Case Fans placement

[crowz9]

Hi everyone,

My case can support 4 fans.

It has one slot in the back, one on the bottom, and two on the side.

I bought a Topower Ep500pm PSU and it has 4 molex connectors.

The motherboard has one 3pin connector, also to connect a case fan.

I was thinking of putting one in the back as exhaust, and the rest as intake.

About the size, the slots have a reasonable size, except the one in the back which is bigger. I think any 80mm or 70mm should fit.

Should I place the fans that way?

PD: don't ask me the brand of the case, it's generic.

 

[inzone]

Does the psu get mounted at the bottom of the case or the top?

The fan slot at the bottom may be for the fan on the psu if the psu is to be mounted at the bottom of the case.
What about the front , there is usually a spot for a fan in the front of the case.
If as I had sad the fan slot at the bottom is for the psu then that leaves the two on the side and the one at the back , so with that arrangement the two on the side would be intake and the one in the rear would be exhaust. The average standard case fan is 80mm but more and more case manufacturers are useing 120mm fans and some even bigger than that. So I'm thinking that the rear fan may be able to hold a 120mm fan and the two side ones could be 80mm. Did the case come with any fans or do you have to buy all of them , that would be unusual as every case comes with at least one.
Even a generic case is made by someone and it would be nice to be able to look up the case so I could see the fan placement myself.
If you could answer the several questions I have then I can get a better idea of the case and what you should do.

 

[HEXiT]

typical setup is front, bottom and side inflow while back, top and psu are outflow.
try to balance the cfm as best you can to have a slightly positive pressure in the case as that will stop dust getting sucked in on the case seams and other vents.
the psu will likely vary the cfm as it speeds up and slows down on a heat cycle so take that into consideration when you setup the fans.
try to get fans that can be used with a fan controller so you can turn them up when your gaming and down when your watching a movie 900-2000rpm 35-75cfm 120mm will likely be best as they typicaly produce less motor/air noise, as they dont need to spin as fast to produce the same air flow as 80mm fans. also 80mm fans tend to top out at about 40-45cfm and thats pretty much just the starting point of 120mm fans.
fluid dynamic bearing fans are the quietest and can be had in variable speed, problem is there relatively expensive £15/$22-£40/$60 each.
as basic 3 fans, controller can be had for as little as £10/£15 but be aware of the wattage it can handle. some only handle 10 watts but 3 good quality case fans can exceed 25w. so match the controller to the total draw of the fans b4 you decide on what to buy.
so to round up. if your case can handle them, get 120mm fans all round, get high cfm variable speed with fluid dynamic bearings. oh and if you dont already have em. get filters. they will reduce the overall time you spend on maintenance.

 

[crowz9]

Does the psu get mounted at the bottom of the case or the top?

The fan slot at the bottom may be for the fan on the psu if the psu is to be mounted at the bottom of the case.
What about the front , there is usually a spot for a fan in the front of the case.
If as I had sad the fan slot at the bottom is for the psu then that leaves the two on the side and the one at the back , so with that arrangement the two on the side would be intake and the one in the rear would be exhaust. The average standard case fan is 80mm but more and more case manufacturers are useing 120mm fans and some even bigger than that. So I'm thinking that the rear fan may be able to hold a 120mm fan and the two side ones could be 80mm. Did the case come with any fans or do you have to buy all of them , that would be unusual as every case comes with at least one.
Even a generic case is made by someone and it would be nice to be able to look up the case so I could see the fan placement myself.
If you could answer the several questions I have then I can get a better idea of the case and what you should do.

The PSU has a strange location, given that is located below the hard drive bay facing the bottom of the case.
About the front, no there isn't any slots available.
The bottom fan is located in the middle of the case floor.
Regarding the size of the slots. I've tried measuring them with a metric ruler but I don't get any of the standard sizes. From where to where do I have to measure in order to know which fan size fits in that slot?
The case, like I said is generic, and I can't even find it on the brand's website. It didn't come with any fans.
I can take a few pictures of the case if that helps!!!

 

[inzone]

On a 120mm fan the screw holes will be 150mm apart if you measure diagonaly across the opening. The 120mm is the diameter of the circle where the fan sits. The same goes for the 80mm being the diameter of the opening where the fan sits. The 80mm fan has the screw holes 100mm apart when measured diagonaly across the opening.
To start off I would put a fan in the bottom of the case and another one in the rear of the case and see how that goes with air flow and the temps inside the case. If needed you can then add fans in the side panel.

 

[crowz9]

Best answer selected by crowz9.