Best airflow for mini ITX PC case

[MiniITXTeam]

TL;DR Summary

Design of airflow directions based on mini itx internal configuration and space distribution. One 120mm fan for cpu. two 120mm and one 80mm fan for case.

Hi friends. Nice to be a new member of that forum. Content and member knowledge are impressive.

I was reading a lot about fan types and airflow physics when pulling and pushing air.

My main idea is to do some test with different configurations of my setup. I'm going to measure temperature in different scenarios like case vertical or horizontal, case fans and cpu fans pulling or pushing air in every possible way.

My setup:
This is the case i'm going to use

I don't understand radiator/fan for side of case, but my idea is to use two arctic p12 max and one arctic p8 max fans for case. One arctic p12 max for cpu. All of them are high static pressure fans.

Motherboard with heatshink is bd790i:

Graphic card would be some 20-25cm one with 150w max tdp. I don't have it right now.

I would be pleased to receive proposals on which configuration seems to be best. I'm also going to make a proposal. After my tests are over. I'll post results and we will know winning combination.

Best configuration for me is case upright. Side and front fans pushing air inside, back fan (80mm fan) draws air from inside to outside. Cpu fan blowing towards heatsink.

Secondary configuration that might work well for me could be. Case horizontally placedwith side fan at top. Side fan blowing air to outside. Front and back fans pushing air inward. Cpu fan pulling air through heatsink.

I'm pleased to read about your proposals and arguments. Nice day to all.

 

[Lnewqban]

Welcome, @MiniITXTeam !

General suggestions:
* Try to blow air directing its flow in a direction aligned (parallel) with the cooling fins.
* Blow in as much volume of air as you suck out in order to make airflow sweeping the interior cross-section of the case as high as possible.
* Heated air tends to ascend; therefore, place sucking fans as high as possible (consider that those do not induce airflows reaching heat sources nearby their inlets).
* Consider filtering intake air to reduce dust deposits inside the case.

 

[Rive]

I was reading a lot about fan types and airflow physics when pulling and pushing air.

I'm a more practical man. If you have to fight for a few degree difference you have already lost.

Based on my experience, only those configurations works on long term where the air is sucked through a filter. For your setup that looks like the front, I think (sorry, I'm an old style PC guy. That's a front).
Every other configuration will require frequent attention with a compressor or brush.
If you aim to make more 'suckers', then provide filtering for them too.

Be careful about the balance: at the end you need ~ equal overall CFM for 'suckers' and 'blowers'.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I'm a more practical man. If you have to fight for a few degree difference you have already lost.

I agree.

Also, a problem is not an optimization problem without constraints. The solution to maximize cooling is to get the biggest, loudest, most annoying fans you can fit inside. But that's probably not what you want.

 

[Tom.G]

Filters on the air inlets are important. Without them you get a dust buildup on heatsinks and on the circuit boards, including motherboard -- and cleaning both sides of a motherboard without damage is not a minor task!

I use open cell foam sheet for filters, make them removable, and clean by removing and running hot water thru them opposite direction to the air flow. I don't use soap because it is too hard to rinse out. If you must use soap occassionally, use a small amount of liquid dish detergent, it is easier to rinse off.

In general, if you can not balance the airflow between intake and exhaust, choose the intake for the higher flow. That way you get filtered air into the case at a slight positive pressure which may find a way out... or you can add a few holes in the case if needed.

There are (were?) programs to read some chip temperatures on the motherboard, the programs often came with the motherboard if you were assembling your own computer. Use them to adjust fan placement for lowest chip temperatures. (The two power hogs are the CPU and Graphics Processor.)

Have Fun!
Tom