Should I add a side fan?

[Assaf Patishi]

Hello all.
I have Fractal design Arc Midi R2, and In front I have two fans. I removed the top HDD cage to allow the air from the upper fan to reach the main area to the CPU and the GPU, and I added another fan in the lower part but it is mainly cooling my HDD and SSD.
I also have one exhaust in the back and another exhaust at the top (in the rear of the case).

I am just paranoid..or pedant (Depend on how you want to look at it). But I really want get the best possible cooling for my CPU and graphic card, cause I think that one fan is not enough.
I have an option to add another intake fan at the side panel which will blow directly to the GPU, But I am afraid that it could potentially interfere with the natural airflow of the case (from front to back and top).

I would like to hear your opinion. Oh..and I forgot to mention that I have Noctua D14 which blows in the rear fan direction (does this make the top exhaut unnecessary?)

Thx in advance.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

I don't think you need a side fan.

 

[geofelt]

No.

I think your optimal fan/cooling setup is to use two 140mm intake fans in front and a single 120mm fan as exhaust in the rear.
You must balance the cooling vs. noise equation.
If the front fans are about 1000 rpm, they will be quiet.
700 rpm will be inaudible, and 1500 rpm will be noisy.
All intake from the front will be filtered, keeping your case cleaner.
All front intake will exit somewhere taking cpu and gpu heat with it.
NH-D14 is as good as it gets for a cpu cooler.
Orienting the fan to the rear is optimal.

Use only a weak 120mm fan at the rear, mainly to direct the airflow.
If you use too much exit fan capability, it will draw in unfiltered air from adjacent openings.

If your cpu temperature is 70c. under load, and your gpu temperature is around 80c, that would be normal.

 

[Assaf Patishi]

Does your case have a different panel? Looking at the case and the specifications, I do not see a place to put the side fan. I wouldn't worry about getting a side fan. Keep the top fan though.

The Arc Midi R2 comes in two flavors: one with clear side panel and the one that I have without clear panel but with place to mount a fan, this is I think kind of rare version of this case. I bought it here in Israel.
Anyway, Ii will take your advice not to add another side panel.
Noise is not an issue for me so I don't mind sacrificing some decibels for better performance

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

In most scenarios side fans aren't needed , that's why most cases aren't designed with them now.