Case fan configuration

Aurora · Apr 12, 2007, 04:30 PM

The case I am building in supports two 80mm rear fans below the power supply and two 80mm fans on the side (CPU side, at the bottom). Should I install the side fans with the label facing toward or away from the CPU? I presume the fans going below the power supply should point the same way as the PSU fan (label to the rear).

cozumel · Apr 12, 2007, 04:43 PM

Assuming you've got cool air being sucked in from the bottom front panel I would suggest you have the all the fans exhausting. Although if the GFX card has good cooling exhausting out of the case already then you might be able to forget about the side panel fans IMHO.

If you're monitoring the internal temps of inside case, CPU and GFX then you could also try different configurations and go with the one that keeps the lowest temps.

Judas · Apr 12, 2007, 05:51 PM

imo, gernerally i find the best way to go with it is:

All exhaust through the REAR or TOP of the computer, all intake through the sides and front of the computer.

There should be some ARROWS on the fans somewhere that tell you which way to mount the fans (below the psu at the back, you'll want the arrows pointing to the outside of the case fore xample)

niceguyrichy · Apr 12, 2007, 11:23 PM

depends on the sys you got i suppose.
if you got good exhaust from the rear case / gpu / psu fans then try the side fans sucking cool air in. of course, if you already have a slew of fans in the front of the case sucking air in, just have them as extra exhaust fans and run em all a bit slower and quieter

Dyre Straits · Apr 13, 2007, 02:13 AM

Well, I'll throw my two-cents worth in here on this since I've had a few cases now with some really good cooling setups.

You SHOULD have a fan at the front of the case pulling air into the front. If you don't, I'd consider adding one or two for that purpose.

As for the others, since heat rises, AND since PSUs already have a decent form of exhaust at the top, the other two 80 mm fans at the rear should ALSO be exhausting the air.

That leaves the one/s at the bottom side of the case: I'd have those also pulling air into the case and this would give a VERY good and consistent flow of cooler air into the case with the others pulling the heated air out.

But, I like the idea as stated above about doing a little testing and go with the setup that provides the overall cooler interior temperature.

Good luck!

GutterPunk · Apr 13, 2007, 09:04 AM

between dyre and judas that is what is really the best.
If your side panel is below the gfx card, and it seems like you may be getting a lot of heat buildup (which will slowly heat your whole case up) i recommend exhausting that fan. Otherwise, the 2 on the rear, exhaust, 2 on the side in. You want the air in the case to move efficiently while trying to not get "dead air". The air is moving from front to back.

Aurora · Apr 13, 2007, 11:36 AM

More responses than I expected

The video card (ATi) has a fan. I know most do, but my 6600GT actually doesn't. It is about half-way up the case and below the rear fans. The side fans are just slightly above the bottom. The front has no fans. It has cool intake, though seemingly not as much as I would really like. And I don't have the tools or skill to improve it.

Let's compare.
6600GT about half-way up, passive cooling
Intake from front and side behind the motherboard.
2 80mm fans on side (near bottom)
single 60mm rear fan not used
CPU temp is 29 under light load and rarely reaches 45

ATi about half-way up, fan cooled
Intake from front only
2 80mm fans on side (near bottom)
2 80mm rear fans mounted but only 1 used

Not all of the fans have arrows, but I believe they are all exhausting. I have to get a power splitter to connect that last one. The 3 going case fans are like the AC running on the city bus

There is no OS, so I let it idle in the BIOS for an hour. The CPU temp stayed at 33-34.

~~DudeBoyz~~ · Apr 13, 2007, 12:03 PM

Here's a diagram that may help:

Draw air IN from front and side
Exhaust air OUT from top and back

Judas · Apr 13, 2007, 01:08 PM

I just noticed on my Coolermaster case, near the graphics cards, there is a grill of holes, but i just noticed that the far corner holes are just large enough to mount a 120mm fan on it... lol

~~DudeBoyz~~ · Apr 13, 2007, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas

I just noticed on my Coolermaster case, near the graphics cards, there is a grill of holes, but i just noticed that the far corner holes are just large enough to mount a 120mm fan on it... lol

All that time. That's kinda funny.

I gotta tell ya, that NZXT Zero case comes with all the fans you need already in place and ready to go. The thing is a cooling monster!

Glad I don't have to worry about forgetting anything. Just plug it in and bam - very good airflow.

Judas · Apr 13, 2007, 02:45 PM

Well the thing is, it's the mystique (which i'm never going to buy again imo, terrible case layout and design, good for a build once go, but horrible for swap outs) It came with 2 120mm fans front and back, but since putting a 92mm fan on the side, the noise is horrid, the fan is only turnning @ 2800, and i don't think the case was designed for it.

IMO, the best case is the Coolermaster 532 EXCELLENT design overall. I just wish coolermaster would consder my own case design. Boy that'd rock if they mass produced it.

A full 6 HD drive bays with nearly a full 3/4 inch of space betwen each mounted so that they slide in from the side (and not from back to front), 1 Floppy drive bay, and 3 5 1/2 inch Bays. Seriously, there isn't a whole lot of people that need anything more then even just 1, some use 2, but 3 is very uncommon. I see so many cases with 5 5 1/2 inch bays and all i can think of is "wtf, who needs that?".

Plus, that woud be just a mid tower with 2 120mm fans, one in the front and one in the back.

Additionally i had the side oposite side panel setup so that air could be drawn in and dilivered directly to the video cards.

My full tower case was quite a bit more elaborate, with dual PSUs, 8 hd bays, 3 140mm fans.

~~DudeBoyz~~ · Apr 13, 2007, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas

Well the thing is, it's the mystique (which i'm never going to buy again imo, terrible case layout and design, good for a build once go, but horrible for swap outs) It came with 2 120mm fans front and back, but since putting a 92mm fan on the side, the noise is horrid, the fan is only turnning @ 2800, and i don't think the case was designed for it.

You could get a fan controller. I have two and they are great. I can turn things down just enough so they are quiet but they still get almost all the cooling benefits.

Still, the NZXT Zero is about the best "stock" air cooling setup I have seen so far. All the fans come mounted and ready to go. 4 of the 120mm fans on the side draw air in and keep the video and cpu way cool. Works really well.

Dyre Straits · Apr 14, 2007, 04:23 AM

I've got a case review coming up soon. It's in the hands of the powers that be so I can't reveal anything right now. Should be up very soon, though.

This case DOES have some very good cooling and options. The only thing it doesn't have that I'd really like...at some time...to have is a very top of the case exhaust fan.

Since that 6600 is just above the side fans, I'd definitely have the fans blowing into the case in order to get the exterior cooler air flowing over that card and any others you may have installed.

BTW, if I've overlooked it, what case exactly do you have?

Aurora · Apr 14, 2007, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dyre Straits

Since that 6600 is just above the side fans, I'd definitely have the fans blowing into the case in order to get the exterior cooler air flowing over that card and any others you may have installed.

BTW, if I've overlooked it, what case exactly do you have?

This is the exact case that I started this topic for: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811156019
My existing system (with the 6600GT) is a discontinued model that is very similar. Unlike the silver case, it has only one 60mm fan point in the rear (which isn't used now) and air holes on the side behind the motherboard near the center.

When I bought the older case, the side fans it came with were set to intake -- and all the Newegg reviews said TURN THOSE FANS AROUND!!! and users got better results doing so. In both cases, I replaced the supplied fans with ball bearing ones.

Both cases do have places to mount front fans, but I have never been able to figure out how to remove the front bezel. Someone on another board told me to remove a pair of semi-hidden screws, but those screws turned out to be rivets. With no air holes on the front bezel, front fans would seem to have limited value anyway.

Dyre Straits · Apr 14, 2007, 02:20 PM

Yes, you're right about there being no place for a front fan on this case. That's one reason I asked for the specific model you're using. It appears they opted for two side fans instead. And, I still say those should be doing intake and not exhaust.
That way, you're getting a consistent 'one way' airflow through the interior.

Aurora · Apr 14, 2007, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dyre Straits

And, I still say those should be doing intake and not exhaust.
That way, you're getting a consistent 'one way' airflow through the interior.

It's worth a try. I have a test on Monday to get ready for, but I'll still try to get to it rsn.

Aurora · Apr 15, 2007, 11:32 PM

I got the 2 side fans turned around to intake. Now I am waiting to see how the new arrangement does. I still plan on getting a power splitter so the second rear fan can be used.

H3X4D3C1M4L · Apr 18, 2007, 04:52 PM

This question is best answered by experimenting.

Generally if you don't mind dust, towers work better on negative air pressure I find. Desktop systems work better on positive or equal air pressure in my experience.

But not to say that any other configuration won't work. Depending on the hardware and thermal load, one thing could work better in one situation whereas with different hardware a completely different setup would work better.

cozumel · Apr 18, 2007, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H3X4D3C1M4L

This question is best answered by experimenting.

Generally if you don't mind dust, towers work better on negative air pressure I find. Desktop systems work better on positive or equal air pressure in my experience.

But not to say that any other configuration won't work. Depending on the hardware and thermal load, one thing could work better in one situation whereas with different hardware a completely different setup would work better.

I get an reduction of about 2/3 celcius with my negative pressure config compared to positive. The increase in dust isn't really a problem - I just blow it out with a can of compressed air every couple of months

But like Hex said, do experiment as every case is different. With your case I was thinking if you really wanted to experiment you could try cutting out the air exhaust grill at the back below the PSU to increase air flow and just put a simple fan guard over the hole.

Apr 12, 2007, 04:30 PM	#1
Aurora DriverHeaven Addict Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 359 Rep Power: 0	Case fan configuration The case I am building in supports two 80mm rear fans below the power supply and two 80mm fans on the side (CPU side, at the bottom). Should I install the side fans with the label facing toward or away from the CPU? I presume the fans going below the power supply should point the same way as the PSU fan (label to the rear).

Apr 12, 2007, 04:43 PM	#2
cozumel I'm dangerous but cute... Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Under the waves... Posts: 3,619 Rep Power: 42 System Specs	Assuming you've got cool air being sucked in from the bottom front panel I would suggest you have the all the fans exhausting. Although if the GFX card has good cooling exhausting out of the case already then you might be able to forget about the side panel fans IMHO. If you're monitoring the internal temps of inside case, CPU and GFX then you could also try different configurations and go with the one that keeps the lowest temps. __________________ Don't worry about money - Be a beach bum! Scuba Rocks

Apr 12, 2007, 11:23 PM	#4
niceguyrichy never enough coffee .. Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: eu Posts: 4,690 Rep Power: 87	depends on the sys you got i suppose. if you got good exhaust from the rear case / gpu / psu fans then try the side fans sucking cool air in. of course, if you already have a slew of fans in the front of the case sucking air in, just have them as extra exhaust fans and run em all a bit slower and quieter __________________

Apr 13, 2007, 09:04 AM	#6
GutterPunk I = Greatest Dood Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nebraska Posts: 5,945 Rep Power: 54	between dyre and judas that is what is really the best. If your side panel is below the gfx card, and it seems like you may be getting a lot of heat buildup (which will slowly heat your whole case up) i recommend exhausting that fan. Otherwise, the 2 on the rear, exhaust, 2 on the side in. You want the air in the case to move efficiently while trying to not get "dead air". The air is moving from front to back. __________________ Rock On \m/ Thank you Mousey for the Sig! --------------- Intel Core2Duo E6660 (3.4GHZ) ~ Tuniq Tower 120 ~ Enermax Galaxy 1000W ~ Corsair Dominator @ 1090MHZ 5-5-5-15 (OCZ XTC Modded Cooler)~ EVGA 8800GTX W/ HR-03 Plus 120MM ~ Asus DVD-RW LiteScribe ~ LG DVD-RW ~ Corsair Voyager 2GB ReadyBoost Drive ~ Vantec Nexus Fan Controller ~ ThermalTake Armor 25CM fan ~ Personal Finance Blog: Dent Your Debt

Apr 13, 2007, 11:36 AM	#7
Aurora DriverHeaven Addict Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 359 Rep Power: 0	More responses than I expected The video card (ATi) has a fan. I know most do, but my 6600GT actually doesn't. It is about half-way up the case and below the rear fans. The side fans are just slightly above the bottom. The front has no fans. It has cool intake, though seemingly not as much as I would really like. And I don't have the tools or skill to improve it. Let's compare. 6600GT about half-way up, passive cooling Intake from front and side behind the motherboard. 2 80mm fans on side (near bottom) single 60mm rear fan not used CPU temp is 29 under light load and rarely reaches 45 ATi about half-way up, fan cooled Intake from front only 2 80mm fans on side (near bottom) 2 80mm rear fans mounted but only 1 used Not all of the fans have arrows, but I believe they are all exhausting. I have to get a power splitter to connect that last one. The 3 going case fans are like the AC running on the city bus There is no OS, so I let it idle in the BIOS for an hour. The CPU temp stayed at 33-34.

Apr 13, 2007, 12:03 PM	#8
~~DudeBoyz~~ banned Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: USA Posts: 1,678 Rep Power: 0	Here's a diagram that may help: Draw air IN from front and side Exhaust air OUT from top and back

Apr 15, 2007, 11:32 PM	#17
Aurora DriverHeaven Addict Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 359 Rep Power: 0	I got the 2 side fans turned around to intake. Now I am waiting to see how the new arrangement does. I still plan on getting a power splitter so the second rear fan can be used.

Apr 18, 2007, 04:52 PM	#18
H3X4D3C1M4L DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 6,818 Rep Power: 0	This question is best answered by experimenting. Generally if you don't mind dust, towers work better on negative air pressure I find. Desktop systems work better on positive or equal air pressure in my experience. But not to say that any other configuration won't work. Depending on the hardware and thermal load, one thing could work better in one situation whereas with different hardware a completely different setup would work better.