[SOLVED] Help me choose good airflow fans

[mtracy1991]

Hello all,

I am finalizing a PC build and wanted some input. I have the Black Hawk Ultra case (https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147157)

& will be running:

CPU: Ryzen 2700x
PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000 Watt 80 Plus Gold Modular
Motherboard: Crosshair Vii Hero Wi-Fi
(1) SSD 240 GB, (1) 500 GB SSD, & a 2 TB HDD.

The case possesses (4) 120mm fans for front intake, (1) rear 120mm fan, (1) 230mm door fan, & (2) 230mm top fan. I wanted to add some 120mm fans for the side door & an additional 120mm for the cpu slot on the opposite side of the case. IF possible, can someone reference some decent airflow fans from micro center (Will be shopping there this weekend).

 

[prince_xaine]

Okay what you need to figure out first is if you need the fans. The best way to do this would be to do a stress test on the CPU and graphics card and record the maximum temperatures. Then remove the side panel of your case and do it again. If the result is negligible, you have sufficient cooling and have no need for more fans. Having less fans decreases maximum noise output (in dB) and will usually cause less dust to end up in your system.

Also, you want to make sure that you have an equal amount of fans for both outtake and intake. This prevents air pressure from being positive or negative in your system, both which can substantially decrease cooling performance.

So your current setup:

Intake
Front: 4 Intake 120mm
Door fan: 1 Intake 230mm
Total: 590mm

Outake:
Rear: 1 120mm fan
Top: 2 230mm fan
Total: 580mm

As you can see, it is pretty well balanced right now. The 10mm difference should be negligible. While fans are rated in CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute), it is easier to count the 'sizes' of the fans, especially if they are all from the same vendor, as they should have pretty equal specs. If you wish to be more precise, you can look up the fan models and see what the CFM and RPM is, which is a bit more accurate than counting the total collective sizes of all fans together are.