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For what it's worth, the Sliger SM570 with solid side panels is basically this—without the need for top-hat accessories (and with enough room for fans at the top and bottom).The concept is pretty interesting, but my general feeling is that you're best served by using a single top-hat, attaching fans directly to the radiator (top-exhaust), and then letting it intake air from the bottom and both sides. I wouldn't worry much about the hot air being drawn back in—any kind of air movement in your room (open window, ceiling fan, central air) is apt to exchange/disburse the exhaust more quickly than the bit of negative pressure created inside the case.If you wanted to do some controlled testing, it might be worth running a Commander Pro or Aquacomputer with some temperature probes inside + outside the case (i.e. ambient + case intake + exhaust), and see how things differ based on the configuration!Last thought: Pulling air through a radiator and then across your components may be less-than-ideal… typically, the idea is to move your heat exchanger away from the hardware being cooled—otherwise, you're basically left with the same sort of internal case + component temperature as you would with a regular air-cooled build.
For what it's worth, the Sliger SM570 with solid side panels is basically this—without the need for top-hat accessories (and with enough room for fans at the top and bottom).
The concept is pretty interesting, but my general feeling is that you're best served by using a single top-hat, attaching fans directly to the radiator (top-exhaust), and then letting it intake air from the bottom and both sides. I wouldn't worry much about the hot air being drawn back in—any kind of air movement in your room (open window, ceiling fan, central air) is apt to exchange/disburse the exhaust more quickly than the bit of negative pressure created inside the case.
If you wanted to do some controlled testing, it might be worth running a Commander Pro or Aquacomputer with some temperature probes inside + outside the case (i.e. ambient + case intake + exhaust), and see how things differ based on the configuration!
Last thought: Pulling air through a radiator and then across your components may be less-than-ideal… typically, the idea is to move your heat exchanger away from the hardware being cooled—otherwise, you're basically left with the same sort of internal case + component temperature as you would with a regular air-cooled build.
