Side panel fans on a case. Do they help or do they not make a difference at all?

[Arbiter051]

I am shopping for a new case (I don't like the case I have, corsair spec 01) and I keep looking at the fractal design r5. I notice it has a side grill and option for a fan to cool the gpu.

I currently have an Evga gtx 1070 ftw and I really hate how hot it runs. With my fan curve once it gets to 65c it runs at the same % to whatever the temp is... so at 70c it runs at 70%. It never stays very cool, it just keeps gradually getting hotter (main game I play is overwatch) and at 144 frames it's stable in a 75f room at 66-69 and although to most that is fine, that pisses me off. My 4790 also gets to 62-63c with a 212 evo cooler.

The temps have nothing to do with me getting a new case (though it's in my mind), I just want a new bigger case for the future.

So does the side panel fan actually make a difference? Does it help or hurt the cooling. It would be nice to play OW at 230+ frames and see my gpu's temp stop at 71-72 and not gradually rise because the hot air it's giving off is being sucked back in to the gpu over and over.

If anyone has any case suggestions for a good big future proof full tower case please do let me know! Looking to buy one at the end of may or early June!

Ty everyone!

 

[getochkn]

First, that's not hot for a GPU and you probably won't get any real difference in temps with a side fan. If you fan curve is 1%/degree, then of course its always going to creep up and down. Go in steps. Be again, regardless, that's not a hot temp at all.

Can a side fan help? Yes and no. All depends on case and fan dynamics. You can have the side fan sucking hot air out, or blowing hopefully cooler air in. Either way, the side really needs to not be blocked and have a good foot of space around it to be effective.

Good cooling really comes down to ambient temps, and if you are going for negative or positive pressure in the case.

 

[Arbiter051]

First, that's not hot for a GPU and you probably won't get any real difference in temps with a side fan. If you fan curve is 1%/degree, then of course its always going to creep up and down. Go in steps. Be again, regardless, that's not a hot temp at all.

Can a side fan help? Yes and no. All depends on case and fan dynamics. You can have the side fan sucking hot air out, or blowing hopefully cooler air in. Either way, the side really needs to not be blocked and have a good foot of space around it to be effective.

Good cooling really comes down to ambient temps, and if you are going for negative or positive pressure in the case.

Well no, 68-69 or even 70c is not hot, that is true. But when I am playing with 230+ frames (which yes I know I am pushing my equipment farther then it would like to go...) and I slowly keep creeping 71-72-73-74 and up and up and not stopping, that starts to upset me.

I understand that a good ambient temp. I am unsure as to what is better, though I have heard positive pressure (I believe that is more intake than exhaust fans) is better for both cooling and less dust.

I will try to edit my fan curve and see what happens, but isn't what I am doing getting odd results? 74% and still hitting 74c? I am sorry if that is a dumb question, but I am honest in asking.

Also I was thinking of using an exhaust fan in the fractal case and yes I have a lot of room for my case to breath as it is not blocked off by any walls. If you have any suggestions for a good full tower case and good cooling tips for said case or if you suggest the R5 case, please let me know. Thank you for your reply.

 

[getochkn]

Crank your GPU fan to 100%, and then play. And what's the point of getting 230FPS, you monitor can't display them, so you're making your GPU render than many for nothing and thus adding to the heat problem in a way. lol.

FYI, I play overwatch at only about 75 FPS as that's what my GPU can handle and it's water cooled and gets up to 80C sometimes, so 230FPS at 75 degrees is way better than me. lol.

 

[Arbiter051]

Crank your GPU fan to 100%, and then play. And what's the point of getting 230FPS, you monitor can't display them, so you're making your GPU render than many for nothing and thus adding to the heat problem in a way. lol.

FYI, I play overwatch at only about 75 FPS as that's what my GPU can handle and it's water cooled and gets up to 80C sometimes, so 230FPS at 75 degrees is way better than me. lol.

I know what you mean but it still feels smoother to me for some reason XD

 

[Dark Falz]

I find side panel exhausts work well (if you have two of them, use the rear one). Generally the rear case fan is behind the CPU, which directs airflow from the front and bottom of the case. What I found with either no side panel fan or with a side intake is that the hot air from the GPU gets dumped into the CPU area before being exhausted out the back. This makes CPU heat increase a fair bit during gaming because not only is the CPU working hard, the CPU cooler is taking much of the heat the GPU is generating before being pulled out the rear exhaust. I had both GPU and CPU temps drop during gaming just by using a rear side exhaust.

 

[the nerd 389]

For that GPU, the side fan won't make much difference in the R5.

80C is fine for that GPU, and anything less than that tends to be more trouble than it's worth to improve.

That said, if it really bothers you that much, you could always throw a temp sensor in by the GPU and an exhaust fan on the side panel. Use the sensor to control the fan, and you can adjust the fan curves to achieve whatever results you want.

That said, you should really enable V-Sync. It will both improve your temps and give you the smoothest experience with that card at those resolutions. The reason for this is that by not running the GPU for the majority of the frame cycle, it can boost higher when it does draw the frame, and that lets it achieve lower latency between the draw request and frame presentation.