6x 40mm fan vs 1x 80mm fan

[ElBurroSiniestro]

Hello all,

I posted on this forum a while back asking for advice on my first PC build. I've had the PC for a few months now and through lurking through this and other forums, reading around the internet and talking to people etc I've learned quite a lot, so thank you Computer Forum.

I now have a question regarding fans. I'll give you a little bit of background on my build

Intel i5 2500k processor
Thermaltake Frio Advanced Heatsink
Nvidia GTX 560ti GPU
ASUS P8P67LE MoBo
8gb RAM
Corsair 650TX PSU
Cooler Master Enforcer Case

I recently added the Thermaltake Frio Advanced heatsink. It works very well and keeps my idle temps at 24c and 35c under load. This is according to CoreTemp, the temperatures according to the ASUS Suite are much lower (15c idle 25c load)


So cooling is not an issue, but nevertheless I'm feeling greedy and want to add more fans. I have three 5.25 empty bays behind a swinging door. I'm looking to add some fans and a fan controller here and keep the door open when in use.
I found this online http://www.amazon.co.uk/StarTech-Dr...7XCO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1333548747&sr=8-3
It slots into one 5.25 bay and has 3 40mm fans. My plan is to buy two of these and place them in two bays, using the third for a fan controller which I've already purchased. I would also replace the fans with higher quality 40mm fans.
However I've read a few posts here and there that suggest 40mm fans are next to useless, so maybe I should be thinking about covering the two bays with one 80mm fan.
My question is: Is one 80mm fan better than 6x 40mm fans?
Sound is not really an issue for me, I wear sound isolating headphones and don't really mind unless it's comically loud (like a bald eagle screaming in my ear). As I've mentioned previously, my cooling is already more than adequate so this is really just complementary. Part of it is to get a little bit more intake air and another part of it simply so I can use up all the fan controller dials

I've drawn a crude diagram to illustrate what is in my head. All the fans except for the 6x 40mm are already installed.

That is the same case but not the same components.

Here is a picture of the case with the door open and bays on show. I have a DVD drive in the top bay and will soon have a fan controller in the second

So, am I insane thinking 6x 40mm fans is a practical idea? Would I be better off with a single 80mm fan, or maybe with no fans at all? I would like one 120mm fan but that would take up 3 bays, not leaving me enough room for my fan controler.

And to add a real silly question, assuming all bays are empty (as on the picture) leave the door open or closed for better airflow? I can feel a nice drought through the bay mesh, but I can't really see any obvious difference in temps either way. So I guess I just answered my own question.

In case anyone is wondering this is the fan controller I've bought http://www.overclockers.com/scythe-kaze-master-ii
I'm planning on using splitters to put all 6x 40mm fans into one channel. I can do this right?

 

[voyagerfan99]

Fans that small don't make much difference. Larger fans move a lot more air. Look into something in the 92-120mm range and see what you can do.

 

[ElBurroSiniestro]

120mm is out of the question as it would not fit. I've seen a couple of 5.25 bay mounts for 80mm fans but none for 92mm. I guess I could get a grill that covers 2 bays and ghetto the fan behind it with zip ties/velcro.
So would one 92mm fan definitely be better than six 40mm, ignoring the sound issue?

 

[claptonman]

Yeah it'll be loud and won't move much air. Truth be told, you won't notice a difference with a fan in there, regardless of size. Your airflow is optimal, and adding any more intake fans would mess it up. It'd be a waste of time, money, noise level, and power.

 

[ElBurroSiniestro]

Thanks for the quick replies
Alright so the 40mm fans will be crossed out. I might see about placing a 92mm behind the 2 grilled bay covers. They already come with filters.
Do you really believe I shouldn't add any more fans?
My reasoning is that with the fan controller I'll be able to dial the other chassis fans down a bit, particularly the 200mm which is a little loud. And seeing as it's the only intake fan (apart from the PSU fan) and that it's partially obstructed by the hard drive, I thought I might make sure I'm getting more air in than out by using the unused bay drives. Also it looks cool and I get to have one more knob to play with.

But if you're saying it'll do more harm than good then I'll have second thoughts.

 

[claptonman]

I have a very similar case, so I do know what you're talking about. Putting a 120mm fan in the 5.25 drive bay would be your best option. What model of graphics card do you have? I really wouldn't worry about about the hard drive bay getting in the way of your fan. When air from the fan hits the cages, it either goes out the side from the suction of the fan blowing, or it will bounce back into the fan and go into the case. Hope that makes sense.

Do you still have the extra hard drive trays in there? If so take them out.

Also don't factor in the PSU fan. It pulls air into the PSU and straight out the back of the PSU/system.

 

[ElBurroSiniestro]

A 120mm fan wouldn't fit with my fan controller and dvd drive. I only have two 5.25 bays free (the fan controller will arrive and be installed tomorrow)
I still have all unused bay covers on. They're grated and covered in a mesh as you can see by the pictures. I did a bit of measuring and I should be able to fit a 92mm fan just behind them, I might need to cut down the fan frame a little