Heeron Posted October 27, 2010 Posted October 27, 2010 Hello People. Just something i've been pondering for a while. I'll be buying the NZXT Phantom sometime after christmas and i've been thinking about the cooling. As it stands the Phantom has 180mm cpu clearance, with a 200/230mm side fan that shrinks to 150mm. That means that I wont be able to have one of the larger CPU coolers like the Noctua NH-D14 (160mm) which i'm really interested in getting. Instead I would probably get the Noctua NH-C12P (114mm) which would leave alot of room for side fan. But that would also mean that side fan would have to blow air out of the case, rather then in, which i've figured be the best for cooling Vga and mobo. I'd like to hear what you guys think about it. Is there any other cooler I should be considering, have I got my facts wrong? Thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp9801 Posted October 27, 2010 Posted October 27, 2010 Why would you need the side fan to exhaust the air if you have a CPU cooler there? Even with the side fan and a CPU cooler, the side fan looks to be able to still cool the video card just fine with it as intake. I don't think you'd have a problem with having the side fan personally, but what processor will you be gettng? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heeron Posted October 27, 2010 Posted October 27, 2010 Wouldn't the cpu cooler and the side fan just blow air at each other, sort of cancelling each other (and i'm talking about the Noctua NH-C12P SE14, sorry, should have been more specific) And I'm planning on getting the i7 950. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp9801 Posted October 27, 2010 Posted October 27, 2010 Unless you have the fan on top of the cooler, then no, no air would be aimed at each other. The fan on the CPU cooler is on the side, typically pulling in air from the front of the case. It doesn't face the side of the case at all, only the top, rear, or front. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heeron Posted October 27, 2010 Posted October 27, 2010 Yeah, I know but the Noctua NH-C12P SE14 is a low clearance fan, which has its fan on top of the cooler pointing 'up', meaning side of the case. It's an unusual design but kinda cool. With other standard coolers it would certainly work as you said. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp9801 Posted October 27, 2010 Posted October 27, 2010 Oh, its that Noctua one. Well, in that case, there may be some cancellation effect but I don't think it will impact it much. Just curious, why the horizontal cooler instead of a tower style one? Solely because of the side fan? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heeron Posted October 27, 2010 Posted October 27, 2010 Yeah, well if I have the side fan I can't have any of the higher coolers like the Noctua NH-D14 or the Noctua NH-U12P SE2. And as far as I learnt the next best cooler performance wise is the cooler-on-top one. Though i'm open to suggestions about other coolers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp9801 Posted October 27, 2010 Posted October 27, 2010 Well, one nice thing about the horizontal coolers is that they usually help to cool the other components around them easier. Since they typically overhang the RAM and MOSFETs, each of those will get some cooling help, even a little. If you are short on space, those would be the best bet imo. I did some research and it seems like the maximum tower HS/F height is 138mm with a side fan in the Phantom. Kind of dumb to have the side fan that high but I didn't design it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AddictedGamer93 Posted October 27, 2010 Posted October 27, 2010 The fan on the NH-C12P SE14 is pulling air from the top and blowing it down through the heatsink onto the mobo. Having a fan blowing in right above it would feed it fresh air, so i say go for it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dihartnell Posted October 27, 2010 Posted October 27, 2010 Hello People. Just something i've been pondering for a while. I'll be buying the NZXT Phantom sometime after christmas and i've been thinking about the cooling. As it stands the Phantom has 180mm cpu clearance, with a 200/230mm side fan that shrinks to 150mm. That means that I wont be able to have one of the larger CPU coolers like the Noctua NH-D14 (160mm) which i'm really interested in getting. Instead I would probably get the Noctua NH-C12P (114mm) which would leave alot of room for side fan. But that would also mean that side fan would have to blow air out of the case, rather then in, which i've figured be the best for cooling Vga and mobo. I'd like to hear what you guys think about it. Is there any other cooler I should be considering, have I got my facts wrong? Thanks I think which way to go depends a bit on what type of video card/s you plan to have and if you want a big overclock on CPU If you plan to overclock the CPU then get a bigger HSF and forget the side fan (or maybe mount on the outside of the case if thats an option) If you are going to run smaller overclocks (or stock) on CPU and run a couple of hotter running GPUs then the side fan is more beneficial. I think its always better to have side fan pulling cool air in. There are a few tower heat sinks small enough to fit with a side fan present (less cooling ability though). Noctua NH-U9B Xigmatek Thor's Hammer Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme Ultra Silent Universal CPU Cooler Scythe MUGEN-2 Zalman CNPS10X Flex Universal CPU Cooler Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heeron Posted October 27, 2010 Posted October 27, 2010 Thanks for the responses guys. After doing some thinking and hearing what you have to say i'm pretty sure i'll go for the Noctua NH-C12P SE14 rather then complicating things with a larger cooler. And just having the sidefan helping out. It looks like a really solid cooler, though i'll probably spray the fan black or something. Dont think the beige brown would match the rest of my case by then Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
El_Capitan Posted October 27, 2010 Posted October 27, 2010 (edited) You can replace the 200mm side fan with two 120mm fans. I'd check to see if you can have at least one 120mm fan on the side and still have enough clearance for the Noctua NH-D14. Nevermind, I was thinking of something else... but maybe you can drill holes on the side panel to fit a 120mm fan away from the CPU heatsink? Edited October 27, 2010 by El_Capitan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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