Case Fans

Cbeck527

Cbeck527

New Member
Quick question...

Are case fans supposed to blow the hot air out of the case or the cool air in to the case?
 
You need both, some to suck out the hot air and some to blow cooler air in.

IMO, the best way to position fans is to have the intake fans on the front and side of the case, and exhaust on the top or back.
 
geoff5093 said:
You need both, some to suck out the hot air and some to blow cooler air in.

IMO, the best way to position fans is to have the intake fans on the front and side of the case, and exhaust on the top or back.
Click to expand...
Great, thats were the fans slots are in my case! :)
 
Cbeck527 said:
Great, thats were the fans slots are in my case! :)
Click to expand...

perfect. but in addition to wat geoff said, i think its best to have intake fans on near the bottom of the case and extake fans near the top of the case. Hot air rises, so all hot air is at the top of your case.
 
bigsaucybob said:
perfect. but in addition to wat geoff said, i think its best to have intake fans on near the bottom of the case and extake fans near the top of the case. Hot air rises, so all hot air is at the top of your case.
Click to expand...
very true, however alot of cases dont have spots for fans on the top, usually just 1-2 on the back, 1-2 in the front, and 1 on either side.
 
geoff5093 said:
very true, however alot of cases dont have spots for fans on the top, usually just 1-2 on the back, 1-2 in the front, and 1 on either side.
Click to expand...

yes so back to your point. the fans in the back are usually higher than the fans on the front. so as you said, intake in the front and extake on the back.
 
Don't forget that some PSUs have fans even higher than the exhaust fans and that helps take the hot air out and cool down the PSU at the same time(my old raidmax PSU had that at least).
 
Yasu said:
Don't forget that some PSUs have fans even higher than the exhaust fans and that helps take the hot air out and cool down the PSU at the same time(my old raidmax PSU had that at least).
Click to expand...
Most power supplies have at least 2 fans, some have 3 or 4.
 
Last edited:
2nd Question:
How can you find out whick way the fan is blowing?
Is it on the fan, or do you have to use the 'ol lick the finger test?
 
Well, some fans have it on the side, with direction of fan rotation, and direction of air...But a much easier way to do it is to THINK about it. Just think, there is one direction that the fans could spin that wouldnt move air, and another way that would move air...The fins scoop the air...Just think...I dont know how to explain it, sorry. And I have another question...It seems like in the PSU, one of my fans blows into the case, which seems weird. That would mean it is blowing hot air into the case. Does it blow out or into the PSU?

Derek
 
b182tm said:
And I have another question...It seems like in the PSU, one of my fans blows into the case, which seems weird. That would mean it is blowing hot air into the case. Does it blow out or into the PSU?

Derek
Click to expand...
According to my knowledge from here and expierience, i think that the power supple blows the hot air out of the case. thats at least the deal with mine. What is the make and model of you power supply?
 
geoff5093 said:
All power supplies have at least 2 fans, some have 3 or 4.
Click to expand...
Most budget power supplies will only have one fan, as will some higher end models with a 120mm fan. Some silent power supplies will have no fans at all e.g. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153019

According to my knowledge from here and expierience, i think that the power supple blows the hot air out of the case. thats at least the deal with mine. What is the make and model of you power supply?
Click to expand...
Correct, the power supply should blow hot air out of the case. If you're checking by putting your hand behind the intake fan, you may still feel air movement, but that doesn't mean it's blowing air into the case.

Generally, if there's two fans on the PSU, one will be drawing air into the PSU from the case, and one will be blowing it outwards, away from the computer.
 
Ahh, I got it. I have an Ultra X-Connect 500 W PSU. It has 2 fans, one on the inside of the case, and one blowing out the back of the comp. That would make sense that the inside one is sucking in. The exhaust on the PSU always seems like the hottest of all my fans.

Thanks,
Derek
 
Intake fans can have an adverse effect. I had an inatke at the front bottom and an exhaust at the rear top. I read that the intake fan can disturb the airflow though the case - ie the air is channeled in a fairly direct path that may miss some of the hot spots you want to cool. Sure enough, running with only the exhaust fan my system runs cooler - and quieter of course;)
 
Generally speaking about case fans the larger the fan say a 120mm or 130mm the better the airflow and cooler temperature of computer right
 
b182tm said:
The exhaust on the PSU always seems like the hottest of all my fans.
Click to expand...
Thats also because the power supply needs to be cooled also so it heats up the air that passes threw the PS.
 
They should be taking air into the heatsink so that it will be cooled. If the heatsink is cool then it can absorb more heat created by the CPU.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top