Is 7 case fans a problem?

[pstatix]

I have a Corsair Carbide 300R; it can support 7 fans:

- 2xFront, Top, Side
- 1xRear

All but Rear can be 140mm.

Normal load temps (with some slight OC) never exceed 70c, but I prefer cooler especially as I am soon to upgrade components.

I currently only have 1x120mm in Front and Rear. My current plan is to install:

- 2x140mm Front, Side and Top (1200-1400RPM)
- 1x120mm Rear (1400RPM)

Front and Side are intake, Top and Rear exhaust, this is 4:3 so slightly positive in terms of pressure (I clean frequently so dust isnt really an issue).

All that said, there comes a point of diminishing returns where the temp isnt going to really change drastically, or maybe even +/- a couple of degrees.

But are there any negatives to having all the fan spots filled?

I've read the following in trying to solidify my plan:

- No such thing as too many fans
- Positive is better than Negative (since I clean a lot I will negate anyhow)
- If you have a spot that can fit a 140mm, use 140mm not 120mm
- 140mm is better than 120mm (slower yes, but more air and quieter)

Interested in all arguments!

Cheers!

 

[jaslion]

I have a Corsair Carbide 300R; it can support 7 fans:

- 2xFront, Top, Side
- 1xRear

All but Rear can be 140mm.

Normal load temps (with some slight OC) never exceed 70c, but I prefer cooler especially as I am soon to upgrade components.

I currently only have 1x120mm in Front and Rear. My current plan is to install:

- 2x140mm Front, Side and Top (1200-1400RPM)
- 1x120mm Rear (1400RPM)

Front and Side are intake, Top and Rear exhaust, this is 4:3 so slightly positive in terms of pressure (I clean frequently so dust isnt really an issue).

All that said, there comes a point of diminishing returns where the temp isnt going to really change drastically, or maybe even +/- a couple of degrees.

But are there any negatives to having all the fan spots filled?

I've read the following in trying to solidify my plan:

- No such thing as too many fans
- Positive is better than Negative (since I clean a lot I will negate anyhow)
- If you have a spot that can fit a 140mm, use 140mm not 120mm
- 140mm is better than 120mm (slower yes, but more air and quieter)

Interested in all arguments!

Cheers!

You can very well have too many fans.

What you want is positive air pressure and airflow.

You always want more intakes than outtakes. Since hot air rises it will exit the case naturally and needs less help. Your normal 2 front fans and 1 in the back is more than fine. If you want cooler components get a better cooler. The carbide has really good airflow so even if you get the best airflow ever with non jet engine fans you are looking at maybe a 3c difference.

 

[Dashman9000]

I've got the same case, as stated eariler more intake fans is better for cooling performance vs. outtakes. I have two side mounted 120mm intake one 120mm outake (top mount) and a Corsair H60 with push / push config on the radiator. CPU temp in idle is around 35c and mobo temp is around 23c with this fan config. To answer your question I think 7 fans are too many. Nothing wrong with adding 140mm, more air-flow at lower rpm usually but 7 fans is overkill in my opinion.

 

[pstatix]

I have a Corsair Carbide 300R; it can support 7 fans:

- 2xFront, Top, Side
- 1xRear

All but Rear can be 140mm.

Normal load temps (with some slight OC) never exceed 70c, but I prefer cooler especially as I am soon to upgrade components.

I currently only have 1x120mm in Front and Rear. My current plan is to install:

- 2x140mm Front, Side and Top (1200-1400RPM)
- 1x120mm Rear (1400RPM)

Front and Side are intake, Top and Rear exhaust, this is 4:3 so slightly positive in terms of pressure (I clean frequently so dust isnt really an issue).

All that said, there comes a point of diminishing returns where the temp isnt going to really change drastically, or maybe even +/- a couple of degrees.

But are there any negatives to having all the fan spots filled?

I've read the following in trying to solidify my plan:

- No such thing as too many fans
- Positive is better than Negative (since I clean a lot I will negate anyhow)
- If you have a spot that can fit a 140mm, use 140mm not 120mm
- 140mm is better than 120mm (slower yes, but more air and quieter)

Interested in all arguments!

Cheers!

You can very well have too many fans.

What you want is positive air pressure and airflow.

You always want more intakes than outtakes. Since hot air rises it will exit the case naturally and needs less help. Your normal 2 front fans and 1 in the back is more than fine. If you want cooler components get a better cooler. The carbide has really good airflow so even if you get the best airflow ever with non jet engine fans you are looking at maybe a 3c difference.

If the pressure and airflow constraints are met, is it a problem? Even if I had a better cooler, is 7 fans going to be bad?

 

[Sedivy]

No. It's only bad if you're having them in combination that doesn't result in a smooth flow. If you create a lot of turbulent flow, the hot air may get trapped instead of smoothly flowing from front/bottom to top/back and out of the case. But otherwise, there's no problem adding fans for extra flow. In all likelihood, with more fans, you'll be able to run them more slowly overall, without sacrificing CFM, therefore lowering the noise.

 

[pstatix]

No. It's only bad if you're having them in combination that doesn't result in a smooth flow. If you create a lot of turbulent flow, the hot air may get trapped instead of smoothly flowing from front/bottom to top/back and out of the case. But otherwise, there's no problem adding fans for extra flow. In all likelihood, with more fans, you'll be able to run them more slowly overall, without sacrificing CFM, therefore lowering the noise.

The plan is to connect them to an NZXT Fan Hub and use the PSU to supply the groupings rather than overload the mobo headers. So I can directly control RPM, monitor temp and so on.

If anything, using the 2 side fans in a low RPM would be ideal.

 

[Sedivy]

You'll have to test this out yourself and see how your temps are. With a fan hub, you should have a pretty good individual fan control, and can see for yourself what speeds and orientations are optimal for you.

 

[James Mason]

Side fans can sometimes mess with airflow, so they may not be needed.

There's also typically a limit to how many fans you add actually having an effect, as once you reach a certain number of fans, extras do nothing to temps.

 

[tsnor]

If noise and cost are not issues then 7 fans is not a problem.

Opinion: The multiple fan mounts are there to give you options on how you want to cool your case. They are not intended to all be filled. But it you do want to fill them suggest you get a nice fan controller so you can play with various fan speeds until you get nice temps for CPU, GPU and MB.