H150i Cappelix, Core Commander, Commander Core XT, HX1000i PSU….and 2 USB Headers??

[johnrr68]

I have two USB 2.0 headers on my Asus motherboard….

Yet it appears to me that ALL of these devices are required  to hook to a USB header on the Mobo….not to mention the front panel of the 5000d Airflow case.

13 Fans

3 ML 120s on the Cappelix

3 QL 120s in “Pull” on the Cappelix

6 other QL 120s throughout the case.

I see that the Core Commander XT has  pass through USB connection…not sure how I would set that up in this setup.

Recommended setup??

Am I going to need a USB Hub or a couple of USB splitters??

 

[c-attack]

No board has more than 2 and most users with multiple devices need a hub. Your motherboard chipset series is also very relevant. The first pci gen 4 boards from both AMD and Intel were problematic on detection. 
 

You have 3 devices that require a usb 2 connection. Commander Core, Commander XT, and the PSU. The PSU is usually an easy device and it’s possible you will be able to connect on the XT passthrough. You cannot chain complex devices like the two Commanders together on the same line. 
 

If you want a backup plan in place on build day, get a powered hub. Do not bother with a “usb splitter”. An unpowered and shared line is not going to work. 

[johnrr68]

Thank you very much for the quick reply.

The motherboard is an Asus Prime Z790 P

Can you recommend a thin USB hub that will fit on the backside of the 5000d Airflow case. Something that can stay hidden with all the cable management?

Two other quick questions. Corsair recommends in their Cappelix instructions that you top mount the cooler “pushing” in fresh air from the outside.  Yet I have read that the optimal cooling mode for it is actually to push air out the top of the case…venting air. My H150i Cappelix will be top mounted in a push/pull. Was intending to top mount 3 QL 120s in Pull a fashion with the 3 ML 120s pushing through the radiator. Do you see problems with this?”

Same issue for the H1000i PSU….Corsair recommends placing the fan UP in their manual….and an install video from them even show this method.

Yet…Their cases have a cool air intake on the bottom of the case and  common sense says put the fan DOWN in order to suck air from the bottom (coolest air in a location) up into the PSU and vented out the back of the case. Case will be on a hardwood floor…not carpet. Your thoughts??

Thanks again for the quick response!

[LeDoyen]

Typically, exhausting the case air out though the AIO is the worst thing to do with an aircooled GPU doing its thing inside.

The hot case air will raise water temperature, and in turn make your CPU run that much hotter. Also the AIO fans will spin faster to try to compensate, making the computer generally louder.

For the PSU, they really should stop putting vents at the bottom, because they are meant to be installed fan pointing up. The whole premise of a semi passive PSU (which they all are) is to run as long as possible without needing to turn on the fan. That works better when the fan is pointing up because components heat will rise away from the PCB. If you install the PSU with hte fan down, the heat lingers on the PCB, and it heats up faster, making you hear the fan start, and stop regularely. 

Installed fan up, it's possible it never actually spins in normal use, depending on the load. Also, the PSU can benefit from a bit of airflow from the case fans. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by LeDoyen

[c-attack]

1 hour ago, johnrr68 said:

The motherboard is an Asus Prime Z790 P

I think you are likely to be fine on the PSU through Com XT passthrough.  Very few complaints about detection on Z790, unlike the Z690.  It's also definitely device specific.  I ran both a AX1200i PSU and Lighting Node Pro chained to my Commander Pro for years without issue on older motherboards.  On newer boards, it stopped working.  On my Asus Z790 simple devices like Lighting Node Core/Pro and PSUs are detected.  More complex controllers like Commander XTs and Lian Li Connect controllers do not work.  

 

1 hour ago, johnrr68 said:

Two other quick questions. Corsair recommends in their Cappelix instructions that you top mount the cooler “pushing” in fresh air from the outside.

Standard generic statement.  Fact: You have a greater heat dissipation potential by pushing cooler air through the intake side of radiator.  However, since your radiator must exist in the case (for most people) and coexist with everything else, pure heat dissipation capacity is rarely the determinizing factor.  Case environmental temps are often the most dominant factor and the radiators and GPU factor in here.

 

The main issue with placing a CPU radiator in the top of the case as exhaust is it will be affected by GPU waste heat for air cooled GPUs.  The fans literally pull the GPU heat through the CPU cooling apparatus.  Since GPU waste heat can increase the internal case temp by +10C on heavier watt models, that is a fairly large offset.  That increases the CPU temp by +10C whether it is loaded or not.  If you use your system for CPU number crunching with low GPU activity, not such a big deal but then I would advise front intake radiator mounting anyway.  In a gaming system, it does present a CPU temp penalty but might still be better for the entire system based on the case design and layout.  If your CPU temps average 50C when gaming, you likely don't care too much if it's 60C instead if that allows you to blast stronger cooler air toward the GPU for a savings there.  Most gaming systems have a lot of room on CPU temp.  Air cooled GPUs typically have less and with much noisier fans.  Other considerations are you can still use a dust filter on the front if the radiator is not there.  With the radiator present the combination becomes a massive source of air flow resistance.  

 

Some users will run both the front and the top radiator as intake, attempting to force all the air out the rear mesh and exhaust fan.  I don't spend too much time using that style of case, but it is an option.  

Edited January 29, 2023 by c-attack

[johnrr68]

OK….thanks to both @c-attack and @LeDoyen

Redesign coming.  

Case can easily accomplish the radiator in front in push/pull pushing fresh air into case… (I think….need to remeasure for RTX 4080 which is 13.7 in in length). I would then mount 4 QL 120s as exhaust….three in top and one in back.

The 3 side mounted QL 120s would be pushing air into the case as well.

Believe that will create a positive air flow inside without too much of a log jam of air inside the case.

The question is back to the PSU fan. Does it not suck air into the PSU and vent out the PSU rear?  Our is it sucking air into the PSU from the vent in the back which is then ported out the fan?

 

[happy-envoy]

I had same issue. No spare usb 2.0 headers. I bought an Internal USB 3.0 to USB 2.0 adapter and used the spare usb 3.0 header i had. Hope this helps.

[c-attack]

50 minutes ago, johnrr68 said:

The question is back to the PSU fan. Does it not suck air into the PSU and vent out the PSU rear?

Yes, it will suck air in through the fan and then blow it out the back mesh.  PSU fan is likely to kick on when total load is 500W on the new model and there is also a secondary temp temp trigger you are not likely to encounter.  I don't think you will have too much trouble getting to 500W with a 4080 when gaming but it certainly does depend on the exact GPU model and what you're doing with it.  I would expect the fan to run when gaming.