# Case Fans



## Alexander E (Aug 15, 2012)

After finding out about AMD's offer where you get far cry 3 for free, i have decided to get another XFX core edition HD 7770 for crossfire.

However i am worried that the cards will cause a lot of heat since they are positioned fairly close to each other. The current HD 7770 idles at 30-35 degrees celsius and while playing crysis 2 extreme graphics is 50-55 degrees celsius.

My case is the coolermaster elite 430, motherboard is the gigabyte z68x-ud3-b3.

current fans: 

front intake 120mm (came with coolermaster case)
rear exhaust 120mm (aerocool shark blue LED)
CPU fan 120mm (came with CM hyper 212 evo)

My current plan is to move the fan that is currently at the front to the side panel to bring in cool air for the GPUs and then add a 140mm fan to the front since it is a 140mm slot i think it will work a little better.

My question is which 140mm fan would you suggest for about £10 that have decent airflow but are very quiet? And would an intake fan on the side panel sufficiently cool the GPUs or would it make it worse?

I have attached some pics to give you a better idea of what i am looking for.

Thank you in advance


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

First... I would turn your heatsink 90°... Make the airflow front to back... Right now it is drawing heated air from the GPU area to cool the CPU... I would guess around 2° to 4° drop in CPU temps by doing that... Especially now that you are going X-Fire and running dual GPUs... Twice the heat generated...

Putting an intake fan on the side will help cool your GPU by feeding the CPU heatsink with cooler outside air... I would keep it on low, though, medium at the highest... That should be sufficient for keeping your X-Fired cards cool...

Your current GPU temps are not bad.

The front fan is good for directing cool air over your HDDs to keep them cool.

I use standard CoolerMaster fans for most of my stuff... They are usually very quiet and decent volume of air moved... 

Just a quick search on Amazon UK....

I haven't used these fans, personally, but I have heard good things from those who have..

Antec Truequiet 140mm Case Fan with Silicone Grommets to Reduce Turbulence and Noise: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories


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## Alexander E (Aug 15, 2012)

That fan looks like it will be perfect for the front.

Also wondering if it will be worth putting a fan in the remaining bottom fan slot to push the hot air that comes out of the GPU out the top of the case? (as shown in the picture below.

I will look at turning the cpu cooler around as soon as i can, i think your right, it will probably work a bit better with the fan blowing front-back.


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## Alexander E (Aug 15, 2012)

Sorry for the double post was looking at this one for the bottom fan: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Noiseblocker-BlackSilentPro-PE-1-Case-Fan/dp/B005867ISI#productPromotions

i dont think a 120mm will fit there with the PSU so close but reviews say that fans pretty much silent as well.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

Any additional fans will be trial and error... I can only help you as according to my personal experience... 

The goal for cooling is to create a good front to back airflow pattern with as little interruption as possible... Usually side fans will cause turbulence in the case, but since high-end GPUs are so large, they block air-flow... Adding a low-volume intake above them can reduce their temps.

I would suggest trying the side fan as an exhaust if you want to put the fan in the bottom (intake)... That will help draw some of the cool air from that fan over the GPU's cooling fans... 

As I said.. Trial and error... Using a temp monitoring program like Hardware Monitor... Run it in a setup... change the orientation and run it again, then compare temperatures...

Your goal is to keep all components in the case as cool as possible...


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## Alexander E (Aug 15, 2012)

ok, HW monitor came with the motherboard drivers so i usually use that. I'll buy a couple and try them in different positions/(intake/exhaust) and see which way works best.

I just wish i could hear the fans in person before i bought them, i don't really know what 20.db sounds like and different peoples idea of quiet also makes picking a decent fan a little harder than i'd like but i'll get it sorted and thank you very much for your help.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

Keep in mind that the sound produced by each component compounds with others... So if you have 5 fans running at 20Db... 

This chart should help you gague decibels.


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## Alexander E (Aug 15, 2012)

Nice chart, kind of puts things into perspective.

I like the look of the Enermax T.B. Silence UCTB14B says its 11dB and has decent (ish) cfm. they seem likea good price with some good reviews as well.


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## Burto87 (Aug 24, 2011)

So have you turned that CPU Tower cooler 90° yet? Just a quick curious question...did you look at the manual before bolting that to your motherboard? :grin: As GZ said it will be trial and error with fan placement. You will also want more exhaust fans than intake and have your exhaust fan at the back as per stock and if possible on the top of the case too (as hot air rises). In addition to GZs comment with regard to the side fan, keep it on low as if it is too high is can cause turbulance and disrupt the front-back, bottom to top air flow.


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## Alexander E (Aug 15, 2012)

Ok, i am getting a fan controller (Aerocool X-Vision) so i can adjust the fan speeds/voltages properly because i'm not sure about how accurate the software you can download is.

I am also getting a 140mm fan for the front and im moving the current front one to the side. the aerocool shark 120mm fan that i alraedy put at the back will stay as it is and i will turn the cpu fan around when i fit the new fan and fan controller.

Current CPU temps (from HW monitor) using Prime 95:

idle-22 degrees Celsius
after 15 minutes- 46 degrees Celsius 

so i will see what happens when i turn it around. just a quick question though, will i have to reapply the Heat sink paste because im worried that by turning it around it do something bad.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

Every time the CPU cooler/heatsink is removed, the mating surfaces should be thoroughly cleaned and new thermal paste applied.


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## Alexander E (Aug 15, 2012)

ok even if im just twisting it around while keeping the heat sink and the CPU touching?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

Unfortunately yes... you will have to clean the old paste off and apply fresh paste.

A fan controller is actually a really good idea... being able to adjust your fan speeds to achieve the perfect balance between cool and quiet. I have to get myself a new my PC sounds like a rocket ship right now.


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## Alexander E (Aug 15, 2012)

yea, mine isnt too bad, its just bad enough to want to lower it a little bit, and a fan controller gives me the option to add more fans that the motherboard would be able to on its own.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Alexander E said:


> ok even if im just twisting it around while keeping the heat sink and the CPU touching?


Yes. Anytime the seal is disturbed the paste needs to be cleaned and reapplied to insure proper thermal transfer.


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