Advice About Serting Up Cooling Fans

I just bought a new setup, however, I would like some advice on the best way to install my cooling fans.

Some relevant info about my hardware in question:
Tower - Corsair Carbide Spec-05
Cooling fans - 4x 120mm corsair RGB fans
CPU cooler - Corsair H100i

The case has;
spots on the roof for 2x 120mm fans
spots in front for 2x 120mm fans
spot on the back for 1x 120mm fan
spot on the bottom for 1x 120mm fan

My questions are:
-Where would be best to install the CPU cooler Corsair H100i? Front or top?
-What directions would I want the fans to be blowing on the rest of the case for optimal air flow?

Thanks for reading.

 

Front, fans pulling air from outside and pushing it through radiator.

Bottom, pulling air from outside.
Top and back, exhausting air from case.

 

Pay some attention to cable management so the air flows better also.

 

Yeah, cable management is a headache

Cheers mate. I made a mistake, it appears like the bottom can't fit a fan, the PSU covers it completely and there's not enough space on the outside of the bottom to fit a fan. It looks like it's a filter for dust prevention, idk

edit: typo correction from 'can' to 'can't'

 

While proper cooling takes priority, think about fan noise too. Where will your computer sit when done? If at your feet, the noise from a top mounted fan may end up becoming annoying.

That said, if me I would not use any of those fans - except the included 120mm in back. Instead, I would get a nice 140mm fan for the front (specs say that case supports 2 x 140mm in front, and 2 up top). Then I would see if just that one 140mm in front (with the 120mm in back) provides sufficient cooling. If you need more, add another quality 140mm in front.

Assuming equal quality in design and manufacturing, 140mm fans are much better than 120mm because they can move a lot more air while spinning at a lower RPM - thus producing less noise. You just might find the 1 x 140mm in front and the 120mm in back (along with the PSU fan) produce more than adequate flow of cool air through the case.

Remember, it is essential you provide sufficient and critical cooling. But cooler does not automatically mean better. As long as the processor and other components can operate comfortably within their normal operating temperature ranges, that is just fine. A CPU running a 30°C will NOT perform better, be more stable, or have a longer life expectancy than a CPU running at 55°C.

 

Noted.

Specs say one thing on the website, but the reality is that all fixtures are only for 120mm. When I bought the components, the guy at the shop was checking the specs and recommended the LM140 fans, but when I got home, they would not fit. I had to go back to the shop to exchange for the ML120's. He was stuck on the website and kept going back to the specs saying I'm wrong, I even filmed and photographed my tower showing the 140's wouldn't fit but he was stubborn about giving me an exchange. That's when I lost it and went to grab the same tower that the shop had on display and show him on the spot that they wouldn't fit, so then he was forced to exchange for the 120's.

To be honest, these magnetic bearings are pretty low noise (for now) running at 20DB's, it's way better than my old one (5 yo PC) that was making unbearable noises. I tried fitting just 1x 140, but it just wouldn't fit, I found it pretty weird but yeah...... Anyway, if I find myself changing towers, I will keep in mind about having fixtures for 140's. Cheers

 

Well, I note even Corsair's official webpage for that case shows the SPEC-05 supports 2 x 140mm up top and 2 x 1400mm in front (*with HD cage removed).



So does the user guide in multiple places. If they are wrong, I would be notifying Corsair.

 

Yeah, that’s the exact image he showed me. But it’s untrue. Once I’m home I will upload the video and photos proving it. Their website is wrong. I proved the vendor wrong with pyshical evidence.

 

I would encourage you to check again when you get home but no need to upload any videos or photos. I will believe you. You might instead, send those photos to Corsair. They are a reputable company so should be eager to make sure their documentation is correct - especially that used for marketing.

 

Oh I did, I had the 140's overnight. The problem was that the 140's would go beyond the screw holes on one side. I could reach 1 side of the 140 towards the 2nd 120 fitting, but it was the other side of the fan that wouldn't. I'll think about sending them to Corsair.

Thanks

 

Also, watch the video on the link you gave me, you can hear the Corsair guy say top fits 2x120 fans, front 2x120 fans. However, if you remove the cage that holds the HDD's that sits on the bottom front, you open enough space for 2x140's.

 

Right, the asterisks (*) in that image and the user guide for the front fans goes to a statement saying the front drive cage must be removed to fit those extra or larger fans. Since I only go with SSDs and don't use hard drives anymore, I could get away with pulling the drive cage. But if you plan on sticking HDs in there, that would be a problem.

It is a nice looking case, I just think it could be better designed. I don't understand why there is all that empty, unusable space above the drive cage. I find it odd it does not seem to support any hard drives outside that drive cage. It does not seem you could even mount an optical drive up there if you wanted to watch movie or something.

Since I feel a case should sit quietly and discreetly off the side, and not draw attention (I don't like distractions and prefer to pay attention to what's happening on my monitors), function over aesthetics is the priority for me. But that's me. And that's why I generally use Fractal Design cases lately. But again, that's just me.

Anyway, you generally want a good front to back flow of cool air through the case. Front to back is most common because PSUs typically exhaust out the back. Blow hole (top mounted) cooling is nice with bottom mounted PSUs, but might keep enough cool air from reaching back to the graphics card. The idea is to create a flow, not turbulence. Turbulence causes heated air to stick around inside the case. You want it extracted quickly. So try to avoid colliding flows of cool air as much as possible.

I recommend you try a setup. "Loosely" tuck away your cables and check your temps over the next few days. If temps are fine, then you can properly "dress" and tie back your cables. If not happy with your temps, experiment with different setups. Just hold off with your permanent cable management solution until you are happy with your cooling to avoid unnecessary frustration and wasted time.

 

Yeah, it's a big asterisk hehe... I just don't understand why their scheme shows 2x 140 fans on top, when there's no way 2x 140's would fit. That's the only part that baffles me.

Anyway, I think I'm pretty happy with the fan/cable setup. Even if there was better way I don't think I'm skilled enough to do it. Most cables, my Corsair Lighting Node are all tucked behind the motherboard. I mounted the Corsair H100i V2 on the front panel with air being pulled in, 2x 120's on top pulling air out and 1x 120 at the back pulling air out.

Something quite odd has started to happen though, the fans from the H100i V2 stop spinning 1 minute after I turn my PC on, however, on the Corsair software, when I select the H100i V2 says my CPU is around 36 to 39 celcius. The fans RPM are at 0 no matter how I set it up through the software (only has 3 options: quiet, balanced and extreme) nothing happens to the fans. The pump keeps up at around 400 to 700 RPMs. I don't know what could be causing this.

 

This H100i V2 fans are a mystery. I just glanced at my tower and noticed the fans are spinning. Could it be that the fans shut down when the liquid is cool enough to last for a while to save energy, then restart when it sees that it is needed? I'm confused.

 

Do you have this installed?
http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/corsair_link.html

 

No, I have Corsair Utility Engine installed. What's the difference?

 

Sure. Especially if power is coming from the motherboard and not directly from the PSU.

 

Forgot this:

There could be many reasons from a simple mistake to a design change after the manual was written and that graphic was created. Again, I think you should notify Corsair tech support about it and see what they say.

 

From the user guide:
https://s7.postimg.cc/6c0o0s8y3/guide.jpg
I too recommend contacting them for clarification, especially if you purchased this particular case expecting to use the larger fans for topside ventilation.

 

Yes, but note the front also says 2 x 140mm.