Placement of H110i GTX and H90 in Fractal Design R5

[pat767]

Hello all,

 

First post here. I believe I have my fan placement and settings wrong and am seeking advice as to what the correct way should be.

 

I have the Fractal Define R5 with the HDD cage removed.

 

Current setup:

 

- H110i GTX (for processor) in front of case - INTAKE.

- H90 (for GPU) top of case: EXHAUST

- 1 x 140mm fan on bottom of case: INTAKE

- DEMCifilters all around

 

Assuming I have as many 140mm fans that can fit and noise is not an issue, what's a better setup?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Pat

[c-attack]

I think fitment is the real constraint here. In a perfect world, you would exhaust both the CPU and GPU waste heat. That leaves your case with little heat and not much need for high air exchange (fan speed). I am running that type of set up now and my internal temps hardly change.

 

However, I am guessing the H90 does not fit in the rear slot and certainly not with the H110i in the top. As such, I think you have chosen the next best arrangement. Is there another top exhaust fan between the H110i and the H90? That would allow some of the CPU waste heat to get out prior to reaching the H90. The lower fan helps with air intake, as the radiator in the front cuts that down dramatically. If things are as stated, you might experiment with flipping the rear exhaust fan to intake. It may provide a direct source of air for the H90 and less dragging of the front heat across to the back. However, that is theoretical and when you run front and back intake, you will get some swirl in the middle. The results are very case dependent.

 

If your temps are not as good as you hoped, the first thing I would try is taking of the dust filters. Using them across a radiator really piles on the resistance and can cut airflow down to minuscule levels without big fan speed. If it is necessary for your environment, then that's that and you have to live with it. Otherwise, a little dusting every 3 months isn't such a chore for hours of enjoyment.