Best direction for fan spin?

Associate
Joined
24 Jul 2024
Posts
1
Location
UK
Hi,
Im not an absolute newbie to PC building but for the first time I will be using a case verry similar to the pic below - mATX with power supply in separate chamber to the side rather than the regular basement in an ATX case. Like the pic, the case comes supplied with fans installed including 3 in the top. I will be using an AIO cooler so instead will install the radiator at the top and so want to move the 3 top fans as shown to the bottom (it's an open grid with dust filter). My question is: which would be the best direction for the bottom fans to spin - blowing out to exhaust the heat from the case, or reversed to bring cooler air in? NB- There will be a graphics card which, due to the compact size of the case, will be close to the bottom with fans blowing down?
Thanks!

x
71UR+FcgzrL._AC_SY450_.jpg
 
Man of Honour
Joined
22 Jun 2006
Posts
12,591
My question is: which would be the best direction for the bottom fans to spin - blowing out to exhaust the heat from the case, or reversed to bring cooler air in? NB- There will be a graphics card which, due to the compact size of the case, will be close to the bottom with fans blowing down?
Thanks!
You would usually have bottom fans as intakes, but most RGB cases don't come supplied with three top fans and they're not normally needed.
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
5 Mar 2009
Posts
5,256
Location
North East
I've always believed that front and bottom are always intake and rear and top exhaust but through time has taught having a positive air pressure is just as important so ideally however you do it you're going to want more air going than out via fans if that makes sense
 
Soldato
Joined
29 Sep 2011
Posts
5,652
Location
Monkey Island
new top AIO will be faced with the air going out of the case, old fans moved to the bottom of the case will have air pulling into the case, don't worry about your gpu, that wil use the air in the case to cool itself, and dump the used warm air back into the case this will be removed by the back and top fans of the case, don't worry that the warm air will be going through your AIO rad, it's fine, it's not ideal, but it's fine, ideal would be the AIO at the front of the case as an intake
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom