Do Bigger Cases = Better Airflow?

[tlander3]

The title says it all. Does the size of the case affect how good of airflow it has?

 

[Gam3r01]

Not really.
The biggest thing that impacts airflow is case design (Cable management, HDD cages blocking flow, fan locations)
Given that, larger cases tend to require more fans, or higher airflow fans to get the air moving through the larger space.

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

Sometimes. It depends on how you set it up. Normally larger cases allow for better cable management but not all the time. It is very case specific. In general larger cases are better.

 

[Ometta]

The bigger the case the better the potential for better cooling. Most cheaper full tower cases will not be the greatest at cooling out of the box. Now if you buy a bunch of fans and load the case up with them then obviously your gonna have better cooling potential over what a mid tower might offer. Now getting good airflow can be achieved in the smallest cases with as little as a couple of fans. Just really depends on many factors.

 

[USAFRet]

Size is not the only consideration. A good mid-size case is better than a large crappy case.

 

[davmazin]

I think its the design and cable management that matters in mine its a mess (cables wise) still i get good temps, if i did some cable management i would get better temps especially for my gtx970 lol the cpu and other parts are fine though

 

[tlander3]

Size is not the only consideration. A good mid-size case is better than a large crappy case.

Ok so lets compare the Enthoo pro vs the Corsair 350d. They're both similarly priced and generally highly rated but the 350d is mATX and the enthoo pro is Full ATX. Which has better airflow?

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

Enthoo pro. I was going to get one.

 

[USAFRet]

Size is not the only consideration. A good mid-size case is better than a large crappy case.

Ok so lets compare the Enthoo pro vs the Corsair 350d. They're both similarly priced and generally highly rated but the 350d is mATX and the enthoo pro is Full ATX. Which has better airflow?

In those, it would probably come down to how you structure the cables, fans, and what components you have inside.

I have no direct experience with those to make a direct comparison.

 

[Gam3r01]

I wouldnt compare them on airflow.
One is much smaller than the other, and a completely different form factor. That alone should be the comparison to make.
That being said, phanteks enthoo linues are great, especially the Luxe and Pro. Overall great quality, solid construction, roomy, and nice looks.

 

[geofelt]

I might argue in favor of a smaller case.
The purpose of air cooling is to draw in cooler ambient air(preferably through a filter) then send that air through the cooling fins of a cpu cooler or graphics card and then expel the heated air out of the case as directly as possible.
A smaller case leaves less opportunity for heated air to get trapped in corners of the case.

Enough is enough.
You need only enough to keep your parts at nominal operating temperatures.
The danger with high end coolers and liquid coolers is that they may tempt you to run at higher voltages than is good for reliability and longevity.

Graphics cards and cpus are built to tolerate a fair amount of heat.
Hard drives and ssd's not so much.
More airflow will come with higher noise.

My advice is to use cooling budget more on faster and cooler parts in the first place