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H80i in Fractal Design Define Mini case


danytancou

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Hi all,

 

I'm shortly going to start building my new system with the parts I just added to my system specs here (once my case arrives tomorrow). I was going to go for an air cooler, but then I happened upon an H80i cooler for a price I couldn't resist (CAD$50--which I'm convinced was a mistake but that's not my problem ;)) so I picked it up. I am quite familiar with air cooling, but this is the first time I'm using such a cooler, so I read up a whole bunch, but do have some questions about where's best to mount it and which way to push/pull air through it. Here we go...

 

Am I wrong in thinking that it seems more reasonable to install the rad at the top of the case instead of the (more traditional) rear position? This way, I'm figuring that the cool air from the top front and side intakes is all going to be sucked out through the rad at the top, while fan at the back will exhaust everything else, including heat coming off the top of the video card. Does this make sense?

 

Another option is to place it at the bottom, as at least one other person on here did: http://forum.corsair.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118689. If I do end up with it here, intake is the obvious choice, but isn't that going to mean a lot of heat blowing onto the video card (and even more coming off the drives, which are going to sit in the bottom cage)? (Exhaust through here makes no sense, as heat off the video card and drives will be pushed through the rad.)

 

All this said, I think the IDEAL place for it is at the front of the case, replacing the top fan there (provided that the hoses reach so far). There should be enough space for it since I'm removing the top drive cage, and intake seems to be the logical option, because I can drop a fan in the bottom of the case to push all the hot air coming off the rad straight up towards the top exhaust fan. Any thoughts on this?

 

Finally, a more "techincal" question: will having the rad at the top or bottom put any extra strain on the pump, as it may have to work harder to move the coolant up and down instead of from side to side?

 

 

Thanks so much,

 

Dany

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Hi Wytnyt,

 

Thanks a lot. OK, so say I DO end up with the rad at the back of the case with the fans pointed in (as suggested in the manual); in addition to this intake, I've got two at the front, one on the side and one at the bottom. Now I don't really mind a bit of positive pressure, but wouldn't this be too much, with only the top fan set up for exhaust? I would think the more logical implementation here would be reverse the fans on the rad for exhaust, as there will be plenty of cool air coming in from the front top fan (clear path, with the exception of a couple of cables and the cooler's hoses) and even more from the side.

 

Thoughts on this? Sorry to be asking so many questions, it's just that I need to build this computer and actually start working on it, and I'm going to be pushing it pretty hard right from the start. Normally I don't mind tinkering and trying out different things, but this time I don't have that luxury.

 

 

Thanks again,

 

D.

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Sorry, I'll be fine with what..? Setting up the rad fans for exhaust?

 

Thoughts on this? Sorry to be asking so many questions, it's just that I need to build this computer and actually start working on it, and I'm going to be pushing it pretty hard right from the start. Normally I don't mind tinkering and trying out different things, but this time I don't have that luxury.

What your asking is not as clear cut as what you would think. We don't have detailed information regarding cases and how these coolers will work in them. All you can do is try it.

 

Corsair recommends an Intake set-up but many do run them as an exhaust. It's best to try it both ways and see what yields the best temps for your given situation.

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