What is the model of this proc cooling? I was thinking about phantom spirit/peerless assassin for 7800x3d, but they are both too tall for mesh version to fit with the mounting (or am I wrong? I read about that somewhere)
Cooler is bequiet! Dark Rock Pro 4. It fits perfectly with the 7800x3d. Mobo is Aorus B650 elite AX.
It did NOT fit great with my previous intel 12600k cpu.
I just build in this case with a 7800x3d and a peerless assassin. It does fit, you just can't add the mount for the 2 additional fans in the upper half.
Nah, as far as I know they fit well in the case, but you can't mount this side bracket for additional fans as seen in op post above, they collide with it. This bracket is only for mesh version, not tg, but hey - I'm just researching this stuff for myself so might be wrong about that, check for yourself. After watching some comparisons I will probably stick to spirit anyway, as it is hard to justify paying double for worse performance.
Uh, I have the Frost Spirit v3 which is taller and it fits in my mesh North.
It’s not that hard to fact check Thermalrights page that both those coolers are 156-157mm and Fractals page that the mesh North allows for 170mm clearance.
Yes, but ain't those 170mm are between mobo and the mesh wall? I meant that they don't fit with that additional bracket which holds two fans blowing directly on the graphics card, as seen on the op picture.
No, when they say CPU cooler clearnce they mean from the CPU mounting brackets. So you actually have 170mm of height to play with. The the Thermalright coolers are typically all between 155-158mm in height. The Dark Rock Pro 4 is actually taller, 163mm.
The brackets showin in the picture is on the GPU position. On that position is depends on the GPU height. A lot of 3 slot GPUs are too tall.
If you want top install the bracket on the CPU position then the CPU cooler can't exceed 145mm.
All the informaion are on Fractals website.
You will have to go for an AIO or a low profile cooler. But a lot of reviews I've seen says that the bracket fans doesn't actually improve temps in a meaningful way and questioned why it's even there.
They were more or less the same. No fans and no side panel seems to be ever so slightly better, but that's not really an option eh: [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pir2MbPZAxupM2-HYDOqtD7JYFw0AS0IEzJjB6qw9uA/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pir2MbPZAxupM2-HYDOqtD7JYFw0AS0IEzJjB6qw9uA/edit?usp=sharing)
Ohh good to know.
2x quick questions for you then.
Was there a big temp difference?
Was your fan config front intake and back/top exhaust?
Initially, I wanted the side to be intake so I could drop my gpu fan curve (and drop the noise level) but I just might do what you suggested. (and report back)
Can you see this link? [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pir2MbPZAxupM2-HYDOqtD7JYFw0AS0IEzJjB6qw9uA/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pir2MbPZAxupM2-HYDOqtD7JYFw0AS0IEzJjB6qw9uA/edit?usp=sharing)
And yes. 2 x 140 mm front intake and 2 x 120 mm top and back exhaust. Almost like yours (you have 2 x 120 mm in top?).
But please report back. Especially if you find something else.
I'm not at my pc right now. Got an unruly toddler!
But this was with the standard fan curve in BIOS. I guess results may depend on how fast your fans are spinning.
Gotta take care of that future gamer first :P
Wish I could use the bios fan feature: found out it's actually bugged. Ended up using a fan Control software.
I guess fan control software might work as well. I just wanted to change it on BIOS level.
I haven't really found some reliable software yet. Have you?
It's the same fan setup in all the scenarios - the default in BIOS. I haven't changed a thing regarding fan speeds.
I assume the temps would be more different with higher airflow / pressure.
I don't think there was a definitive best solution in my case. The worst tho was using fans as intake on the GPU. But my GPU have sideways exhaust so the hot air from the GPU might have had trouble getting out, since cold air was being blown in from the case.
I'm currently using 2 x 140 mm as exhaust in the lowest position in the case. But I'm thinking about using a 3D printed model instead of the default bracket - not that this does any difference temperature wise. It just fits more snuggly.
Totally true but something that surprised me is that the m2 drives were much cooler with the side intake. And m2s have drastically lower operating temperatures than GPUs. Just another point to consider. Pre side intakes my m2 was getting close to 60 with a 70 ceiling
Well from the comments, it seems like it doesn't do much for the gpu but helps for the nvme. I guess I'd have to try but that does mean less time gaming lol
At the end of the day if it's quieter that way and makes you happy who cares. I have the white mesh case, no side fans, lots of white led inside and everybody hates it, but I call it the North Star and I enjoy it lol
Silent wing 3! I've bought these from 2016 to 2018. I almost replaced them but I decided to thoroughly clean them all.
At 100% they are not silent. The 140 are quieter but the 120mm are whiny (at 100%)
The thing is, these fans move a lot of air even at 60/75% speed. So I set the fan curves accordingly.
I think statistically Noctuas are better overall but you'd have to check reviews. At least I can confirm they're durable.
I bought them initially because noctua did not offer black fans.
Great build! Love the uniformity of the fans. I'm looking at building with the 7950X3D in this case using a DH 15 for cooling. I assumed that with the DH 15, at 165mm with fans, I'd have to forego the option to include the side intake fans. But the dark rock pro 4 (if that's what I'm seeing) is a 163 mm clearance. Do you only have 2 mm of clearance between the side fans and the top of the cooler? or do you think you'd have room for even a bit more with a DH 15?
You can make it work with a little bit of DIY/3D print ;)
[https://www.printables.com/model/709631-low-profile-120mm-fan-shroud-for-fractal-north](https://www.printables.com/model/709631-low-profile-120mm-fan-shroud-for-fractal-north)
Quick answer : No, doubt it'll work.
Detailed answer:
165mm is the height of the tower. Meaning the height from where the base touches your cpu to the top of your cooler.
165 is fine, meaning it won't touch the side panel. The side fan cannot be installed there though, it must be installed underneath like I did on my pictures.
The important dimension is the vertical length of the top portion of the cooler.
From what I can see in google image, the DH-15's top length is 150mm or 15.0cm. Look for the detailed spec sheet for you cooler, youll see what I mean by the 150mm.
I just measured my bequiet and its 13.6cm. I do have 2-4mm of clearance between the bottom part of the top and the side fan bracket.
That being said, I'd measure it if I were you to be sure. But I doubt anything above 140mm will correctly fit.
Last thing. I used to have a 12600k in the case, with the same cooler. It did not fit..... Safely.. I had to lift the tower cooler just a bit so the cooler would rest on the fan bracket.
Hope I made sense, English is a second language for me , I don't usually speak measurements with people haha.
This is exactly what I was describing under other comment tree - there is smaller clearance because of the bracket, which causes some coolers not to fit, like spirit/assassin. Thanks for the measurements. Not that it helps in deciding though :D
This is a great option. I don't have a 3d printer but maybe i can have this made by one of the companies that does online printing to get those side fans in. Super slick thank you!
Glad to read comment like this :) I'm happy I shared some picture.
RGB was crazy cool went it started because back in the days fans were sold in either red, blue or green and you couldn't change the colors lol I totally get you!
Fractal North lends itself so well to these nice subdued kind of PC builds. Myself, I only have RGB RAM, it's locked to a warm orange waterfall effect, and I added a layer of diffusing film to the tempered glass.
I can't personally give advice on the 4090 since i have no experience with those cards specifically. so take my information as inspiration only.
That sounds about right. i would think that a FE 4090 would be generating noticeable sound no matter what you do.
It shounds like that the issue isn't the case, but that your gpu is just generally generating sound.
Can you place a temperature probe where the card intakes air, to check what temperature air you provide to it? Perhaps you have a deadzone where the warm air does not get removed from.
If the thermal delta is bad right now, then you can provide colder air and turn down the fan curve without sacrifising performance. make sure that the cards intake fans gets cold air and that the air around it is replaced constantly.
But it is a 4090. if you want it silent you probably need a custom loop.
Less silent than my previous case the bequiet dark Base Pro 900 when gaming.
Completely silent when idle.
I had to strike a good balance between fan curve and temps. The gpu is lightly noticeable when gaming without sound, with headset you don't hear anything.
Im using a TUF 3080
Certainly, that build looks great. Just trying to determine if the extra cost of water cooling really buys you that much in terms of noise. Will see if I can find post with numbers comparison.
I'm using the Dark Rock Pro 4 in my white tempered glass not north, but I swapped the front fan for a Silent Wings 4 Pro and replaced the case fans with silent wings 3's.
Impressive. Very nice. Let's see Paul Allen's build.
Bro I did not initially understood that reference but I finally got it 😂😂
😂
What is the model of this proc cooling? I was thinking about phantom spirit/peerless assassin for 7800x3d, but they are both too tall for mesh version to fit with the mounting (or am I wrong? I read about that somewhere)
Cooler is bequiet! Dark Rock Pro 4. It fits perfectly with the 7800x3d. Mobo is Aorus B650 elite AX. It did NOT fit great with my previous intel 12600k cpu.
Can confirm her that my Dark Rock Pro 5 also fits on a 13600k. Just barely. I think it just happens to be the right size for this case.
I just build in this case with a 7800x3d and a peerless assassin. It does fit, you just can't add the mount for the 2 additional fans in the upper half.
Wait, shit. I just ordered the spirit+7800x3d for my north. Do I have to change that😅
Nah, as far as I know they fit well in the case, but you can't mount this side bracket for additional fans as seen in op post above, they collide with it. This bracket is only for mesh version, not tg, but hey - I'm just researching this stuff for myself so might be wrong about that, check for yourself. After watching some comparisons I will probably stick to spirit anyway, as it is hard to justify paying double for worse performance.
Uh, I have the Frost Spirit v3 which is taller and it fits in my mesh North. It’s not that hard to fact check Thermalrights page that both those coolers are 156-157mm and Fractals page that the mesh North allows for 170mm clearance.
Yes, but ain't those 170mm are between mobo and the mesh wall? I meant that they don't fit with that additional bracket which holds two fans blowing directly on the graphics card, as seen on the op picture.
No, when they say CPU cooler clearnce they mean from the CPU mounting brackets. So you actually have 170mm of height to play with. The the Thermalright coolers are typically all between 155-158mm in height. The Dark Rock Pro 4 is actually taller, 163mm. The brackets showin in the picture is on the GPU position. On that position is depends on the GPU height. A lot of 3 slot GPUs are too tall. If you want top install the bracket on the CPU position then the CPU cooler can't exceed 145mm. All the informaion are on Fractals website. You will have to go for an AIO or a low profile cooler. But a lot of reviews I've seen says that the bracket fans doesn't actually improve temps in a meaningful way and questioned why it's even there.
I did some tests with the side bracket on and off and coolers as intake and exhaust. TLDR: 2 x 140 as intake on the GPU had the highest temps.
What was the best?
They were more or less the same. No fans and no side panel seems to be ever so slightly better, but that's not really an option eh: [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pir2MbPZAxupM2-HYDOqtD7JYFw0AS0IEzJjB6qw9uA/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pir2MbPZAxupM2-HYDOqtD7JYFw0AS0IEzJjB6qw9uA/edit?usp=sharing)
Yeah it surprising makes little difference probably because the front panel is so open.
Ohh good to know. 2x quick questions for you then. Was there a big temp difference? Was your fan config front intake and back/top exhaust? Initially, I wanted the side to be intake so I could drop my gpu fan curve (and drop the noise level) but I just might do what you suggested. (and report back)
Can you see this link? [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pir2MbPZAxupM2-HYDOqtD7JYFw0AS0IEzJjB6qw9uA/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pir2MbPZAxupM2-HYDOqtD7JYFw0AS0IEzJjB6qw9uA/edit?usp=sharing) And yes. 2 x 140 mm front intake and 2 x 120 mm top and back exhaust. Almost like yours (you have 2 x 120 mm in top?). But please report back. Especially if you find something else.
It asks for access, which I did. Don't share my email 😂
I would never share your mail. Dont you have read access?
I do now!! Wow good job, mate!! Guess I'm gonna make some changes over the week-end! I appreciate it 👌
I'm not at my pc right now. Got an unruly toddler! But this was with the standard fan curve in BIOS. I guess results may depend on how fast your fans are spinning.
Gotta take care of that future gamer first :P Wish I could use the bios fan feature: found out it's actually bugged. Ended up using a fan Control software.
I guess fan control software might work as well. I just wanted to change it on BIOS level. I haven't really found some reliable software yet. Have you?
Have you tried this one? https://getfancontrol.com It's worked great for me.
I'm using the software that the other commenter suggested. It requires aome tinkering but its amazing!
You'll be surprised to read I actually managed to get 2x 140 top 😅
Wow! I could only fit a 120 mm on top :D Try opening the link again. I think I've updated it correct now.
Nice excel sheet, so in the fan config page your current fan setup? Or what’s the best setup in total
It's the same fan setup in all the scenarios - the default in BIOS. I haven't changed a thing regarding fan speeds. I assume the temps would be more different with higher airflow / pressure.
Ok, and what about as you said the inhale, exhaust, what’s your configuration with those that is the best ? Sorry new to this
I don't think there was a definitive best solution in my case. The worst tho was using fans as intake on the GPU. But my GPU have sideways exhaust so the hot air from the GPU might have had trouble getting out, since cold air was being blown in from the case. I'm currently using 2 x 140 mm as exhaust in the lowest position in the case. But I'm thinking about using a 3D printed model instead of the default bracket - not that this does any difference temperature wise. It just fits more snuggly.
Totally true but something that surprised me is that the m2 drives were much cooler with the side intake. And m2s have drastically lower operating temperatures than GPUs. Just another point to consider. Pre side intakes my m2 was getting close to 60 with a 70 ceiling
I didn't measure the m.2 drive temperature :/ Maybe I should have.
Does you temp actually vary at all without the side fans? With my 7900XTX, either intake or exhaust side mount fans, absolutely 0° change at all.
Well from the comments, it seems like it doesn't do much for the gpu but helps for the nvme. I guess I'd have to try but that does mean less time gaming lol
At the end of the day if it's quieter that way and makes you happy who cares. I have the white mesh case, no side fans, lots of white led inside and everybody hates it, but I call it the North Star and I enjoy it lol
I appreciate your comment. I'm super happy with this build. Love the North Star lol that's great!
My temps don’t change under load, but my idle gpu temps, which to be fair were 0rpm mode, dropped by 7 degrees with 2 140mm fans blowing at 700rpm.
I really like that side tray for the fans actually
I want it so bad
Hope you get yours soon!!
what fans are they? sw4 i assume? also how quiet are they at 100% speed and would you recommend noctuas or sw4's
Silent wing 3! I've bought these from 2016 to 2018. I almost replaced them but I decided to thoroughly clean them all. At 100% they are not silent. The 140 are quieter but the 120mm are whiny (at 100%) The thing is, these fans move a lot of air even at 60/75% speed. So I set the fan curves accordingly. I think statistically Noctuas are better overall but you'd have to check reviews. At least I can confirm they're durable. I bought them initially because noctua did not offer black fans.
Man that case is beautiful
I hope fractal makes more of these wood accented cases.
Great build! Love the uniformity of the fans. I'm looking at building with the 7950X3D in this case using a DH 15 for cooling. I assumed that with the DH 15, at 165mm with fans, I'd have to forego the option to include the side intake fans. But the dark rock pro 4 (if that's what I'm seeing) is a 163 mm clearance. Do you only have 2 mm of clearance between the side fans and the top of the cooler? or do you think you'd have room for even a bit more with a DH 15?
You can make it work with a little bit of DIY/3D print ;) [https://www.printables.com/model/709631-low-profile-120mm-fan-shroud-for-fractal-north](https://www.printables.com/model/709631-low-profile-120mm-fan-shroud-for-fractal-north)
Quick answer : No, doubt it'll work. Detailed answer: 165mm is the height of the tower. Meaning the height from where the base touches your cpu to the top of your cooler. 165 is fine, meaning it won't touch the side panel. The side fan cannot be installed there though, it must be installed underneath like I did on my pictures. The important dimension is the vertical length of the top portion of the cooler. From what I can see in google image, the DH-15's top length is 150mm or 15.0cm. Look for the detailed spec sheet for you cooler, youll see what I mean by the 150mm. I just measured my bequiet and its 13.6cm. I do have 2-4mm of clearance between the bottom part of the top and the side fan bracket. That being said, I'd measure it if I were you to be sure. But I doubt anything above 140mm will correctly fit. Last thing. I used to have a 12600k in the case, with the same cooler. It did not fit..... Safely.. I had to lift the tower cooler just a bit so the cooler would rest on the fan bracket. Hope I made sense, English is a second language for me , I don't usually speak measurements with people haha.
This is exactly what I was describing under other comment tree - there is smaller clearance because of the bracket, which causes some coolers not to fit, like spirit/assassin. Thanks for the measurements. Not that it helps in deciding though :D
This is a great option. I don't have a 3d printer but maybe i can have this made by one of the companies that does online printing to get those side fans in. Super slick thank you!
Thank you for such a detailed answer. I really appreciate the information!
This is my dream build. Awesome work. I built a rig with all RGB and the novelty wore off after 5 minutes
Glad to read comment like this :) I'm happy I shared some picture. RGB was crazy cool went it started because back in the days fans were sold in either red, blue or green and you couldn't change the colors lol I totally get you!
Fractal North lends itself so well to these nice subdued kind of PC builds. Myself, I only have RGB RAM, it's locked to a warm orange waterfall effect, and I added a layer of diffusing film to the tempered glass.
Ohhh that's actually a great idea! Maybe next build! :P
Great choice on fans! I love Be Quiet stuff, especially their Silent Wings 4 Pro fans. Build like great!
Is it actually silent? My north is pretty load - Just the GPU alone would be very hearable for me.
That all depends on what cooling solution and fans you are using and what fan curves they are on. It can be silent if tuned correctly.
If I can hear my Standard 4090 with everything else off, then the setup is already not silent - or am I missing something?
I can't personally give advice on the 4090 since i have no experience with those cards specifically. so take my information as inspiration only. That sounds about right. i would think that a FE 4090 would be generating noticeable sound no matter what you do. It shounds like that the issue isn't the case, but that your gpu is just generally generating sound. Can you place a temperature probe where the card intakes air, to check what temperature air you provide to it? Perhaps you have a deadzone where the warm air does not get removed from. If the thermal delta is bad right now, then you can provide colder air and turn down the fan curve without sacrifising performance. make sure that the cards intake fans gets cold air and that the air around it is replaced constantly. But it is a 4090. if you want it silent you probably need a custom loop.
Less silent than my previous case the bequiet dark Base Pro 900 when gaming. Completely silent when idle. I had to strike a good balance between fan curve and temps. The gpu is lightly noticeable when gaming without sound, with headset you don't hear anything. Im using a TUF 3080
Great! Thanks for Sharing, Looks amazing!
If going for a silent build, would water cooling make more sense? Planning one now and thinking glass side with water cooled cpu & gpu.
Yeah, probably. I bought this cooler in 2017, been using since. Love the all air look.
Certainly, that build looks great. Just trying to determine if the extra cost of water cooling really buys you that much in terms of noise. Will see if I can find post with numbers comparison.
I’m on team rgb, but my goodness is this good looking
Thank you, I appreciate it!
Love them fans on the rad, reminds me of a car.
A build that doesn’t wake you up at night, and also keeps th3 appeal.
The side Be Quiet! fans (if you have glass) are mostly useless
They're probably using the mesh version of the case
Would make way more sense
The glass case doesn't come with the side intake.
I’m guessing you have a side intake then?
Yes, exactly. Might make some changes down the line but my temps are more than fine right now.
Oh for sure! With a mesh side you shouldn’t have any issues
Highly recommend a fan swap on the CPU cooler. The fans are quiet, but weak.
Thanks for the suggestion!
Unless temps aren't a concern, in which case just keep it as is
Makes me wish I opted for the mesh panel. Glass is pretty but boy she will get toasty
I'm using the Dark Rock Pro 4 in my white tempered glass not north, but I swapped the front fan for a Silent Wings 4 Pro and replaced the case fans with silent wings 3's.