Fans
there are different types bearings in them?
There are almost as many different types of bearings as fans. I recommend avoiding Sleeve bearings if possible, they are the cheapest. They normally have a shorter lifespan than other bearings and will get noisier as they wear out.
some have 3 port power plugs, other's have 4?
They will work ether way, the fourth wire is the PWM wire.
What is PWM?
Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) refers to the method of applying a signal to the fan that will vary the width of the fan's pulse. An 80% duty cycle means that the fan is "on" 80% of the time and "off" 20% of the time. A 50% duty cycle signal means that the fan is "on" 50% of the time and "off" 50% of the time (similar to a perfect square wave). On a PWM fan, the 4th wire consists of the PWM line and will be directly proportional to the speed of the fan. That is to say, a high duty cycle will produce high speeds and a low duty cycle will produce idle speeds..
noise level?
Noise Level is rated in dBA or Decibels, higher is louder. This normally this is a trade off with fan speed
RPM
Higher RPM normally means higher air flow and higher noise level.
Air Flow?
Higher CFM means more air flow. Keep in mind that extremely high CFM fans will also create noise from the air turbulence when the air blows through the mesh of the case.
Fan Size?
Bigger fans can push more or comparable airflow at lower speeds than smaller fans. I would recommend going with a larger fan if you have the chance. Anything smaller than 120mm is normally going to be noisier than most will like. A lot of newer cases are running 200+mm fans along with 120mm fans.
LED vs non LED?
LED's dont effect the performance of the fan generally (sometimes the light holes can make a small amount of noise). From my experience most LED fans are of poorer quality. I personally recommend going with separate lighting than your fans. Another thing to remember is if you use a fan controller on a LED fan, as you slow the fan down the lighting will dim also (some will even make the LED's pulse).
Recommended Manufactures?
I am a fan of Noctua fans, the quality is amazing but you do pay for that quality (the colors are also questionable).
Other brands to consider in no order (some)thermaltake, XIGMATEK, silverstone, Yate Loons(just make sure you are getting real ones, people make knockoffs), Scythe, Nexus, GELID Solutions, ect
if i get multiple fans, when should i start worrying about speed controllers?
Im not a big fan of fan speed controllers, but it is preference. I would rather let the pc control the speed if needed. Most of the time I run high quality fans at full speed all of the time.
do people really put 5 of them on the back of their case?
Just because you have a spot for a fan doesn't mean you HAVE to use it. More air flow can help keep your components cool if you lay out your fans properly. BUT! You will reach a point where no matter how much airflow you add, things wont cool down any more. I recommend starting with the stock fan amount and watching temperatures of all of your components, I have a infrared temperature gun that is perfect for this. Also don't forget to watch hard drive temperatures, in the past I have seen more hard drives fail from being overheated for long amounts of time.
wouldn't it be hard to control them all at once?
A fan controller would control 5+ if needed on most setups, most motherboards have 3 or 4 headers(if needed being the key here)
don't you just want the PC to control them for you for ease of use?
This is a good way to do this, most modern PCs can keep your fan noise down unless its needed. Of course if you need more than just a few fans you may not have enough headers, also some fans will come with only Molex connectors.
basics on ideal air flow?
case air flow is a little more complicated. Most of it is based on positive and negative air flow. Positive air flow is when you have more Air Flowing into the case than being pulled out by the exit fans. Negative is when you have less air going in than exiting. Air flow in the case is defined by CFM, not fan size or speed.
The choice between the two depends on if you are worried about dust entering your case. With positive air flow you can attach dust filters to your intake fans preventing dust from getting into the case. In the case of negative air flow you will be pulling air in from every crack or crevice of your case, because of this you wont be able to control where the cooler air comes from or how much dust enters your case. Of course negative air flow will flow slightly more air. I myself prefer to use Positive air-flow due to the ability to control where the cool air is coming from better.
Of course the most important part of air flow in a case is where the vents and fans are located. The idea is to prevent "dead" or hot spots while efficiently pulling hot air away from the most critical components. If possible its best to have a fan blowing cool air onto the hard drives along with an exit fan pulling hot air away from the cpu heatsink.
Other things to keep in mind
- Most power supplys and video cards also push air out
- its possible to have fans too close to each other, ive experienced higher CPU temps in some push pull setups due to the 2nd CPU fan being too close to the rear case fan
Water Cooling
Well I've done water cooling several times, and can offer some insight to the positives and negatives of the process. First, before you're set on water, you have to come to some terms with the realities of water cooling:
1. It in itself is expensive. In most cases, you get what you pay for. Entry costs for a decent setup begin close to $200.
2. It's a lot of a work to setup the system properly, perform the proper leak testing, and keeping an eye/maintaining the system.
3. It adds a bit of weight to your system.
4. It can potentially ruin every part within your system.
Once you've come to terms with these things -- on to the next part, selecting the right parts.
Part I., Cheap Kits
When I say cheap kits, it's pretty subjective -- I don't actually mean cheap by the cost amount, but rather cheap in terms of the performance you'll be receiving for your hard earned dollar. (Perhaps "poor performing" might be a better title) Most kits (but not all) entirely manufactured by a single company qualify as a "Cheap Kit". Examples are: Thermaltake BigWater, Cooler Master Aquagate, Zalman Reserator.
These kits can be cheap (some start as low as $60 or so), or can be as much as a few hundred dollars. This is why it's important to read reviews and ask questions to those who've used the systems and seen results. In many cases, purchasing these kits offer no benefit over a good air cooler - and in many cases are actually worse than some of the top of the line air coolers while still being considerably more expensive. The main reason these solutions fail is because they don't offer a good heat dissipation surface (a standard 2x120mm radiator or better), and couple that with a poorly designed processor block.
Part II., Reseller Kits
Reseller Kits generally consist of kits made up of good individual parts packaged into a kit as a whole by the reseller. Petra's Tech Shop offers some good examples, such as <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="
www.petrastechshop.com/pecoba.html">
www.petrastechshop.com/pecoba.html It offers all of the items you need to get started, while maximizing the value you get for your dollar.
The pump (Laing D5 Vario) Pumpis a powerful and well-regarded reliable item in the WC community. The radiator is relative to the best performing ones available. The cpu block offers a good mix of performance and value. No reservoir is included, as a t-line and fill port are sufficient.
This kit would yield substantially better results than say a comparable Thermaltake Bigwater or similar water cooling solution.
Part III., Custom Parts
Custom parts are where you will always find the best performance, although it may be at the cost of a high dollar. For instance, the Heatkiller CPU block is currently regarded as the best (or one of). The problem? It in itself retails for around $90. Considering you still need to buy clamps, a reservoir(if you decide to, or use a fill port), a radiator, tubing, gpu blocks (if necessary), fans, a pump, and any other accessories (uv dye and anti-bacterial solution are examples) things can get real expensive.
Part IV., Mixing Metals
When buying parts and kits, you should note that metals should never be mixed. The most common issue in this scenario occurs when aluminum and copper parts are mixed. Some companies make aluminum parts because it's cheaper than copper, at the cost of less heat conductivity. When you mix metals in a water loop, you're risking galvanic corrosion occurring.
It is recommended to only use copper parts in the water loop.
Part V., Proper Installation and Maint.
Installation is a tedious task that involves a lot of work. Let's get that out of the way. Firstly, you need to do some planning, to decide if you're buying the right stuff for the job, and get an exact idea for where and how everything's going to fit in your case, or outside of it. Keep in mind of clearances, and that your tubing cannot simply bend at a 90-degree angle. Planning is crucial to make things easier to work with and fixate within your case. You'll want to make sure, for instance, that your reservoir or fill port is in an easily accessible location for adding fluid.
Another example scenario would be buying a radiator. Some cases come with predefined locations for 2x120mm radiators, and some come with locations for 3x120mm rads, and some come with none at all. For those that go with the latter, you might look at using a Swiftech RadBox to mount the radiator on the back of the case. And for the other two scenarios, obviously you'd want to consider buying one that appropriately fits in your case.
There are also pump/reservoir combination that fit within a single 5.25" drive bays. Reservoirs and Pumps come in all sorts of different sizes and shapes.
Next up, you've ordered your items. The first thing you'll always have to do is disconnect(drain) the power and remove the motherboard. All kits (to my knowledge) have a back plate or screws that you'll have to install on the back of the motherboard for the block. You'd go ahead and attach it, and then mount the cpu block. Then mount the rest of your parts. You'll want to make sure your setup flows appropriately, and in the right order. (Example: The reservoir should be above the pump and flow to the pump's inlet -- a reservoir below the pump's inlet can't utilize gravity for the water to actually reach the pump) If the loop order is not correct, you could receive poor results and you risk damaging your pump. The pump should never be ran dry, when it can be avoided.
The proper order (in a basic setup) would be Reservoir -> Pump -> CPU Block -> Radiator.
Once you've mounted your parts, connected power to the fans on the radiator and the pump, and connected the tubing - you should look for kinks in the system prior to applying clamps. Kinks can cause poor flow and limit your pump's ability to push water through your loop. More resistance can also shorten the lifespan of your pump - which most are rated at just five years use.
Clamps should always be used. At every barb on every piece of equipment. It doesn't matter how tight of a seal you think the tubing is getting, and if the loop exhibits no visible leaks. Not using clamps is asking for water damage. I've taken the quick route before, not using clamps and assuming everything had a proper seal. It costed me a R9800Pro (at a time when these were $230) when water dripped from my processor block onto the card.
Once all of the above is complete, you should then add distilled water, any necessary dye or fluid, including an anti-bacterial solution. Using tap-water instead of distilled water is a big no-no, as it will cause galvanic corrosion because of the minerals contained within. Bacteria is also an issue in a closed water loop. Adding a little PT-Nuke or Antifreeze is recommended. It is also recommended to change the water every few months.
You will need to leave your reservoir or fill port easily accessible for when you turn the loop on -- as you will need to add water after all of the air bubbles get worked out of the loop.
Part VI., Leak Testing and Results
With water in your loop, and everything turned off, it is highly recommended you first visibly look for leaks (dripping). Leaks can come from cracked plastic (barbs, reservoirs, etc), worn out O-rings (new ones can be purchased at a hardware store), poorly clamped tubing, or poorly installed barbs. I'd recommend having a towel handy.
If you have no leak issues, next it's time to test the loop without powering up the rest of your system. Disconnect power from all of your hardware, save for the water pump. In this scenario you'll want to leak test for a few hours with your pump running and - nothing else. With no power to the rest of your components -- if there is a leak, and water drips from say your cpu block onto to your video card, no damage will be done (assuming the system has been properly power drained), and you can dry your video card prior to running electricity through it.
Once power is only connected to the loop, find yourself a paperclip (or other handy wire). Connect the pin on your mainboard connector from the green wire (pwrbtn) to any black wire on the connector. This will artificially inform the psu that the power button on the computer has been pressed and the power supply will turn on, powering any components that are attached. You can then let the water loop run by itself for a few hours and check for any leaks afterwords. If you don't notice any, keep an eye on the water level in the reservoir or fill port line, as these can be indicators to a leak (Although your fluid level will lower with the air being worked out of the loop).
It is highly recommended you should do the above scenario each time your system is physically moved. Not doing so can result in a catastrophe.
After all is said and done, reconnect power to the rest of your rig and start the system. Check your temps while doing various load tests (ie Prime95), and ensure they are in line with what you should be getting. If temperatures are still too high, check the flow order, that air is moving properly through the radiator, that there are no kinks in the system, and that the blocks are seated properly.
Parts need to be cleaned probably a good 2x a year. Dyes and bacteria can build up in them and reduce performance. They should be flushed with fresh water.
Water should keep temperatures more stable than air cooling. Idle temperatures will not show a huge difference between good air cooling, but load temperatures should in a properly configured system. This allows you to push more voltage to your blocks and dissipate more heat, allowing for a higher stable overclock (in theory!)
A few good stores to find parts would be..
www.acousticpc.com/
newegg.com
www.petrastechshop.com/
www.jab-tech.com
www.frozencpu.com
www.performance-pcs.com
NCIXUS.com
Crazypc.com
www.sidewindercomputers.com/
www.svc.com/
