HUUUUUGGE respect for this. Can't even imagine the time you must've invested for this video. Thanks a lot for the graphs and the thorough testing. Subscriber for life.
Thanks for posting this feedback, it means a lot to me. A lot people have enjoyed this video, and that's great, but most people probably don't realize what it took to put it together. It was a lot of work not just to do the actual benchmarking, but also to do the preparation and planning, including polling my viewers, in order to make sure the results would be meaningful. Going through all of this and getting useless results would have been a major disappointment. Well, I guess it's up to my viewers to decide if it was useful or useless, but it sounds like you at least appreciated it!
This needs more attention. Searching for an hour and lots of videos with nothing but opinions. Thank you for doing REAL testing and covering ALL the orientations. Great work
I have noticed that when you have Multiple fans on the same PWM channel. You get harmonic resonance( sort of a rhythmic hum) from all the fans. However if you put each fan on its own PWM channel ( use a fan controller or individual headers on your motherboard) you don't get as much resonance even if the fans are all running at the same speed.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru arctics are actually known to have a hum at only certain rpms'. Turn them up a tiny bit past that point, it vanishes, turn them down past that point the hum also vanishes. ITs just at the like 85% point or so that they do that. Cant remember what channel exactly figured this one out ill have to go back and look. They were testing these against the Noctuas.
Ok. Good to see the 120mm x 5 or 6 performing well as my new setup will resemble that. The latter proving a second top exhaust doesn’t interfere with front inflow. Appreciate the time you spent here 👍🏼.
My recommendations stand - these are excellent fans. The fact that I was able to find some configurations where P12s outperformed P14s doesn't diminish the products in any way. I believe that in much bigger cases, the P14s might be warranted.
@@LeoTelles Don't forget he was positioning the dB meter over the case and did say that you hear them the most , but if the case sit on the desk it could be a totally different story too.
I can't believe what a great and thorough test and analysis you did on this content. I think you answered any question anyone could possibly have about fan sizes, RPM, configuration, direction of flow (and various combinations). Most surprising to me was how detrimental having the top fans as rear exhaust, front intake, to cooling; I thought at worst it would be about the same as having no fan there, but that was completely wrong. This goes to show the importance of deliberate, scientific, testing before reaching conclusions. Thanks for this!
Well, that 140mm performance was disappointing. I did not expect those results. I thought the bigger the fan the better from a noise normalized perspective. Boy I was wrong! I guess I will just buy more P12 fans haha. Great video as always sir. Thank you for taking the time to experiment with so many configurations!
I was a bit disappointed too, but it doesn't mean they are bad fans. In the 3- and 4-fan configurations, they were actually better than the 120s. But putting 5 in the case just added a bit too much turbulence, which increased noise and may have disrupted airflow out of the chassis.
I've checked out lots of fan placement articles and videos, and this is the best info out there. This is a complicated issue to cover and you did it well. Also, I got lucky and don't have any resonance noises, only a "whooshing" sound as intended, and after tweaking the fan curves over time I've got everything perfect noise-wise. I actually found this video after I figured everything out for my use case, and everything you say is accurate, but I will keep it bookmarked for future use. Liked and subscribed.
@@TheTechBuyersGuruimagine if you tested side panel mounting, apparently that makes a huge difference, but apparently we stopped doing that in consumer cases.
Thank you for this video. I have a BQ PB500 case with mixed old fans from BQ (120, 140 / silent, dark, pure, similar positioning) Now I've purchased 6 of the arctic p12 and set it up the same way...immediately 10-15 degree lower temps on my idle GPU (no fans running) on 20% case fan rpm, nice! Thank you very, very much!
Excellent work! I’ve worked with dozens of cases and even more fans over the years. I did carry out my own measurements of temp, noise and vibration and despite occasional variations I can only concur with you. Your conclusions are spot on. Well done !
I'm using three P14 and two P8 Arctics in a 4U rack for my PC with a U9S. Also deshrouded my GPU and added two F12 and also changed the PSU fan to an F12 that was laying around from my old case. I'm very happy with it.
This is an amazingly well-done video. It answered basically every question I had about fan setup and many others I'd never even considered. You get a like and subscribe -- thank you!
Hi friend, thanks for the precious time you spent, I have the same case and both Arctic P12 PWM and Noctua NF-A 12x25 PWM, it is clear that every computer, case and fan will make a difference, every case is unique, I have put 3 Arctic P12 in front (away from the filter) and 3 Noctua NF-A 12x25 1 rear and 2 top, the noise is almost absent at low speed but if I increase the Noctua are heard, previously I put Noctua in front (near to the filter) and Arctic rear and top, the noise is also absent in this case at low speed, but if I increase, the Noctua are heard! then I did another test with the Noctua (away from the filter) and I get an annoying resonance noise from the bearing, it is really difficult to find the right compromise between performance and noise but I want to say that the Noctua even if they are noisier, they blow more air than the Arctic and the temperatures drop by 2/3 degrees, the Arctic P12 are nice and very quiet but do not blow much air, certainly the biggest problems occur in summer and with these hot temperatures, if the room is not air-conditioned you have to increase the speed and bear the noise, this is the only solution with any computer, case, fan etc ... if the room is air conditioned then you can also run all the fans at 1000 rpm in idle and get a nice fresh computer!
I'd like to address the off high pitched hum that comes from the P12 at 1000-1500 RPM. You can hear this in this video:th-cam.com/video/rb9Rt5G1ZlQ/w-d-xo.html Once the PWM value is in the range of 41-65 the pulsating resonance hum is noticeable, especially when in the specific resonance. They work very well as case fans at constant RPM. I'd just note the extra fan tuning, to avoid the humming RPM range, if they're being used on a Ryzen CPU cooler (which constantly spikes unless using RyzenMaster.) The same thing occurs with the P14 except lower frequencies.
I use Skiron fans instead of Arctic for this reason. Their sound profile is consistent as they ramp up in RPMs. Downside is that their lifespan isn't as long as Arctics.
this is true. i have two p14s. one in front, one as rear exhaust. the hum starts around 1000 rpm so i keep them at 950 rpm constant. definitely not buying arctic fans anymore.
@Kachongui Kach Just keep them running at constant. my hum now starts at 900 rpm but disappears between 1000-1100. a couple of weeks ago, it started at 1000. lol
This definitely helps. I didn't know much about fans or how you configure them can help. Stating its specific to your case helps a lot too. I need to do more research on a case now too. I'm slowly putting together a pc but I'm still learning about cases and fans. I really appreciate you taking the time to make this, for replying in the other video and especially for linking this video. Stay blessed dude
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I bought 1x P14 and 3x P12 (a year ago), and only 2x P12 ended in my PC case, working perfectly, almost inaudible at 780RPM. The other ones went straight to electronic waste. Arctic quality control is abysmal. The price on them can be easily multiplied by 2. Half of them are expected to have fan screeching, motor vibration defects, or both. It's a pity that they seem to have so little competition. Noctua is expensive and its sound signature is a silent chainsaw.
My build is pure base 500dx . On front i have z73 nzxt water cool. On Top 2 fans 140mm as exhaust and rear fan 140mm as exhaust. I am waiting now for noctua's new generation fans to change my aio fans and one of the top fan Thank you so much for the review . Very informative. 🙏 .
Thank you very much sir, this is just amazing. I can't thank you enough for making it so simple and easy to understand, no mumbo jumbo included, and you included VRM and chipset temps as well, it is just awesome.
When thinking about multiple fan setups in a case, it's useful to think more in terms of pressure than airflow. An intake fan generates a high-pressure zone, while an exhaust fan generates a low-pressure zone. Air always moves from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas.
That is a very good point. But air doesn't always move from high pressure to low pressure, it has to have a pathway to do so. So putting a high pressure fan in the wrong place means low airflow, and hence poor cooling efficiency.
Just a minor tip for those that are running a BQDX500 case or similar with 3 120mm fan in the front intake, take out all the unused pci/pcie tabs below the graphics card, this will improve the GPU temps a fair bit, I can feel the airflow coming out at the back at medium to high RPM. Plus, with the air being sucked in through the filter at the front, dust won't be an issue.
Just wanted to say again. Thank you for the awesome review and going to the extra mile to test these fans. Greatly appreciated as always.. By the way Happy New Year!
This is a video I've been promising since the summer, so I worked overtime to get it in before the end of the year. It was a ton of work, but I learned a lot, and it sounds like you probably did too! Catch you in 2021!
bloody fantastic video mate. been planning my fan setup for a week now, and this video just solidified everything i was planning on doing. thankyou sir
It's a good idea to flatten your fan curves in the normal operating range your workloads are going to see, that way you don't get this annoying noise of the fans ramping up and down in speed quickly and often.
Maybe this will be the vid that puts me over the top! I'm glad you like it, and I'm pretty proud of how much work (and thought) I put into this. I wanted it to go beyond what's been done before.
Thank you for this awesome video! I have exactly the same case (black version) and fans (arctic value pack, 140mm), and I was lost with all the possibilities. You answered my questions, keep up the good job.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Yes you tested even something I was willing to try (top intake). Now I have a question, how were you able to install the 140 tops fans? The cpu power cable gets in the way, was it the same for you? I tried to push a little but was too afraid to damage it.
Tons of work going into these videos amazing stuff and interesting info to have as a case building enthusiast. Everyone is a critic until they have to do the work, so don't let the negativity drown out your work!
After seeing that you got better GPU cooling with one front fan vs. two, I tried this out and got some different results. I got 2 degree lower GPU temps with 2 front and 1 rear fan than with 1 front and 1 rear fan, where you got two degree higher temps with the two front fans. All fan speeds were locked for this testing, I think the problem with your 2 front fan test here is that you've put the second fan in the top position, rather than the bottom one. In my testing, two fans in the middle and bottom positions improve cooling for both the GPU and CPU vs just one fan.
I'm two minutes, and 55 seconds in; you haven't done any testing yet, and I'm already loving it. EDIT: I just finished watching the video, that had to have been one of the quickest 15 minutes of my life. The Premises that you've just opened up are all highly interesting, and don't get me started on the delivery, PERFECT! ....For me, at least. I'm sure the majority of other users that don't think to look at this sort of content would probably prefer to be told "What's better, 120mm or the 140mm fans?" followed up by "Which is the optimal placement". They'll have a fit right in front of you if you dare use the word "variables" in a sentences to them.
Thanks for watching the whole thing, and I'm glad to hear it didn't drag on for you despite all the data! I do heavily edit my videos to cut out the chatter (stuff that seems interesting as it comes out of my mouth but isn't once I listen to it!). Truth be told, I fully expected different results, even testing the setup that I thought was "right" at the end so I could keep it running in my system only to find that it was terrible (that was with the top fan flipped). I do hope that this video opens up a new dialog on PC cooling, because I don't think some of these issues have been fully examined thus far. Of course, I left about a million variables on the table for others to play with, so it's not like this conversation is over, it's only just begun!
@@TheTechBuyersGuru This message is a bit lengthy, I get carried away in writing/research sometimes and then realise what time it is and how long I've invested towards sharing a suggestion. From my perspective, your last video has opened up a whole new ballgame in regards to testing, the problem is, there's no way we could expect you to cover each new door. I went through the latest comments on this video, which you've done a stellar job at responding too. It seems some people would still like you to take their suggestions into account with testing, but with your level of detail, their requests are much larger than they realise. Perhaps in the next video, you could consider leaning in a different direction, allowing you to still follow-up on this content by keeping the users engaged and not putting an unrealistic workload on your shoulders. I had two thoughts in mind: Directly asking your fanbase to experiment using a set of specific parameters. You could document three-five different types of experiments you'd like to see numbers in, then assign two volunteers to each experiment(if available). I'd imagine that some of these tests would help the users construct questions or statements that may make it easier for you to strategically invest your time. Their results would not be conclusive in any way; it would just help lead you towards something in which you deem interesting or valuable. The second was sending out emails to individuals who handle airflow/circulation at a professional level, something like a structural engineer working in the airflow department. Briefly explain your position. You're trying to give individuals insight to maintain their hardware safely whilst also educating users enough to indirectly lower sales towards poorly engineered cases and fans. The last statement changes depending on who you're contacting; it's supposed to be a reason that relates to their values/morals/ethics. Ask if they have time for a couple of questions if so, show them a diagram of what you thought would work, and why; then followed up with what seemed to have worked. If they're hesitant in helping, you can mention that whichever professional adequately supports will be mentioned in that video with a thank you, as well as their business subtly brought up. E.g. I want to thank John for yada yada who's currently working as an Air Conditioner manufacturer for X company." There are also some interesting ways of measuring airflow from some brief Google search pages, perhaps if you were to use a tool to take a few measurements in your worst and best case-fan setups, you might be able to find similarities which turn out to be consistent with future tests.
Thanks for a very interesting 🤔 review video. I usually have a 2 intake fans and exhaust fans 1 rear and 1 top (all 140mm fans) for my tax builds. However, now I’m using mini ITX setups, a dual intake and 1 or 2 exhaust (120mm setup fans) setup I find worlds better in these. Love the video. Keep up the great work 🎄🎄🥳🥳🥰🤯.
Wooow man, such a detailed guide, i was looking fot 500dx fan guide. This is very on point. I became sub because of this detailed guide just to support you
When i had my fx8300 system i ran 2 120s front and 2 top 120s, all as intake with the only exhaust at the rear, as well as a gpu with a blower cooler and my psu "uspide down" for more exhaust potential. Was great setup for cpu, vrm and oc'ing - basically the only thing that system was good for. I really love your fan content. I thought 4 140s would take it over the 6 120s because of the lower speed. Good stuff as always.
If you look closely at the dBA-normalized 3DMark graph for the extreme setups, you'll see that the 4x140s were excellent for CPU temps, but not quite as good for GPU temps. I suspect that if I had lowered the bottom fan below the level of the PSU shroud, the temps would have (counter-intuitively) been better for the GPU.
I had the same result with my single 140mm intake fan: the lowest position is most beneficial to the GPU. My case doesn't have any grate above the PSU and as I was thinking about the turbulence occurring when the air hits the back of the PSU, I placed a makeshift curved ramp out of cardboard leading up from the bottom of the case to the level of the PSU. That shaved off another 1.5°C of the GPU temps. By the way, my rear fan is an intake (at 300 rpm) and I only have one exhaust fan in the top; CPU air flow is reversed. That was the optimal solution for a CPU tower cooler (at moderate rpm) and an open "blow through" GPU (Sapphire Pulse RX Vega56). Otherwise the CPU cooler was sucking in that hot air from the GPU.
Really Great job on this video 👏👏. Here is a fan weird set up that I though that might just work: - Back: 120 fan Intake - Top (above ram): 120 fan exhaust - Front Panel: # Bottom Slot: 120 fan @ 1500rpm min # Middle Slot: Empty # Top Slot: 120 fan exhaust - Finally place 1x 120mm fan on the PSU shroud below the GPU to direct air from the Front bottom fan , straight to the GPU. This set up uses 5 fans that can be bought from the value pack, provide airflow on the vrms closest to the Scythe fuma and provide cooler air in a more direct way to the GPU ! Hope you like my idea I really enjoy your content! Sometimes I just sip my coffee watching you build PCs!
This is indeed a really interesting idea, and I think adding that bottom fan is a great idea. You'd just have to make sure to flip the fans on the Fuma 2 to make that reverse airflow work, and I'm not sure they'd be quite as effective in a pull arrangement as they are in push.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru If the fans are reversed, they would be on a push configuration, pushing fresh air from the back and pulling it in the case , where it is immediately exhaust by the Top fan, am I right ?
Push and pull refers to the orientation of the fan on the heatsink (or radiator) fins. So if you have reversed the airflow in your case to go from back to front, then you need to flip the fans on the Fuma 2. This makes them "pull" fans, as they are pulling air through the fins, not pushing it. Fans are typically a bit less effective in this orientation.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Oh alright, I get it now ! Thanks for the explanation! Theoretically tho, both push and pull configurations should level out , as RPM increases right ?
Arctic fans are solid budget fans, and the 5-pack is a wonderful value. As an alternative, I recommend MetallicGear Skiron fans, whenever you can find them for a good budget price. They're made by Phantek. These fans are a slightly better 9-blade design for airflow compared to Arctics, but more importantly, the Skirons are close to the cheapest case fans you can which include rubber mounts to reduce vibration noise. Decent quality rifle-bearings, slightly improved on the ball-bearings in Arctic fans. Arctics have a cooler motor, however, which increases their lifespan over the Skirons.
Very helpful for my first build since I actually grabbed the 5 pack of the arctic 140's for the price to performance value. One caveat, I went with the Phanteks p500a non-rgb case so there is actually room for me to put three 140's in the front and get that airflow beneath the gpu. I have an arctic liquid freezer II 360 AIO as well so I'm excited to see how removing the air cooler from the flow path affects temperatures. Gonna set them up in a 3 front, 1 back plus AIO top exhaust configuration to see how it goes. And I'm praying the increased case size doesn't bite me with the longer distance to the components like you mentioned 😟 I'll post results when the parts get here.
@@maozedowner5915 So as it turns out, I'm an idiot with almost no idea what I'm doing. And the results show this. My cpu is an i9-12900kf running at 4.9Ghz. Cinebench r20 was too hard to find, so I went with r23. After a 5 minute loop, I got a max temp one one core of 87° and an average max temp of about 79.5° on Core Temp 1.17.1(that incredibly high temp told me I might be doing it wrong) For the GPU(3080 FTW3 ULTRA) I ran the time spy test while following it with task manager and although my gpu load hit max, the temp never went above 53°(this confirmed I was doing it wrong.) It's disappointing, but I don't think my findings will be of any help to anyone. Sorry.
killer Vid. Linus Tech Tips made a similar one but didn't discuss the ins and outs of exhaust vs intake fans in the top, or the interplay between 120mm and 140mm fan types. I bought a case that unfortunately didn't allow for top mounting of a AIO pump bc of space limitations (it bumps against the mobo / ram) so this vid is a rescue of sorts. Thanks for helping me rethink my cooling design!!
Amazing analysis my guy. I really do appreciate all your tedious testing and hard work for a very informative video. I was looking forward to this video and you did not disappoint. Thanks again my guy and keep up the great content.
Just ordered a box of P14s last week, 5 for the half the price of one Noctua 12x25... just to test them. At 600-700rpm they are super silent and have a very pleasant sound, while moving relatively large amounts of air, certainly enough to keep everything cool. Between 700-1100, they create some slightly annoying turbulent sound, which stops at 1200rpm... here they have a louder, but pleasant sound again. Therefore, I recommend them for either silent or maximum performance builds. Still waiting for Toughfan availability in Europe... only the 140mm version is available and I am not sure about those yet.
I really like in depth comparisons with case fans. I've watched previous videos and you really cover the issues that bug a person like myself who cannot stand noise issues caused by case fans. I've experience harmonic resonance issues with noctua that are not going to show up on a "decibel meter", but I would rather have high decibels than to hear that awful sound. I don't know how anyone can work next to a machine noises like that all day. The cons of having good hearing I guess. You also make a great point to control the RPMs of the fans to get the right amount of airflow where your specific case isn't making groaning noises.
Glad I could provide some useful insights! Fan performance is incredibly complex, which might be why you don't see many other TH-camrs trying to tackle it! I definitely can't cover it all, but I try to give people something to think about beyond specs on a website, which is how most people have bought fans for decades.
I recently became curious about how 120s stack up against 140s after my Montech Air Base came with 3 140mm fans when I already had 6 120mm Bequiet silent wings (3 of them being light wings). I was told that 140mm fans were "better" than my 120mm fans, but I wanted to see for myself which eventually led me here as not a lot of people do these kinds of tests for fans. Your testing so far seems the best since you only have 1 manipulated variable (the fans) while everything else including the ambient room temperature remains consistent. I honestly cannot thank you enough for what was likely several hours of work testing all of these configurations.
Like I said in the comment section of the previous video another thing to consider is having static pressure optimized fans as intake and air flow optimized fans as exhaust.
That is an interesting concept. Perhaps something for me (or someone else) to test in the future! My hunch is that airflow fans are never as effective as people might imagine, because there are very few applications in a case that have low resistance. Exhausts are actually fairly high resistance due to the grilles they must push through.
Thanks for the data! I just bought a Corsair 4000D Airflow, going to keep both stock fans but add a 140mm Scythe and mount it down low. May upgrade to 3x120mm front and move the 140mm to the rear but not yet.
I leaned something about case design. I normally run around 36 C according to HWMonitor. I pulled the front of my pc off to discover a huge hole on top of the one fan that the case uses in the front. (hole was there to add a fan) I reasoned this cannot be good so I sealed up the hole and got 2 degrees cooler consistently now that the one fan isn't pulling hot air from inside the case. I thought o.k. I can do better than this. I had an old fan I pulled out of an old pc installed it even though it was a smaller fan, sealed up the edges again and now I'm getting a consistent 32 C at idle instead of 36 C. Moral of this story, always seal up any holes your front fan may use to pull warm air inside the case from and add more air intake if you can.
This video set my mind straight. Have an o11 air mini & was considering 2 140s on top vs my current 2 120s on top (wanted 3 120s on top, but have a 280 aio on from that gets in the way..) Keeping my current config of 280 aio front intake, 2 120 side exhaust, 2 top exhaust, 2 140mm bottom intake & 1 120mm rear exhaust.
The problem with testing the 140mm fans in this case, is the mounting for the 120mm fans which block the airflow and create turbulence and noise. I take a Dremel to my cases to open up the airflow and install the biggest fans possible.
This was well done and very thorough. I do think, that you missed one test, that a lot of viewers would have liked (or at least me). When buying the "be quiet! Pure Base 500DX" you get three "Pure Wings 2 140mm"-fans. I would like to know the best configuration using these three fans in conjunction with a 280mm AIO and a big air cooler like "be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4". As a bonus info you could give your opinion on whether it makes sense to upgrade to other fans or get three more fans to fill out all the available slots. I know that this was not a test of a specific case or a specific fan but more a test of the placement of the fans
See my previous videos. Already covered all of that. 500DX review: th-cam.com/video/kgvm5ZTAbFQ/w-d-xo.html Best 140mm case fan shootout: th-cam.com/video/kgvm5ZTAbFQ/w-d-xo.html
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Hi. Thanks for the content and the quick reply. I looked at your videos, and I must have missed the pure wings 2 in the shootout since it is only in 2 out of 5 graphs. You mention the pure wings costs 20 dollars, but that is not the case in the EU. Pure wings 2 are 72 dkkr Kaze flex 140mm is 202 dkkr (only RGB exists in 140 mm) Artic P14 is 61 dkkr (43 dkkr pr. fan in five pack) Noiseblocker B14 is 219 dkkr. How would you place the three pure wings 2 fans together with a 240-280mm radiator (on top like your other video suggests?)Does it depend on whether the GPU is blower/open air? Would the configuration change with an air cooler on the CPU? What kind of system build would prompt you to replace the pure wings 2 to more effective fans or increase the fan count? Have you tested silent wings 3 and shadow wings 2 from be quiet?
Luckily I found this video. This helped me a lot in deciding what would be my fan placements using the Arctic PWM's Currently building my first gaming PC on a mATX form factor using Meshify C Mini. 2x P14 PWM Front (in) 2x P12 PWM Top (ex) 1x P12 PWM Rear (ex)
Yeah, hopefully this video will pick up a nice amount of views, because similar videos from big TH-camrs scored like half a million, and I definitely took the testing a step further!
As for one fan... well, I'd buy another, LOL! But honestly, depends if I cared about CPU and GPU thermals. I'd put it right below the GPU in the front of the case if the GPU was my priority, and I'd use it as an exhaust in the rear if the CPU was my priority. But then again, I haven't tested this.... and probably never will!
Wow. I really thought 3x120 front with 140 back and top would be better than it was. Only really corner cases I would want to try/see is 3x120 front with only one 140 back and top, possibly while blocking the space for the front top mount, or the split dual 140 front (which is what I'm running currently) This was a beautifully done and largely complete video. Quite impressed. And I was absolutely looking for a video on exactly this (and even this case, luckily enough). You've convinced me not to add 3x120mm front fans. I thought the higher static pressure would get more air through the mesh front.
Well, sounds like this video was spot on for you given the case you have. It's not something I could repeat with many cases, that's for sure. But why do you say 3x120 wasn't effective? It seems better than 2x140 based on my benchmarks, no?
@@TheTechBuyersGuru not that it wasn't effective, but I thought the night-and-day difference I expected compared to 2x140 front. The difference doesn't seem worth buying additional 120mm fans I don't already own.
Oh, yeah, this was all a theoretical test assuming you were coming from no fans. In terms of tossing two 140mm fans and buying three 120mm fans for a minimum of $30, it's probably not worth it. With that said, the default configuration of the case is 1x140 in front, top, and rear, so I would absolutely suggest swapping out that single front 140mm for triple 120mm fans, and then putting the second 140mm on top (despite minimal benefit, because you'd already have it and it's greater than zero!).
Just want to say thanks for taking the time to go into such detail. I imagine the perforated PSU chamber must be helping a lot here. Best wishes for the new year!
@@TheTechBuyersGuru have you yet tested the variable of (1) intake/down facing top fan, but on the front side of top only; leaving the back/top open (In my mind, this solution has an back / case exhaust too) Literally I bought 8 Arctic P12 PWMs this morning bacuse of your video. I have the lian LI 215 and I'm replacing the front (2) 200mm 3 pin fans with (3) arctic P12s, and P12s throughout my case. Decided against the Scythe for my front fans.. I hope I make the right choice!
I haven't tested the setup you suggested, but since you now have 8 P12s, you can try it yourself! Glad that my videos convinced you, but wow, eight is more than most cases can hold!
I have the Mesh 2 Performance. Got the 5-pack of Arctic 120s and 140s. Replaced back fan and CPU air cooler fan with the 120s. Daisy chained 3 140s at the front (can be done, the middle one is stacked behind the bracket and the top and bottom in front of it. I think I had to turn the bracket around, which is an intended config). Set at Auto it runs very very cool regardless and is silent.It's win-win all the way.
@@ElsinoreRacer Have you noticed any resonance issues? I have the p12s installed in the exact same case and noticed a bunch of resonance issues across almost the entire rpm range. This has made leaving them on auto nearly impossible since the low noise levels are ruined by the high pitched sound of the resonant frequencies when the fans ramp up and down.
new sub from hong kong, one of the BEST informative youtuber , didnt skip a bit to watch just built my new desktop i5 10400f with b560 board, 3200 ballistix ram,1660 display card, cooler master nr400 case, fuma 2 cpu cooler and mx4 thermal paste (both based on your review again) and of cos ALL 5 ARCTIC P12 fans installed, I would say a bit overkill, it just hard to reach 80 degrees lol but who doesn't like better cooling, especially with this low price from arctic and fuma
Truth is that each of us have to test each case and build we make. In my case the rear exhaust fan its negative, only one degree but better to not let it run.
Awesome video! Tho I wonder if not being able to use 3x140MM fans in the front didn't skew most of the 140mm results due to not enough air intake causing the exhaust fans to "pull" air from wherever and raising the temps. Would be interesting to see if a bottom mounted fan(right under the gpu) like old cases used to have wouldn't improve GPU thermals by a bit.
I think there's a big opportunity here for case manufacturers to change their designs to allow for bottom-mounted fans. The PSU shroud has improved the look of PCs, but not necessarily the performance. My biggest wish is that more manufacturers start rotating their PSU placement like the unusual Cooler Master SL600M - amzn.to/3n0f8fj It puts the PSU in the front and allows unobstructed bottom-to-top airflow. This is perfect for GPUs, although for CPUs it may require liquid cooling for optimal performance.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Deepcool matrexx 55 mesh. In case somebody reads this and has the same case note that you have to install front fans on the internal side of the case except for the bottom fan. P14 is 27 mm thick and it would interfere with some part of the case if you install it on external side and won't let you put on the front panel.
That looks like an amazing case! - amzn.to/2L7HNlu It seems they are now preparing a 4-fan ARGB version of the case: www.deepcool.com/product/case/2020-01/9_12888.shtml Unfortunately, it does not appear to be available in the US yet. I recently featured one of Deepcool's low-cost mATX cases on the channel, and I was very impressed with the quality for the price. I also have tested several of their AIO coolers and was equally impressed. I will be testing their best ARGB fans in a shootout soon, and when I request those samples, I'll also inquire about retail availability of the 55 Mesh ARGB. That could be a very competitive case depending on price.
Finally a video that actually helped me with real world direct comparisons using the same fans instead of widely different fans. Therefore the test is actually meaningful. I am going to change mine to the 3 front 1 rear 1 top and see if it helps my temps. They are not horrible but my idle temps are a little high (3900X and 2080 Super, CPU Idling at like 40-50 and GPU around 60 - which is probably acceptable anyway..but still want to have the best setup) These fans are super cheap are they really that good? Most people are going to recommend some $30 ea fans (Noctua etc) so am concerned about buying cheap fans?
Most people haven't watched my videos, so they don't know anything about what they are recommending! Are Arctic's good? See this video: th-cam.com/video/PUdsTiRmuuU/w-d-xo.html If you decide to get them, here's the link to the 5-pack: amzn.to/3APDGQ5 By the way, your high idle temps are not a reason to buy any case fans at all. Idle temps are driven entirely by the fans on the coolers and the settings you are using. I recommending using a manual fan profile on your 2080 Super so that it's NEVER at zero RPM. While that's a popular fad, it's not actually very good for anything, including maintaining idle temps, because any modern GPU will slowly climb up in temps until it requires the fans to toggle on and off, which is more annoying than leaving them on. In terms of your 3900X, idle temps are always going to be that high due to background tasks and the density of the chip. It's the CPU I bench with. To learn how it idles with high-end 360mm liquid coolers, see this video: th-cam.com/video/GLaje-5JFd4/w-d-xo.html
I hope i can get a useful response. I am currently running an O11D XL with bottom and side intake (6x120mm) top exhaust (push pull Radiator 6x120mm) and 1x exhaust back 1x120mm. Now my fans are iCue LL120s and a while ago some of the LEDs have burned out. Its past warranty and i know its a manufacturing issue. So i was thinking of doing a new setup, originally i wanted Lian Li Uni Fans. So now the option presents itself to build in the Lian Li O11D Evo XL, which supports 9 140mm fans and 2 120mm fans. So i could even do push pull radiator top with 6 140s and generally just do the exact same setup, just replacing all fans with 140s and adding another 120 exhaust in the back. I am now unsure though if i would gain any temperature reduction/benefits at all through this setup.
Great test, thank you! Inevitably, the GPU regurgitates some of its own output - more so in a faint "positive pressure" scenario. Brute force positive pressure is hard to achieve with this case because there's too much impedance at the front - mesh, dust filter and rgb strip... so even front fans with good static pressure and cfm like the P14s don't work very well.
The case is actually on the higher end of the airflow spectrum, but yes, there are a few cases that would beat it. I think it's fairly representative of the average modern case.
Wondering what your opinion is on the Arctic F series for airflow? I've seen other channels review both and claim that the F series (F12, F14) are better suited for situations where there is minimal impedance. I have an F12 and even though it runs at a lower RPM vs the P12, I can feel more air when I point it towards me. P12 seems better suited for radiators, heatsinks and cases where there is a lot of air restriction
I've been runnning 6 P14 PWMs on my case in the setup you had in the 120mm video ( my case is P600s ), pretty sure it's the best setup with these specific fans. I've also seen some turbulence at around 70-75% fan speed.
Wow I got the very same result! I own the P600s (best case ever) and had the P12s in it first. After changing to the P14s the entire system got even quieter than before. I mean not noticeable quiet!
Amazing in-depth analysis! I'm currently playing with a setup for Meshify 2 Compact which supports F: 3x120/2x140, R: 1x120, T:2x120/2x140. Based on your results I'd go with 6 fans setup but I'm not sure what size would be better for the top fans. Would you go with 120- or 140-mm fans? I'm using Scythe Kaze Flex with separate PWM control for intake and exhaust fans to optimise case pressure.
I've watched again because I was surprised the 120mm fans were a little better than the 140mm fans. I think the 140mm fans would be preferable at lower revolutions per minute. Personally I've targeted "super quiet" at Idle because I work at the computer and game only occasionally. There is nothing worse than even a quiet annoying noise for 8 hours per day. I even swopped out my power supply fan. It would be an interesting vote to see what percentage of people want super quiet at idle versus quieter while gaming. Keep up the good work.
Well, super-quiet at idle is one thing, effective cooling at load when running a CPU/GPU combo pulling over 400W is another. The results are dB-normalized, so there's really not much to debate, as the two systems were equally quiet. The 140mm fans were better when four were used, worse when five were used.
Yes! Looking forward to this one. When you use your rig personally, do you go ahead and have curves set for all the individual fans? I've built a couple rigs lately... one featuring Noctua (front 200mm x2, top and rear 120mm x3, CPU cooler140 x2) and the other featuring all Arctic (front 140mm x2, Top 140mm + 120mm, rear 120mm, CPU cooler 120x2). The Noctua build uses the motherboard headers and Argus Monitor to tune all the fans and access presets. The Arctic build, an older 8350 rehoused into a Silverstone Fara r1, needed a controller as it had less fan headers and those were mainly DC. I went with a Corsair Commander Pro and actually have another SFF build using an Aquacomputer OCTO controller. I love being able to micro manage the cooling and get a temp and decibel level that is quiet and another that is more aggressive. Also, I love cases and their quirks so it's a lot of fun buying fans and tuning them to find that perfect combination for that particular case/hardware configuration. I also have one of those less expensive Nzxt fan controllers but turns out it just uses DC. They tricked me with their 4 pin plugs. I'm curious if you find these tools useful or not, when necessary or if you just make do without them. Would love to see a video on fan controllers sometime!
Ha, ha, yes, tinkering is fun! For this review, I actually used Argus Monitor (based on recommendations by viewers like you!), and it was great. Interesting note: I found voltage droop across the fan headers, which I honestly couldn't get into in the video. When I ramped up additional headers to test more fans, other fans would slow down. This caused havoc for testing, as 65% PWM or even 100% PWM unfortunately did not mean the same RPM for each test. I even found that when the CPU was under extreme stress, some of the headers would drop speed. Maybe something to discuss in a future video, but honestly, this kind of "quirk" isn't much fun so I don't know how entertaining I can be talking about it! In terms of fan controllers, I'm a pretty big supporter of integrated motherboard controls. If it's not PWM for the fan and 3-pin ARGB for the lighting, I don't want it. Otherwise it's too hard to test various fans and cooler in multiple cases. And yes, I do select the motherboards for my test systems based on the number (and placement) of the 4-pin headers in order to make 6-fan systems viable. For this test, by the way, I had the rear plugged into CHA_FAN1, the top on a 2-way splitter using CHA_FAN2, and the 3 front fans on a 3-way splitter using the Asus HAMP_FAN header, which I thought would be able to power 3 fans simultaneously without stalling, but that didn't quite work out as I had hoped. As for my personal system, well, I'm currently running Asus Fan Xpert4 to control all my fans, and have them set at minimum until the CPU hits 50C, and then have it gradually rise to 100% at 65C for the CPU rad fans and 100% at 75C for the case fans. I really don't like constant fluctuations, which is why I start the ramp at 50C and not lower than that, but I could probably set it to start the ramp at a higher temp. It's basically a straight line, no fancy curve. I used to do that, but it took too much thought, LOL!
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I have noticed the same thing about fans not holding tight to certain rpms. I've noticed this on my main rig which uses an Asus board and Fan Xpert4. oI use it's pwm fan headers and no controller. I have actually dug through BIOS in the past few months looking to find the adjustment for the 12v, 5v, 3.3?v source. I decided I probably shouldn't touch those values though, lol. I noticed especially when using the fixed option instead of the grid, some fans just can't hold tight. I don't know if it changes to DC mode when on the fixed setting or what the deal is but sometimes certain fans speeds are up and down, up and down, with no association to any temps rising or anything. However, my Aquacomputer OCTO fan controller holds fans insanely still. I was watching it last night while monitoring the graph through the Aquasuite software and it REALLY locks them in. They maybe fluctuate by one rpm here and there and it isn't that often when it does. I think this is because it pulls power from it's own SATA tap off the power supply. I always keep my CPU fans on the motherboard headers btw. I don't fully trust the stability of people's controllers and software... However, I do use Argus Monitor curves on all my computers CPU fans. I'm with ya on the flat line until 50. I'm not a fan of the constant ramping up and down of the fans either. I did get creative with my OCTO though by applying a sensor to the SFX PSU in my nr200 case. I have an intake fan (kaze flex 120) that senses the PSU temp rising and gently blows air directly into the PSU intake. This ensures I never get that "jet plane takeoff," from my passive PSU kicking in (Corsair sf 650). I've since removed that intake fan but I want to put it back in... You know, tinkering, lol. The Corsair Commander Pro does a pretty decent job holding tight as well, again, pulling it's power from the PSU instead of the motherboard but it's no where near as locked in as the OCTO. This one is interesting because it doesn't care what fan you are using, it seems to lock the fans to an rpm value instead of a PWM duty cycle setting. I think these nitty gritty details would be awesome to watch a video about. Especially tweaking the power to stabilize the fan rpms or covering controllers that allow for precision. Lay it on us and thanks for all the content already!
It sounds like you have a whole lot more experience than I do on this subject. I'll definitely refer back to this post if I decide to go down the road of covering this topic in a video!
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Well thanks but I'm just getting into it all. These are just the naïve observations I've made so far. Your video (the one that shed light on the Kaze Flex) started it. Thanks for the information! I love this aspect of computing and I didn't even think about it before, other than controlling/setting curves for my laptop fans. The worst fans ever. :)
Ha, ha, yes, you are all set with those 6x120s!!! I have a couple big case reviews coming up over the next few weeks, and then the huge AIO shootout. Stay tuned for a poll on that topic in the next few hours!!!
Here is a thought! If the GPU Likes the fresh air and there is room like that case to put an Exhaust mini fan so it can pull th air across the GPU and out the back???
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I can only imagine the hard work for making these videos. I have watched other videos about fans comparison, but yours are a lot better and useful. Thanks again :)
Much appreciated! I know more folks are producing fan videos, which shows that there's a lot of interest. I'm constantly trying to move the ball forward (as you probably see in the progression of videos on the channel), and that is definitely not an easy thing to do!
Which Arctic do you have, and how do you have it mounted in the 500DX? I'm curious about which combos will actually fit so I can tell others, specifically if the 240mm fits on top, for example. I know the 280 won't, but other 280mm AIOs can, as shown here! - th-cam.com/video/uUUItnZRHyM/w-d-xo.html
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I have the 280, I'm planning on front mounting and since I got the five pack of fans I'm going to see if I can pull off a push-pull configuration for the AIO, but I'm waiting on my GPU to ship. Will report back when I do get my GPU so I can pull off my build!
That could be pretty tight, but mostly because the tubes will be hard to route if mounted down (which is how the interwebz wants you to do it nowadays thanks to a GN video). The hose outlets will be below the shroud, and I think they may not bend around the inside-mounted fans to get to the CPU.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Following up on this - I ended up just going for the standard front mount for the Arctic, without push/pull, and outfitted the whole case with P14s. Your video on the 140mm fan shootout helped a ton! My build is here: imgur.com/a/GM0ryus
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HUUUUUGGE respect for this. Can't even imagine the time you must've invested for this video. Thanks a lot for the graphs and the thorough testing. Subscriber for life.
Thanks for posting this feedback, it means a lot to me. A lot people have enjoyed this video, and that's great, but most people probably don't realize what it took to put it together. It was a lot of work not just to do the actual benchmarking, but also to do the preparation and planning, including polling my viewers, in order to make sure the results would be meaningful. Going through all of this and getting useless results would have been a major disappointment. Well, I guess it's up to my viewers to decide if it was useful or useless, but it sounds like you at least appreciated it!
This needs more attention. Searching for an hour and lots of videos with nothing but opinions. Thank you for doing REAL testing and covering ALL the orientations. Great work
This shouldn’t have dislikes..this guy goes over everything other reviewers skip and does it well
Yeah, I'm pretty sure no one else has tried testing this with as much detail as I did. Glad you appreciate it!
I have noticed that when you have Multiple fans on the same PWM channel. You get harmonic resonance( sort of a rhythmic hum) from all the fans. However if you put each fan on its own PWM channel ( use a fan controller or individual headers on your motherboard) you don't get as much resonance even if the fans are all running at the same speed.
Wow, maybe this was the issue! So many variables when you start really digging in! Thanks for the tip!
@@TheTechBuyersGuru arctics are actually known to have a hum at only certain rpms'. Turn them up a tiny bit past that point, it vanishes, turn them down past that point the hum also vanishes. ITs just at the like 85% point or so that they do that. Cant remember what channel exactly figured this one out ill have to go back and look. They were testing these against the Noctuas.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I'm late, but Apple did make the fans on the big Mac Pro run at different speeds to avoid this noise
My Arctic F12s do that harmonic thing at very specific speeds as well!
“Harmonic resonance” sounds like something from half-life
Ok. Good to see the 120mm x 5 or 6 performing well as my new setup will resemble that. The latter proving a second top exhaust doesn’t interfere with front inflow. Appreciate the time you spent here 👍🏼.
Yeah, that second top exhaust fan is something a lot of people thought would cause problems, but the tests prove otherwise.
What's surprising in this video- the basic fan configuration of one front/one rear and two front/one rear works remarkably well.
I’m running Arctic P12 and P14’s in my case based on your previous reviews. Overall been satisfied with the performance.
My recommendations stand - these are excellent fans. The fact that I was able to find some configurations where P12s outperformed P14s doesn't diminish the products in any way. I believe that in much bigger cases, the P14s might be warranted.
have you heard any harmonics from certain speeds? if anything i hear rubber mounts help isolate those vibrations
@@Aleph-Noll I was wondering this as well, seeing as the Arctic fans have no rubber mounts and just bolt straight to the chassis, this is a concern.
Did you find p12 quieter than p14 as he said?
@@LeoTelles Don't forget he was positioning the dB meter over the case and did say that you hear them the most , but if the case sit on the desk it could be a totally different story too.
I can't believe what a great and thorough test and analysis you did on this content. I think you answered any question anyone could possibly have about fan sizes, RPM, configuration, direction of flow (and various combinations). Most surprising to me was how detrimental having the top fans as rear exhaust, front intake, to cooling; I thought at worst it would be about the same as having no fan there, but that was completely wrong. This goes to show the importance of deliberate, scientific, testing before reaching conclusions.
Thanks for this!
the moment of truth that we've all been waiting for!!!
Well, that 140mm performance was disappointing. I did not expect those results.
I thought the bigger the fan the better from a noise normalized perspective. Boy I was wrong!
I guess I will just buy more P12 fans haha.
Great video as always sir. Thank you for taking the time to experiment with so many configurations!
I was a bit disappointed too, but it doesn't mean they are bad fans. In the 3- and 4-fan configurations, they were actually better than the 120s. But putting 5 in the case just added a bit too much turbulence, which increased noise and may have disrupted airflow out of the chassis.
This is the most thorough video i have ever seen about fans placements. I have that Arctic P12 PWM PST 5-Pack, very happy about it.
Glad you enjoyed this video. It took about 2 weeks to produce. That's why you won't see it many other places.
I've checked out lots of fan placement articles and videos, and this is the best info out there. This is a complicated issue to cover and you did it well. Also, I got lucky and don't have any resonance noises, only a "whooshing" sound as intended, and after tweaking the fan curves over time I've got everything perfect noise-wise. I actually found this video after I figured everything out for my use case, and everything you say is accurate, but I will keep it bookmarked for future use. Liked and subscribed.
Glad you enjoyed it! Welcome!
@@TheTechBuyersGuruimagine if you tested side panel mounting, apparently that makes a huge difference, but apparently we stopped doing that in consumer cases.
Loving your reviews! The data you present is greatly appreciated and helps in guiding PC builders in search of quality performance components. Thanks!
Glad you like them, thanks for being a subscriber!
Thank you for this video. I have a BQ PB500 case with mixed old fans from BQ (120, 140 / silent, dark, pure, similar positioning) Now I've purchased 6 of the arctic p12 and set it up the same way...immediately 10-15 degree lower temps on my idle GPU (no fans running) on 20% case fan rpm, nice! Thank you very, very much!
Excellent work! I’ve worked with dozens of cases and even more fans over the years. I did carry out my own measurements of temp, noise and vibration and despite occasional variations I can only concur with you.
Your conclusions are spot on. Well done !
Thanks for sharing!
I'm using three P14 and two P8 Arctics in a 4U rack for my PC with a U9S. Also deshrouded my GPU and added two F12 and also changed the PSU fan to an F12 that was laying around from my old case. I'm very happy with it.
This is an amazingly well-done video. It answered basically every question I had about fan setup and many others I'd never even considered. You get a like and subscribe -- thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it - I did try to cover all the bases, including ones I hadn't seen asked (or answered) before!
Hi friend, thanks for the precious time you spent, I have the same case and both Arctic P12 PWM and Noctua NF-A 12x25 PWM, it is clear that every computer, case and fan will make a difference, every case is unique, I have put 3 Arctic P12 in front (away from the filter) and 3 Noctua NF-A 12x25 1 rear and 2 top, the noise is almost absent at low speed but if I increase the Noctua are heard, previously I put Noctua in front (near to the filter) and Arctic rear and top, the noise is also absent in this case at low speed, but if I increase, the Noctua are heard! then I did another test with the Noctua (away from the filter) and I get an annoying resonance noise from the bearing, it is really difficult to find the right compromise between performance and noise but I want to say that the Noctua even if they are noisier, they blow more air than the Arctic and the temperatures drop by 2/3 degrees, the Arctic P12 are nice and very quiet but do not blow much air, certainly the biggest problems occur in summer and with these hot temperatures, if the room is not air-conditioned you have to increase the speed and bear the noise, this is the only solution with any computer, case, fan etc ... if the room is air conditioned then you can also run all the fans at 1000 rpm in idle and get a nice fresh computer!
I'd like to address the off high pitched hum that comes from the P12 at 1000-1500 RPM. You can hear this in this video:th-cam.com/video/rb9Rt5G1ZlQ/w-d-xo.html Once the PWM value is in the range of 41-65 the pulsating resonance hum is noticeable, especially when in the specific resonance. They work very well as case fans at constant RPM. I'd just note the extra fan tuning, to avoid the humming RPM range, if they're being used on a Ryzen CPU cooler (which constantly spikes unless using RyzenMaster.) The same thing occurs with the P14 except lower frequencies.
I have arctic freezer 34 esports duo as my cpu cooler,..the fans are p12 bionix, and they have the same hum resonant sounds,..very annoying btw
I use Skiron fans instead of Arctic for this reason. Their sound profile is consistent as they ramp up in RPMs. Downside is that their lifespan isn't as long as Arctics.
this is true. i have two p14s. one in front, one as rear exhaust. the hum starts around 1000 rpm so i keep them at 950 rpm constant. definitely not buying arctic fans anymore.
@Kachongui Kach I think its just the motor.
@Kachongui Kach Just keep them running at constant. my hum now starts at 900 rpm but disappears between 1000-1100. a couple of weeks ago, it started at 1000. lol
This definitely helps. I didn't know much about fans or how you configure them can help. Stating its specific to your case helps a lot too. I need to do more research on a case now too. I'm slowly putting together a pc but I'm still learning about cases and fans. I really appreciate you taking the time to make this, for replying in the other video and especially for linking this video. Stay blessed dude
Glad you enjoyed it!
Here's my prediction: Artic P14/P12 is the best value! Lol
Thanks for another great video!
Your odds of winning were 100%, so yes indeed, we have a winner! ;)
Kind of contradicts with scythe 120mm fan 😁
@@TheTechBuyersGuru 100%? Anyway I can get those odds in Vegas? Lol
@@ollieh2587 Hmm... good point, ok, the Artic will win in terms of best value! Nailed it.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I bought 1x P14 and 3x P12 (a year ago), and only 2x P12 ended in my PC case, working perfectly, almost inaudible at 780RPM. The other ones went straight to electronic waste. Arctic quality control is abysmal. The price on them can be easily multiplied by 2. Half of them are expected to have fan screeching, motor vibration defects, or both. It's a pity that they seem to have so little competition. Noctua is expensive and its sound signature is a silent chainsaw.
My build is pure base 500dx . On front i have z73 nzxt water cool.
On Top 2 fans 140mm as exhaust and rear fan 140mm as exhaust.
I am waiting now for noctua's new generation fans to change my aio fans and one of the top fan
Thank you so much for the review .
Very informative. 🙏
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Thank you very much sir, this is just amazing.
I can't thank you enough for making it so simple and easy to understand, no mumbo jumbo included, and you included VRM and chipset temps as well, it is just awesome.
When thinking about multiple fan setups in a case, it's useful to think more in terms of pressure than airflow. An intake fan generates a high-pressure zone, while an exhaust fan generates a low-pressure zone. Air always moves from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas.
That is a very good point. But air doesn't always move from high pressure to low pressure, it has to have a pathway to do so. So putting a high pressure fan in the wrong place means low airflow, and hence poor cooling efficiency.
Just a minor tip for those that are running a BQDX500 case or similar with 3 120mm fan in the front intake, take out all the unused pci/pcie tabs below the graphics card, this will improve the GPU temps a fair bit, I can feel the airflow coming out at the back at medium to high RPM.
Plus, with the air being sucked in through the filter at the front, dust won't be an issue.
Put an aerofoil just beneath your GPU to direct air that was exiting out pci slots upwards.
Just wanted to say again. Thank you for the awesome review and going to the extra mile to test these fans. Greatly appreciated as always.. By the way Happy New Year!
This is a video I've been promising since the summer, so I worked overtime to get it in before the end of the year. It was a ton of work, but I learned a lot, and it sounds like you probably did too! Catch you in 2021!
@@TheTechBuyersGuru yup see you next year too. Best wishes to your family and friends too 👍
Turbulence with many fans is also something I run into on my 5 fan case and different directions. It's a non constant sound.
bloody fantastic video mate. been planning my fan setup for a week now, and this video just solidified everything i was planning on doing. thankyou sir
Thanks and good luck with your project!
This channel is seriously underated. With quality video's like this you should have half a million subs in no time :)
Working on it, thanks!!!
@@TheTechBuyersGuru No worries, keep up the good work. Watching all the way from New Zealand and these video's have helped me out a lot.
It's a good idea to flatten your fan curves in the normal operating range your workloads are going to see, that way you don't get this annoying noise of the fans ramping up and down in speed quickly and often.
Great content as always. I can't believe you don't have more subscribers!!! I appreciate all your efforts TBG! Keep it up.
Maybe this will be the vid that puts me over the top! I'm glad you like it, and I'm pretty proud of how much work (and thought) I put into this. I wanted it to go beyond what's been done before.
Thank you for this awesome video! I have exactly the same case (black version) and fans (arctic value pack, 140mm), and I was lost with all the possibilities. You answered my questions, keep up the good job.
Glad to help! I can't test every possible combo of components, but luckily I tested yours!
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Yes you tested even something I was willing to try (top intake). Now I have a question, how were you able to install the 140 tops fans? The cpu power cable gets in the way, was it the same for you? I tried to push a little but was too afraid to damage it.
Tons of work going into these videos amazing stuff and interesting info to have as a case building enthusiast. Everyone is a critic until they have to do the work, so don't let the negativity drown out your work!
Thank you, I appreciate the supportive words. This was one of the most time-consuming videos I've ever made!
After seeing that you got better GPU cooling with one front fan vs. two, I tried this out and got some different results.
I got 2 degree lower GPU temps with 2 front and 1 rear fan than with 1 front and 1 rear fan, where you got two degree higher temps with the two front fans. All fan speeds were locked for this testing,
I think the problem with your 2 front fan test here is that you've put the second fan in the top position, rather than the bottom one. In my testing, two fans in the middle and bottom positions improve cooling for both the GPU and CPU vs just one fan.
I'm two minutes, and 55 seconds in; you haven't done any testing yet, and I'm already loving it.
EDIT: I just finished watching the video, that had to have been one of the quickest 15 minutes of my life.
The Premises that you've just opened up are all highly interesting, and don't get me started on the delivery, PERFECT!
....For me, at least. I'm sure the majority of other users that don't think to look at this sort of content would probably prefer to be told "What's better, 120mm or the 140mm fans?" followed up by "Which is the optimal placement". They'll have a fit right in front of you if you dare use the word "variables" in a sentences to them.
I was seven words into your comment, and I got worried, but then I finished reading and I loved it!
Thanks for watching the whole thing, and I'm glad to hear it didn't drag on for you despite all the data! I do heavily edit my videos to cut out the chatter (stuff that seems interesting as it comes out of my mouth but isn't once I listen to it!).
Truth be told, I fully expected different results, even testing the setup that I thought was "right" at the end so I could keep it running in my system only to find that it was terrible (that was with the top fan flipped).
I do hope that this video opens up a new dialog on PC cooling, because I don't think some of these issues have been fully examined thus far. Of course, I left about a million variables on the table for others to play with, so it's not like this conversation is over, it's only just begun!
I should apologise for the way I structured my first message in the beginning, I guess you could say that's a bad habit.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru This message is a bit lengthy, I get carried away in writing/research sometimes and then realise what time it is and how long I've invested towards sharing a suggestion.
From my perspective, your last video has opened up a whole new ballgame in regards to testing, the problem is, there's no way we could expect you to cover each new door. I went through the latest comments on this video, which you've done a stellar job at responding too. It seems some people would still like you to take their suggestions into account with testing, but with your level of detail, their requests are much larger than they realise.
Perhaps in the next video, you could consider leaning in a different direction, allowing you to still follow-up on this content by keeping the users engaged and not putting an unrealistic workload on your shoulders. I had two thoughts in mind:
Directly asking your fanbase to experiment using a set of specific parameters. You could document three-five different types of experiments you'd like to see numbers in, then assign two volunteers to each experiment(if available). I'd imagine that some of these tests would help the users construct questions or statements that may make it easier for you to strategically invest your time. Their results would not be conclusive in any way; it would just help lead you towards something in which you deem interesting or valuable.
The second was sending out emails to individuals who handle airflow/circulation at a professional level, something like a structural engineer working in the airflow department. Briefly explain your position. You're trying to give individuals insight to maintain their hardware safely whilst also educating users enough to indirectly lower sales towards poorly engineered cases and fans. The last statement changes depending on who you're contacting; it's supposed to be a reason that relates to their values/morals/ethics. Ask if they have time for a couple of questions if so, show them a diagram of what you thought would work, and why; then followed up with what seemed to have worked. If they're hesitant in helping, you can mention that whichever professional adequately supports will be mentioned in that video with a thank you, as well as their business subtly brought up. E.g. I want to thank John for yada yada who's currently working as an Air Conditioner manufacturer for X company."
There are also some interesting ways of measuring airflow from some brief Google search pages, perhaps if you were to use a tool to take a few measurements in your worst and best case-fan setups, you might be able to find similarities which turn out to be consistent with future tests.
the motherboard layout really wasnt made with big GPUs in mind. it messed with the airflow patterns since the 00`s, splitting the case in two.
Thanks for a very interesting 🤔 review video. I usually have a 2 intake fans and exhaust fans 1 rear and 1 top (all 140mm fans) for my tax builds. However, now I’m using mini ITX setups, a dual intake and 1 or 2 exhaust (120mm setup fans) setup I find worlds better in these. Love the video. Keep up the great work 🎄🎄🥳🥳🥰🤯.
Wooow man, such a detailed guide, i was looking fot 500dx fan guide. This is very on point. I became sub because of this detailed guide just to support you
Thanks for the sub!
When i had my fx8300 system i ran 2 120s front and 2 top 120s, all as intake with the only exhaust at the rear, as well as a gpu with a blower cooler and my psu "uspide down" for more exhaust potential. Was great setup for cpu, vrm and oc'ing - basically the only thing that system was good for.
I really love your fan content. I thought 4 140s would take it over the 6 120s because of the lower speed. Good stuff as always.
If you look closely at the dBA-normalized 3DMark graph for the extreme setups, you'll see that the 4x140s were excellent for CPU temps, but not quite as good for GPU temps. I suspect that if I had lowered the bottom fan below the level of the PSU shroud, the temps would have (counter-intuitively) been better for the GPU.
Very exhaustive testing; really appreciate how well it answers this question I've wondered about for ages.
Glad it was helpful! This was a big project for sure!
I don't speak English, but I say: "This video is the best!"
I understood that, thanks!!!
I had the same result with my single 140mm intake fan: the lowest position is most beneficial to the GPU. My case doesn't have any grate above the PSU and as I was thinking about the turbulence occurring when the air hits the back of the PSU, I placed a makeshift curved ramp out of cardboard leading up from the bottom of the case to the level of the PSU. That shaved off another 1.5°C of the GPU temps. By the way, my rear fan is an intake (at 300 rpm) and I only have one exhaust fan in the top; CPU air flow is reversed. That was the optimal solution for a CPU tower cooler (at moderate rpm) and an open "blow through" GPU (Sapphire Pulse RX Vega56). Otherwise the CPU cooler was sucking in that hot air from the GPU.
Really Great job on this video 👏👏. Here is a fan weird set up that I though that might just work:
- Back: 120 fan Intake
- Top (above ram): 120 fan exhaust
- Front Panel:
# Bottom Slot: 120 fan @ 1500rpm min
# Middle Slot: Empty
# Top Slot: 120 fan exhaust
- Finally place 1x 120mm fan on the PSU shroud below the GPU to direct air from the Front bottom fan , straight to the GPU.
This set up uses 5 fans that can be bought from the value pack, provide airflow on the vrms closest to the Scythe fuma and provide cooler air in a more direct way to the GPU !
Hope you like my idea I really enjoy your content! Sometimes I just sip my coffee watching you build PCs!
This is indeed a really interesting idea, and I think adding that bottom fan is a great idea. You'd just have to make sure to flip the fans on the Fuma 2 to make that reverse airflow work, and I'm not sure they'd be quite as effective in a pull arrangement as they are in push.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru If the fans are reversed, they would be on a push configuration, pushing fresh air from the back and pulling it in the case , where it is immediately exhaust by the Top fan, am I right ?
Push and pull refers to the orientation of the fan on the heatsink (or radiator) fins. So if you have reversed the airflow in your case to go from back to front, then you need to flip the fans on the Fuma 2. This makes them "pull" fans, as they are pulling air through the fins, not pushing it. Fans are typically a bit less effective in this orientation.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Oh alright, I get it now ! Thanks for the explanation!
Theoretically tho, both push and pull configurations should level out , as RPM increases right ?
They are close, but they are not the same.
Total respect to the hard work you put into your videos...much appreciated
Glad you like them! This particular one was a lot of work, but something I'd wanted to do for a long time!
You sir , are awarded the honor of being called the Chasis Pinkman !!
Arctic fans are solid budget fans, and the 5-pack is a wonderful value.
As an alternative, I recommend MetallicGear Skiron fans, whenever you can find them for a good budget price. They're made by Phantek. These fans are a slightly better 9-blade design for airflow compared to Arctics, but more importantly, the Skirons are close to the cheapest case fans you can which include rubber mounts to reduce vibration noise. Decent quality rifle-bearings, slightly improved on the ball-bearings in Arctic fans. Arctics have a cooler motor, however, which increases their lifespan over the Skirons.
This video is perfect because I'm planning to buy Arctic fans for my PC. Very informative, well done!
Glad you liked it!
Amazing video, I was looking for someone who tests flipping the top front fan and turning it to an intake fan
Very helpful for my first build since I actually grabbed the 5 pack of the arctic 140's for the price to performance value.
One caveat, I went with the Phanteks p500a non-rgb case so there is actually room for me to put three 140's in the front and get that airflow beneath the gpu.
I have an arctic liquid freezer II 360 AIO as well so I'm excited to see how removing the air cooler from the flow path affects temperatures.
Gonna set them up in a 3 front, 1 back plus AIO top exhaust configuration to see how it goes. And I'm praying the increased case size doesn't bite me with the longer distance to the components like you mentioned 😟
I'll post results when the parts get here.
I'm waiting
@@maozedowner5915 So as it turns out, I'm an idiot with almost no idea what I'm doing. And the results show this.
My cpu is an i9-12900kf running at 4.9Ghz.
Cinebench r20 was too hard to find, so I went with r23. After a 5 minute loop, I got a max temp one one core of 87° and an average max temp of about 79.5° on Core Temp 1.17.1(that incredibly high temp told me I might be doing it wrong)
For the GPU(3080 FTW3 ULTRA) I ran the time spy test while following it with task manager and although my gpu load hit max, the temp never went above 53°(this confirmed I was doing it wrong.)
It's disappointing, but I don't think my findings will be of any help to anyone. Sorry.
@@htat1guy Yeah... no comparison point whatsoever, it's not gonna help.
Hey, much respect for this video. Must've taken a lot of time. Sad to see you stopped making videos a year ago. Hope things are well.
killer Vid. Linus Tech Tips made a similar one but didn't discuss the ins and outs of exhaust vs intake fans in the top, or the interplay between 120mm and 140mm fan types. I bought a case that unfortunately didn't allow for top mounting of a AIO pump bc of space limitations (it bumps against the mobo / ram) so this vid is a rescue of sorts. Thanks for helping me rethink my cooling design!!
Glad to help - I put a lot of planning into this video to try to make it as useful as possible, although there's always more to explore!
Amazing analysis my guy. I really do appreciate all your tedious testing and hard work for a very informative video. I was looking forward to this video and you did not disappoint. Thanks again my guy and keep up the great content.
I hope it's not tedious to watch, LOL! Luckily, it was only a bit tedious to test!
Thank you for taking your time to produce well information. I am better at PC building because of you. Thank you
Great to hear!
What a fantastic channel! Really enjoying your videos and look forward to seeing you become the next LTT
Thanks so much!
Just ordered a box of P14s last week, 5 for the half the price of one Noctua 12x25... just to test them. At 600-700rpm they are super silent and have a very pleasant sound, while moving relatively large amounts of air, certainly enough to keep everything cool.
Between 700-1100, they create some slightly annoying turbulent sound, which stops at 1200rpm... here they have a louder, but pleasant sound again. Therefore, I recommend them for either silent or maximum performance builds.
Still waiting for Toughfan availability in Europe... only the 140mm version is available and I am not sure about those yet.
Amazing, thanks for testing the top front fan flipped to intake. Saves me taking my case apart to flip it for no reason
Glad I could help! That was one I lot of people have wondered about!
I really like in depth comparisons with case fans. I've watched previous videos and you really cover the issues that bug a person like myself who cannot stand noise issues caused by case fans. I've experience harmonic resonance issues with noctua that are not going to show up on a "decibel meter", but I would rather have high decibels than to hear that awful sound. I don't know how anyone can work next to a machine noises like that all day. The cons of having good hearing I guess. You also make a great point to control the RPMs of the fans to get the right amount of airflow where your specific case isn't making groaning noises.
Glad I could provide some useful insights! Fan performance is incredibly complex, which might be why you don't see many other TH-camrs trying to tackle it! I definitely can't cover it all, but I try to give people something to think about beyond specs on a website, which is how most people have bought fans for decades.
I recently became curious about how 120s stack up against 140s after my Montech Air Base came with 3 140mm fans when I already had 6 120mm Bequiet silent wings (3 of them being light wings). I was told that 140mm fans were "better" than my 120mm fans, but I wanted to see for myself which eventually led me here as not a lot of people do these kinds of tests for fans. Your testing so far seems the best since you only have 1 manipulated variable (the fans) while everything else including the ambient room temperature remains consistent. I honestly cannot thank you enough for what was likely several hours of work testing all of these configurations.
Like I said in the comment section of the previous video another thing to consider is having static pressure optimized fans as intake and air flow optimized fans as exhaust.
That is an interesting concept. Perhaps something for me (or someone else) to test in the future! My hunch is that airflow fans are never as effective as people might imagine, because there are very few applications in a case that have low resistance. Exhausts are actually fairly high resistance due to the grilles they must push through.
Thanks for the data! I just bought a Corsair 4000D Airflow, going to keep both stock fans but add a 140mm Scythe and mount it down low. May upgrade to 3x120mm front and move the 140mm to the rear but not yet.
I leaned something about case design. I normally run around 36 C according to HWMonitor. I pulled the front of my pc off to discover a huge hole on top of the one fan that the case uses in the front. (hole was there to add a fan) I reasoned this cannot be good so I sealed up the hole and got 2 degrees cooler consistently now that the one fan isn't pulling hot air from inside the case. I thought o.k. I can do better than this. I had an old fan I pulled out of an old pc installed it even though it was a smaller fan, sealed up the edges again and now I'm getting a consistent 32 C at idle instead of 36 C. Moral of this story, always seal up any holes your front fan may use to pull warm air inside the case from and add more air intake if you can.
ive been looking for this info all day, thank you so much!
Happy to help! I'm pretty sure no one else has this info, which is why I published the video!
This video set my mind straight. Have an o11 air mini & was considering 2 140s on top vs my current 2 120s on top (wanted 3 120s on top, but have a 280 aio on from that gets in the way..)
Keeping my current config of 280 aio front intake, 2 120 side exhaust, 2 top exhaust, 2 140mm bottom intake & 1 120mm rear exhaust.
The problem with testing the 140mm fans in this case, is the mounting for the 120mm fans which block the airflow and create turbulence and noise. I take a Dremel to my cases to open up the airflow and install the biggest fans possible.
This was well done and very thorough.
I do think, that you missed one test, that a lot of viewers would have liked (or at least me). When buying the "be quiet! Pure Base 500DX" you get three "Pure Wings 2 140mm"-fans. I would like to know the best configuration using these three fans in conjunction with a 280mm AIO and a big air cooler like "be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4". As a bonus info you could give your opinion on whether it makes sense to upgrade to other fans or get three more fans to fill out all the available slots.
I know that this was not a test of a specific case or a specific fan but more a test of the placement of the fans
See my previous videos. Already covered all of that.
500DX review: th-cam.com/video/kgvm5ZTAbFQ/w-d-xo.html
Best 140mm case fan shootout: th-cam.com/video/kgvm5ZTAbFQ/w-d-xo.html
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Hi.
Thanks for the content and the quick reply. I looked at your videos, and I must have missed the pure wings 2 in the shootout since it is only in 2 out of 5 graphs. You mention the pure wings costs 20 dollars, but that is not the case in the EU.
Pure wings 2 are 72 dkkr
Kaze flex 140mm is 202 dkkr (only RGB exists in 140 mm)
Artic P14 is 61 dkkr (43 dkkr pr. fan in five pack)
Noiseblocker B14 is 219 dkkr.
How would you place the three pure wings 2 fans together with a 240-280mm radiator (on top like your other video suggests?)Does it depend on whether the GPU is blower/open air? Would the configuration change with an air cooler on the CPU?
What kind of system build would prompt you to replace the pure wings 2 to more effective fans or increase the fan count?
Have you tested silent wings 3 and shadow wings 2 from be quiet?
I mean the 140mm variant of all the fans
Luckily I found this video. This helped me a lot in deciding what would be my fan placements using the Arctic PWM's
Currently building my first gaming PC on a mATX form factor using Meshify C Mini.
2x P14 PWM Front (in)
2x P12 PWM Top (ex)
1x P12 PWM Rear (ex)
Glad it helped. You've definitely maxed out your mATX case!
Really great stuff Ari and thank you for your diligence! We need to get you more viewers. If you only had one fan, where would you put it?
Yeah, hopefully this video will pick up a nice amount of views, because similar videos from big TH-camrs scored like half a million, and I definitely took the testing a step further!
As for one fan... well, I'd buy another, LOL! But honestly, depends if I cared about CPU and GPU thermals. I'd put it right below the GPU in the front of the case if the GPU was my priority, and I'd use it as an exhaust in the rear if the CPU was my priority. But then again, I haven't tested this.... and probably never will!
Wow. I really thought 3x120 front with 140 back and top would be better than it was.
Only really corner cases I would want to try/see is 3x120 front with only one 140 back and top, possibly while blocking the space for the front top mount, or the split dual 140 front (which is what I'm running currently)
This was a beautifully done and largely complete video. Quite impressed.
And I was absolutely looking for a video on exactly this (and even this case, luckily enough). You've convinced me not to add 3x120mm front fans. I thought the higher static pressure would get more air through the mesh front.
Well, sounds like this video was spot on for you given the case you have. It's not something I could repeat with many cases, that's for sure. But why do you say 3x120 wasn't effective? It seems better than 2x140 based on my benchmarks, no?
@@TheTechBuyersGuru not that it wasn't effective, but I thought the night-and-day difference I expected compared to 2x140 front. The difference doesn't seem worth buying additional 120mm fans I don't already own.
Oh, yeah, this was all a theoretical test assuming you were coming from no fans. In terms of tossing two 140mm fans and buying three 120mm fans for a minimum of $30, it's probably not worth it. With that said, the default configuration of the case is 1x140 in front, top, and rear, so I would absolutely suggest swapping out that single front 140mm for triple 120mm fans, and then putting the second 140mm on top (despite minimal benefit, because you'd already have it and it's greater than zero!).
Just want to say thanks for taking the time to go into such detail. I imagine the perforated PSU chamber must be helping a lot here. Best wishes for the new year!
Good point! That's really designed to allow the PSU to be mounted up, but it has a hidden benefit in modern systems!
I'm glad I found this channel. Really informative and well made. Now let's watch it pass 1mil subscribers.
Thanks for stopping by! Alas, 1mil is about 100 years away unless I get a very big break!
this is exactly what I was wondering, watching it now like a Nat Geo documentary. Thank you!
Ha, ha, that's the first time my videos have been compared to a nature documentary. I like it!
@@TheTechBuyersGuru have you yet tested the variable of (1) intake/down facing top fan, but on the front side of top only; leaving the back/top open
(In my mind, this solution has an back / case exhaust too)
Literally I bought 8 Arctic P12 PWMs this morning bacuse of your video. I have the lian LI 215 and I'm replacing the front (2) 200mm 3 pin fans with (3) arctic P12s, and P12s throughout my case.
Decided against the Scythe for my front fans.. I hope I make the right choice!
I haven't tested the setup you suggested, but since you now have 8 P12s, you can try it yourself! Glad that my videos convinced you, but wow, eight is more than most cases can hold!
just order Arctic p12 & P14 for my Lian li Lancooler mesh 2, excited! :)
I have the Mesh 2 Performance. Got the 5-pack of Arctic 120s and 140s. Replaced back fan and CPU air cooler fan with the 120s. Daisy chained 3 140s at the front (can be done, the middle one is stacked behind the bracket and the top and bottom in front of it. I think I had to turn the bracket around, which is an intended config). Set at Auto it runs very very cool regardless and is silent.It's win-win all the way.
@@ElsinoreRacer What were your temps before you changed fans? I have the RGB version with 3 120's in front, 2 under gpu and one exhaust.
@@ElsinoreRacer Have you noticed any resonance issues? I have the p12s installed in the exact same case and noticed a bunch of resonance issues across almost the entire rpm range. This has made leaving them on auto nearly impossible since the low noise levels are ruined by the high pitched sound of the resonant frequencies when the fans ramp up and down.
new sub from hong kong, one of the BEST informative youtuber , didnt skip a bit to watch
just built my new desktop
i5 10400f with b560 board, 3200 ballistix ram,1660 display card, cooler master nr400 case, fuma 2 cpu cooler and mx4 thermal paste (both based on your review again)
and of cos ALL 5 ARCTIC P12 fans installed, I would say a bit overkill, it just hard to reach 80 degrees lol
but who doesn't like better cooling, especially with this low price from arctic and fuma
Welcome aboard! You got some great cooling gear there!
Truth is that each of us have to test each case and build we make. In my case the rear exhaust fan its negative, only one degree but better to not let it run.
Awesome video! Tho I wonder if not being able to use 3x140MM fans in the front didn't skew most of the 140mm results due to not enough air intake causing the exhaust fans to "pull" air from wherever and raising the temps. Would be interesting to see if a bottom mounted fan(right under the gpu) like old cases used to have wouldn't improve GPU thermals by a bit.
I think there's a big opportunity here for case manufacturers to change their designs to allow for bottom-mounted fans. The PSU shroud has improved the look of PCs, but not necessarily the performance. My biggest wish is that more manufacturers start rotating their PSU placement like the unusual Cooler Master SL600M - amzn.to/3n0f8fj
It puts the PSU in the front and allows unobstructed bottom-to-top airflow. This is perfect for GPUs, although for CPUs it may require liquid cooling for optimal performance.
Just bought a value pack of p14 yesterday. I have 3 fans installed in the front, 2 in the top and p12 as a rear exhaust
That will be perfect! What case do you have that fits 3x140 in front?
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Deepcool matrexx 55 mesh. In case somebody reads this and has the same case note that you have to install front fans on the internal side of the case except for the bottom fan. P14 is 27 mm thick and it would interfere with some part of the case if you install it on external side and won't let you put on the front panel.
That looks like an amazing case! - amzn.to/2L7HNlu
It seems they are now preparing a 4-fan ARGB version of the case: www.deepcool.com/product/case/2020-01/9_12888.shtml
Unfortunately, it does not appear to be available in the US yet.
I recently featured one of Deepcool's low-cost mATX cases on the channel, and I was very impressed with the quality for the price. I also have tested several of their AIO coolers and was equally impressed. I will be testing their best ARGB fans in a shootout soon, and when I request those samples, I'll also inquire about retail availability of the 55 Mesh ARGB. That could be a very competitive case depending on price.
Almost flipped my front top fan! Thankyou very much for this!
You're welcome! This was something a lot of people asked me about, and I'd never seen tested before, so I did it!
@@TheTechBuyersGuru thank you for the best video you made. So do not make top fan as intake,right?
Awesome review. You Helped a lot. Really good work here.
Finally a video that actually helped me with real world direct comparisons using the same fans instead of widely different fans. Therefore the test is actually meaningful. I am going to change mine to the 3 front 1 rear 1 top and see if it helps my temps. They are not horrible but my idle temps are a little high (3900X and 2080 Super, CPU Idling at like 40-50 and GPU around 60 - which is probably acceptable anyway..but still want to have the best setup)
These fans are super cheap are they really that good? Most people are going to recommend some $30 ea fans (Noctua etc) so am concerned about buying cheap fans?
Most people haven't watched my videos, so they don't know anything about what they are recommending! Are Arctic's good? See this video: th-cam.com/video/PUdsTiRmuuU/w-d-xo.html
If you decide to get them, here's the link to the 5-pack: amzn.to/3APDGQ5
By the way, your high idle temps are not a reason to buy any case fans at all. Idle temps are driven entirely by the fans on the coolers and the settings you are using. I recommending using a manual fan profile on your 2080 Super so that it's NEVER at zero RPM. While that's a popular fad, it's not actually very good for anything, including maintaining idle temps, because any modern GPU will slowly climb up in temps until it requires the fans to toggle on and off, which is more annoying than leaving them on.
In terms of your 3900X, idle temps are always going to be that high due to background tasks and the density of the chip. It's the CPU I bench with. To learn how it idles with high-end 360mm liquid coolers, see this video: th-cam.com/video/GLaje-5JFd4/w-d-xo.html
A fantastic, well-thought-out video. Great job.
I hope i can get a useful response. I am currently running an O11D XL with bottom and side intake (6x120mm) top exhaust (push pull Radiator 6x120mm) and 1x exhaust back 1x120mm. Now my fans are iCue LL120s and a while ago some of the LEDs have burned out. Its past warranty and i know its a manufacturing issue. So i was thinking of doing a new setup, originally i wanted Lian Li Uni Fans. So now the option presents itself to build in the Lian Li O11D Evo XL, which supports 9 140mm fans and 2 120mm fans. So i could even do push pull radiator top with 6 140s and generally just do the exact same setup, just replacing all fans with 140s and adding another 120 exhaust in the back. I am now unsure though if i would gain any temperature reduction/benefits at all through this setup.
Great test, thank you! Inevitably, the GPU regurgitates some of its own output - more so in a faint "positive pressure" scenario. Brute force positive pressure is hard to achieve with this case because there's too much impedance at the front - mesh, dust filter and rgb strip... so even front fans with good static pressure and cfm like the P14s don't work very well.
The case is actually on the higher end of the airflow spectrum, but yes, there are a few cases that would beat it. I think it's fairly representative of the average modern case.
Wondering what your opinion is on the Arctic F series for airflow? I've seen other channels review both and claim that the F series (F12, F14) are better suited for situations where there is minimal impedance. I have an F12 and even though it runs at a lower RPM vs the P12, I can feel more air when I point it towards me. P12 seems better suited for radiators, heatsinks and cases where there is a lot of air restriction
I've been runnning 6 P14 PWMs on my case in the setup you had in the 120mm video ( my case is P600s ), pretty sure it's the best setup with these specific fans. I've also seen some turbulence at around 70-75% fan speed.
Wow I got the very same result!
I own the P600s (best case ever) and had the P12s in it first.
After changing to the P14s the entire system got even quieter than before. I mean not noticeable quiet!
Hey mate. Wicked vid. Thorough and articulate. Well done buddy. Cheers form Oz 🦘
Amazing in-depth analysis! I'm currently playing with a setup for Meshify 2 Compact which supports F: 3x120/2x140, R: 1x120, T:2x120/2x140. Based on your results I'd go with 6 fans setup but I'm not sure what size would be better for the top fans. Would you go with 120- or 140-mm fans? I'm using Scythe Kaze Flex with separate PWM control for intake and exhaust fans to optimise case pressure.
If go with 140mm for exhaust where airflow, not direction or focus, matter.
Just found your channel and it's soo underated!
Just got the Arctic P14.
Thank you! Enjoy the P14!
I've watched again because I was surprised the 120mm fans were a little better than the 140mm fans. I think the 140mm fans would be preferable at lower revolutions per minute. Personally I've targeted "super quiet" at Idle because I work at the computer and game only occasionally. There is nothing worse than even a quiet annoying noise for 8 hours per day. I even swopped out my power supply fan. It would be an interesting vote to see what percentage of people want super quiet at idle versus quieter while gaming. Keep up the good work.
Well, super-quiet at idle is one thing, effective cooling at load when running a CPU/GPU combo pulling over 400W is another. The results are dB-normalized, so there's really not much to debate, as the two systems were equally quiet. The 140mm fans were better when four were used, worse when five were used.
Yes! Looking forward to this one. When you use your rig personally, do you go ahead and have curves set for all the individual fans? I've built a couple rigs lately... one featuring Noctua (front 200mm x2, top and rear 120mm x3, CPU cooler140 x2) and the other featuring all Arctic (front 140mm x2, Top 140mm + 120mm, rear 120mm, CPU cooler 120x2). The Noctua build uses the motherboard headers and Argus Monitor to tune all the fans and access presets. The Arctic build, an older 8350 rehoused into a Silverstone Fara r1, needed a controller as it had less fan headers and those were mainly DC. I went with a Corsair Commander Pro and actually have another SFF build using an Aquacomputer OCTO controller.
I love being able to micro manage the cooling and get a temp and decibel level that is quiet and another that is more aggressive. Also, I love cases and their quirks so it's a lot of fun buying fans and tuning them to find that perfect combination for that particular case/hardware configuration. I also have one of those less expensive Nzxt fan controllers but turns out it just uses DC. They tricked me with their 4 pin plugs. I'm curious if you find these tools useful or not, when necessary or if you just make do without them. Would love to see a video on fan controllers sometime!
Ha, ha, yes, tinkering is fun! For this review, I actually used Argus Monitor (based on recommendations by viewers like you!), and it was great. Interesting note: I found voltage droop across the fan headers, which I honestly couldn't get into in the video. When I ramped up additional headers to test more fans, other fans would slow down. This caused havoc for testing, as 65% PWM or even 100% PWM unfortunately did not mean the same RPM for each test. I even found that when the CPU was under extreme stress, some of the headers would drop speed. Maybe something to discuss in a future video, but honestly, this kind of "quirk" isn't much fun so I don't know how entertaining I can be talking about it!
In terms of fan controllers, I'm a pretty big supporter of integrated motherboard controls. If it's not PWM for the fan and 3-pin ARGB for the lighting, I don't want it. Otherwise it's too hard to test various fans and cooler in multiple cases. And yes, I do select the motherboards for my test systems based on the number (and placement) of the 4-pin headers in order to make 6-fan systems viable. For this test, by the way, I had the rear plugged into CHA_FAN1, the top on a 2-way splitter using CHA_FAN2, and the 3 front fans on a 3-way splitter using the Asus HAMP_FAN header, which I thought would be able to power 3 fans simultaneously without stalling, but that didn't quite work out as I had hoped.
As for my personal system, well, I'm currently running Asus Fan Xpert4 to control all my fans, and have them set at minimum until the CPU hits 50C, and then have it gradually rise to 100% at 65C for the CPU rad fans and 100% at 75C for the case fans. I really don't like constant fluctuations, which is why I start the ramp at 50C and not lower than that, but I could probably set it to start the ramp at a higher temp. It's basically a straight line, no fancy curve. I used to do that, but it took too much thought, LOL!
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I have noticed the same thing about fans not holding tight to certain rpms. I've noticed this on my main rig which uses an Asus board and Fan Xpert4. oI use it's pwm fan headers and no controller. I have actually dug through BIOS in the past few months looking to find the adjustment for the 12v, 5v, 3.3?v source. I decided I probably shouldn't touch those values though, lol. I noticed especially when using the fixed option instead of the grid, some fans just can't hold tight. I don't know if it changes to DC mode when on the fixed setting or what the deal is but sometimes certain fans speeds are up and down, up and down, with no association to any temps rising or anything.
However, my Aquacomputer OCTO fan controller holds fans insanely still. I was watching it last night while monitoring the graph through the Aquasuite software and it REALLY locks them in. They maybe fluctuate by one rpm here and there and it isn't that often when it does. I think this is because it pulls power from it's own SATA tap off the power supply. I always keep my CPU fans on the motherboard headers btw. I don't fully trust the stability of people's controllers and software... However, I do use Argus Monitor curves on all my computers CPU fans. I'm with ya on the flat line until 50. I'm not a fan of the constant ramping up and down of the fans either. I did get creative with my OCTO though by applying a sensor to the SFX PSU in my nr200 case. I have an intake fan (kaze flex 120) that senses the PSU temp rising and gently blows air directly into the PSU intake. This ensures I never get that "jet plane takeoff," from my passive PSU kicking in (Corsair sf 650). I've since removed that intake fan but I want to put it back in... You know, tinkering, lol. The Corsair Commander Pro does a pretty decent job holding tight as well, again, pulling it's power from the PSU instead of the motherboard but it's no where near as locked in as the OCTO. This one is interesting because it doesn't care what fan you are using, it seems to lock the fans to an rpm value instead of a PWM duty cycle setting.
I think these nitty gritty details would be awesome to watch a video about. Especially tweaking the power to stabilize the fan rpms or covering controllers that allow for precision. Lay it on us and thanks for all the content already!
It sounds like you have a whole lot more experience than I do on this subject. I'll definitely refer back to this post if I decide to go down the road of covering this topic in a video!
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Well thanks but I'm just getting into it all. These are just the naïve observations I've made so far. Your video (the one that shed light on the Kaze Flex) started it. Thanks for the information! I love this aspect of computing and I didn't even think about it before, other than controlling/setting curves for my laptop fans. The worst fans ever. :)
Are you referring to how I showed a 1200RPM fan beating a bunch of 2000RPM fans? Yeah, actually that was a learning moment for us all!
Very hepful thanks, enjoyed a few of your videos latey!
Good stuff mate! Makes me feel better running 6 x 120mm fans.......... I see some AIO testing in your future. Happy Holidays!
Ha, ha, yes, you are all set with those 6x120s!!! I have a couple big case reviews coming up over the next few weeks, and then the huge AIO shootout. Stay tuned for a poll on that topic in the next few hours!!!
Here is a thought! If the GPU Likes the fresh air and there is room like that case to put an Exhaust mini fan so it can pull th air across the GPU and out the back???
Your thoughts on this proposed set up:
3 T30 intake
3 Be Quiet Silent Wings Pro 4 exhaust (2 top and 1 rear)
Thanks for doing all of this work.
Really great stuff, thanks for your work! Really helpful.
Oh my God, this video is gold, thank you!!
Glad you enjoyed it! Took a lot of time to produce, maybe worth an ounce of gold!
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I can only imagine the hard work for making these videos. I have watched other videos about fans comparison, but yours are a lot better and useful. Thanks again :)
Much appreciated! I know more folks are producing fan videos, which shows that there's a lot of interest. I'm constantly trying to move the ball forward (as you probably see in the progression of videos on the channel), and that is definitely not an easy thing to do!
Great work, I don´t see this content very often, is extremely helpfull. Thanks!!!
Glad it was helpful!
planning to change my deepcool gammax 400's fan with arctic based on your reviews
They will be quieter! For a bit of a custom look, you might consider the white model: amzn.to/2MPMuku
great content, as always :) thanks for your work
Thanks for participating!
Thanks so much! This is a fantastic video - I'm about to build in a 500DX and have an Arctic AIO so I'm going to play around with P14s!
Which Arctic do you have, and how do you have it mounted in the 500DX? I'm curious about which combos will actually fit so I can tell others, specifically if the 240mm fits on top, for example. I know the 280 won't, but other 280mm AIOs can, as shown here! - th-cam.com/video/uUUItnZRHyM/w-d-xo.html
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I have the 280, I'm planning on front mounting and since I got the five pack of fans I'm going to see if I can pull off a push-pull configuration for the AIO, but I'm waiting on my GPU to ship. Will report back when I do get my GPU so I can pull off my build!
That could be pretty tight, but mostly because the tubes will be hard to route if mounted down (which is how the interwebz wants you to do it nowadays thanks to a GN video). The hose outlets will be below the shroud, and I think they may not bend around the inside-mounted fans to get to the CPU.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru aaah, I didn't think of that. Well, worst case I'll have two extra fans lying around in the case of any failures.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Following up on this - I ended up just going for the standard front mount for the Arctic, without push/pull, and outfitted the whole case with P14s. Your video on the 140mm fan shootout helped a ton! My build is here: imgur.com/a/GM0ryus