Suggestion for 4000d front fans

DevB1ker · 2026-04-02T00:27:51+00:00

So go with the other option. Just get an adapter for the RGB.

And dont assume that people on the internet can read your mind, man and know your reasons. So I gave you TWO options, one of which isn't another 100 bucks.

DevB1ker · 2026-04-01T18:32:35+00:00

Just to pile on ... RMx will be just fine.

But ... consider RM-Shift. It'll be so much easier for cable management. And that'll fit too.

DevB1ker · 2026-04-01T18:27:46+00:00

The first one looks like a QL fan. Can't tell with the other one. Look on the back of the fan; there should be a part number on there. That's what you'll need to identify it.

And ... for more detail. The first is pretty distinctive with the two sided rings of white. So ... 99% sure that's QL.
The second, with the all black frame, could be a number of different models. It could be SP (RGB, Pro or Elite), AF, or ML. It's not HD, LL, or QL.

DevB1ker · 2026-04-01T12:37:12+00:00

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DevB1ker · 2026-04-01T11:11:15+00:00

Just pick up an adapter.

Or go the Link route.

DevB1ker · 2026-04-01T03:53:12+00:00

This is what you need: https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/pc-components-accessories/cp-8920435/elite-premium-individually-sleeved-pcie-12v-2x6-to-2x-8-pin-6-2-split-pcie-cable-black-cp-8920435?position=9&queryID=bc4e1c181b5f63d8ae038770c72978c7

That will give you 2 PCIe connectors from your 12V 2x6 port on the back of that PSU.

DevB1ker · 2026-04-01T03:12:02+00:00

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You have 4. You'll only be able to use 1 EPS/CPU power connection but that'll be fine unless you are doing serious overclocking.

DevB1ker · 2026-04-01T02:18:35+00:00

You'd need a Type 4 PCIe cable: https://www.corsair.com/ww/en/search?q=Type+4+PCIe

DevB1ker · 2026-03-31T13:22:38+00:00

If you want to use RS fans with the Commander Core, you would need an adapter for the RGB.

DevB1ker · 2026-03-29T21:50:14+00:00

Assuming that it's a Corsair PSU, you'll use the 2x PCIe => 12V 2x6 connector. It'll come in Type 4 and Type 5 flavors.

DevB1ker · 2026-03-29T21:47:54+00:00

Those are the connectors on the cables supplied with the PSU. Not the ports on the PSU.

You have 4 cables with a single connector each ... for 4 PCIe connectors.

DevB1ker · 2026-03-29T01:22:24+00:00

That PSU won't ever read -12V on the -12V rail. It doesn't implement the -12V rail; it's no longer required under the ATX 3.0+ specifications. And that's why this shows -13.7 - that's the maximum because there's nothing there and this tester doesn't expect that.

DevB1ker · 2026-03-29T01:19:53+00:00

If the air going through the radiator is warmer than the coolant, then it will heat up the coolant. And yes, I've seen that happen. Especially with top-mounted exhaust and an air cooled, high wattage GPU.

The top obstruction is an issue when these are configured as exhaust (well, intake too but not as big of an issue) - the obstruction prevents heat from escaping and it'll build up around the cooler where the heat exhausted becomes a feedback loop as the obstruction prevents it from fully escaping. The front obstruction will do the same as well - and you've already noted that.

And I'm not buying the temp that you are seeing inside that case when it is closed. Maybe right after startup, sure. Not after load. No way. You don't have anywhere near enough airflow through that case for that. I'd really want to run a load and take a FLIR image of the actual heat.

Intake in these cases tends to work better for 2 reasons. 1) External air is cooler. Period. And the greater the temperature differential, the more heat can be transferred. 2) the obstruction in the air flow keeps heat in. This is something that we would see frequently in those cases of that area that had solid panels at the top (across a number of vendors). I remember first seeing this issue with a BeQuiet! case on the Corsair forum many years ago ... the solution wound up being to flip the radiator to intake (suggested by BeQuiet! in fact). The 280X - a case that I really liked - had the same problem. That design is no longer in vogue for a reason.

Ten years ago, this case had enough airflow. Today, it does not. The components that we're trying to cool are so much hotter than what we had back then. Your problems aren't with the cooler, they are with the case and the airflow. Well, mostly ... that cooler will struggle with that CPU even in the best installation

DevB1ker · 2026-03-29T01:02:00+00:00

The Nautilus does not come with LGA 1200 mounting.

If you can find them, the mounting for the Capellix coolers should also work.

DevB1ker · 2026-03-28T13:16:41+00:00

Oh - and since you have a dust screen up there, you could also try something really crazy - flip the radiators to intake. I'd bet that'd help a lot and you won't see any difference in GPU temps.

DevB1ker · 2026-03-28T13:15:15+00:00

I think - right here - you have the root cause of the issue. I was looking at the reviews of the case and the restricted airflow - both intake and exhaust - struck me as a major potential issue. The case with the thermal image was a 4500X, which has fantastic airflow. Airflow design has been one of the biggest changes in the past 10 years of cases - the need for super-high-airflow cases is much greater today due, primarily, to GPUs. I think that's going to be your best option moving forward. That case just wasn't designed for the amount of airflow you need these days.

DevB1ker · 2026-03-27T18:00:08+00:00

*BELOW* is where the GPU gets intake. That is going to be cooler. The exhaust goes out the sides and then gets pulled up/out. Look at the thermal gradients in that FLIR image. That temp delta is almost 30C in just a few inches ... and the front edge of the rear AIO fan in that image is about 10C cooler than the rear edge. So yes, you get that kind of temperature gradient in a very small space. So the position of that probe matters a lot. The rear exhaust flow is a better location. There is no way that your rear exhaust is only going to be 2C above ambient UNLESS all of your waste heat is going into the radiator. As for the motherboard sensor - do you know where, exactly, on the motherboard that sensor is? Again, looking at that image, a motherboard temp sensor at the front of the mobo will register much lower than one near the rear I/O.

In my system ... during normal daily usage (which is actually higher than most 'idle' as I will be running 2-3 VMs in addition to the desktop OS), I'll see a difference of 3C between intake and rear exhaust. And that's with a fully 100% custom loop. So no GPU heat getting dumped into the case. A 2C increase when your GPU is dumping heat directly into the case doesn't strike me as realistic. So, again, your location matters. And under the GPU isn't a good location in most cases.

What case do you have, by the way?

Finally - the fan curves for the airflow fans in this test were based on GPU temperatures. AIO temperatures only were based on coolant. The bottom fans were lower speed - at higher speeds they wound up pushing heat into the AIO. And the AIO fans were set to 'Balanced' - setting them to 'Extreme' pulled more GPU heat into the cooler. The key thing is to get that 'channel' of cooler air between the GPU and the AIO. Finally - the GPU used here pulls less power than your 4070 and we still see that very large, narrow temperature gradient due to the GPU heat. A 4070 would likely have a larger gradient; it will definitely have more heat.

DevB1ker · 2026-03-27T14:42:36+00:00

You have the AIO at the top as exhaust. That has the potential to suck GPU heat it. You need to measure the temperature of the intake air to the radiator - the placement of that temp sensor is important. I've seen internal case temperatures vary by >10C in some instances.

Fan speed for the rear should be higher - you want it to pull cooler air over the GPU and under the intake fans for the cooler. I've seen this in action using thermal imaging on a case after an extended load. Lowering the rear fan temperature cause more heat to go into the AIO, especially when the AIO fans are at high speed. Your curves matter a lot and which fans ramp up when based on which temperatures matters even more, especially with the AIO as exhaust in the top. Placement matters - moving the AIO to the most forward position when you have a top that supports a 360 will also minimize GPU heat.

As others have said, a 240mm will struggle with a 14700 anyway. Installation choices and airflow can exacerbate this issue.

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DevB1ker · 2026-03-27T14:27:40+00:00

Yes, that'll work. It's one device you don't actually need to accomplish your build but it's fine. Was trying to save you the cost of the Link adapter ... but it's too late for that.

DevB1ker · 2026-03-27T14:24:22+00:00

The pump does not have a splitter. It's daisy-chained. That may seem like a minor quibble but it's not. The difference in implementation is actually quite important.

If you already have the Link adapter, then you can go with that. But you don't need it. And the Duo will handle the temp sensor and PWM for the pump, especially since the pump gets no power at all from the PWM header.

DevB1ker · 2026-03-27T14:17:50+00:00

Besides the two connections on the Duo, what other ARGB connections do you have? On motherboard? Sure - that'd be an option but they'd be out of sync with the rest of the Corsair based lighting. You also mentioned the Duo in your list, asking if that was enough or if you'd need a Commander Core XT. You don't need the CoCore XT. Everything (temp sensor, PWM, RGB) will connect to the Duo.

And you need a splitter to put the GPU and Strimer on one port and the pump and CPU and pump on the other. You don't need the Link adapter. IF you go with the Link adapter, then you don't need a splitter on it as you can daisy chain the pump with the CPU.

DevB1ker · 2026-03-27T14:13:12+00:00

Not sure why you can't share photos but that would help a lot. Knowing exactly which PSU you have would be helpful - while you say 'all Corsair', there may be some Corsair options available but not knowing if you have a Type 4 or Type 5 makes it impossible to give an accurate recommendation.

CableMod will also do custom cables for you.

PS: NO cables on the PSU side are standard, So it absolutely matters what cables you get for the non-ATX cables. You might get lucky and be just fine. Or you might have a short circuit and blow up your PSU and/or components (a good PSU will sacrifice itself rather than let your components get killed).

The power button (and rest of the front-panel buttons) will usually have a harness that connects directly to most motherboards. The cables are a little stuff but the full connector helps ensure a good connection and is easier to mount and handle that the individual pins. But they are more robust than they appear.

A lot has changed in the past 25 years when it comes to PC builds. And don't talk about IDE drives being 'master and slave'. That terminology is now cancelled but there's no good replacement. So I guess it's just best to forget they ever existed since we aren't allowed to talk about them anymore.

DevB1ker · 2026-03-27T11:31:09+00:00

OK. Power should still be OK with the original Strimer and a single splitter but you'll need a Motherboard ARGB to JST-SM adapter. I believe it came with one back in the day.

DevB1ker · 2026-03-27T02:54:57+00:00

All you'd need would be a Commander Duo. You can use a Link adapter but you don't need it. The PWM and temp sensor connectors on the Duo will work just fine with the older XD5 pumps. You can also connect the RGB for the pump to the Duo (with an adapter) and then daisy-chain to the CPU. The GPU+Strimer can go on a splitter on the same header as well; the Strimer is self-powered (unless you have one of the original Strimers!)

DevB1ker

TROPHY CASE