[SOLVED] Determining the Best Case Fan Placement

[MojoBoingo]

So I'm about to begin a new build in the next week or so--my first! I'm awaiting my case and two additional fans that are in the mail. I've been trying to decide the best way to position all my case fans. The case is a Fractal Design Meshify C, the fans are the two pre-installed Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-12 120mm and two Noctua NF-P12 120mm. I'm thinking of an even split of two intake two exhaust, but have found conflicting facts about the best ways to position them. Do I want one on the bottom of the front panel, blowing air on the HDD cage and the PSU or is it better to use the middle and top slots of the front panel? With one exhaust on the rear and one on top, which slot on the top is the best to use? Taking any and all suggestions.

Here's my full build to be with helpful Newegg links if you want to take a closer look at anything:

Case: Fractal Meshify C
Additional Fans: Noctua NF-P12 x2
Motherboard: MSI B450 Tomahawk Max
CPU: Ryzen 5 3600
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 16GB
GPU: MSI GeForce 2060 Super
PSU: Seasonic FOCUS GX-650
HDD: WD Black 1TB (no link, it's an old model)
SSD: WD Black SN750 NVMe

 

[extreme_noob]

I would say two in the front top as intake (the noctua ones, since they perform better and look worse), and one in the back and one in the top back. It's not worth having a fan on the bottom front because the drive does perfectly fine without cooling, unless you're constantly writing to it, and the PSU won't even get any of the air coming to it, as the part facing the front is closed off. GPU and CPU is much more important.

 

[MojoBoingo]

That's what I was thinking, but I've read that having two exhaust fans too close to each other while pulling in different directions can cause problems (in this case one out of the back and one out the top). Is that a thing, or are they far enough that it shouldn't matter?

I can see putting the noctua fans upfront, or splitting them as once each. I figure going for a neutral pressure system would be good, even if actually achieving a true neutral is pretty close to impossible. I don't think I'd mind if it favored positive or negative, as long as the difference is slight.

 

[extreme_noob]

That's what I was thinking, but I've read that having two exhaust fans too close to each other while pulling in different directions can cause problems (in this case one out of the back and one out the top). Is that a thing, or are they far enough that it shouldn't matter?

I can see putting the noctua fans upfront, or splitting them as once each. I figure going for a neutral pressure system would be good, even if actually achieving a true neutral is pretty close to impossible. I don't think I'd mind if it favored positive or negative, as long as the difference is slight.

Having two exhaust fans in the positions provided by the case shouldn't be detrimental. All it does is create more negative pressure in that region and attract more air there. increasing airflow.

I'd still put the noctua fans up front because of asthetics and their better performance. This way you create a bit of positive pressure, which is good because it reduces dust intake. As long as you dont go extremely positive, performance should be around the same as neutral.

 

[Jason H.]

So I'm about to begin a new build in the next week or so--my first! I'm awaiting my case and two additional fans that are in the mail. I've been trying to decide the best way to position all my case fans. The case is a Fractal Design Meshify C, the fans are the two pre-installed Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-12 120mm and two Noctua NF-P12 120mm. I'm thinking of an even split of two intake two exhaust, but have found conflicting facts about the best ways to position them. Do I want one on the bottom of the front panel, blowing air on the HDD cage and the PSU or is it better to use the middle and top slots of the front panel? With one exhaust on the rear and one on top, which slot on the top is the best to use? Taking any and all suggestions.

Here's my full build to be with helpful Newegg links if you want to take a closer look at anything:

Case: Fractal Meshify C
Additional Fans: Noctua NF-P12 x2
Motherboard: MSI B450 Tomahawk Max
CPU: Ryzen 5 3600
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 16GB
GPU: MSI GeForce 2060 Super
PSU: Seasonic FOCUS GX-650
HDD: WD Black 1TB (no link, it's an old model)
SSD: WD Black SN750 NVMe

The standard is two intakes in the front, and at least 1 exhaust in the back.

However its advisory to add another 1 or 2 exhaust fans on the top if your case allows this. I bought a 3 pack of Antec Prizm 120mm fans, and my case came with an exhaust fan (its not good but works enough for a 2nd exhaust).

I took off the default exhaust fan that came with the case and put it on the top as secondary exhaust as it just doesnt move that much air and I installed 2 of the Antecs in the front as intake, and 1 in the rear as outtake. My temps have never been so good.

 

[MojoBoingo]

Did you use the top slot closest to the back of the case? I thought, and it seems to be confirmed by the posts here so far, that's the first place to put an exhaust fan after you're mounted one on the rear panel.

I think the only real concern I still have is if my GPU will get much help. If I put in my two intakes at the top and middle slots of the front panel, it will be getting very little air from them under itself, mostly over the top of the card.

 

[extreme_noob]

Did you use the top slot closest to the back of the case? I thought, and it seems to be confirmed by the posts here so far, that's the first place to put an exhaust fan after you're mounted one on the rear panel.

I think the only real concern I still have is if my GPU will get much help. If I put in my two intakes at the top and middle slots of the front panel, it will be getting very little air from them under itself, mostly over the top of the card.

If you're concerned about your GPU, you can place one fan as intake on the top front. That way you'll have plenty of air from the top intake and some of the front top intake moving to the cpu, while the front bottom intake and the rest of the front top intake goes to the GPU.

 

[Jason H.]

Did you use the top slot closest to the back of the case? I thought, and it seems to be confirmed by the posts here so far, that's the first place to put an exhaust fan after you're mounted one on the rear panel.

I think the only real concern I still have is if my GPU will get much help. If I put in my two intakes at the top and middle slots of the front panel, it will be getting very little air from them under itself, mostly over the top of the card.

Yes closest to the back fan.

And direct airflow onto hardware, when talking about case cooling isnt your real concern. The concern when it comes from case cooling is having enough air pressure moving through the entire case to disperse the excess heat that builds up. My bottom front intake however is lined up with my gpu so it may have a slightly better temp because of that but it would be negligable as the air coming in from the intakes is not actually cooling the card itself, just the air around the card. But like I said this same effect is achieved wether its blowing directly onto the gpu or not.

 

[MojoBoingo]

Alright, thanks to both of you for your help. I think I'll stick with the top and middle slots for the front panel for intake, rear and top-rear for outtake. Probably just keep HWinfo64 running for the first month or so and see how everything manages. One of the reasons I chose this case is reviewers believed that it can continue to benefit from additional fans, so that's something I can consider going forward.