Air coolers vs. liquid coolers!!! If you recently switched post those TEMPS!!!

shanevin said:

Whoa!!!Whats your setup and is that idle or under major load?

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encoding 4k footage in Fcpx..Cpu =3770k @4.7ghz.Cooler=Seidon 240m..

I'm impressed that you were able to take those screenshots with those temps. I would have expected the system to crash or shut down.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPUCooling/772

Use the two selectable benchmark drop down boxes for comparisons between AIO and air coolers, noise and full load, for example.

kiiroaka said:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPUCooling/772

Use the two selectable benchmark drop down boxes for comparisons between AIO and air coolers, noise and full load, for example.

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Thanks for the link! Good info.

metacollin said:

I am using midrange, single fan Noctua coolers, ones with relatively poor airflow, 78CFM, I believe. I am also using (6) 140mm fractal design fans, all of which have extremely crappy air flow individually, but they suck [air] in from the bottom and blow [it] out the top, creating an unobstructed wind tunnel; and the CPU and CPU coolers are aligned so they blow with, rather than against this airflow.

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I also subscribe to the top exhaust theory. I wanted to have a case with a 230mm or 240mm top fan, but I couldn't find one I liked. So I looked for a case that could mount two or three 140mm top exhaust fans. But I didn't find one I liked (exhaust holes were usually too small and had dust covers that restricted air flow).

I really wish the Noctua heat sinks allowed either horizontal or vertical positioning. But, alas, I couldn't do it with my NH-U14S. I really wanted the CPU heatsink intake fan to be on the bottom, close to the video card, then blow air through the heatsink, and then the air exhausted through the top exhaust fan. [One review site did a test and found that horizontal exhaust was superior but I question their methodology because they go counter to my own experience, comparing CPU temps in both positions, so I question their case setup.]

if you make sure to use air filters on your intake fans, and have more intake fans than exhaust fans (which will put your case at positive pressure, so all the holes that air can escape through will be exit only), then you will see virtually no dust build up over time. Dust can't get in if the only air that can get inside is air that is filtered.

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As far as negative or positive air pressure, this is AZ. and very fine dust gets in "no matter what," necessitating blowing out the PC every six months, and in your case, blowing out the dust filters every three months. I always wanted to add an automotive air filter to a case, something easy to remove and re-install, not the clunky little filters on the bottom, or in the front of the case.

As far as your 140W processors go, I presume that you have, in effect, space heaters, like my G5 (and the G3 and G4 were even worse). Hopefully you're not also running a space heater Radeon video card, the one that goes up to about 185 degrees Fahrenheit. (R390?)

trs96 said:

When you tried the air cooler in your modded MP case how many case fans did you have ?
Was there a specific pattern for the air to flow in and out of the case ?

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Yes a straight through front to back flow with 2 120mm noctua intake in front and 1 140mm exhaust in rear.