You could use the CPU cooler as a rear exhaust to minimize dust with no issues if you 1. have two bottom fans as intake, 2. have two fans at the top as exhaust, and 3. (optional) setup your GPU so it exhausts more heat through the rear blower (it's what I did with my 3080 FE card).
@@rivie2xwell, this case has filters on all sides except for the back, which is exhausting in this case, so I really don't get what you're saying here
I did this exact build last year and still running it. Dropped my delid 8700k about 12 degrees. Tip: pull the top metal mesh off the top of the case and have exposed top fans, you wont need bottom intake fans at all. Lower the psu with standoffs on the psu mounts. The scythe cooler is the best but the stock fan is terrible and must be replaced. Also remove the rear pcie covers for better 92mm air flow. Im using it with a ROG 2070 super and strangely it ran cooler with the glass panel on. The NR200P is an amazing case.
I bought the u12a for my NR200 with the metal panel. It fits perfectly and with rear exhaust configuration it keeps my 5900x around 70 degrees under prime95 load. Yes, the Noctua is expensive but this cooler will last me easily another two CPU generations.
My U9S by Noctua has been chugging along for 7-8 years. I upsized from an Ncase M1 to this NR200 case so since I have more room, I'm going to replace it with a larger cooler or just go with an AIO.
Extremely useful! I`ve reached 78 degrees celsius with my 5600X while playing GoW, using push and pull right to left, so airflow was intake from inside the case to outside the case. When i changed the orientation, from intake left to exhaust right, with a exhaust fan on top...MAAAAN, IT REACHES 69 DEGREES NOW Only complain is that i get more dust now. Will have to create some sort of dust filter to put at the back of the case. Anyway, amazing tip and explanation. Really worth to check it out ;)
Thanks for confirming that it's the more optimal orientation when gaming. I see Soo many tech UA-camrs do it the traditional right to left way (dave2d)
yep! i have a noctua NHU12S Chromax Black + Noctua fan NF-F12 Swapable for push and pull, and i really didn`t get why my temps were so freaking high...man, this changes the entire game. 10-12 degrees less in a mini ITX build is absurd! Tks a lot for the tip :)
@@JSyntax Hi, I have a question. I have the same components as you except the GPU (im going for the Asus 3070 ti ROG strip idk what you think about this one, lmk), I would like to know if buying a large GPU with 3 fans will affect the airflow significantly for the bottom two fans.
Nice video and explanation. I appreciate video like this helping everyone out. I built my NR200 a few months ago and went with an inexpensive 240mm ID cooling AIO. I was about to send it back in place of the a good air cooler since it can't really (by default) be top mounted. And I've pretty much watched all of the videos on air cooling the NR200 and was about to go that route. But since I don't use the glass panel I figured I'd keep the ID Cooling AIO and give that a run. I didn't want to spend a lot for the Noctua A12X25s so I went with the Noctua NF-P12 Redux as AIO radiator intakes and top exhaust fans. I also put two 15mm Scythe Kaze Flex 120mm as bottom intakes. Barely fit below the beastly 3070 Ti FTW3. I kept the 92mm rear exhaust that came with the case. In the end I have 7 fans and a whisper quiet setup. Very happy with the case and end result. Sorry, I made it about me. =P
This video and your post are exactly what I was looking for! I love the SFF but hate the fan noise, so it's been a battle. Anyway, I currently have an EK Basic 240 and replaced those fans and top exhaust in the NR200 with 2000rmp F12 PPC's. Just added a 3060 Ti the other day and it was getting hot in the bottom of the case. After reading your post, I went ahead and ordered a pair of A12x15's for the bottom and will install them soon. I am curious how your thermals are under load. Have you noticed any throttling on either the CPU or GPU? Thanks to both of you for the awesome info! =)
@@wessmithchandler Hi Wes. To this point I've been doing a lot of gaming since I configured this case and I never even here the fans ramp up regardless of what I'm playing. Granted I'm not typically playing AAA heavy hitters on ultra/4K. I've run Unigine Heaven benchmark a few times and my top CPU/GPU (5600x/3070 Ti) temps are at around 64/73. During this test the fans never hit full RPMs and you can barely hear them from 5 feet away. I haven't noticed any CPU or GPU throttling to this point. The only change I may make at some point is to go from the cheapy AIO to a top performer. But right now there's no need. How hot is your GPU getting? From all of the videos I've watched (many!) on this case, the bottom intake fans will improve (a few degrees maybe) your GPU temps but will have no effect on the CPU.
finaly someone that prefers air cooling, ive been telling all my friends that aio cooling is not where its at, you could get a air cooler and use the extra 80$ for a entire better tier of nvme or gpu
Nice! I'm looking for air cooling options for this case, trying to make it my next build. And I agree with you about AIO's-- I used to have one, it was louder than air cooling because it has a pump constantly cycling, and eventually the pump failed and my CPU completely lost all cooling. In my experience air cooling has just been quieter, far cheaper, just as effective, and even if the fans failed there's at least still a heatsink for passive cooling.
Great video. I'm glad to see more content about the NR200! if I remember correctly, in one of his videos, the guy from Machines and More channel replaced the Kaze Flex fan by a Noctua NF-A12 in the Mugen 5 and the difference in temps was less than 1º C in a overclocked R7 3700X. Maybe there is a significant difference in a hotter cpu like yours. I also have a NR200 paired with a Mugen 5 cooling a 3700X. After some tests, I decided to go with: mesh panel (to bring cool air from outside and help the GPU to breathe) + cooler exausting air to the back + one fan on top right as exaust. No fans beneath the GPU. Temps are good and I can barely hear any noise from my PC, even when gaming.
I know this video is a bit old, but Noctua recently released the D12L, a 120mm dual-tower with a height of 145mm, a whole 10mm less than what you're allowed. And by their own rating system, its thermal performance sits square between the U12A and U12S.
Well done! Tip, JSyntax: Use rubber gloves when working with unpainted aluminum products. The oil on your skin will case a chemical reaction on the metal. Mugen is pronounced "MOO" (like the sound of a cow) "gen" (hard g, not soft g like generation) due to it being Japanese in origin. Scythe is European and the c can be considered to be silent: syth (not Sith, of course!). 11:34 2,000 RPM. You accidentally said 200. ;) 12:24 The NF A12x24 is famous, not infamous, and it is neither the most expensive, considering that there are several fans that nor the most premier, except perhaps for the amazing SS02 bearings. The most expensive fans in my inventory include the SilverStone Air Penetrator 184i-Pro SST-AP184i-PRO, and a Delta fan. There are fans that even more expensive at over $100/fan, too.
I believe there are a few options from thermalright with 154mm air cooler. Ta120 ex comes to mind, they have even smaller 130ish mm height cooler. I think it could be worth your time checking those out
I was able to use the Cryorig H7 Plus with my i9-10900K in this case (same motherboard too). Excellent performance and super easy to install. Manages temps with the tempered glass on there along with a 3090. Love this case.
This is a really helpful video. I'm doing my first build, starting from ZERO knowledge, and got the ASUS ROG Strix B660I, and I'm so worried about clearances. I'm going to go with your setup, but instead of the Mogen 5, I'll try the Thermalright Silver Soul 135. A little smaller, but much better heat sink density. The company seems to be very well respected in Europe. Also the cooler came in white, black, and gray. I'll be using Arctic fans. Hope it works! I've got the i7-12700K.
For those wondering: I have my NR200 set up with the glass panel. I have the same motherboard with an unaltered Scythe Fuma 2, and everything fits fine. Enough clearance for I/O shield and RAM. It's even easier with the mesh panel.
Finally got my build after watching tons of videos - and yours definitely helps ! Leaving the build here so you can have another idea to test your CPU and GPU CPU: Intel Core i5 11400F Motherboard: Asus Z590i ROG STRIX RAM: Patriot Viper Steel 3200MHz 32GB (16x2) GPU: RTX 3080 EVGA FTW3 Ultra 10GB PSU: Cooler Master SFX 850W Plus Gold SSD: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 500GB HDD: Barcuda Seagate 2TB 5400 RPM Cooler: Noctua NH-D12L (intake) Fans: - Top: Cooler Master Sickle Flow 120mm x2 (Exhaust) - Rear: Noctua NF-A9 Chromax Black Swap 92mm x1 (Intake) - Side: Arctic P14 PWM PST 140mm x1 (exhaust)
Extremely informative. thanks a ton for this video,. I'm in the mood of building a powerful itx build and Want to see the potential of nr200. This video answered all of my doubts.
I was doing research exactly on this topic, your video is so rich with information, I was about to go with the fuma 2 but now I’ll go Mugen 5 :), thank you
Great review, super helpful and you're content is great. I can't help it though as I'm screaming at my screen - I'm not sure if someone has already said something as the video is a year old, but RPM is already plural so you don't need to worry about saying RPMs, it's like someone adding an S at the end of Pokémon, like my mum because she doesn't know what she's talking about. Also, the C in Scythe is silent. Beyond that, your video was so helpful with my NR200 build!
As it happens I've used a similar arrangement for my last two full ATX builds (currently a Fractal Define R5), i.e. with the CPU cooler 'backwards' and the rear fan as intake, with a central top fan for exhaust. I made up a filter for the rear fan consisting of a frame cut from 2mm ABS sheet which attaches via strips of 3M magnetic tape so it can be removed and installed in seconds by feel for cleaning. Effectively, it's a completely independent cooling loop for the CPU, and the central top fan is ideally positioned to exhaust heat from both CPU and GPU. There are also two front and one centre/bottom intake fans (Arctic P14 CO ball-bearing, spinning between 550-900 RPM). Hence it's net very 'positive pressure' with all intakes filtered. BTW, I also had problems with a Scythe fan - the rear intake was originally one of their unusual 14cm counter-clockwise spinning, 7-blade Kaze's (which I wanted because the plan was to 'stack' it in line with the one on a Noctua NH-U14S cooler, I eventually went with NH-D15S dual tower), and like the one in this video it was very noisy above about 900 RPM (unbearable anywhere near its 1750 RPM limit). I replaced it with an Arctic P14 RGB (has the annular ring on the impeller which stops the drone from blade resonance the standard one makes at certain RPM). It's _easily_ the quietest 14cm fan at given RPM/pressure I've tried, including that on the Noctua NH-D15S and Be Quiet Silent Wings, both of which are two or three times the price. ETA the CPU is a i9-9900KF @ 4.9Ghz/1.295V (no AVX offset), in Cinebench R23 it pulls c. 150w, with the rear intake fan at c.1500 RPM and Noctua CPU at c.1200 cores are c 80°C (+/- 2°C) on a warm spring day in the UK. The CPU is going to be de-lidded and direct-die'd soon (using a shim around the die and with the arched Noctua plat lapped flat).
Your video helped me a lot with my first build, thank you. I took the scythe mugen 5 and switched its fan with an Arctic white fan and it looks and works so well with my TG panel
Super insightful video, as someone with minimal pc experience, I’ve always wondered the best approach to airflow positioning. I’m interested in the NR200. I like the tempered glass, but imo aesthetically the glass panels don’t seem worth it if you have to conform to that layout. I like being able to see the rgb of the aio header, and ram. This blocks everything only to show off the gpu.
I just moved my build into the regular nr200 Thermaltake Phantom Spirit 120 SE and a regularly mounted GPU two noctua fans on the bottom for intake couldn't be more pleased with thermals
Scythe air coolers are definitely beautifully engineered, well performing, reliable merchandise. They are the poor man's Noctua with 95% of the performance, F&F, and quality of Noctua's coolers. Highly recommended, especially Fuma2, Mugen, Big Shurikens.
17:40 you said that the FE was performing better than the 3 slot aorus 3070, so getting a slimmer GPU and having 2 good bottom fans gives better thermals than having a chonky 3 (or 3.x) slot card? I'm torn between getting a slim 4070 Ti (theres one by inno3d that is 2 slots / 41mm thick) with two bottom fans (hoping that 25mms would fit, would even get T30s if they fit and have enough clearance) or getting a thicc 3.x slot card that would likely not even fit 15mm fans.
Thermalright Burst Assassin (BA) is 155mm exactly. Good quality, price and contact surface. As for rear intake itself, Silverstone fan filters can be found online. Can screw them to pretty much any 120mm fan in all the custom builds.
Amazing video,m super informative. I do have a couple of questions if you don't mind answering them? 1. In your case you have two fans blowing air directly into your GPU. Did this help with thermals? I heard, on Reddit and other forums, that it can hurt thermals of the GPU to have some fans blow directly into them like you have there. 2. Do you know of any other PC cases, ATX specifically, that allow for fan installations at the bottom? Phantex's Elite does but their whole case is insanely huge it comes with its own wheel-barrow like box. Lian Li has a few but I'm not much of a fan of temperate glass side panels.
Secufirm is awesome. A close runner up though is the Be Quiet mounting system (which has no name I guess?). It's also very easy. They also make smaller blacked out coolers such as the Dark Rock Slim and it's as silent as can be.
and now there is the scythe mugen 6 , I been looking at other ways to build this maybe put power supply in front and put a slim fan some how on the side were your power supply is, looking at mine it looks like it will fit
Thanks for the video, it provides plenty of information. The choice of components, way of connecting and pairing them is questionable though tbh :D Useful video anyway.
Love the video JSyntax, full of info & enjoyed it, I had the NR200P white back on Release in 2020 & now going back to it again, The Max version of the case I hate due to only vertical GPU Mounting in the Max version & also only in grey colour & price, I am going to install corsair 15mm thickness fans white 'AF120 Slim'
yes! I too don't really like AIO coz of the same reason and moreover, I may go beyond 5yrs or more with the same PC (like the one I'm actually using 9+yrs)...but watching so many AIO builds do make it tempting...
Thanks for the informative video, I really enjoyed it thoroughly as I am planning to get this rig if there is enough gap between the panel and my 157mm cpu cooler in height. Could you tell if there was about a 5 mm+ gap between your cooler and the metal/glass panel? Thanks again.
@@JSyntax I heard it barely fits up to 158 mm with the mesh panel, again thanks for the response. - I use a piece of thin cloth to see if there's enough gap and it seems to do the job.
It's because the gpu blows hot air inside the case. We want to draw cool ambient air from the rear of the case. If the fans were oriented to the rear, it would be drawing the heat from the video card onto the cpu, which is not ideal.
this is why I don't like doing small builds I wish I would have waited for the max version , I am going to try with 2 of these cases and cut one down to size just for the radiator and put on top
You mentioned that the top panel can’t fit other fans than cooler masters. I haven’t found anything online on what I’d need to potentially fit other fans on the top panel. Can you tell me and others what one would need exactly?
I have the same case and to be honest, the case works best with a Tower cooler even though I have a 120 AIO from ID-Cooling the pipe is too big and I kinda have to force it in thus making the pipe push down into the graphic card which makes it slightly bend. So yeah to anyone considering having a small AIO, I recommend you not to.
@@JSyntax I seriously didn't know this about the cooler height man so thanks a lot1 The Hyper 212 RGB was actually one of the choices saved in my basket haha
@@JSyntax I wonder if the stock cooler is 'enough' for the 12400 I'm going to use it with along with the two standard fans up top, and an extra at the rear 🤔 There's certainly no clearance issues with that :-)
Hi, I have a question. I have the same components as you except the GPU (im going for the Asus 3070 ti ROG strip idk what you think about this one, lmk), I would like to know if buying a large GPU with 3 fans will affect the airflow significantly for the bottom two fans.
Yes you can do that but depending on your graphics card you might be pulling in hot air from its exhaust on to your CPU Cooler which might affect your CPU Cooler performance while gaming
I just wanted to thank you for this really helpful video! I was having trouble finding a compatible air cooler for this case and you definitely helped me out! 😄 Love how you put the Hyper 212 EVO in it as well, cause I was also considering it
Great video, but I was wondering about the case fan configuration. Would removing the top exhaust fans make a noticeable difference, because according to my dad they don't do anything since the air could just go out the mesh panels.
@@JSyntax that's fine haha saw alot of Chinese builder use the PA120 and it run too good for a 30$ on taobao (performance comparable to D15) but didn't see many reviewer outside china using it haha
I’ve got the Scythe Fuma 2 in my NR200P with the tempered glass panel. There is a couple mm clearance between the cooler and glass panel. (ASUS motherboard Ryzen CPU)
@@JSyntax I've also heard mixed reports about the Fuma 2 fitting or not fitting. I wonder where the variation is coming from. Is it variation in the cooler hight? Is it variation in motherboard/CPU height? Or is it variation in the case width?
I got my hands an a mugen black 5s. I have choice to either add an extra 120mm fan on the block, or go for a 90mm on the back of the case or both? What do you suggest?
Same setup, but I'm running an i5 for gaming. I'm very impressed with the Mugen; I never heard of Scythe before buying this cooler. I will have to try reversing the fan to pull from the rear, I'm running ~70c under load and would like to lower temps. I have no issues with the stock fan, it's very quiet, but I also don't run at 100%.
I just got the same Aorus Z590I mobo, but the cooler I currently have is a Shadow Rock LP. So went trough all of the same thoughts you listed and then some - RAM clearance, same huge mobo heatsink, on top, the USB3 header cable doesn't fit under the only position the Shadow Rock LP fits and of course can't return used items where I live. Because I currently use a non K i5-11600 (that has a lower TDP), I went with a Pure Rock 2 Slim. I used it before, and I know it works great and will definitely fit in my current setup.
Tip for you - you mentioned needing special screws if you go with slim fans up top. As it turns out, the gray plastic spacers from a Noctua SecuFirm 2 kit that you use on AMD AM4 are 10mm tall. For me, using Noctua slims that I already had on-hand, with the 10mm spacers, I was golden. Naturally, you've got to have spare spacers on-hand to pull this off, but you can do it without special screws.
Thanks for this vid. It helped me decide that the mugen is the best cooler for this build. I don't want a cooler that supposedly fits. I want one that definetely fits. I do have one question though. HAve you tried removing that plastic cover of the mainboard in order to maybe fit the second cpu fan? Maybe if it's removable it will give some clearance but idk if this would be enough
Update 8/24/2021: I spoke to Scythe about the fan noise and they sent a replacement and it fixed the issue! Awesome customer service, I must add!
So would you recommend keeping the fan as part of the cooler configuration? Or is the RPM speed still an issue? Great video, btw!
how gpu temp in long session gaming?
Check out the nr200 inverted mod if you decide to go liquid cooled
@@MoshiCola check out nr200p max instead.
@@mrdjent8856 *not available* also more expensive than drilling 2 holes in an nr200 + 240 aio
You could use the CPU cooler as a rear exhaust to minimize dust with no issues if you 1. have two bottom fans as intake, 2. have two fans at the top as exhaust, and 3. (optional) setup your GPU so it exhausts more heat through the rear blower (it's what I did with my 3080 FE card).
That would be a negative pressure scenario, which would not be optimal at all for dust build up
@@rivie2xwell, this case has filters on all sides except for the back, which is exhausting in this case, so I really don't get what you're saying here
CPU Cooler as an exhaust would mean, hot air coming out of the Power supply exhaust gets sucked in the cooler. Not ideal
Love that you went all the way to just test different coolers. Good job. Helped a lot of us.
Thank you!
I did this exact build last year and still running it. Dropped my delid 8700k about 12 degrees.
Tip: pull the top metal mesh off the top of the case and have exposed top fans, you wont need bottom intake fans at all. Lower the psu with standoffs on the psu mounts. The scythe cooler is the best but the stock fan is terrible and must be replaced. Also remove the rear pcie covers for better 92mm air flow. Im using it with a ROG 2070 super and strangely it ran cooler with the glass panel on. The NR200P is an amazing case.
why not test the cooler tower without putting paste? and if it fits then apply paste?
Fair comment. I suppose I wanted to test the thermal performance as well. But that's a good idea if you're only concerned for height clearance.
I bought the u12a for my NR200 with the metal panel. It fits perfectly and with rear exhaust configuration it keeps my 5900x around 70 degrees under prime95 load. Yes, the Noctua is expensive but this cooler will last me easily another two CPU generations.
Awesome
My U9S by Noctua has been chugging along for 7-8 years. I upsized from an Ncase M1 to this NR200 case so since I have more room, I'm going to replace it with a larger cooler or just go with an AIO.
I was in the same dilema one year ago. Finally found that, Be quiet pure rock 2 (black) fit perfectly with tempered glass and mesh panel.
Extremely useful!
I`ve reached 78 degrees celsius with my 5600X while playing GoW, using push and pull right to left, so airflow was intake from inside the case to outside the case.
When i changed the orientation, from intake left to exhaust right, with a exhaust fan on top...MAAAAN, IT REACHES 69 DEGREES NOW
Only complain is that i get more dust now. Will have to create some sort of dust filter to put at the back of the case.
Anyway, amazing tip and explanation. Really worth to check it out ;)
Thanks for confirming that it's the more optimal orientation when gaming. I see Soo many tech UA-camrs do it the traditional right to left way (dave2d)
yep! i have a noctua NHU12S Chromax Black + Noctua fan NF-F12 Swapable for push and pull, and i really didn`t get why my temps were so freaking high...man, this changes the entire game. 10-12 degrees less in a mini ITX build is absurd! Tks a lot for the tip :)
Cant believe this is the only VERY informative video on youtube.
Thank you that means a lot
@@JSyntax Hi, I have a question. I have the same components as you except the GPU (im going for the Asus 3070 ti ROG strip idk what you think about this one, lmk), I would like to know if buying a large GPU with 3 fans will affect the airflow significantly for the bottom two fans.
Thank you for doing the heavy work of finding a cpu tower cooler that fits in this case!
No problem!
The Be Quiet! Pure Rock also fits nicely (not event touching) with the glass panel if you remove the top cover. You can even fit 2x 120mm fans :)
If only I knew...
Just the basic pure rock?
If you bend the mounting plate for the motherboard and use slightly smaller standoffs you can fit the u12a in the case
Nice video and explanation. I appreciate video like this helping everyone out.
I built my NR200 a few months ago and went with an inexpensive 240mm ID cooling AIO. I was about to send it back in place of the a good air cooler since it can't really (by default) be top mounted. And I've pretty much watched all of the videos on air cooling the NR200 and was about to go that route. But since I don't use the glass panel I figured I'd keep the ID Cooling AIO and give that a run. I didn't want to spend a lot for the Noctua A12X25s so I went with the Noctua NF-P12 Redux as AIO radiator intakes and top exhaust fans. I also put two 15mm Scythe Kaze Flex 120mm as bottom intakes. Barely fit below the beastly 3070 Ti FTW3. I kept the 92mm rear exhaust that came with the case. In the end I have 7 fans and a whisper quiet setup. Very happy with the case and end result.
Sorry, I made it about me. =P
Nice setup! Must be quiet.
This video and your post are exactly what I was looking for! I love the SFF but hate the fan noise, so it's been a battle. Anyway, I currently have an EK Basic 240 and replaced those fans and top exhaust in the NR200 with 2000rmp F12 PPC's. Just added a 3060 Ti the other day and it was getting hot in the bottom of the case. After reading your post, I went ahead and ordered a pair of A12x15's for the bottom and will install them soon. I am curious how your thermals are under load. Have you noticed any throttling on either the CPU or GPU?
Thanks to both of you for the awesome info! =)
@@wessmithchandler Hi Wes. To this point I've been doing a lot of gaming since I configured this case and I never even here the fans ramp up regardless of what I'm playing. Granted I'm not typically playing AAA heavy hitters on ultra/4K. I've run Unigine Heaven benchmark a few times and my top CPU/GPU (5600x/3070 Ti) temps are at around 64/73. During this test the fans never hit full RPMs and you can barely hear them from 5 feet away. I haven't noticed any CPU or GPU throttling to this point. The only change I may make at some point is to go from the cheapy AIO to a top performer. But right now there's no need.
How hot is your GPU getting? From all of the videos I've watched (many!) on this case, the bottom intake fans will improve (a few degrees maybe) your GPU temps but will have no effect on the CPU.
finaly someone that prefers air cooling, ive been telling all my friends that aio cooling is not where its at, you could get a air cooler and use the extra 80$ for a entire better tier of nvme or gpu
100% Agree, I really think it's just easier to maintain and to install, on top of being very reliable
Nice! I'm looking for air cooling options for this case, trying to make it my next build. And I agree with you about AIO's-- I used to have one, it was louder than air cooling because it has a pump constantly cycling, and eventually the pump failed and my CPU completely lost all cooling. In my experience air cooling has just been quieter, far cheaper, just as effective, and even if the fans failed there's at least still a heatsink for passive cooling.
Agreed! Ty for the nice comments
Great video. I'm glad to see more content about the NR200!
if I remember correctly, in one of his videos, the guy from Machines and More channel replaced the Kaze Flex fan by a Noctua NF-A12 in the Mugen 5 and the difference in temps was less than 1º C in a overclocked R7 3700X. Maybe there is a significant difference in a hotter cpu like yours.
I also have a NR200 paired with a Mugen 5 cooling a 3700X. After some tests, I decided to go with: mesh panel (to bring cool air from outside and help the GPU to breathe) + cooler exausting air to the back + one fan on top right as exaust. No fans beneath the GPU. Temps are good and I can barely hear any noise from my PC, even when gaming.
I did confound the results by using a rear fan 92mm which added more cooling!
I know this video is a bit old, but Noctua recently released the D12L, a 120mm dual-tower with a height of 145mm, a whole 10mm less than what you're allowed. And by their own rating system, its thermal performance sits square between the U12A and U12S.
Well done!
Tip, JSyntax: Use rubber gloves when working with unpainted aluminum products. The oil on your skin will case a chemical reaction on the metal.
Mugen is pronounced "MOO" (like the sound of a cow) "gen" (hard g, not soft g like generation) due to it being Japanese in origin. Scythe is European and the c can be considered to be silent: syth (not Sith, of course!).
11:34 2,000 RPM. You accidentally said 200. ;)
12:24 The NF A12x24 is famous, not infamous, and it is neither the most expensive, considering that there are several fans that nor the most premier, except perhaps for the amazing SS02 bearings. The most expensive fans in my inventory include the SilverStone Air Penetrator 184i-Pro SST-AP184i-PRO, and a Delta fan. There are fans that even more expensive at over $100/fan, too.
I believe there are a few options from thermalright with 154mm air cooler. Ta120 ex comes to mind, they have even smaller 130ish mm height cooler. I think it could be worth your time checking those out
I was able to use the Cryorig H7 Plus with my i9-10900K in this case (same motherboard too). Excellent performance and super easy to install. Manages temps with the tempered glass on there along with a 3090. Love this case.
That was my choice but not available in Canada. Nice. Can you overclock?
This is a really helpful video. I'm doing my first build, starting from ZERO knowledge, and got the ASUS ROG Strix B660I, and I'm so worried about clearances. I'm going to go with your setup, but instead of the Mogen 5, I'll try the Thermalright Silver Soul 135. A little smaller, but much better heat sink density. The company seems to be very well respected in Europe. Also the cooler came in white, black, and gray. I'll be using Arctic fans. Hope it works! I've got the i7-12700K.
Hey I really appreciate your kind words. I'm going to research this superior option
I think may need a lga1700 kit cos the bracket doesnt fit the b660i...
For those wondering: I have my NR200 set up with the glass panel. I have the same motherboard with an unaltered Scythe Fuma 2, and everything fits fine. Enough clearance for I/O shield and RAM. It's even easier with the mesh panel.
Finally got my build after watching tons of videos - and yours definitely helps ! Leaving the build here so you can have another idea to test your CPU and GPU
CPU: Intel Core i5 11400F
Motherboard: Asus Z590i ROG STRIX
RAM: Patriot Viper Steel 3200MHz 32GB (16x2)
GPU: RTX 3080 EVGA FTW3 Ultra 10GB
PSU: Cooler Master SFX 850W Plus Gold
SSD: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 500GB
HDD: Barcuda Seagate 2TB 5400 RPM
Cooler: Noctua NH-D12L (intake)
Fans:
- Top: Cooler Master Sickle Flow 120mm x2 (Exhaust)
- Rear: Noctua NF-A9 Chromax Black Swap 92mm x1 (Intake)
- Side: Arctic P14 PWM PST 140mm x1 (exhaust)
@@gackhuhn4868 yeah just upgraded the card and will get the CPU up to 11700F (many things to spend aside from computer) :D thanks for the advice
Extremely informative. thanks a ton for this video,. I'm in the mood of building a powerful itx build and Want to see the potential of nr200. This video answered all of my doubts.
Thank you for your kind words, let us know how it goes
I was doing research exactly on this topic, your video is so rich with information, I was about to go with the fuma 2 but now I’ll go Mugen 5 :), thank you
I'think fuma 2 will fit!
Great review, super helpful and you're content is great. I can't help it though as I'm screaming at my screen - I'm not sure if someone has already said something as the video is a year old, but RPM is already plural so you don't need to worry about saying RPMs, it's like someone adding an S at the end of Pokémon, like my mum because she doesn't know what she's talking about. Also, the C in Scythe is silent. Beyond that, your video was so helpful with my NR200 build!
Love your comment! Ty
As it happens I've used a similar arrangement for my last two full ATX builds (currently a Fractal Define R5), i.e. with the CPU cooler 'backwards' and the rear fan as intake, with a central top fan for exhaust. I made up a filter for the rear fan consisting of a frame cut from 2mm ABS sheet which attaches via strips of 3M magnetic tape so it can be removed and installed in seconds by feel for cleaning. Effectively, it's a completely independent cooling loop for the CPU, and the central top fan is ideally positioned to exhaust heat from both CPU and GPU. There are also two front and one centre/bottom intake fans (Arctic P14 CO ball-bearing, spinning between 550-900 RPM). Hence it's net very 'positive pressure' with all intakes filtered. BTW, I also had problems with a Scythe fan - the rear intake was originally one of their unusual 14cm counter-clockwise spinning, 7-blade Kaze's (which I wanted because the plan was to 'stack' it in line with the one on a Noctua NH-U14S cooler, I eventually went with NH-D15S dual tower), and like the one in this video it was very noisy above about 900 RPM (unbearable anywhere near its 1750 RPM limit). I replaced it with an Arctic P14 RGB (has the annular ring on the impeller which stops the drone from blade resonance the standard one makes at certain RPM). It's _easily_ the quietest 14cm fan at given RPM/pressure I've tried, including that on the Noctua NH-D15S and Be Quiet Silent Wings, both of which are two or three times the price. ETA the CPU is a i9-9900KF @ 4.9Ghz/1.295V (no AVX offset), in Cinebench R23 it pulls c. 150w, with the rear intake fan at c.1500 RPM and Noctua CPU at c.1200 cores are c 80°C (+/- 2°C) on a warm spring day in the UK. The CPU is going to be de-lidded and direct-die'd soon (using a shim around the die and with the arched Noctua plat lapped flat).
damn that sounds intense
2:51 is very relatable 🙃
Your video helped me a lot with my first build, thank you. I took the scythe mugen 5 and switched its fan with an Arctic white fan and it looks and works so well with my TG panel
Niiiice
overall good bad or ugly this is the best true love to build computer video I have seen
You da besr
Super insightful video, as someone with minimal pc experience, I’ve always wondered the best approach to airflow positioning. I’m interested in the NR200. I like the tempered glass, but imo aesthetically the glass panels don’t seem worth it if you have to conform to that layout. I like being able to see the rgb of the aio header, and ram. This blocks everything only to show off the gpu.
It's is true
Thank you for this video, the cooler fits perfectly in my NR200!
Nice what cpu
@@JSyntax Ryzen 5600X
ITX builds are great! I'm looking at doing another one soon!
is the mugen 5 enough to cool a ryzen 7700x?
I just moved my build into the regular nr200
Thermaltake Phantom Spirit 120 SE and a regularly mounted GPU
two noctua fans on the bottom for intake
couldn't be more pleased with thermals
Finally somone who shares my unconditional love for Noctua
What are those things you used to mount your A9 fan??
just what i needed thanks so much!!. very clear and great video to see the different options of cooler's
Scythe air coolers are definitely beautifully engineered, well performing, reliable merchandise. They are the poor man's Noctua with 95% of the performance, F&F, and quality of Noctua's coolers. Highly recommended, especially Fuma2, Mugen, Big Shurikens.
agreeed
17:40 you said that the FE was performing better than the 3 slot aorus 3070, so getting a slimmer GPU and having 2 good bottom fans gives better thermals than having a chonky 3 (or 3.x) slot card?
I'm torn between getting a slim 4070 Ti (theres one by inno3d that is 2 slots / 41mm thick) with two bottom fans (hoping that 25mms would fit, would even get T30s if they fit and have enough clearance) or getting a thicc 3.x slot card that would likely not even fit 15mm fans.
Thermalright Burst Assassin (BA) is 155mm exactly. Good quality, price and contact surface. As for rear intake itself, Silverstone fan filters can be found online. Can screw them to pretty much any 120mm fan in all the custom builds.
Is NH-U12A suitable in size for a mesh wall ?
Should be but it'll be very tight
I pulled this up because I have a 7900 xt and it sticks out the front of this case. I'm desperate for better air flow.
Did you ever try the fan right above the cpu tower as an intake as well?
Amazing video,m super informative. I do have a couple of questions if you don't mind answering them?
1. In your case you have two fans blowing air directly into your GPU. Did this help with thermals? I heard, on Reddit and other forums, that it can hurt thermals of the GPU to have some fans blow directly into them like you have there.
2. Do you know of any other PC cases, ATX specifically, that allow for fan installations at the bottom? Phantex's Elite does but their whole case is insanely huge it comes with its own wheel-barrow like box. Lian Li has a few but I'm not much of a fan of temperate glass side panels.
Yes I believe 2 gpu fans does help. But if you have a thicc card you'll need slim fans
thank you for sharing this! I\ll use this as a guide if I want to downsize my main rig!
More space between heat fins is actually good thing as it allows for more air flow, cools better.
Thanks! But why are noctua coolers so dense? There must be some trade off. I'm guessing air flow vs thermal capacity?
Cooler master actually state that you are meant to set the cooler to intake from the rear and bottom and exhaust the top so you were right 👍🏻
Secufirm is awesome. A close runner up though is the Be Quiet mounting system (which has no name I guess?). It's also very easy. They also make smaller blacked out coolers such as the Dark Rock Slim and it's as silent as can be.
Why not use Scythe Fuma 2 @JSyntax
Not guaranteed to fit
And Pure Rock 2 slim ??
and now there is the scythe mugen 6 , I been looking at other ways to build this maybe put power supply in front and put a slim fan some how on the side were your power supply is, looking at mine it looks like it will fit
Can you 3D-print a mesh panel for the front?
Im just gonna use the vented side panel, not particularly interested in viewing the inside since cable management is so cluttered. But do you.
Thanks for the video, it provides plenty of information. The choice of components, way of connecting and pairing them is questionable though tbh :D Useful video anyway.
Love the video JSyntax, full of info & enjoyed it,
I had the NR200P white back on Release in 2020 & now going back to it again,
The Max version of the case I hate due to only vertical GPU Mounting in the Max version & also only in grey colour & price,
I am going to install corsair 15mm thickness fans white 'AF120 Slim'
Sounds like a fun project!
yes! I too don't really like AIO coz of the same reason and moreover, I may go beyond 5yrs or more with the same PC (like the one I'm actually using 9+yrs)...but watching so many AIO builds do make it tempting...
Thanks for the informative video, I really enjoyed it thoroughly as I am planning to get this rig if there is enough gap between the panel and my 157mm cpu cooler in height.
Could you tell if there was about a 5 mm+ gap between your cooler and the metal/glass panel? Thanks again.
Hard to measure!
@@JSyntax I heard it barely fits up to 158 mm with the mesh panel, again thanks for the response.
- I use a piece of thin cloth to see if there's enough gap and it seems to do the job.
can we configure it as left side desk position? like putting the feet on the top and the top cover to the bottom?
Why is the 120mm fan on the heatsink mounted upside down? Have you tried to turn it over and do further tests with the reverse airflow ??
It's because the gpu blows hot air inside the case. We want to draw cool ambient air from the rear of the case. If the fans were oriented to the rear, it would be drawing the heat from the video card onto the cpu, which is not ideal.
this is why I don't like doing small builds I wish I would have waited for the max version , I am going to try with 2 of these cases and cut one down to size just for the radiator and put on top
Great video! .... but why not buy NH-D15S or NH-D14S directly?!
Can you fit Push/Pull for Mugen 5 if you use thinn 15mm fan at the back?
so intake in the bottom and exhaust out the top? and intake from back (push pull in) ?? thanks
You mentioned that the top panel can’t fit other fans than cooler masters. I haven’t found anything online on what I’d need to potentially fit other fans on the top panel. Can you tell me and others what one would need exactly?
Thoughts on same build with a 3900x and a evga 3060ti (2slot)?
is this exact cooling setup also available with the nr200 with the mesh panel? sry, new to pcmasterrace
I have the same case and to be honest, the case works best with a Tower cooler even though I have a 120 AIO from ID-Cooling the pipe is too big and I kinda have to force it in thus making the pipe push down into the graphic card which makes it slightly bend. So yeah to anyone considering having a small AIO, I recommend you not to.
Can we install the top fans without the grills..? Thanks
But your wires will get caught
Do intake fans under GPU really make that much of a difference? I'm afraid of adding them, might cause turbulence? My GPU is quite loud.
Maybe use slim fans!
Can't you use a lower profile noctua cooler?
This is really great man thank you - extra (but important) things to think about before having a crack at building in the NR200p :-)
You can do it man
@@JSyntax I seriously didn't know this about the cooler height man so thanks a lot1 The Hyper 212 RGB was actually one of the choices saved in my basket haha
@@JSyntax I wonder if the stock cooler is 'enough' for the 12400 I'm going to use it with along with the two standard fans up top, and an extra at the rear 🤔 There's certainly no clearance issues with that :-)
Is it worth adding 2 bottom case fans for cooling 6700xt?
depends how hot it gets and if you can use regular thick ones
damn, this is a really damn helpful video, as clear as it gets. thank you
Awesome
Hi, I have a question. I have the same components as you except the GPU (im going for the Asus 3070 ti ROG strip idk what you think about this one, lmk), I would like to know if buying a large GPU with 3 fans will affect the airflow significantly for the bottom two fans.
i used the ID-COOLING FROZN A620 BLACK ($40) and it fits perfectly and looks better imo, but it does require 90 degree pin adapter for fan clearance.
Instead of intake from the back. Would it be possible for air to flow out from the back?
Yes you can do that but depending on your graphics card you might be pulling in hot air from its exhaust on to your CPU Cooler which might affect your CPU Cooler performance while gaming
I just wanted to thank you for this really helpful video! I was having trouble finding a compatible air cooler for this case and you definitely helped me out! 😄
Love how you put the Hyper 212 EVO in it as well, cause I was also considering it
Your welcome!
Great video, but I was wondering about the case fan configuration. Would removing the top exhaust fans make a noticeable difference, because according to my dad they don't do anything since the air could just go out the mesh panels.
It's adding more air flow, so it's going to push out hot air faster
can you check out the thermalright PA120 on the nr200 too?
Wouldn't be able to since I can't find it in Canada
@@JSyntax that's fine haha saw alot of Chinese builder use the PA120 and it run too good for a 30$ on taobao (performance comparable to D15) but didn't see many reviewer outside china using it haha
I’ve got the Scythe Fuma 2 in my NR200P with the tempered glass panel. There is a couple mm clearance between the cooler and glass panel. (ASUS motherboard Ryzen CPU)
Lucky!
@@JSyntax I've also heard mixed reports about the Fuma 2 fitting or not fitting. I wonder where the variation is coming from. Is it variation in the cooler hight? Is it variation in motherboard/CPU height? Or is it variation in the case width?
are you using the asus B550-I?
should of got the noctua NH-D9L cooler, its only 110m in height so perfect for the nr200 and has crazy good performance.
Idk! I saw reviews and it's about the same as mugen 5
I've also been looking for a cooler lol, thanks.
noctua 12s for me, you got basically everything (highend) even spare (noctua) fan
Are the fans that come with the case also RGB?
No
will the scythe shuriken 2 and 4 artic p12 pwn pst rgb fans have any problems with a 5600x and a rtx 3060 ti?
I got my hands an a mugen black 5s. I have choice to either add an extra 120mm fan on the block, or go for a 90mm on the back of the case or both? What do you suggest?
Both!
How did you wire up the fans? Did you put the 92mm on the sys or cpu header? Guess the rest went on the sys header.
I used a splitter for the bottom ones
Woud noctu nhl12s fits?
No you'll need to buy an extension mod from Etsy, as a 3d printed part.
Phantom Spirit 120 is the answer 👍
Same setup, but I'm running an i5 for gaming. I'm very impressed with the Mugen; I never heard of Scythe before buying this cooler. I will have to try reversing the fan to pull from the rear, I'm running ~70c under load and would like to lower temps.
I have no issues with the stock fan, it's very quiet, but I also don't run at 100%.
Good choice! let me know if reversing the fan helps. I know it's counterintuitive but if you think about the airflow, it may be better?
Is it better to use thick fans at the bottom... or slim? Slim leave a bigger gap between the fans and the gpu.
Tbh I do with thick if you Can
if the mugen is like the noctua nh u12s then why didn't you just go with the noctua one? since they have a good reputation
size!
How should to be then?
I just got the same Aorus Z590I mobo, but the cooler I currently have is a Shadow Rock LP. So went trough all of the same thoughts you listed and then some - RAM clearance, same huge mobo heatsink, on top, the USB3 header cable doesn't fit under the only position the Shadow Rock LP fits and of course can't return used items where I live. Because I currently use a non K i5-11600 (that has a lower TDP), I went with a Pure Rock 2 Slim. I used it before, and I know it works great and will definitely fit in my current setup.
Hi @jsyntax, how do you connect so many fans with only 1 chassis fan header and 1 cpu fan header?
You typically use and spiders and this motherboard has a a lot of fan headers
can you rotate the mugen scythe horizontally so all the air flow is going vertically?
Not sure but if U can buy I think that would block top fans
Tip for you - you mentioned needing special screws if you go with slim fans up top. As it turns out, the gray plastic spacers from a Noctua SecuFirm 2 kit that you use on AMD AM4 are 10mm tall. For me, using Noctua slims that I already had on-hand, with the 10mm spacers, I was golden. Naturally, you've got to have spare spacers on-hand to pull this off, but you can do it without special screws.
Wow! Ty for the tip
@@JSyntax Cheers. It was a total MacGyver moment. I was in the middle of a case transplant and BADLY didn’t want to roll back.
There are plenty of Etsy custom panels to buy which give room to use the noctua U12A.
No compromises? Surely tempered glass panel is a compromise? Nice build though!
Indeed! But u can see inside!
@@JSyntax true. I bought the 200P model but decided to go with the vented panel for the extra cooling
Thanks for this vid. It helped me decide that the mugen is the best cooler for this build. I don't want a cooler that supposedly fits. I want one that definetely fits. I do have one question though. HAve you tried removing that plastic cover of the mainboard in order to maybe fit the second cpu fan? Maybe if it's removable it will give some clearance but idk if this would be enough
No, but putting a 92mm was not a bad compromise?
@@JSyntax But you said "no compromises!" ;o)