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Airflow setup for H100i

N

Nvidia_ATI

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 5, 2011
Messages
470


I plan to install a H100i in the top of my CM Storm Stryker along with a pair of “ugly” NF-F12s. My question is what would be the best/optimal fan setup for satisfactory cooling performance. Considering the 5 options in the diagram above, which one would you pick? Here’s my take:

Option 1: My top choice. Pros: Positive pressure and better aesthetics because the Noctua fans are hidden. Rear fan brings in cool outside air that can be pulled into the radiator by the top fans. In addition, it easier to clean because dust collects on the exposed surface of the radiator.
Cons: Somewhat limited exhaust because of restriction imposed by radiators. Could be an issue since I have a pair of GTX 780s dumping warm air into my case. Fans pull warm air from inside the case through the radiator.

Option 2: Pros: Better exhaust. Cons: Negative case pressure unless the speed of exhaust fans are lowered.

Option 3: Pros: Highest positive pressure out of all the options. Radiators get cool air from outside the case.
Cons: Limited exhaust. Could be an issue with my pair of GTX 780s dumping warm air into the case. Difficult to clean because dust collects on the hidden surface between the radiator and the fans.

Option 4: Similar to option 2 with the fans facing the inside of the case. Pros: Some people claim pushing air through radiators is better than pulling. This assertion is debatable. Cons: I do not like this option because the NF-F12s with their hideous color will be plain to see. Difficult to clean (see option 3)

Option 5: Similar to option 3 with fans facing the inside of case. Pros: See option 3. Cons: Aesthetics and difficult to clean.

Please suggest any other configuration not listed that will provide better performance. Thanks!
 
Option 4

That should give you the best case and CPU temps with that number of fans. Removing any fan grills will also help.
 
Option 4 for sure.. thats definitely the best setup for balanced cooling performance for the entire case and CPU but.. why?. first, you have natural airflow across the entire case without make any turbulence of warm air generated by the radiator and the cold airflow at the mid-high of the case that will be produced if you use the options 3 and 5. the option 1 will throw even more turbulence in the the case taking into consideration that you have pair of lightning that pop some very hot air inside the case.

about the pulling vs pushing. you can test your own with the H100i, it will make it very very easy to make a good comparison between both methods, because with the corsair link software you can check the corsair liquid temperature, and i have to confirm that after lot of testing push air through the radiator its way way better than pulling, but i also tested with 2 thermal probes (of the fan controller :D). the radiator its definitely warmer when you pull from it and also the liquid cooling corroborate that being 4 degrees warmer in pull than push, specially taking into consideration that for make the test more precise in both test was used fixed fan RPM speed with the stock corsair SP120L fans at 1500-1800-2100-2500RPM and to be more precisely if you want pulling to keep the same cooling performance as pushing you will need 600+ RPM.. so thats are 1500RPM pushing vs 2100RPM pulling.. and i simply do not like it. so yes, for sure the option 4 its the best. i also have in my case the upper side panel fan as intake at a good 1200RPM with a DEMCiflex filter that provide extra cold air to the radiator because its very close to it.
 
I concur, Option 4 is the best choice based on your options. IMO never introduce 3d air, have air moving in a single direction. Also, your fans are not ideal, better choice is the NF-P12s, but what you have will work fine. I heard recently that Noctua released new fans that are all black. Check out Linus Tech Tips for his review.

NF-F = Focused Flow
NF-A = Air Flow (Case fan)
NF-S = Silence (Aimed at nothing but silence)
NF-P = Pressure(Designed for use on radiators)
 
I tried all those configurations when I got my H100 and option 5 is the one that worked best by up to 3C! Granted my computer room is on my finished basement and it's usually pretty cool down there so the H100 fans drawing in ambient air works better. Axial fans pull better than they push so having them drawing air thru the rad is usually gonna work better. Corsair actually recommends you run them this way, mounted underneath as intake. It is true that heat rises but that's in a static environment. It will go whichever direction it's pushed and it doesn't take any extra effort to blow it out the back than it does to push it up thru the top. I think it's better to bring the cooler outside air in over the rad and the fans underneath pulling will do this better than them on top and pushing.

I do think results we differ depending on your rig, your room, ambient temp and a bunch of other things so try a couple different ways and see which works best for you.
 
gflgs said:
I concur, Option 4 is the best choice based on your options. IMO never introduce 3d air, have air moving in a single direction. Also, your fans are not ideal, better choice is the NF-P12s, but what you have will work fine. I heard recently that Noctua released new fans that are all black. Check out Linus Tech Tips for his review.

NF-F = Focused Flow
NF-A = Air Flow (Case fan)
NF-S = Silence (Aimed at nothing but silence)
NF-P = Pressure(Designed for use on radiators)
Click to expand...

nope, you are wrong NF-F12 are the best for radiators even if you check the Noctua Site. you will find that
NF-F12: The NF-F12’s unique Focused Flow™ system produces extremely high static pressure and focuses the airflow in order to achieve even better results on air cooling heatsinks and water cooling radiators. With a top speed of 1500rpm, it also offers more performance headroom for less noise-sensitive applications. Choose the NF-F12 if you’re looking for the best possible performance on heatsinks and radiators.
Click to expand...
. so no, the best are Focused flow fans. they are also more recent than NF-P12.
 
Guys, thanks for your input. I have installed the unit and it appears to be functioning properly (at idle) with the exception of a loud hum. It is giving me the same idle temps as my NH-D14. I have yet to stress test my CPU. What program apart from Prime95 do you use? I have the bios on default settings so avoiding Prime95 with its high voltage inducing AVX instructions would be preferable.

Unfortunately, the hum produced by my h100i is too loud to be acceptable. Have there been cases in which the hum goes away after a day or two? I fear an RMA will be required.
 
I'm big on OCCT. It's got a handy monitoring tool built in and just easier to use. I also think it's a little better and doesn't need to be ran for 4 days straight. I've used it on my last 2 CPU's and so far any overclock that could run 4-5 hours of OCCT has turned out to be 24/7 stable.

I tried Intel Burn Test but I was able to pass 20 runs of it at 4.8 but it would crash after an hour or so of gaming so I don't use it anymore. Now granted that's with AMD chips so I'd suggest using Intel Burn Test and OCCT. Find an overclock that can pass both and I'd say you're golden.
 
Nvidia_ATI said:
Guys, thanks for your input. I have installed the unit and it appears to be functioning properly (at idle) with the exception of a loud hum. It is giving me the same idle temps as my NH-D14. I have yet to stress test my CPU. What program apart from Prime95 do you use? I have the bios on default settings so avoiding Prime95 with its high voltage inducing AVX instructions would be preferable.

Unfortunately, the hum produced by my h100i is too loud to be acceptable. Have there been cases in which the hum goes away after a day or two? I fear an RMA will be required.
Click to expand...

check in the Corsair Link software the firmware of your device.. you probably only have to update it, thats a common issue in some units. it happened to my first h100i unit 1 year ago... are you using manual fan curve or any of the selected fan profiles?. about the stress test, i love Aida64 since the times when it was Everest and is proved to be still one of the best system stress test.
 
MacLeod said:
I tried Intel Burn Test but I was able to pass 20 runs of it at 4.8 but it would crash after an hour or so of gaming so I don't use it anymore. Now granted that's with AMD chips so I'd suggest using Intel Burn Test and OCCT. Find an overclock that can pass both and I'd say you're golden.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions. I have downloaded OCCT and will give it a shot.

Araxie said:
check in the Corsair Link software the firmware of your device.. you probably only have to update it, thats a common issue in some units. it happened to my first h100i unit 1 year ago... are you using manual fan curve or any of the selected fan profiles?. about the stress test, i love Aida64 since the times when it was Everest and is proved to be still one of the best system stress test.
Click to expand...

The h100i came with firmware 1.05. I updated it to 1.07 but there was no improvement. I am running my fans off the mobo using ASUS fan expert 2.
 
At What speed are tu running the fans? Its weird generally any noise with fans are related to when are using with the corsair unit.
 
I am running the fans at 650 rpm. I am certain the hum/buzz is from the corsair pump and not related to the fans.
 
at what speed its the pump running?. try with another Sata connector..
 
The pump is running at 2198. The pump is powered by a brand new sata connector which is not shared by any other devices. I'll try using another sata connector as you suggested.
 
I switched sata connectors and also switched the port on the PSU it was connected to. No improvement. :-(
 
then probably its a problem with the impeller... request a change of the unit..
 
I wanted to do option 4 with my setup... however I ran into an issue.

I have an MSI Z87-G45 and a Corsair 600t case, and the fans couldn't be mounted with the block for the CPU. It was in the way. I have the fans on top of the case as an intake with a rear 120mm fan as exhaust.
 
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