3 Replies Latest reply on Sep 24, 2016 6:08 PM by black_zion

    Computer/Desk airflow?

    vegasecurea
    vegasecurea Sep 24, 2016 3:53 PM

      I've seen how airflow works on towers. But what about if you are using a computer/desk like Lian-Li's DK-01 (which I am using). Which do you think is more efficient at removing heat?

       

      Standard (see standard airflow.jpg)

      3 intake from the left

      3 exhaust from the right

      1 exhaust from the rear*

      2 exhaust from the front**

      = 3 Intake & 6 Exhaust. If you count the PSU and GPUs blowing air out the rear then that's 9 Exhaust.

       

      Changed to (see Airflow change.jpg)

      3 intake from the left

      3 intake from the right

      1 exhaust from the rear*

      2 exhaust from the front**

      = 6 Intake & 3 Exhaust. If you count the PSU and GPUs blowing air out the rear then that's 6 Exhaust.

       

      *FX-series AIO Liquid Cooler.

      **Two R9 295X2. The two red arrows at the bottom of each image are the GPUs' radiator/fan placement where it blows air downward through the vents at the bottom.

       

      Information on Lian-Li Global | DK-01 there.

        • Re: Computer/Desk airflow?
          black_zion
          black_zion Sep 18, 2016 10:07 PM (in response to vegasecurea)

          That's not a good setup. You always want your exhaust to equal or exceed your intake capacity which creates net negative pressure to suck air out of the case. If your intake is greater, then you create net positive pressure which reduces cooling effectiveness, which is why the standard setup has double the intakes as exhausts. There's also the possibility of having too much airflow which creates a turbulent environment instead of a more linear flow.

          1 of 1 people found this helpful
            • Re: Computer/Desk airflow?
              vegasecurea
              vegasecurea Sep 24, 2016 4:03 PM (in response to black_zion)

              I have done some forum readings on this topic. Then I did some testing on my own which I didn't want to hence why I asked here, lol. Turns out Positive is better than negative in my case. I have taken into account a few things that I didn't before...

               

              -Size of my case (basically a 900D but on its side).

              -Layout of the case (Not your usual intake at the bottom and exhaust at the top).

              -Ambient room temperature (20°C or around 68°F).

              -Number of fan placements (7+).

               

              Each test ran for an hour using FurMark CPU Burner and FurMark stress test at the same time. I run an FX-9590 and 2 R9 295X2s...

               

              Positive airflow (see Airflow change.jpg in original post above)

              CPU:

              -Idle: 54°C

              -Under Load: Hovers between 59°C and 60°C.

              GPU:

              -Idle: 46°C

              -Under Load: 74°C

               

              Negative airflow (see Standard airflow.jpg in original post above)

              CPU:

              -Idle: 55.5°C

              -Under Load: 62°C

              GPU:

              -Idle: 48°C

              -Under Load: 74°C

               

              Needless to say I have switched back to Positive. A VERY BIG PLUS is I only need to clean the filters After the negative airflow test I noticed dust had already accumulated above my radiators and SSD cages. Wouldn't want that to build up on your fan blades and axis degrading performance, or other components that uses their surface to vent heat.