80 mm fans question

[JonC]

Just got this new case(building a pc for my aunt) that has a fan on top and one on the side. Now are these fans supposed to blow air into or out of the case or it doesn't matter?

[morphid]

Just got this new case(building a pc for my aunt) that has a fan on top and one on the side. Now are these fans supposed to blow air into or out of the case or it doesn't matter?

the top one should definitely be used as an exhaust fan, as warm air rises. the side one should be used as an intake, if at all. side fans are often accused of disturbing airflow inside the case (if you have intake in the front and exhaust at the back, which is recommended).

[Nater]

Does the case have a place in the front, preferably towards the bottom, to place a fan? Ideally you'd want a fan placed in the lower front portion of the case pulling air in, and a fan towards the top on the back of the case pushing it out.

For reference, usually the side of the fan with the logo/sticker on it is the direction air goes into it, with the opposite side being the direction it blows.

[ChaosEnsues]

Blow air in the side hole to cool the graphics card, and out the top to vent the CPU area.

[JonC]

I have a 120 mm intake fan, 120 mm exhaust fan and a 80 mm side fan.

[ChaosEnsues]

That should be more than enough airflow. What's the case, specifically? The best bet is to intake in the front bottom, intake on the side, and pull it out through the top blowhole (or the back of the case if you don't have a blowhole).

[JonC]

Thats exactly what I have except the top blow hole. Regarding buying fans, is there a brand you guys like to get or it doesn't really matter when it comes to case fans?

[Nater]

Thats exactly what I have except the top blow hole. Regarding buying fans, is there a brand you guys like to get or it doesn't really matter when it comes to case fans?

I've used and like Panaflo(120mm), Nexus(both 80mm and 120mm), Arctic Cooling(120mm) and Yate Loon(120mm).

I used to use Sunon fans exclusively a few years ago, but by today's standards they're far too loud. They do move a lot of air though. I've also heard good things about Silverstone's fans and also Zalman, which manufactures the Yate Loon units.

[ChaosEnsues]

As far as fans, just look for something with low decibels. You're not running anything really hot so you don't need a lot of performance, just try to keep the noise down. I run 7 coolermaster 120mm - they're low noise and move a fair amount of air.