How should i position my computer fans?

[Holy Wars]

Hello, I'm just wondering how i should position my new Computer fans, I just got two of them. One that goes on the side and one in the back. Should i have the side one blow in air and the back blow out? or both out? What makes people choose differently?

 

[Pill Junkey]

doesnt really matter, the key to having less dust in your system is to have more fans blowing air in than out

 

[burdenbound]

If you have a slot in the front of your case have an intake there, if the side is the only slot you have then intake on the side, exhaust out the back.

A common setup is intake through front and bottom, exhaust through top and back. Heat rises so naturally the top is a good exhaust point and you generally have less space in the back and you don't want heat blowing out the front of your case so you exhaust out back.

 

[Holy Wars]

doesnt really matter, the key to having less dust in your system is to have more fans blowing air in than out

Oh, ok. But performance wise, is it better to have both blowing out?

 

[dwatterworth]

Configure the top/back one on exhaust and then the second fan to blow air in on the video card/chipsets or move it to another position configured for intake (not the bottom of the case unless it is >1" off of whatever surface it is placed on and has a dust filter.

 

[dwatterworth]

To test your performance you can run a benchmark such as 3Dmark and use a program such as coretemp, cpuZ or similar application capable of recording min and max temperatures and then compare each configuration to temperature.

 

[Emiran]

Hello, I'm just wondering how i should position my new Computer fans, I just got two of them. One that goes on the side and one in the back. Should i have the side one blow in air and the back blow out? or both out? What makes people choose differently?

well it comes to a decision, whether you want to create a vacuum effect in your case (blowing hot air out), which is in my oppinion more effective, but you also need dust filters, because the suction created by "vacuum" will suck air from outside the case through every hole naturaly (so also sucking in the dust).

Or you can create more air pressure inside (less out, more in), which will lower the amount of dust, but will be less effective in heat dissipation.

Basicaly if you have only 2 fans, best would be to position one in front bottom to suck cold air from front inside and the second one back top (since hot air goes up - physics and sh*t), this should create nice airflow.

 

[Holy Wars]

If you have a slot in the front of your case have an intake there, if the side is the only slot you have then intake on the side, exhaust out the back.

A common setup is intake through front and bottom, exhaust through top and back. Heat rises so naturally the top is a good exhaust point and you generally have less space in the back and you don't want heat blowing out the front of your case so you exhaust out back.

Thank you so much. Yes, i only have two spaces i can put them at, one in the back, and one on the side. So thank you for answering me.

 

[Holy Wars]

To test your performance you can run a benchmark such as 3Dmark and use a program such as coretemp, cpuZ or similar application capable of recording min and max temperatures and then compare each configuration to temperature.

Yeah, i use Speccy to tell me what my temperature's are for each piece of hardware and i just have it up on my second monitor and i look at it whenever and judge it off that. Which i hope is fine, please let me know if it is not accurate though.

 

[Nuno Silva]

There are two great articles about that here on tom's hardware, take a look:

How To: Properly Plan And Pick Parts For An Air-Cooled PC, Part 1

How To: Properly Plan And Pick Parts For An Air-Cooled PC, Part 2