First build - fans setup

[aPNyag]

Hi guys,

I am building a PC (for the first time) and have some questions about the fan connection setup.

I have Meshify S2 case that comes with PWM Fan Hub and 3 x Dynamic X2 140mm fans. In addition to those I am getting another 3 x Dynamic X2 140mm fans.
I am planning to install 3 fans on the front panel for pull(in), 3push(out, 2 top and 1 back). I will be using Noctua NH-D15s air cooler most likely pushing air to the back fan as well.

Since all fans would be 3 pin connectors (apart of the CPU cooler fan) I was wondering if it's good idea connecting all 6 fans to the Fan Hub and then the fan hub to the motherboard fan header?
CPU cooler will be connected to the motherboard fan header. Are those fans controllable from the BIOS automatically (depending on the load) if the setup is done in this way?

This is the PWM Hub:

This will be my first build so I am not sure if that is the correct way of doing it. If you have any other recommendation for the airflow setup or different fans, please feel free to drop a line.

Cheers

 

[Bill_Bright]

In addition to those I am getting another 3 x Dynamic X2 140mm fans.

Why? The Meshify is a great case that already comes with great fans that offer great cooling while remaining very quiet. I say, stick with the Meshify, build your computer, then check your temps. If you "need" more cooling, then add more fans.

 

[aPNyag]

Why? The Meshify is a great case that already comes with great fans that offer great cooling while remaining very quiet. I say, stick with the Meshify, build your computer, then check your temps. If you "need" more cooling, then add more fans.

I am gonna be running 3900x and I have heard it could get quite hot at a times.
Okay, if I only stay with the 3 fans that come with the case, do I set up 2 in front(in) and 1 at the back(out)? If so, do I connect all 3 fans to the Hub or to the motherboard (X570 AORUS Elite)?

 

[Mr McC]

I am gonna be running 3900x and I have heard it could get quite hot at a times.
Okay, if I only stay with the 3 fans that come with the case, do I set up 2 in front(in) and 1 at the back(out)? If so, do I connect all 3 fans to the Hub or to the motherboard (X570 AORUS Elite)?

Yes, two in the front as intake and one at the rear as an exhaust, with the Noctua NH-D15s that should be more than sufficient, as Bill_Bright has stated. I think the hub allows you to attach both PWM fans and 3-pin fans, but if you use the hub, I presume all of the fans will run at the same speed and I am not sure if it will allow you to adjust the corresponding fan curve in the bios (i.e. change the rpm). Then again, the fans the case ships with are rated at 1000 rpm, I wouldn't imagine them being too noisy in any event.

 

[aPNyag]

Thanks guys for the advice.
Would the fans running constantly at their highest rpm ( connected via the hub)shorten their lifespan in some way?

 

[Mr McC]

Thanks guys for the advice.
Would the fans running constantly at their highest rpm ( connected via the hub)shorten their lifespan in some way?

I honestly can't see it having any meaningful impact at all, assuming that you are unable to adjust the rpm, which remains an assumption.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Would the fans running constantly at their highest rpm ( connected via the hub)shorten their lifespan in some way?

Technically, yes. But since first and foremost, they are quality fans and second, they are designed to run a full speed without exceeding design limits. So the decrease in expected lifespans should be insignificant. HOWEVER, remember, even the quietest fans make a lot of noise when spinning at full RPMs. I personally don't like fan noise so I never run my fans at full speed. If I need extra cooling, I will add another quality quiet fan.

I am gonna be running 3900x and I have heard it could get quite hot at a times.

Sorry, but you really are not thinking about this in the right way. "Quite hot" does not mean your case needs extreme or even extreme cooling. It just needs proper cooling.

If the 3900X "needed" extreme cooling, it would not come with an OEM cooler. But the 3900X comes with a more than adequate Wraith Prism cooler. While some review sites did note the CPU reached high 80s°C with the OEM cooler, technically speaking, that is only "very warm", not "HOT". I note the AMD specs, as seen here, show the max temp is 95°C.

But since you are opting for the even more capable Noctua NH-D15s, extracting heat from that CPU will not be an issue. Plus, unless running at full speed, the Noctua's fan should be quieter than the OEM fan at higher speeds - a good thing since I hate fan noise.

I should also point out that while proper cooling absolutely essential, achieving the coolest temps possible is not. That is, there is nothing to suggest a CPU running at 30°C will have better performance, be more stable, or have a longer life expectancy than a CPU running at 55°C. As long as the CPU is running comfortably within its normal operating range, all is good.

Okay, if I only stay with the 3 fans that come with the case, do I set up 2 in front(in) and 1 at the back(out)? If so, do I connect all 3 fans to the Hub or to the motherboard (X570 AORUS Elite)?

Just leave the setup as is. Fractal Design know what they are doing. They have already mounted the fans in the best orientation.

I will say this. In general, you want a good "front to back" flow of air through the case. And you want a "slight" positive or over-pressure in the case. This ensures the vast majority of the air is pulled in by the intake fans through your air filters - a very good thing! If you had negative pressure, air (and the dust, dander, airborne grease, etc. the air contains) would be sucked in from all directions and through every crack, crevice and port too - a very bad thing.

So yes, 2 intakes in front and 1 exhaust in back is perfect.

If you have a "blowhole" or top fan, they typically support bottom to top flow of air so they typically exhaust heated air out. The exception there is if you have a top mounted radiator and in those cases, the blowhole fan some times is used as an intake for the radiator. But you are using the Noctua so this is not an issue here.

As far as connecting the case fans to the motherboard or the controller, try it both ways and see! However, we have used the excellent Meshify C on several builds here. And what we typically do depends on the motherboard, the number of case fan headers it has, and whether or not the user will be doing extreme overclocking. Typically, we connect the case fans to the motherboard. If there are more case fans than the board has headers, we connect the extra fans to the case's controller. So far, no clients have complained about heat or fan noise issues. Did I mention I really hate fan noise?

The advantage to connecting the case fans to the motherboard is fan speeds are adjusted automatically. With a controller, the user must do the adjusting. If the user is planning on doing extreme overclocking, they typically use alternative cooling (water and radiator) and then we usually connect the case fans to the case's controller so the user can set them to full speed. Most extreme overclockers don't care if their computers sound like a jet engine.

Of course, you need to monitor your temps. I use and recommend Core Temp for that. I initially set it to display all cores but once I determined my cooling was good, I set the Core Temp to display only the highest temp.

 

[aPNyag]

Technically, yes. But since first and foremost, they are quality fans and second, they are designed to run a full speed without exceeding design limits. So the decrease in expected lifespans should be insignificant. HOWEVER, remember, even the quietest fans make a lot of noise when spinning at full RPMs. I personally don't like fan noise so I never run my fans at full speed. If I need extra cooling, I will add another quality quiet fan.
Sorry, but you really are not thinking about this in the right way. "Quite hot" does not mean your case needs extreme or even extreme cooling. It just needs proper cooling.

If the 3900X "needed" extreme cooling, it would not come with an OEM cooler. But the 3900X comes with a more than adequate Wraith Prism cooler. While some review sites did note the CPU reached high 80s°C with the OEM cooler, technically speaking, that is only "very warm", not "HOT". I note the AMD specs, as seen here, show the max temp is 95°C.

But since you are opting for the even more capable Noctua NH-D15s, extracting heat from that CPU will not be an issue. Plus, unless running at full speed, the Noctua's fan should be quieter than the OEM fan at higher speeds - a good thing since I hate fan noise.

I should also point out that while proper cooling absolutely essential, achieving the coolest temps possible is not. That is, there is nothing to suggest a CPU running at 30°C will have better performance, be more stable, or have a longer life expectancy than a CPU running at 55°C. As long as the CPU is running comfortably within its normal operating range, all is good.

Just leave the setup as is. Fractal Design know what they are doing. They have already mounted the fans in the best orientation.

I will say this. In general, you want a good "front to back" flow of air through the case. And you want a "slight" positive or over-pressure in the case. This ensures the vast majority of the air is pulled in by the intake fans through your air filters - a very good thing! If you had negative pressure, air (and the dust, dander, airborne grease, etc. the air contains) would be sucked in from all directions and through every crack, crevice and port too - a very bad thing.

So yes, 2 intakes in front and 1 exhaust in back is perfect.

If you have a "blowhole" or top fan, they typically support bottom to top flow of air so they typically exhaust heated air out. The exception there is if you have a top mounted radiator and in those cases, the blowhole fan some times is used as an intake for the radiator. But you are using the Noctua so this is not an issue here.

As far as connecting the case fans to the motherboard or the controller, try it both ways and see! However, we have used the excellent Meshify C on several builds here. And what we typically do depends on the motherboard, the number of case fan headers it has, and whether or not the user will be doing extreme overclocking. Typically, we connect the case fans to the motherboard. If there are more case fans than the board has headers, we connect the extra fans to the case's controller. So far, no clients have complained about heat or fan noise issues. Did I mention I really hate fan noise?

The advantage to connecting the case fans to the motherboard is fan speeds are adjusted automatically. With a controller, the user must do the adjusting. If the user is planning on doing extreme overclocking, they typically use alternative cooling (water and radiator) and then we usually connect the case fans to the case's controller so the user can set them to full speed. Most extreme overclockers don't care if their computers sound like a jet engine.

Of course, you need to monitor your temps. I use and recommend Core Temp for that. I initially set it to display all cores but once I determined my cooling was good, I set the Core Temp to display only the highest temp.

Thanks for the detailed explanation dude! I believe x570 Elite has voltage fan regulation so I would tweak the fan speeds a bit in the BIOS.
I was planning on buying H150i AIO but I see a lot of people getting almost same temperature results with the Noctua air cooler, so it's really pointless spending double the amount of what the Noctua costs for an AIO.

 

[jboydgolfer]

I am gonna be running 3900x and I have heard it could get quite hot at a times.
Okay, if I only stay with the 3 fans that come with the case, do I set up 2 in front(in) and 1 at the back(out)? If so, do I connect all 3 fans to the Hub or to the motherboard (X570 AORUS Elite)?

the meshify has great cooling. i bought one years back when they first released & have never been disapointed. ive got a 2080ti & a 280mm Rad in it & it runs great temps. the fans it came with were a bit loud IMO, but they may have changed them, as this was a few years back, but theyre good enough. dont sweat it

 

[Bill_Bright]

I believe x570 Elite has voltage fan regulation so I would tweak the fan speeds a bit in the BIOS.

Again, I would just leave the defaults alone! At least leave them alone for the first 3 or 4 weeks of use and only dink with them IF the temps are too high.