Question Is it important to have a fan in the back of your case? (Exhaust fan)

Spirals

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Mar 8, 2019
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So, I got a new case that includes 3 fans (since I can't buy more because I'm a little out of my budget) Here I'm really confused about which fan and where to put each of them. So I'm here again to ask you guys some unintelligent question. Do I really need to put another fan in the back? In case if I do, the only option there is to put the 2 infront and 1 in back, simple. But do I have to??



Any answer will be tolerated and appreciated :D



*P.S. That picture of my case is actually from the retailer's site. You can also check it out here: Beli CUBE GAMING VARDE & 3 PCS RAINBOW BOREALIS FAN
https://tokopedia.link/SOiVVrBxTX di toko distributorkomputer Rp449.000 di Tokopedia Sekarang!





*P.S.S. Just so you know, I live in Indonesia right now.
 

COLGeek

Cybernaut
Moderator
Rear exhaust fans are important. They help remove hot air from inside the case and send it out the back of your PC. They are very important in providing airflow through your system.

In general, front, side, and bottom fans pull cool air into your case/chassis. Top and rear fans pull hot air out of the case/chassis.
 
It's important to have adequate cooling, but there are many ways to achieve it. Generally, two front intake fans and one rear exhaust fan will cool better than three intake and no exhaust fans. What you really need to do is check your temps with something like HWMonitor. Then you will know for sure. You are probalby fine as you are. Your PSU can also serve as an exhaust if you point the fan toward the interior of the case and it is not covered by a PSU shroud..
 
It's important to have adequate cooling, but there are many ways to achieve it. Generally, two front intake fans and one rear exhaust fan will cool better than three intake and no exhaust fans. What you really need to do is check your temps with something like HWMonitor. Then you will know for sure. You are probalby fine as you are. Your PSU can also serve as an exhaust if you point the fan toward the interior of the case and it is not covered by a PSU shroud..

If it is a PSU that runs the fan under anything but a very heavy load - lots of modern ones do not.
 

Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
Fan placement depends entirely on 2 things. Your cpu cooler and your case design.

Rear exhaust is a dinosaur thought leftover from years ago and solid top AT cases. With today's ATX standards, most cases have top venting. Most gpus are also side venting, so that heat goes straight up the side of the case.

So cpu cooler. If you have a radial cooler, like stock coolers, or other downdraft style, most of the cpu heat will travel straight up. If there's open venting on top, a rear exhaust is next to useless, far better to put exhaust fans on top and help the heat rise up and out. If the case has just one fan at the top (in the back) then rear exhaust helps, as it adds to suction at that corner.

If you have a tower type cpu cooler, it's almost always facing the cpu fan right at the rear exhaust, so yes definitely put a fan there.

You put exhaust fans where the heat is going to go. Having a case with 3x fan slots in top and a rear exhaust fan with a radial cooler in next to pointless. Having a case with 3x intakes and no exhaust is just as pointless.
 
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bit_user

Polypheme
Ambassador
Fan placement depends entirely on 2 things. Your cpu cooler and your case design.

Rear exhaust is a dinosaur thought leftover from years ago and solid top AT cases. With today's ATX standards, most cases have top venting.
No need to talk about generalities - OP's case does appear to be top-vented (at least, one of the pictures has an arrow suggesting it). So, I'm gonna say a rear exhaust fan is optional. Just make sure the top vent is unblocked.

Having a case with 3x intakes and no exhaust is just as pointless.
I disagree. One of the intakes is under the PSU shroud, but the other intakes might provide enough CFM and the top & rear venting could be sufficient to minimize hot air buildup in the upper rear.
 
If it is a PSU that runs the fan under anything but a very heavy load - lots of modern ones do not.

Many are selectable, always on or ECO mode. (language may differ)

The PSU is bottom-mounted and does have a shroud. Check the link in OP's post.

The shroud may be removable.

As I previously stated:

What you really need to do is check your temps with something like HWMonitor. Then you will know for sure.
 

Spirals

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Mar 8, 2019
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It's important to have adequate cooling, but there are many ways to achieve it. Generally, two front intake fans and one rear exhaust fan will cool better than three intake and no exhaust fans. What you really need to do is check your temps with something like HWMonitor. Then you will know for sure. You are probalby fine as you are. Your PSU can also serve as an exhaust if you point the fan toward the interior of the case and it is not covered by a PSU shroud..
Right, so.. the best option there is that I should remove one of the fans infront and move it to the back, right? But which front fan should move into the back? The top? The bottom? Or the middle one?

Also, I apparently have a PSU cover.. so.. yeah
 
A lot of this could depend on what hardware is in the system too. If it's some relatively efficient mid-range hardware that isn't drawing more than a few-hundred watts under load, it might not matter so much where the fans are located. On the other hand, in a system with higher-end and/or overclocked components, optimal fan positioning might be necessary to avoid overheating.
 
Right, so.. the best option there is that I should remove one of the fans infront and move it to the back, right? But which front fan should move into the back? The top? The bottom? Or the middle one?

Also, I apparently have a PSU cover.. so.. yeah

That case looks pretty nice with the 3 RGB fans in the front. Before I moved anything, I would check your temps. It's probably fine the way it is already set up.

https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html
 
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Spirals

Prominent
Mar 8, 2019
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A lot of this could depend on what hardware is in the system too. If it's some relatively efficient mid-range hardware that isn't drawing more than a few-hundred watts under load, it might not matter so much where the fans are located. On the other hand, in a system with higher-end and/or overclocked components, optimal fan positioning might be necessary to avoid overheating.
Well, I'm planning to OC my 2200g to uh let's say.. 4Ghz? In that case, does optimal fan position needed?
If you wanna know more about my system then, here it is:
-RX 570
-X370m-Pro4
-Ryzen 3 2200g (4ghz)
-System Power 9 400w
-WDC 1tb Blue
-Cube Gaming varde - includes 3 pieces of Rainbow static fans
-Klevv BOLT DDR4 3200mhz 8gb (2x4)

It's a very basic first build. Although I guess I can say, it is a mid-range budget build