Off Topic - Cooling for Apex EL 660 Gaming Case

[Mudbone]

Sorry for the off-topic post, but I am not having much luck finding info on adding case fans to the case I got for my new PC.

What would be your recommendation for specific fans to add to this chassis for overall air movement?
-Brand
-Location in Chassis

APEX COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY

TIA,

Mudbone

[profJim]

Re: Off Topic - Cooling for Apex EL 660 Gaming Case

You haven't told us the about the hardware details for your system, such as cpu/cooler/AIO, how many video cards, number of ssd's and hard drives etc.

If you want the coolest system:

Delta PFB1212UHE 120x38mm Ultra High Speed - 252 CFM

Delta Part #	PFB1212UHE
CFM	252.85
Noise dB(A)	66.5
RPM	5500
Weight (grams)	380g
# of Directional Blades	9
# of Fan Blades	11
Rated Current - Amps (startup)	4.80a
Rated Current - Amps (sustained)	4.00a
Rated Input Power - Watts	48.00w
VDC Range	8.0 to 13.2w
	35.877

Backside Image

Delta PFB1212UHE 120x38mm Ultra High Speed - 252 CFM - 120 Millimeter Fans from Sidewinder

You will need to buy and install several heavy duty brackets to secure your case to the floor so that your case will not go into low earth orbit each time the fans are turned on.

With 10 of these fans in your system you will need a 1200 watt or larger power supply to be able to provide power for the 40 amp electrical load of the fans. This wil leave about 700 watts for the rest of your system. Maybe you should just buy a 1600 watt, 80 Plus Titanium rated psu to ensure that you have enough power.

Because each fan is 38mm thick you will need to quickly learn how to do computer case modding.

If you are hard of hearing you won't need to buy any noise cancelling headphones.

[Mudbone]

Re: Off Topic - Cooling for Apex EL 660 Gaming Case

Sorry for the lack of info. System info is below.

FYI - I am not currently planning to overclock anything. I just want to play it safe for now as long as I am happy with the FPS and 'feel' of how my games are running, and everything is running outstanding with the 2x GTX 970's: Shadow of Mordor maxed, Far Cry 4 looking and running great with settings tweaked to get around the remaining issues.

It was just that after running the games my system felt 'hot' on top when I held my hand over it. Complete NOOB here so I haven't even got software, or something, setup yet to monitor the temps that matter. I could hold my hand to the case still but it got me thinking better safe than sorry.

That said, I appreciate any advice, whether on fans, what to monitor and how/with what, and temps that matter, or even some abuse for being a noob, as long as it comes with one tip per beration. ;) Be brutal!

Case Apex EL 660 Gaming Case
Processor - Intel Core i7 5820K Processor (6x 3.30GHz/15MB L3 Cache)
Processor Cooling -Corsair Hydro Series H55 Liquid CPU Cooling System - ARC Dual Silent High Performance Fan Upgrade (Push-Pull Airflow)
Memory - 16 GB [4X4] DDR4-2400 Memory
2x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 - 4GB in SLI
Motherboard 1 x ASRock X99 Extreme4
Power Supply 750 Watt - Corsair CX750M - 80 PLUS Bronze
Primary Hard Drive 128 GB ADATA SP900 SSD
Data Hard Drive 2 TB HARD DRIVE, 7200rpm

[Mudbone]

Re: Off Topic - Cooling for Apex EL 660 Gaming Case

So after my last post I realized I should run a monitor program. I downloaded HWMonitor and below is a screenshot after running 3 games at max detail, SLI on the 2 GTX 970's.

Where do I sit temperature-wise, as is? And thanks again for a reply and helpful tips. By the way, I have never heard the fans I currently have crank-up/increase in sound level. Just providing it for context as I have another, older, PC where the fans get pretty noisy/work harder when you play a more graphics intensive game.



I did a bit more research and here is my summary of comments on CPU and GPU temps.

CPU Responses

Rules say that with any CPU, 75C is hot, but ~80-90C is shut off temp.

My Summary: 75C max for a CPU


GPU Responses

Most GPUs are capable of reaching 100 celcius.

70c is cool for a video card at load

GPUs can handle higher temps then a CPU. Do your best to keep dust out of that machine, clean the heatsinks, etc every few months and you should be fine.

Mine is 53 at idle. And in games around 70-90. Hit 100 when playing Bad Company 2

My Summary: 90C max for a GPU

[profJim]

Re: Off Topic - Cooling for Apex EL 660 Gaming Case

It's best if you create your detailed hardware list in the System Specs portion of your profile.
Click on Save Changes after you have completed filling in the information.
Be sure to include brand names and model numbers.

It sounds like your video cards are based on the Nvidia reference model where the reference card cooling is not quite as good as the somewhat more expensive custom models. The custom models provide better cooling and lower fan noise.

Cable management and unrestricted airflow is required for optimal cooling.
There are excellent cable management guides on the web.
A web search using: computer case cable management guide OR tutorial will provide helpful information.
Optimizing cable placement takes a lot of time, take your time to do it right the first time.

I prefer using better quality 1600 rpm fans with a high quality fan controller.
The fan controller lets you control fan speeds for the case fans where you can lower fan noise or increase airflow as needed.

You can change video card fan profiles using MSI AfterBurner or similar programs where the fan speed will increase earlier with mid or higher gpu temperatures.

Cooling fan setup:

• 2 fans in the lower 2 front panel location
• 2 interior case fans on the interior vertical panel to direct air towards the video cards
• 2 exhaust fans mounted to the top of the computer case

Using the bottom fan location for air intake looks like it might cause unwanted air turbulence.

Mount the psu with its fan facing downwards for better psu cooling.

For less restricted air intake I would remove all unused hard drive trays.

You might find that cpu temperatures might be 1^o- 3^o(C) lower if your AIO cpu cooler's fan is used to draw cooler outside air into your case.

_____
APEX EL-660 gaming series computer case

[Mudbone]

Re: Off Topic - Cooling for Apex EL 660 Gaming Case

Thanks again. I didn't realize there was a system specs section. I will get some info there.