How To: Properly Plan And Pick Parts For An Air-Cooled PC, Part 1

Features
By published

What better way to wrap up a scorching summer than with a last word on cooling? We explain the most important rules for creating ideal airflow, address the potential effectiveness of side fans, and discuss the finer points of graphics card cooling.

Airflow: Common Installation Errors

Possible Installation and Planning Errors

Planning all of this seems simply enough, but with so many different socket types and unique cooler configurations, it's easy to innocently make mistakes that negatively affect cooling performance.

In our first example, the cooler is mounted horizontally. However, with no top ventilation, heat builds up and gets fed back to the CPU.

In this scenario, the case does feature ventilation up top, but lacks supporting ventilation around back. The air has to take a detour and ends up accumulating behind the cooler.

We recently saw this example on our forum: cool air blows against the influences of convection (and the exhaust fans working futilely). Epic fail, unfortunately.

Igor Wallossek
Igor Wallossek
Contributor

Igor Wallossek wrote a wide variety of hardware articles for Tom's Hardware, with a strong focus on technical analysis and in-depth reviews. His contributions have spanned a broad spectrum of PC components, including GPUs, CPUs, workstations, and PC builds. His insightful articles provide readers with detailed knowledge to make informed decisions in the ever-evolving tech landscape