DEBATE: Case fans - BLOW IN or BLOW OUT

[Mr Cherry]

Okay I have to internal case fans. One in front and one on the side. Right now the one on front is blowing in while the side is blowing out. I'm thinking about switching this setup. So, which one is better? IN or OUT?

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[Galen of Edgewood]

Originally posted by Mr Cherry:
Okay I have to internal case fans. One in front and one on the side. Right now the one on front is blowing in while the side is blowing out. I'm thinking about switching this setup. So, which one is better? IN or OUT?



Personally, I'd say have one in the front blow the air into the system, have that side one blowing air into the system (it's above the CPU, right?), and one in the back that is blowing air out.

I would think that this would be the best solution for system cooling, as well as directing the sound away from you.

Now, question is: Is my thinking correct in this matter guys?

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"Being disintegrated makes me ve-ry an-gry!" <huff, huff>

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[InFlames]

I agree that a front fan should alwys suck aisr into the case. A side fan is a more ambigous matter. I think that it shout exhaust if it is above the CPU and intake if it is below the CPU.

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[CaTaLyST]

Here's how i have mine set up...

Intake fan, in the front near the ground...

The fan near the top of the case is blowing air out...

always keep in mind, hot air rises, so have it set up for that...

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[Waterman]

Originally posted by Galen of Edgewood:
Personally, I'd say have one in the front blow the air into the system, have that side one blowing air into the system (it's above the CPU, right?), and one in the back that is blowing air out.

I would think that this would be the best solution for system cooling, as well as directing the sound away from you.

Now, question is: Is my thinking correct in this matter guys?



If you only have 2 fans plus the PSU fan then the front should blow in while the side blows out along with the PSU. If you have three fans and the PSU then front and side in and PSU and rear one should blow out. My $.02 worth.



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[tmjf_sifu]

Originally posted by Mr Cherry:
Okay I have to internal case fans. One in front and one on the side. Right now the one on front is blowing in while the side is blowing out. I'm thinking about switching this setup. So, which one is better? IN or OUT?



i have done a lot of experimenting with case mods (i have the scars to prove it) and have found out a couple things.

i have a 1.2G TBIRD in a KT7Raid board. placed in a noname midtower. it ran in the 60's with only one fan in front pulling air in. i put three more fans in it: 120mm on the side blowing directly on the socket, 120mm on top as a blowhole and another 80mm in the back. the back one is exhausting. the cpu temp is now 18-20C at idle and does not pass 30C after hours of UT. i also put a fat vantec cooler on the cpu. i found that setting the side fan to blow on the cpu produced a 5 degree drop as opposed to exhausting. i never meddled with the blowhole, since having it blow in would only push hot air from the powersource toward the board. this is the fourth case i have modded, and it gets more fun every time. i love dem fans. the whole setup sounds like a mild hairdryer. i have found it helps to put rubber spacers between the fans and the metal. my opinion on the blowin blow out theories is that you should have as much forced flow in the inward direction as possible, air pressure takes care of the exhausting. butttttt, i personally like to have input equal output to minimize turbulence.


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note the consipcuous lack of signature

[Wollington]

According to something I was reading on the AMD site you should have an exhuast fan at the rear of the case. Intake fans at the front often just blow hot air around the case.

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[millerman]

For the side, it depends.

If your heatsink fan is sucking air INTO the heatsink, then make the fan on the side panel suck IN

If your hsf is blowing out, then make ure fan blow OUT

simple as that.
i have a vantec, and its sucking air in, and i have a fan sucking cool air into the case, and my temps are 39 idle, 42 stressed

keep in mind i have a 1.2 tbird, one of the hottest proc.'s out there right now!

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and a LG Flatron 777fn Plus ;)

[anthrax1369]

________ <--- top of case
|PSU |
| |
| |
exhuast ---> | |
| |
| **|
| | FRONT OF CASE
| |
intake ---> | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| ++ |
-------- <--- bottom of case


** CPU w/ heatsink
++ front intake fan

________ <--- top of case
|PSU |
| _|
| |_| <--- exhuast
| |
| |
| **|
| | REAR OF CASE
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
-------- <--- bottom of case

FRONT INTAKE FAN: the reason for havintg this fan is to take in cool air. we all know that hot air raises so since this fan is in the furthest corner of you case very likely that no warm/hot air will be in this area.

SIDE INTAKE FAN: the reason for having this fan intake is because cpu runs hot, yes it's true, and we want cold air in the case so having this fan here it doesnt push the hot air coming off the cpu down onto it again forcing a down draft and having your cpu in warm air. this grabs the cool air air and it is close enough to the heatsink fan that it will grab it soon enogh and throw it on the cpu (cold air on cpu = lower temps http://www.sharkyforums.com/ubb/wink.gif)

SIDE EXHAUST FAN: having this fan here is to force out the hot air coming off of the cpu. the less hot/wamr air in the case the better.

REAR EXHAUST FAN: this area under the psu is a dead spot for warm/hot air and having the fan here will remove most of the air from the case.

Hopefully with these 3 fans you will be able to have a much cooler case!

Hope I have been of help.

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My Rig (http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=7799)

[JuveDuke]

anyone have air filters on the intake fans? Seems as though a lot of dust would come in

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i'll put something here someday

[anthrax1369]

front of case

________ top
|PSU |
| |
|[] | <---side exhaust
| CPU|
| |
|<> | <--- side intake
| |
| |
| ++ | <--- FRONT INTAKE
-------- bottom


back of case
________
|PSU |
|# | <--- exhaust under psu
| |
| CPU|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
--------


hope these pis arent f$#@%d like the other ones!!!!

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My Rig (http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=7799)

[anthrax1369]

[B]CURSES I TRY SO BLEEPING HARD AND STUPID FORMS CAN'T RECOGNISE SPACES!!! DAMMIT!!! WELL THOSE PICS ARE SUPOSED TO BE CASE DIAGRAMS WITH FAN LAYOUTS. I HOPE SOME1 CAN FIND THE BEAUTY IN MY HARD WERK!


ARGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH

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My Rig (http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=7799)

[JuveDuke]

look for white's diagram that he made in paint, its somewhere in the cpu forum.

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i'll put something here someday

[Triforce]

I have 3 80mm fan, i only use 2. There are 2 in the low-front, 1 active blowing air in. 1 in the back(right blow PSU) blowing air in. I have full tower with grates on the side of the case. Only the PSU blows out. My temp stays around 40c.

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