Case airflow question

Tiny Clanger

Tiny Clanger

Tiny Clanger

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Joined
19 Oct 2002
Posts
776
Hi there - please could I ask for your help with what is certainly a very naive question about airflow....

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So - I have a Phanteks Eclipse G300A case which came pre-fitted with 3 x 120mm case fans at the front. The CPU cooler is a Phantom Spirit (which has 2 fans) and I added another 120mm fan at the back of the case as an exhaust. However - should there be an equal number of exhaust fans as intake fans? (see - told you it was naive :D). If so - would I put additional fans in the top of the case or would that disrupt the airflow across the CPU cooler?
 
I understand you want more intake than you do exhaust, to do with positive pressure, so intakes go through dust filter. If you have more exhaust than intake then air will be drawn through any other vents and that'll draw dust through those gaps
 
Yes fans at the top steal from an CPU air cooler. However an aio at the top doesn't have that problem.

You want more ins than outs so it doesn't suck dust in through every hole.

Your current arrangement sounds good. Can you leave it alone? Is there a problem you're trying to solve?
 
throwaway4372 said:
Your current arrangement sounds good. Can you leave it alone? Is there a problem you're trying to solve?
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Just a nagging feeling that the CPU (7800X3D) runs warmer than it should - current idle is 43C which is ambient +23 - and I wondered if airflow was an issue (or on the other hand if that temp is not unusual)
 
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Tiny Clanger said:
Just a nagging feeling that the CPU (7800X3D) runs warmer than it should - current idle is 43C which is ambient +23 - and I wondered if airflow was an issue (or on the other hand if that temp is not unusual)
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What's the temp under load?
I had an OC'd 5960X CPU that ran pretty hot at idle, but only ramped up a few degrees under full load.
 
I run most of my fans as intakes.
Bottom 3x140mm side 4 120mm top 3 140mm and rear 2 x 140mm as outake.
 
Tiny Clanger said:
Does that not create turbulence in the airflow if you have air being pushed in from the top/bottom/sides as well as the front?
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There's an argument that it's offset by the nature of heat rising from the high power components (CPU, GPU).

The thing is, it's something people often get overly focused on. There are groups out there there who do math to find the best exact points of air intake for specific builds, and there in fairness are a lot of variables. However, as long as your temps are good it doesn't matter and nothing you've described is even close to being a problem.

Layman way to go about it:

- Heat rises, put intakes in front and low with out takes in the roof and up high.
- With fish bowl cases, they'll either come with pre-configured fans but generally you want them pushing out of the viewable space on the top and into it from the bottom -- it does depend however so be sure to check your manual.

It really doesn't need to be overthought unless you're a super enthusiast with that sort of thing.

TLDR: If your temps are good your temps are good, don't stress over it.
 
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