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Top fan - blowing in or out?
Name: zg2000 Date: April 23, 2009 at 22:23:20 Pacific OS: Windows XP Subcategory: Cooling
Comment:
I have a problem that's been annoying me regarding the air flow of my computer case. I have a Coolermaster CM690. It has a lower front fan (in), 1 side fan (in), 1 rear fan (out). I recently added a Coolermaster V8 to cool the CPU better, and the guy at the shop suggested I add another fan at the top of the case (blowing in). So i did. Now I have 3 fans blowing in and only 1 fan as exhaust. Is this ok? (Btw, I had a look on Wikipedia "Computer cooling" and they had a diagram for a typical ATX case which showed the airflow of the top fan blowing out.) I'm confused.
Name: Cobra_R Date: April 23, 2009 at 22:37:17 Pacific
Reply:
The guy at the shop was wrong. The top ventilation fan is always suppose to blow out considering heat rises, which is similar to how a roof ventilation on a house works. Not to mention if it's blowing in you are disrupting your air flow throughout your case.
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Response Number 2
Name: jam Date: April 24, 2009 at 04:51:04 Pacific
Reply:
Tests have shown that the only cooling fan that's really necessary is a rear exhaust fan. Front intake fans offer little or no benefit, side panel fans are disruptive & should NOT be used. If a top fan is used, it should be an exhaust, not an intake...that's why it's referred to as a "blow hole".
Name: Cobra_R Date: April 24, 2009 at 11:24:32 Pacific
Reply:
I agree with jam. Only BTX motherboards needed a front intake fan. ATX motherboards don't.
Iron Sharpens Iron.
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Response Number 4
Name: plyduster Date: April 24, 2009 at 19:41:32 Pacific
Reply:
The only benefit I've noticed a front intake fan has on my computer is that it keeps my hard drives cooler. Of course, this is all dependent upon case design and where the drive cage is located relative to the front intake fan.
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