Replace Intake Fan in Core V1 ITX

STR

Gawd
Joined
Nov 10, 2005
Messages
540
Got a Thermaltake Core V1. [H] Review here for convenience: https://www.hardocp.com/article/2014/08/15/thermaltake_core_v1_miniitx_case_review/3

The included Thermaltake Pure 20 200mm fan is...kinda meh. So I'm considering replacements. The 7700K is aircooled via a Cryorig H7 (and the included 120mm fan) and exhausted by a pair of Arctic F8's. I currently have a GTX 970 blower card (pulls in air from outside the case) but have been looking at non-blower card because the 970 gets loud and has coil whine.

I was looking at the Phanteks PH-F200SP, which runs maybe 5% more RPM, has ~5% more static pressure, and maybe 5% less airflow in CFM if the spec sheets for each aren't lying (or are lying to a similar extent). So it's not going to be much better, but at least it's white with a black frame like the rest of my fans. And yes, the case has windows and sits on a desk, and dammit, I notice the difference.

However, I also realize that, in this case, a lot of that 200mm airflow is channeled under the mainboard. I'm running M.2 drives, so the only thing under the board is the PSU which has its own intake and exhaust. Cabling is neat and almost entirely stuffed underneath the MB tray. So I'm thinking it might be better to just get a 140mm fan (Arctic or Cryorig, or Phanteks, I haven't really looked at them and TBH expect them to perform similarly) that blows directly at the hot parts, though I worry it won't cover the whole of the MB like the big fan does.

Thoughts?
 
I looked into this a bit and there are really no good choices at 200mm, and the few "maybes" on the horizon keep getting delayed (looking at you, noctua).

Honestly, try a 140mm. As you noticed the bottom part is blocked and barely matters, PSU has own intake and any high end GPU is long enough to be a separate intake on the front.

You don't really need to upgrade this case as mine handles a 7700k (U9S dual fan) and Titan XP (v1? lol@nvidia) just fine, but I definitely had some of the same upgrade and modding itch as you. I'm going to try a hotrod cooler next by removing the window, by my rough measurements I think a D15 (normal not S) will actually fit just right.
 
Yeah, I ended up getting the Phanteks PH-F200SP and then stuck a small piece of cardboard (looking for acrylic) in front of the PSU at an angle as an attempt at ducting.

Fan is about as good as the Thermaltake at the high end (F200 runs 800RPM vs Thermaltakes 850), though the Phanteks seems to pull in a bit more air. Big thing is that the Phanteks will run a lot slower at the low end (500RPM vs 600) and is quieter at idle. Temps are the same with both, but the Phanteks looks better...So I'm keeping it.

The "ducting" actually dropped temps by 1-2°c which is great for what has to be the lamest mod in [H] history.

If I had the time and tools, what I'd really want is to fit an SFX PSU in the bottom and lower the MB tray to match. I think I'd get just enough room (25-30mm) to drop a NH-D15 without having to remove the window.
 
One more update, I've learned two things:

  1. All 200mm fans are indeed crap.
  2. If you're going SFF, either stick to stock speeds or buy a watercooler. Small heatsinks, even good small heatsinks, just don't do the job.
I swapped to a H90 and did a push-pull with a pair of Blacknoise NB-eLoop B14's. The B14 series is 140x29mm, so it's as thick as the 200mm fan and moves almost as much air, but are quieter (or at least a less annoying). Just a nice, smooth whoosh. Not only is my idle temp lower than the motherboard (and load temps 10c lower), but the MB temps have dropped by 2 degrees even though the rad is mounted on the only intake.

Photo of the case from a couple of nights ago, when I was experimenting with keeping the 200mm as a push/intake (visible in lower left corner) and the 140mm as a pull fan. It worked well enough, but was by far the loudest setup I tried. Interactions between the fans and radiator resulted in a horrible buzzing sound at all RPMs. I've since swapped in the 2nd B14-3 (these are the DC voltage control version, which runs faster than the PWM version of the B14) and run them both off the CPU fan header via a Y-splitter, while the Arctic F8 PWMs are paired by another splitter and plugged into the chassis header.

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Yeah 200mm fans are a joke, but there are plenty of <=140mm tall coolers that can handle any cpu you'd put in ITX. I hate AIO in general and the U9S is super compatible blocking nothing.

FWIW D15 (non S) does not quite fit, about 1/8th of an inch too far towards the back. You can kindof force it and screw in the top but that means there is a constant uneven/lifting pressure on the heatsink which I don't like. It also barely sticks out the top and looks way more offcenter which combined really falls flat for the hotrod look.
It is also impossible to get the front fan mounted without being way too high, not enough room to bend the ATX cable the right way that won't make it come loose over time.

Going to try a D14 next, otherwise getting a laser cut new top made.
 
I'm going to have to disagree. I've already tried the best of the <=140mm coolers, and most of them do worse than the Cryorig H7 that is just over 140mm. It's not good enough for the 7700K unless you run stock (or even undervolt). *Maybe* the Scythe Fuma could hang in there, but it's more of a 150mm cooler. At that point, you're running into multiple compatibility and ease of use issues on ITX boards.

While you could probably chalk this up to Kaby Lake being toasters, I think it's a harbinger of the near future. Coffeelake 6 core units are *not* going to run cool at similar clock speeds, or even lesser speeds. Ryzen 1800X puts out up to 200W of heat full tilt at 4+GHz speeds. A U9S cannot handle that (140W tops). Most other coolers in that class top out at 150W TDP range (like the H7). 200W loads demand 140mm-class air coolers, which do not fit in small cases.

If you have 160mm+ of space, or stick to stock, fine, go with a big hunk of metal. As big as you can fit.
If you have less than that, like I do, water really is the better bet. I'm getting roughly 140mm aircooler class cooling in a package that takes up less space than my Cryorig H7. The difference between a H90 and a D15 is negligible. And I don't need to cut open my case, and ruin its lines to get that. Half the reason I got this case is because of the lines.

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AIOs are popular for a reason. The biggest downside, honestly, is that there's little/no way of stashing the hoses away. I like my cases clean, but all things require tradeoffs. I'm comfy and cool with mine.
 
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