Optimal Radiator/Fan configuration for O-11 Dynamic?

[Sir Beregond]

So I had to get out of my Corsair Air 540 case as it was becoming a noisy vibrating mess and if there is one thing I am when it comes to my computers, is a silence freak. For now I just migrated everything from it to the O-11 Dynamic. I have space to expand to 360 radiators of course, but don't plan on doing so until I build a new Zen 3 / Ampere or RDNA2 build next year. For that I am wondering what people have found to be the optimal radiator/fan intake and exhaust placement?

 

For now I set up one of my 240 rads up top with 2 fans as exhaust in push. The other 240 radiator is side with fans intake also in push. Will probably put a fan as intake at the bottom as well as temps are a bit higher than my 540 was.

 

When I upgrade (including new 360 rads to replace these 6 year old 240's) I am wondering if it would be better to have 3 fans intake from the side with top and bottom radiators both exhausting? Or maybe side and bottom intake with top exhausting? Not sure. This case is definitely different so not sure what is optimal.

 

Curious what others think?

Edited October 7, 2020 by Sir Beregond

[Bastiaan_NL]

Do you filter any of the intake fans? 

I'm not really familiar with the O-11 Dynamic, but taking in cold outside air through your rads would still be my favorite option. With two rads pulling in the air and some good exhaust fans it really doesn't matter which side is intake or exhaust. The little bit of movement from rising hot air is nothing compared to a few good 120 or 140 fans. 

I like to set my cases up with positive pressure and some dust filters. For example, I have a pushpull 420 rad and 2 casefans as (filtered) intake and a pushpull 280 rad and one casefan as exhaust. No change in temps since changing from 280 as intake and 420 as exhaust (420 is in the top) but there is almost no dust inside anymore. 

The spacing on the bottom looks good, so maybe top and bottom rad as intake and those sidefans as exhaust? That's what I would try the first time.

Edited October 13, 2020 by Bastiaan_NL

[Sir Beregond]

All the potential intakes have filters. Yeah case is a bit different. Instead of a front intake, it intakes from the side. There seems to be enough room to mount 360 radiators either top/side or top/bottom.

[Paradigm Gaming]

@Sir Beregond ... nekro'ing this thread.  Wanted to see if you completed your upgrade and what you decided to go with.

 

I've not seen a PC case enter the market like the O-11 Dynamic in terms of popularity and volume since Corsair came out with the Obsidian lineup.

 

The O-11 to me is set up for traditional fan placement to optimize pressure.  I'd still bring the air in from the back and the bottom and exhaust it through the rear and the top, depending on where you plan to put the case.

 

I prefer positive air pressure inside the case, forcing the warmer air inside to find any avenue of release, rather than creating negative pressure and risk choking.

 

I put my PC's on my desk for display, in cooler rooms, so if I was building in the O-11, I'd actually exhaust through the back and the rear and bring air in from the bottom with high flow rate fans and in through the top in a push/pull configuration.  I'd actually take the top off of the case and mount the push fans on the outside.  Push pull intake through the top in a cool air environment will give optimal cooling perfomance to your top radiator.

 

I'd be leary about exhausting through the bottom.  There is limited clearance and warmer air rises, so you'd have two obstructive forces working against air release.

 

 

[Sir Beregond]

16 hours ago, Paradigm Gaming said:

@Sir Beregond ... nekro'ing this thread.  Wanted to see if you completed your upgrade and what you decided to go with.

 

I've not seen a PC case enter the market like the O-11 Dynamic in terms of popularity and volume since Corsair came out with the Obsidian lineup.

 

The O-11 to me is set up for traditional fan placement to optimize pressure.  I'd still bring the air in from the back and the bottom and exhaust it through the rear and the top, depending on where you plan to put the case.

 

I prefer positive air pressure inside the case, forcing the warmer air inside to find any avenue of release, rather than creating negative pressure and risk choking.

 

I put my PC's on my desk for display, in cooler rooms, so if I was building in the O-11, I'd actually exhaust through the back and the rear and bring air in from the bottom with high flow rate fans and in through the top in a push/pull configuration.  I'd actually take the top off of the case and mount the push fans on the outside.  Push pull intake through the top in a cool air environment will give optimal cooling perfomance to your top radiator.

 

I'd be leary about exhausting through the bottom.  There is limited clearance and warmer air rises, so you'd have two obstructive forces working against air release.

 

 

 

Thanks. I am still acquiring parts for the upgrade so nothing has been done yet. 

 

Agree, exhaust through bottom doesn't make much sense to me. Been thinking about it and if I can fit it, I plan to do a thicker 360 radiator on top and probably a normal on bottom with intake fans on the side intake, intake from the bottom, and exhaust on top (there is no fan mounting for a rear 120mm due to case size - its not the XL). Should make for positive pressure I would think (6 intake, 3 exhaust). 

[J7SC_Orion]

One quick tip when talking about positive pressure, push pull etc with PC rad fans in particular. More often than not, I noticed a tiny gap between the fan 'body' and the rad, often because of the vibration taps, sometimes because of the fan body design in general. With my GentleTyphoons in push/pull, I actually use electrical tape all the way around the edge of the 360 rads to seal that gap between the rad and fans...not scientific, but I think I picked up a 1 C+ drop, and also slightly better noise readings ?

[Sir Beregond]

2 hours ago, J7SC_Orion said:

One quick tip when talking about positive pressure, push pull etc with PC rad fans in particular. More often than not, I noticed a tiny gap between the fan 'body' and the rad, often because of the vibration taps, sometimes because of the fan body design in general. With my GentleTyphoons in push/pull, I actually use electrical tape all the way around the edge of the 360 rads to seal that gap between the rad and fans...not scientific, but I think I picked up a 1 C+ drop, and also slightly better noise readings ?

 

Yeah I would imagine that would help similar to a shroud. I am not planning to do push/pull just due to size constraints and noise considerations. May be anathema for getting as much performance as possible, but I primarily watercool for silence more than any other reason.

 

Though I do plan to play around with it when all is said and done.

 

Anyone got any top and bottom 360 radiator recommendations for the O11 Dynamic? Think a thicker style should fit fine up top with push fans. Bottom I am thinking probably a standard thickness, but will have to take a closer look.

Edited February 16, 2021 by Sir Beregond

[J7SC_Orion]

12 minutes ago, Sir Beregond said:

 

Yeah I would imagine that would help similar to a shroud. I am not planning to do push/pull just due to size constraints and noise considerations. May be anathema for getting as much performance as possible, but I primarily watercool for silence more than any other reason.

 

Though I do plan to play around with it when all is said and done.

 

Anyone got any top and bottom 360 radiator recommendations for the O11 Dynamic? Think a thicker style should fit fine up top with push fans. Bottom I am thinking probably a standard thickness, but will have to take a closer look.

  

...check out DerBauer vids on YT on this (multiple O11 builds, rad configs)...after all, his name is on the O11, too  more > here

[Sir Beregond]

2 minutes ago, J7SC_Orion said:

  

...check out DerBauer vids on YT on this (multiple O11 builds, rad configs)...after all, his name is on the O11, too  more > here

Hey good point! Thanks!

[J7SC_Orion]

23 hours ago, Sir Beregond said:

 

Yeah I would imagine that would help similar to a shroud. I am not planning to do push/pull just due to size constraints and noise considerations. May be anathema for getting as much performance as possible, but I primarily watercool for silence more than any other reason.

 

Though I do plan to play around with it when all is said and done.

 

Anyone got any top and bottom 360 radiator recommendations for the O11 Dynamic? Think a thicker style should fit fine up top with push fans. Bottom I am thinking probably a standard thickness, but will have to take a closer look.

 

...quick update on 'sealing' push/pull with electrical tape: I'm just putting together a X570 Asus Crosshair Hero VIII wifi and a 3950X...got a BeQuiet PureLoop for a very low price (and it's even refillable !)...while this AIO is a great performer as is, I took the BeQuiet fans off and mounted six Artci P12 pwm pst in push / pull.

 

Even at full song, you can hardly hear them and manages to keep a 3950X in repeated Cinebench23 in the low seventies C. This unit will get a full custom loop as soon as the 3090 Strix block and backplate is settled on, but for now this is a more-than-decent solution. Pics below of the testbench for that, not final...note the electrical tape on top of the rad...still have to do some trimming, plus the sides...

 

 

 

 

Edited February 17, 2021 by J7SC_Orion

[Sir Beregond]

Necroing this thread since its mine.

 

Wow it took me way longer to get to this build than I ever intended, but I guess better late then never.

 

So, still going with the O11-Dynamic (regular, not an XL so there is no rear 120mm exhaust). Sorry @Avacado

 

I am going with the Hardware Labs 360GTX mounted at the top and 360GTS mounted on the bottom.

 

For fans I am using a total of 9 Silent Wings 3. 3 for each rad and 3 for the side of the case. I am not doing push/pull.

 

Still undecided on what I am doing for final fan orientation for intake/exhaust. I even had this idea that maybe I should intake on both top and bottom rads and exhaust through front...I don't know...

[ArchStanton]

3 minutes ago, Sir Beregond said:

I even had this idea that maybe I should intake on both top and bottom rads and exhaust through front

Optimal or not, I adopted the "rads are always intake" mantra for my case.  Also:

[Sir Beregond]

Maybe you could fit 80's there. I don't see any specific mounting holes for any. Personally I wouldn't want small noisy fans in here. Really one of my only gripes with this case. Could have been made slightly wider.

[ArchStanton]

I understand, they would be loud for the volume they would move.

[Avacado]

Totally fine. I recently had PPCS custom make me a Front panel that can mount fans and rads. I know they make a version for the non-xl variant. Not cheap though and I don't know if you are budgeted for it. Images wont post in normal orientation no matter what I do, sorry. 

 

Edited March 20, 2022 by Avacado

[Sir Beregond]

1 hour ago, Avacado said:

Totally fine. I recently had PPCS custom make me a Front panel that can mount fans and rads. I know they make a version for the non-xl variant. Not cheap though and I don't know if you are budgeted for it. Images wont post in normal orientation no matter what I do, sorry. 

 

Toying with that idea actually, but currently out of budget scope.