Fan Setup in a Stacker 830

[yinlun]

I just ordered a Cooler Master Stacker 830, and I'm trying to read up on the cooling setup. I will definitely be using fans and not water cooling.

The way the case is designed is that there's 1 120mm Front Intake fan, that draws air in and cools the HD and onto the rest. There's also a rear 120mm Exhaust Fan mounted right below the PSU.

It comes with 1 additional fan, and I ordered an additional. There's a slot on top that I'm planning to use as an exhaust. I'm trying to determine where I should put the last one, and possibly even thinking about picking up more fans for the sides.

Now here's my question. I've been reading and this is what I've found.

1) An open case causes stagnant air flow and actually causes higher temps.
- So being the case, if I don't fill the sides up with fans, wont it essentially be having an open case? Which is bad, right?

2) You want to create a flow design, in from front bottom, out from top back.
- If I have a top exhaust fan in the middle of the case, won't it draw the air out before it has the chance to reach the CPU?

3) You want to have more or equal exhaust fans than intake fans to have a higher CFM.
- Following this, if I filled out 4 more fans, it would have to be 1 intake in the front and mix the exhaust/intake on the sides. Having an intake on top of the cpu would make sense to help cool the cpu otherwise I would be starving the CPU fan by pulling air away from it, but it would contradict the exhausting hot air out the top back.

I think it's safe to say I'm really confused on how to set these fans up

 

[imported_Scoop]

You need to orientate the CPU HSF so that it pulls air from the front and pushes it to the rear exhaust. Personally, I use a consept of having the first fan as an exhaust, but after that, always more intake fans. The hot air can always find it's way out of the case but there won't be getting any cool air in without intake fans.

I'm not sure how the fan slots are in the stacker but I'll use a scheme from the 690 that you maybe could follow. Rear exhaust, front intake, side intake for the GPU, top exhaust, bottom intake.

 

[NoelS]

yinlun,

I agree with Scoop. I generally have one 120mm at the front blowing into the case, one 120mm fan at the rear exhausting heat. A top fan obviously exhausting. I also like a side window 120mm fan blowing on and cooling the video card and south bridge areas. I use a light piece of paper to insure which way the side window fan is drawing/blowing.

Noel

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: yinlun
I just ordered a Cooler Master Stacker 830, and I'm trying to read up on the cooling setup. I will definitely be using fans and not water cooling.

The way the case is designed is that there's 1 120mm Front Intake fan, that draws air in and cools the HD and onto the rest. There's also a rear 120mm Exhaust Fan mounted right below the PSU.

It comes with 1 additional fan, and I ordered an additional. There's a slot on top that I'm planning to use as an exhaust. I'm trying to determine where I should put the last one, and possibly even thinking about picking up more fans for the sides.

Now here's my question. I've been reading and this is what I've found.

1) An open case causes stagnant air flow and actually causes higher temps.
- So being the case, if I don't fill the sides up with fans, wont it essentially be having an open case? Which is bad, right?

I'm not sure where you heard that, the more air movement you have the better. The only thing that more airlow may cause is tubulence or hot spots caused by air getting trapped in a corne much like in the bed of a truck at high speeds. Quite frankly, for the most part turbulence efficiency losses will be out weighed by the added cool air, to a point.

2) You want to create a flow design, in from front bottom, out from top back.
- If I have a top exhaust fan in the middle of the case, won't it draw the air out before it has the chance to reach the CPU?

Yes and no, so long as you have a balanced or slightly positively pressurized case there will be enough cool air being drawn thru the heatsink and to the back of the case.

3) You want to have more or equal exhaust fans than intake fans to have a higher CFM.
- Following this, if I filled out 4 more fans, it would have to be 1 intake in the front and mix the exhaust/intake on the sides. Having an intake on top of the cpu would make sense to help cool the cpu otherwise I would be starving the CPU fan by pulling air away from it, but it would contradict the exhausting hot air out the top back.

I think it's safe to say I'm really confused on how to set these fans up

Were it my case I would have the front intake fan a single side intake and the rear exhaust. If you're going to use the top exhaust as well, I would suggest using the front/top most fan to add extra air in front of the CPU.

 

[yinlun]

Thanks for the input.

Here's the case.

So it can fit 4 fans on the side, 2 fans in front, 1 in the back and 1 on top.

I dont remember where I read the article, but somewhere said leaving the case door open was bad.

So what about these potential diagrams?

Setup 1:
http://i22.photobucket.com/alb...b319/yinlun/Setup1.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/alb...19/yinlun/Airflow1.jpg

Setup 2:
http://i22.photobucket.com/alb...b319/yinlun/Setup2.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/alb...19/yinlun/Airflow2.jpg

Setup 2 almost seems liek a waste leavign those fan slots open.

 

[PowerHungry42]

The three case fans of the Stacker 830 are more than enough to cool even one of the the hotter systems. You don't need the side panel that can hold four fans at all, it's overkill.

The two mesh side panels, plus the door, drive bay bezels and mesh on top supply enough passive air to assist the three case fans.

The comment about having the fan on the heatsink blow thru it and towards the back exhaust fan, is good advice! (I own an 830 and an 832)

 

[imported_Scoop]

Setup 2 is good. Setup 1 doesn't make any sense . You definitely don't want an exhaust on the side panel and unless you have a 120mm radiator in a watercooling setup in the rear exhaust slot, the upper intake doesn't make any sense. Just go with setup 2, it's as good as it gets.

 

[PCTC2]

I agree with Scoop. The first one would make a weird airflow to your HSF so stick with setup 2.

 

[Rubycon]

Put all the fans on the swing out panel so they push air inside the case. Originally I had mine exhausting and they were dumping a lot of heat however the inside of the case was warm too.

In my case I found that having three (the fourth spot is open due to the size of the TRUE sticking out. ) fans blowing in made the hdd temps increase over 10C. I have a pair of SM hotswap bays (5HDD each) plus a pair of SATA live hotswap enclosures in the front using 8 bays. The SM bays have 92mm thermally controlled fans so I tried flipping those fans around so they blow out through the front and changed the 3 120's in the side panel to draw air in. Temps on the inside are MUCH cooler and drive temps are about the same as they were with the fans pulling out. A LOT of heat comes out the front of the system and reminds me of our PA amp racks.

It's best to blow as much air IN to the case with the 830's because they're so ventilated that exhausting fans are pulling open air. The exception of course is the back fan as it can grab a lot of heat off a monster CPU heatsink. With the side fans blowing in your NB, RAM, and VRM temps will be noticeably lower with no deadpockets to catch heat.

 

[2411]

I'm getting ready to order a Stacker 830 and was wondering will the side fan holders hold 140mm fans or just 120mm.

 

[PowerHungry42]

140's will not fit.