Adding a fan: Side vs Front intakes.

[Tribunus]

Hello all, I have decided to add an extra fan to my case as summer is approaching and my room (and upstairs) tend to get quite warm with the PC running and had a few questions before I go ahead and install it.

I have a Thermaltake V3 case and apart from the CPU/GPU/PSU fans there is only the one exhaust at the back.
Currently the side of the case faces out into the room and the front of the case has about 12 inches of clearance between it and the wall.

Question is should the new fan (Coolermaster Sickleflow) intake from the side or at the front?

Im inclined the think the side would be better as its potentially seeing more air due to it facing out into the room, but my concern is that with the side fan being between the GPU and PSU is it going to cause any problems with the respective fans on these components?

Also the front has a metal mesh covering up where the front fan would go, do I simply pop these off somehow or would I need to add the fan by doing it from the inside? And if I do pop off the front do I put it back on hiding the fan?

I understand this is likely a question you get a lot and appreciate you taking the time to read.

Many thanks for any help.

 

[Jameson Clark]

Typically you want front and back at least, then start adding side, top, and bottom fans that way there is a smooth direction of airflow

 

[Jaxem]

usually side is kind of an auxilery fan to help graphics cards, if you don't have a front intake, that should be first. You'll get a continuous air flow as the front pushes straight towards the back fan, air will get cycled faster since it's all headed the same direction and you'll keep the inside cooler overall. Front also is good for keeping your drives cool.

 

[Enthusiast Builder]

With regards to installing the fan, next time buy a case with better documentaton 😛 I downloaded the manual, and it didn't provide specifics on how to install the fan. But if its like pretty much every other case, the front section pops off, and you screw in the fan to the front of the case, then pop on the front cover (which acts as a dust filter for the fan). You'll need to snake the fan wire to teh MoBo and plug it into one of the fan ports. Or you can get an adapter and plug it into the PSU for power, but it will always run at 100%. Or you could get a fanc ontroller. But your MoBo should have enough fan ports. Make sure you bought the right fan! The manual did say it takes only a 120mm fan (common fan sizes are 80, 120, 140 and 200).

 

[Tribunus]

With regards to installing the fan, next time buy a case with better documentaton 😛 I downloaded the manual, and it didn't provide specifics on how to install the fan. But if its like pretty much every other case, the front section pops off, and you screw in the fan to the front of the case, then pop on the front cover (which acts as a dust filter for the fan). You'll need to snake the fan wire to teh MoBo and plug it into one of the fan ports. Or you can get an adapter and plug it into the PSU for power, but it will always run at 100%. Or you could get a fanc ontroller. But your MoBo should have enough fan ports. Make sure you bought the right fan! The manual did say it takes only a 120mm fan (common fan sizes are 80, 120, 140 and 200).

Heh my apologies on the case, fan is the correct size (120mm).

Thanks for the answers, ill stick it in the front as per everyones suggestion.