How many case fans do I need for this build?

marcelkayy · Jan 31, 2015

How many case fans and what kind (intake/exhaust, size and which location) do I need for this build and is the power supply below suitable for the amount of fans I need? Does my motherboard have the right connections for the fans?

[Specifications]
Case: Corsair Spec-01
Processor: i7 2600 sandy bridge (3.4 ghz)
GPU: R9 280 (non x)
Motherboard: Acer ipisb-vr (h67 chipset)
PSU: Seasonic SSR-550RM (80 + gold semi modular)
RAM: 8GB DDR3 (1.33 ghz)

Dark Lord of Tech · Jan 31, 2015

Power supply is great.

At least : 1 top exhaust , 1 rear exhaust , and at least 1 front intake.

The Orig Ralph · Jan 31, 2015

keep in mind that PSU draws air from inside the case if it mounts in the case the way mine did, with the fan opening on the bottom side (i've got the 450W seasonic) so it acts as an exhaust and one helluva of an exhaust pulling a pretty decent volume of air - i don't believe you need two exhaust fans

personally, i'd go with two or three intakes and one top exhaust - my own case, temps didn't drop till i put the 5th intake in, but they're 80 & 60mm fans in a SFF case

marcelkayy · Jan 31, 2015

Does the PSU count as 1 exhaust?

Dark Lord of Tech · Jan 31, 2015

Don't count the heatsink fan , people use different cooling methods.

The Orig Ralph · Jan 31, 2015

marcelkayy :

my point, and what i think a lot of folks miss, is that the psu fan, drawing air out of the case, and it's a strong fan in terms of cfm, is helping create a negative air pressure environment (think in terms of creating a mild vacuum) - that negative air zone makes it harder for the heat sink fan to push air thru the heatsink exchanger fins - if it were a positive air pressure environment, then that would serve to feed the heat sink fan.

it didn't occur to me until i used this small form factor case, where the psu is 1 & 3/16" above the heat sink, and i realized the psu fan was taking air from the heat sink fan, see pix below

any fan pulling air from inside the case and pushing it out is an exhaust fan

my case is the extreme example but the principles still apply - i'd rather have more air being pushed in than pushed out - and not allowing for the psu's fan pulling air from the case and pushing it out is a mistake

my single 80mm exhaust fan is up at the top, above a completely unobstructed area, with a straight shot or view of the motherboard so hot air will rise to the highest point in the case - when my cpu temps were high, i could feel the case around the fan was really warm - as i added intake fans, with each one, the area around the exhaust fan got cooler to the touch. Now at idle, the area around the exhaust fan on the case top feels like it's ambient temp, and under load, never gets as hot as it did before i added the fans.

additionally, graphic card fans are also acting as exhaust fans, albeit exhausting air they've taken from the bottom of the case, where the air is cooler,

and fyi, since that picture, i added a noctua nh-l9i cooler and two 60mm fans then added the 3rd 60mm fan to the case's OEM 3 80mm fans, after i installed a graphics card with two 80mm fans and saw my temps rise some

try installing the fans both ways, and see what kind of temps your cpu shows - that will tell you all you need to know

marcelkayy · Jan 31, 2015

The Orig Ralph :

marcelkayy :

my point, and what i think a lot of folks miss, is that the psu fan, drawing air out of the case, and it's a strong fan in terms of cfm, is helping create a negative air pressure environment (think in terms of creating a mild vacuum) - that negative air zone makes it harder for the heat sink fan to push air thru the heatsink exchanger fins - if it were a positive air pressure environment, then that would serve to feed the heat sink fan.

it didn't occur to me until i used this small form factor case, where the psu is 1 & 3/16" above the heat sink, and i realized the psu fan was taking air from the heat sink fan, see pix below

any fan pulling air from inside the case and pushing it out is an exhaust fan

my case is the extreme example but the principles still apply - i'd rather have more air being pushed in than pushed out - and not allowing for the psu's fan pulling air from the case and pushing it out is a mistake

my single 80mm exhaust fan is up at the top, above a completely unobstructed area, with a straight shot or view of the motherboard so hot air will rise to the highest point in the case - when my cpu temps were high, i could feel the case around the fan was really warm - as i added intake fans, with each one, the area around the exhaust fan got cooler to the touch. Now at idle, the area around the exhaust fan on the case top feels like it's ambient temp, and under load, never gets as hot as it did before i added the fans.

additionally, graphic card fans are also acting as exhaust fans, albeit exhausting air they've taken from the bottom of the case, where the air is cooler,

and fyi, since that picture, i added a noctua nh-l9i cooler and two 60mm fans then added the 3rd 60mm fan to the case's OEM 3 80mm fans, after i installed a graphics card with two 80mm fans and saw my temps rise some

try installing the fans both ways, and see what kind of temps your cpu shows - that will tell you all you need to know

okay

thanks for the detailed answer

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How many case fans do I need for this build?

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