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Fan upgrades-needed? (HAF X case + H100i CPU)

Post Date: 2013-06-27

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ScottishBattleAx View Drop Down
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  Quote ScottishBattleAx Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Fan upgrades-needed? (HAF X case + H100i CPU)
    Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 6:27am
I'm looking at the build below with a Cooler Master 942 HAF X case. I'm not sure if I should consider upgrading the fans in it. Is it neccessary or beneficial?

The only available options in the configurator are:
Upgrade All Fans to Corsair Airflow 120mm Performance Edition (Up to 6 Fans) [+$89]
Upgrade All Fans to Corsair Airflow 140mm Performance Edition (Up to 6 Fans) [+$97]


The case spec lists this for fans:
Front:230x30 mm red LED fan x 1
Top:200x30mm fan x 2 (one is optional)
Side:200x30mm fan x 1
Rear:140x25mm fan x 1
VGA card fan duct:120x25 mm or 120x38mm fan x 1 (optional)
VGA card holder:80x15mm fan x 1 (optional)

So it seems to come with 7 fans of varying sizes, only 2 of which match the offered fan upgrade sizes of 120mm or 140mm.

I'm also looking at having the CPU cooler- Corsair H100i which has dual 120mm fans - do these take the place of and existing case fan slots?

I just can't see where any of the upgrade option fans of 120mm or 140mm would go in this case. Am I missing something?
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Saved Ticket #: 843776
http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploaddreadnought.asp?id=843776

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master 942 HAF X
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 4770K 3.50 GHz (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth Z87 (Intel Z87 Chipset) (Features Thermal Armor and Thermal Radar)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Corsair Dominator DHX (High-Performance)
Power Supply: 1200W Corsair Pro Platinum Series with Corsair Link (CP-9020008-NA) (Quad SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (256GB Solid State (By: Samsung) (Model: 840 Pro Series)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (2TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (Model: Black Edition) (SATA 6Gbps)
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: 1x (2TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (Model: Black Edition) (SATA 6Gbps)
Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card(s): 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 3GB (Includes PhysX)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Recon3D Fatal1ty Professional 5.1
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Corsair H100i 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme-Performance Edition)
H20 Tube Color: - Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red)
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
CPU Boost: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Graphics Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Memory Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
OS Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 8 (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Large)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty
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  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 7:31am
The HafX doesn't need any fan upgrade.  They are slow, quiet and move lots of air as-is.   The case comes with the front 230mm fan, side 200 mm fan, top 200mm fan and rear 140mm fan. The others are optional.
 
 
I would leave it the way it comes. 
 
The Corsair H100i or Vortex 240 rads and double fans mount under the top and do replace the space for the single top 200mm fan and the optional 2nd 200mm fan.. 
 
The options you get in the configurator are generic across all their builds and aren't specific to one build.  The fan upgrade would be nice for other cases, but not needed here.
 
Hope this helps.  Big%20Smile
 


Edited by bprat22 - 27 Jun 2013 at 7:39am
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  Quote ScottishBattleAx Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 7:58am
Thanks that does help a bit.

So... I'll have
Front: 230mm fan x 1
Side: 200mm fan x 1
Rear: 140mm fan x 1

Top: 200mm fan x 1 (plus space for another same size)- THESE WILL NOT BE USED - they shall be replaced by the CPU cooling fans: 2 x 120mm fans. What is don't understand is:
How can 2 x 120mm fans (those on the H100i) fill a space designed for 2 x 200mm fans?

Also, if I have a massive fan on the front, and the side, is the rear 140mm fan enough to extract the air they are blowing in? Or does the h100i fans/radiator unit also work to extract air out of the case? (since I wont be able to use the cases 200mm top fan)

Thanks

Edited by ScottishBattleAx - 27 Jun 2013 at 7:59am
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  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 8:10am
The top 2 x 120mm fans mount side by side, meaning 240mm plus.  Just not enough room.  Also, the h100i and its two fans are usually mounted to blow up and out giving the case very good in and out air flow.
 
Sometimes, depending on testing , the case, parts etc  they want the coolest outside air to hit the rad first instead of the heated inside the case air for max cpu cooling,  so have the fans blow down into the case.  Even then the airflow is good because of the vents all around the case that let air escape.   In this case , pretty sure the h100i is configured to blow out.
 
 


Edited by bprat22 - 27 Jun 2013 at 8:11am
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  Quote ScottishBattleAx Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 8:24am
In what way do you mean not enough room? I was picturing 2 x 120mm fans = dimensions of 120 x 240mm.

If the case top can take 2 x 200mm fans, it must mean the dimensions = 200mm x 400mm.

So... I thought the H100i fans of 120x240 would be small for the 200x400 space... and therefore, how would the rest of that space be used/covered up?
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  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 8:51am
Just isn't enough. Big%20Smile
 
If you take the 240mm plus the extra width of the radiator that sticks out form both sides of where the fans mount and subtract the 40mm plus extra rad width from the second 200mm mounting space, you're left with less than 150mm to mount a 200mm fan.  Plus the rad might mount in the middle of the space, but not sure. 
400mm minus 240mm is only 160mm, not including the extra rad overhang. 
 
The extra space is left open.  No need to cover it up. 
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  Quote ScottishBattleAx Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 9:24am
Ok I get you... I think we had a different understanding of what we were saying..

I totally understand there shall only be room for the H100i fans (2 x 120mm+extra), with not enough left over for a single 200mm fan. Like you say, there would only be ~150mm to left over.

So... the only fans on the top of the case are the H100i fans (2 x 120mm)

But you say the extra space is left open ? As in a hole where things could fall inside the case?
Surely it can be closed somehow? Sounds pretty rough if they just leave it open. Or I wonder if a 140mm fan could be added in (in addition to the 2x120mm H100i fans?
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  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 9:34am
Its not really a hole left open.  There's a grate mounted to the top with the rad/fans mounted below.  You definitely don't want to place a drink up there.  Strong
 
Small things could fall through but a lot of the better cases do have the top open to get of where the heat likes to linger.
 
The fan, cooling setup can be confusing.  I've just been doing it longer than you.Big%20Smile
 
Just to confuse the issue....  I have seen where some have custom modded the setup and left both 200mm fans and the h100i all mounted together.  Don't know why except to have some fun.  You can mod a case to do pretty much anything but DS sticks to what works, unless you want to pay a lot extra for custom. 
 
The h100i , alone, mounted on top will give you all the airflow you need.  Of course, I'd rather have the Noctua D14 and 2x 200mm fans on top, but that's for another time.  Big%20Smile
 
Edit... great questions, by the way.  I'm sure others reading this would have the same questions. 


Edited by bprat22 - 27 Jun 2013 at 9:39am
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  Quote ScottishBattleAx Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 12:55pm
Thanks for your help. It all makes sense now!

I guess we remain unsure just exactly how Digital Storm attach the H100i's twin fans to the top of the case, but I get what you mean about the mesh that shall cover the entire top regardless of what fans are beneath it.

Here's a pic of the top of the case for anyone that may find it useful to see what we're talking about:

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  Quote gpcook Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 2:15pm
So, I'm a bit confused.  I'm ordering my Dreadnought HAF X today and from previous posts I've seen in the forum I've seen this:
  • add a 200mm  non-LED fan on top
  • add a 120mm video card fan.

My build will include:

  • Titan video card
  • AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 cooling
  • 3930K stage 1 overclocking
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  Quote Alex Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 2:38pm
The HAF-X is good for air cooled systems, but, if you are going with a liquid cooler like H100i, I recommend the Virtue or ODE.
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  Quote ScottishBattleAx Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 2:45pm
VGA card fan duct:120x25 mm or 120x38mm fan x 1 (optional)
VGA card holder:80x15mm fan x 1 (optional)

Another question- do the above "optional" fans for the HAF X case actually come supplied with it? As in its optional to fit them? Or do you have to buy them seperately? Are they really needed?
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  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 3:38pm
Those fans are an extra cost and don't come as standard.    You really don' t need them.   
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  Quote ScottishBattleAx Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 3:53pm
Originally posted by Alex

The HAF-X is good for air cooled systems, but, if you are going with a liquid cooler like H100i, I recommend the Virtue or ODE.

The CPU will have the H100i, but I wasn't intending on getting any extra cooling for the 2 graphics cards, therefore I thought having a good powerful air flow through the case would be good, right?
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  Quote Alex Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 4:13pm
All of those cases will do a great job at that, you don't really need a HAF-X to do that. If you were running some GTX 480 graphics cards in SLI, then I would recommend the HAF-X for air cooled high-end GPUs.

Any of those choices are great, pick what you like most.
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  Quote ScottishBattleAx Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 5:23pm
Originally posted by Alex

All of those cases will do a great job at that, you don't really need a HAF-X to do that. If you were running some GTX 480 graphics cards in SLI, then I would recommend the HAF-X for air cooled high-end GPUs.


Hi Alex, I'm not sure what you mean- I AM planning to run 2 GTX graphic cards in SLI with just air cooling (fans on cards + case fans)- so you're saying you would recommend the HAF-X for that kind of set up?

Sorry-I'm sure I'm just mis-reading your comment, but it sounds like you contradict yourself saying all the cases with do a good job cooling SLI, then you say I would need a HAF-X for air cooling SLI
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  Quote Alex Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 5:31pm
What I meant is that you do not really need to worry about the case choice being HAF-X and how the fans are. All of the cases will do pretty much a great job.
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  Quote ScottishBattleAx Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 5:35pm
Ok thanks.

I'm liking the look of the Corsair 650D - maybe I'll switch to that
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  Quote Tidgxor Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 5:51pm
GTX 480's were about the temperature of the Sun, that is why Alex mentioned them specifically. Hahaha
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  Quote ScottishBattleAx Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 28 Jun 2013 at 9:51am
Originally posted by Tidgxor

GTX 480's were about the temperature of the Sun, that is why Alex mentioned them specifically. Hahaha


Ah..well now it makes more sense!
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