of about 3 weeks ago. The case is the Obsidian 450d. CPU is 4690k currently running at stock speeds with an H60 heatsink. Since the H60 install involved removing the back case fan, I put that one on the top to exhaust hot air. This is of course a 120 mm fan. Would I get much better cooling performance with one or two 140 mm fans on the top?

 

Also, purely for looks, I am considering putting Corsair 140 mm red LED fans in the front to replace the stock fans. I was not sure how to compare the performance of the stock fans vs the Corsair LED's. Would I get the same or better cooling performance if I did this?

 

If I did swap out the front case fans, I could use them on the top of the case for exhaust, as mentioned in the top paragraph.

 

I know this is overkill without overclocking. But of course I will overclock eventually. And I like to run fans at lower speeds to keep noise under control. For instance, I run the case fans from motherboard headers to run at "normal" speed instead of "max" speed when connected to the PSU.

[SirAngry]

The stock fans in most cases are cheap and not very good. It's how manufacturers keep their costs down, and I as a rule advise replacing them. However, Corsair cases are different. Although the fans normally look like complete a55 they are actually very good fans. I have removed mine for aesthetic reasons only, but I have used them just in a LAN build for a friend in a tiny case where they won't be seen and they are performing magnificently well.

 

So if they fit then go for it. The difference between fan sizes though is down purely to air moved. A larger fan moves more air per rotation. So a 140mm fan, in general, will have to turn less then a 120mm fan to move the same amount of air. Less turns should mean less fan noise. Of course it also means when fans are flat out larger fans have a greater capacity to move air.

 

Hope that helps you out. Also I have a question about the 450D front grill panel. What is its size in mm? I have a 750D and the solid front panel does have me concerned about airflow, but also for my build the grill front would just fit better aesthetically.

 

Thanks in advance

 

J

[ducky87]

Front grill panel is 12"x7", which translates to 304.8x177.8 mm.

 

Any idea how Corsair 140 mm led fans compare (in cooling performance) to the 140 mm fans built into the Obsidian 450d?

[SirAngry]

Hey ducky87 thanks for the info (*rushes off to measure 750D front panel)

 

Damn it, it's too small. Boo hiss.

 

Any way onto your question. There's a chart on Corsairs forum regarding there fans relative performance rates:

 

http://www.corsair.com/en-gb/case-fans

 

That should give you actual numbers. But from my experience I'd say the performance difference between the stock fans in your case and the LED ones is probably negligible. It really is an aesthetic choice. Maybe, maybe the LED fans perform slightly better, or have better bearings. But as I said in my original response, the stock fans Corsair provide in their cases are actually quite good. It's a credit to them as a company.