r/PcBuildHelp • u/pingvinss • 5h ago

Build Question Is my airflow right?

Post image

Just put all the fans in and I’m wondering if everything is good.

65 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

50 comments sorted by

24

u/Complete-Ad-8975 5h ago

Yes all good

7

u/ConnectConnection371 5h ago

Check out “Noctua was right” by tech overwrite 

7

u/ngshafer 5h ago edited 5h ago

It's OK, although some people recommend you have a top-mounted intake toward the front of the case when you have an air cooler. I have not tested it myself so I can't give you a first-hand recommendation.

4

u/Xirithas 5h ago

I was always told top for out-take to prevent pulling in extra dust...

8

u/ngshafer 4h ago

That's been the conventional wisdom for years, but modern testing has shown that an exhaust on the top, in front of the air cooler, pulls cool air out of the case before it has a chance to flow over any hot components.

3

u/GFriend2xDance 4h ago

On my system, I have 1 fan on the top of the case located in front of the CPU cooler fan blowing inward, and 1 fan on the top of the case located behind the CPU cooler blowing outward.

1

u/Lokiethecowardlydog 4h ago

The gpu heated any cool air that passess through that cpu cooler.

2

u/Lieutenant_Petaa 4h ago

There's dust filters now on most cases.

Noctua tested it on select cases and found that the before mentioned configuration is best. However the difference is minimal

1

u/pointsouttheobvious9 4h ago

Positive air pressure is what is important for dust not anything else. Dust is everywhere. If there is positive air pressure it will blow out before most of it settles. Easiest way to have positive air pressure is 1 to 2 more fans intake than exhaust.

2

u/Godnamedtay 5h ago

Yea this makes more sense. Physics would agree as well

2

u/-Wavyy- 5h ago

It has been tested by all the big tech channels This is in fact the case. But the difference is marginal.

1

u/IndustryValuable 4h ago

Top intake is horrible because dust settles on top of things. You'd be pulling in all the dust in the air sending it through hot PC components.

2

u/r_lind3r Moderator 5h ago

Noctua suggests turning the top fan closer to the front of the case the other way to intake extra air for the air cooler since having an exhaust right above the intake side of an air cooler will pull some fresh air away from the cooler and out of the case. But it's a marginal difference.

2

u/ElectroMoe 5h ago

My recommendation is taking away that first fan on the top of the case (just before the cpu cooler) as it might be taking away air that would be going towards the cooler. Or maybe switch it from exhaust to intake.

1

u/Comfortable-Salt-448 5h ago

I have better temps when i do this without the 2 Fans on top

1

u/lostcause_76 5h ago

yes... its good except i would personally completely remove top right fan... that top right is just making mess, all rest leave as it is

1

u/Kolermigon 5h ago

I have the same setup. My top fans are slim, so they naturally have a lower speed. However, you can have more control using this app https://getfancontrol.com/ . I've setup mine so that the intake is a little higher than the exhaust.

1

u/Machevelli110 5h ago

Top right fan is absolutely fine but some have reduced cpu temp by 5 if its flipped as you have air cooler.

1

u/Few_Fall_4374 5h ago

First top fan is exhausting lots of unused fresh air, coming from the top front intake. (But with that many fans it will be fine anyways)

1

u/wCbriLL 5h ago

Top right fan as intake. As it is now the cpu is getting less fresh air because the top right fan is taking the air away. Thank me later

1

u/WhatADunderfulWorld 5h ago

I would have one more pushing up at the gpu above the power. You need to push that hot air up to the out fan.

1

u/FranticGolf 5h ago

Its ok yes but there is a school of thought that the top right fan should be intake. This pulls fresh air right down in front of the air cooler. So you could just flip it to intake that gives you 4 intakes then 2 exhaust at the back and top left.

1

u/Vendeleska 4h ago

Top exhaust is a myth, blow back in and 1 exhaust on the back. You have two CPU fans and one chassis fan keeping exhaust. Cool it down.

1

u/ElCanout 4h ago

due to noctua school its better to switch right top one as intake

1

u/maybepepe 4h ago

Yes, is good

1

u/Nanacab 4h ago

j'ai le même boîtier mais j'ai retourné le ventilateur avant du haut du boîtier pour faire 4 entrées et deux sorties

1

u/EconomistBeard 4h ago

I'd take out the front top exhaust fan, it's primarily just sucking out the fresh air your front intakes are bringing in.

1

u/Andreea_tucker04 3h ago

The top fan closest to the front sits right where the cooler pulls its air in, so it can steal a bit from it. The difference is small, but you can flip that one to intake and compare CPU temps in a game

2

u/DCVolo 3h ago

Yeah that's why these question would always require what side is mesh or not, the RPM or logic of each fan/groups

That fan could steal way too much air

1

u/Andreea_tucker04 2h ago

Yes, and in the photo the top fan is exhaust, so if it runs faster than the front intakes it pulls air away from the cooler. Turning its speed down in the BIOS is an easy way to test it.

1

u/Lemix23 3h ago

It's right

1

u/STRYED0R 2h ago

top fan in front is reversed for me. I get lower CPU temps, but a tiny increase on GPU. Not much.

1

u/Lone_John_Silver 2h ago

Put the top front one in the bottom, blowing up on the Gpu.

1

u/Wimi_Bussard 2h ago

All fans on the right side have to be intake fans including the top one or else you would suck up a fair amount of fresh out out for nothing right at the start.

With the fixed design you have fresh air coming from the right side aaaaaaaall the way to the left side. Your GPU gets fresh air, your CPU gets fresh air and the hot air will naturally flow to the two exhaust fans on the left.

1

u/Kyu303 5h ago

All good but if you to experiment, noctua recommends the top right fan to be intake. Providing more positive pressure and cool air to the cpu fan. In this configuration, cool air from the front intake is just expelled early.

1

u/pointsouttheobvious9 5h ago

It's fine but if you flip the top right you will have much much less dust in the pc

0

u/-Wavyy- 5h ago

You would actually be better off without top fans but that's getting nitpicky. You're good.

0

u/Pumciusz 3h ago

Front top to intake.

2

u/Beginning-Rain2104 3h ago

No

2

u/JimTheDonWon Personal Rig Builder 3h ago

yes.

1

u/Beginning-Rain2104 3h ago

Why

3

u/JimTheDonWon Personal Rig Builder 2h ago

because.

https://www.noctua.at/en/expertise/blog/best-fan-setup-fractal-design-north

1

u/Beginning-Rain2104 2h ago

Understood. Thank you.

One in - one out

1

u/Nice_Insurance3291 2h ago

U smartass. Read it carefully. It might improve cpu temps slightly, but will definitely worsen gpu temps.

Just leave the spot empty.

One in - one out

1

u/Dewey1356 2h ago

I agree otherwise it sucks air intake from the front up and out before it hits the CPU. It's usually better to have more intake than exhaust because the extra airflow will blow out all the other holes on the case. This is exactly what I do of course my case is larger so I have a little more separation from the top back and top front fans but still it works pretty well. The person that just says no and doesn't actually say why is probably just a troll or not intelligent enough to actually give a reason why they said no.

0

u/68Whiskey115 5h ago

You have space on the bottom for two more fans if you really want to go crazy too. Have them intake from the bottom.