Hi, I'm an HVAC expert, and I found this very interesting from an HVAC standpoint. It actually is probably most efficient to have just the front and back fans, because the back fan pulls cooler air across the mobo. Having the top fan like you said, just pulls air straight out of the top before it has a chance to take any heat off of the mobo. referred to as a short circuit. The air from the top front fan is effectively useless in the setup with front, rear, and top fans. Additionally the top front fan is probably THE most effective fan in the system given it's positioning to the mobo when there isn't a top case fan. A couple configurations worth trying; if you have the top fans on, reverse the back fan so it's an intake, and all the air is exhausted out of the top, this will result in turbulence around the cpu, but will probably result in the most effective mobo cooling solution. Another option albeit more complicated, a baffle in the case that would go from the top of the front fan and angle maybe 35' downward past the first top fan would direct the front fan air directly to the mob, and then the top fan would pull it back out the top. I'm actually watching this video because I am refreshing my PC with this case and a CPU liquid cooler that has 2 top fans. If I feel up to it I'll install a baffle and maybe share the results with you if you're interested. Because the 2 top fans will be pulling air directly off the CPU with the liquid cooler, it won't be as much of an issue having the top/front fans short circuit, but it is still a waste of efficiency from the standpoint that the top front fan in the case is doing next to nothing while there is a top exhaust fan. Thanks for the video.
I agree, for a total air cooling setup I have found that a slightly positive front intake to negative rear exhaust setup is more efficient at blowing cool air across the components and cooler heatsink while also drawing heat away through the exhaust fan, the trick is to make sure that all of the case fans are the same make and model, I've been building PC's for 25 years or so and this configuration works well in most tower cases, and Is my standard go to setup for cooling and dust prevention.
I think part of the reason that he was seeing this is because of the stock CPU cooler that blows air directly at the motherboard. I'd like to see this test with a tower air cooler and aio.
I think it's worth noting that the reason the back end was a little tower for the top fan configuration was because they were actually sucking the hot air from the GPU up and out of the case instead of the GPU recycling its own hot air like in the others.
I have a similar setup only have 2x200mm front intake. The top two fans, I got the first one as intake and the one above cpu as exhaust. Works indeed better than having both top fans exhausting.
I wonder if 3 front intake fans + 1 rear exhaust fan while having the top of the case completely sealed would help make sure the air from the front fans would flow easily through the case towards the rear
Love the visualisation. Super interesting to see that none of the configurations affected gpu temp much at all. Would adding fans to the bottom of the case affect gpu temp? You commented about the different airflow patterns you'd want for an AIO, I'd be really curious what would happen with a tower cooler as well.
the only reason the GPU temp didn't change is because I was stress testing it at 100% the entire time. if it was just normal use you would see a difference, I'll include some normal gaming situations in my next tests so you can see the difference
I had tried both set up for the top fans. If it pushes air in, CPU runs cooler, if it pulls out air, GPU runs cooler. This experiment shows why, airflow does matter. Air filters should be installed on the top fans if air goes in so as to minimize dust build up. Personally, I had them as exhaust fans as my case were cooler to touch particularly in the glass panel where the GPU is.
I have this case with a 280mm AIO and I changed the config several times and my best results is front fans intake. Top AIO intake and rear fan exhaust. This gave me drastically better cpu temps. The gpu temps really didn’t change much no matter what I did.
Fantastic video, I'm aiming to pick up a 4000x for my upcoming build and this is precisely what I wanted to know. Seems like with all fans installed it's a slightly negative pressure system, easily corrected with a bit of fan curve adjustment.
This helped me decide. For my 4000D with a NH-D15, I shall now proceed to employ two front NF-A14 intake fans and one rear NF-A12 exhaust; and, I shall let the positive pressure do its thing to exhaust passively through the top. I believe in doing only that which is necessary and sufficient, and I lean towards a quieter solution that gets the job done. If need be, I shall add an NF-A14 top/rear to diminish peak temperature spikes.
Same as I do with the NF A12x25 (because they work better than the A14) but I also added 1 slower running top fan for "dust exhausting". Are 2 in better or more optimal than 3 in?
@@tobireindl the 3rd intake fan would be front-bottom, which would be largely blocked by the PSU shroud of 4000D. BTW, my build is complete with 5800X3D and 3070 Ti, and CPU temperature does not exceed 70C at full stress test with fans remaining inaudible. Amazingly good.
@@Chris.Brisson Okay thank you, but 3 in did not make any difference in my tests (thought I was wrong there) because it is blocked, as you already said correctly. Think I will stay with the way I currently have it and I cannot get more than 50-55° at all - maybe because of my 4070 Ti. 😅
Fantastic demonstration. Now I'm curious about what might happen if you had the front top fan (relative to the front of the case) as intake, with the rear one as exhaust.
Tysm for doing this!! Just bought this case exactly with an AIO. I'm wondering if frontmost top mounted AIO fan was oriented as an intake with rear most as exhaust along with an exhaust fan at the back of the case? 🤔 if you have the time to test maybe just update us in the comments if a staggered top fan orientation was beneficial?
This is my exact set up with an LC360. Great temps, I lowered RPMs of the exhausts and raised the AIO intakes so it creates positive pressure. They’re in ‘super quiet’ mode. Everything OC’d I’m idling 29C on GPU, 31C CPU. Load I reach 55-60C GPU, 50-58C CPU. 3070Ti Strix and a 3700X with an LC360 Strix cooler.
I'd like to see how this test would be affected by a cooler master hyper 212 cpu cooler pushing the air to the back exhaust...is it then worth mounting the fans on the top?
Love the smoke test and the different fan configurations. Wish more pc case reviewer would do the smoke test to give viewers a better visualization of the case's airflow. Good job guys.
Great video, loved the visualisation! I am wondering if the main purpose for the two fans at the top is mainly liquid cooling. As the first fan is only getting fresh air fed right into it, this would be great for a 240mm radiator. Would like to hear your thoughts on this. :)
you could have slid the placement of the top fans further to the back so the front fans air pressure gained a little more momentum before getting exhausted..
Enjoyed your video! Would've been nice to see all the possible combinations and specs revealed as well. For instance, what effect would it have on the temperatures inside the case to have a 1700RPM exhaust fan and keep the average corsair fans in front, or relocating a front fan to the exhaust, or all previous tests but with a Noctua CPU Cooler which usually come with dual fan configurations. Would've been nice to know the fans speeds as well.
I've done this test with the same fan configuration and got the same result, I even flip the fan on the top front to be the intake to see what happens and I got even worse temp with it so I zip tied that fan on the back on my CPU cooler tower and add two more at the bottom to help feed the GPU and two exhaust fans(1 rear and 1 top)
really ive had different experiences, recent i upgraded the intake fans in my theramltake h200 case, its a solid front panel, so i bought 3 artic p 12 in the front of the case now, i took the faceplate off the case and added mesh to it, and i also flipped my top front exhaust to intake. my top back is exhaust, rear is exhaust, im also running a sama aircooler on my cpu. rn under load im averaging 48 to 54 degrees underload. just idling im averaging 34-38 depending on background apps on idle. so my therory is the 3 artic p12s are static pressure fans, the other 3 are airflow, but i think the static pressure helps hold the cold air in the front when the top airflow fan is pushes fast and swirling it around
So basically Fractal Torrent is the perfect airflow case. Unless you lower the RPM on the upper intake fans there isn't enough time for the cooler air to cool the GPU and CPU. Big 180 fans to cool the CPU mainly and bottom set 140 to cool the GPU with the exhaust to move the hot around near the top.
Would an all out push setup be viable? Where as much air is being removed from the case as possible. (Idrc that much for aesthetics) Just want it to cool as much as possible. The Case I'll be using is the Phanteks G500A if that helps.
Very interesting. I've been a bit too obsessed about case airflow lately. Not just as a newfound PC-enthusiast, but as an engineering student. I was even thinking about designing some cases in CAD and looking into doing CFD simulations. (Which I might still do). But this did the job even better, and for the almost the exact case I've bought as well. The 4000D Airflow, but with a tower cooler. So the mesh front will add more front to rear flow, with which the tower cooler will interfere somewhat. But it's close enough. I'll do the front to rear setup, no top exhaust towards the rear. I love the work you put into this. I'm subscribed 👍
You could make a killing selling cases to miners. The only good server cases with somewhat good airflow for multiple gpus are sold overseas in bulk at high price.
i really liked those tests. im curious however, how those results would differ with a 240 or 360mm radiator mounted on the top, considering there would be 2 or 3 fans at the top exhausting, but with the resistance of the radiator ridges.
It could be interesting to test the flows with thermal vision camera to clearly see, if any hot air is intaken into the case again eg reverse from exaust fan into the under-GPU area.
Question: *Are the three front fans in motion, facilitating an "airflow" that directs air into the computer, or are they idle and not participating in this experiment?*
ye the slots under the GPU (in the back) i just add transparent tape to close all those holes and the result was just amazing, many times if the open holes around the case are not in use should be sealed with a simple piece of tape, inside the tower( when using intake fans and exhaust fans properly) you will have the best cooling machine, i say it because years of experience and error trials. great video
Am I drunk or the front 3 fans isn't turning at all @ 8:50,12:54 and 13:15? At 10:10 and 11:38 I can definitely see the rear and top exhaust fan spinning but the front one isn't lol.
Damn i purchased 3 extra fans. Tempted to use the top one at the front to pull in more air and mat help cold air travel all the way through the case before being pulled out
Hi WePC, your airflow test videos are so awesome! Really adds another perspective to things. Was wondering if you could consider doing a video on a Small Form Factor case, specifically the Tecware Fusion. Just a thought. Keep up the good work!
Idealy you'd have a PC case that cycles air in under the GPU towards the front, then a fan blowing up from underneath the front, then 1 top front fan intake blowing over the MoBo, then out the back top again. It'd essentially be a backwards C airflow, with the GPU partitioning the air qithin the centre C. Alas, we'd need another fan mount instead of PCIe brackets.
i understand this video is a bit old but why not put intake on the top? i have a 4000D AF case and i saw a 5-10C drop in GPU temp from setting my rad as intake push on the front with 2 140mm fans, 2 140mm fans as intake on the top and 1 120mm exhaust on the rear. initial setup had the 2 top fans as exhaust, as is the commonly accepted "correct" orientation. but like i said, thermals were better when flipping those two fans to intake because as you noted, when they are exhaust, the fan coming in from the front gets sent out the top immediately.
This was very informative, although airflow is complex and very dependent on case and hardware configuration. I keep seeing builds with like 10 fans which seems like just a waste of money as a good amount of fans will simply intake and exhaust between each other without that airflow actually hitting any components. It seems like GPU cooling tends to fall off with this standard case design. I would love to see a ducted fan setup directing air to the GPU to see if that actually helps as there really isn't any airflow down below the GPU from any of the case fans. The recirculation of exhaust air from the rear fan back down through the rear panel being drawn up through the GPU is not ideal.
I just got this case and the reason I watched the vid was I wanted to see the best configuration without a aio cooler. My theory was 4 intakes and 2 exhausts. So front 3 intake 1st slot at top intact to the 2 top exhaust snd rear exhaust. Also I was thinking of just 5 fans with the front top being covered so increases airflow. Let me know what you think . My system won't be used for heavy gaming I only play bfv and wow at the mo
I want the 4000x because I have loads of icue stuff. Only thing that's not is my case which is a be quiet purebase 500DX. I'm not sure what's best now as it would be purely for looks and better cable management
16:33 I was looking for other stuff and completely by chance found this hahaha I have the same case, and build based on my experience and videos about air flow the exactly "best configuration" you tested and proved. Dual fan AIO in the top and a exhauster in the back =)
did it not occurred to you that you have to block unused holes so the air from the top front fan does not escape right away? Also, tower cooler would be a lot better (and prevent air sucking in)
You should have done this with a tower cooler. The stock cooler messes up the airflow of the front fans Basically it should be 2-3 front intake fans Tower cooler (pushes front airto the BACK of the case/heat off the cpu) 1(or 2 fans if configuration allows) exhaust fan(taking all air out the back of the case.) But what do I know, lol
Could you do this exact test for the BeQuiet Dark Base 700 and with an AIO? Thats the case I recently got and the temperatures I get are just out of the ordinary. Many people have problems with heat development in this case so I think you would be of great help to all of us!
Makes me think if you do put a case fan on the back, you should have it pushing in like the front fans, instead of sucking out the back. To increase more positive air pressure, to push it out ever crack and out the top and out the empty PCIe slot holes and even be assisting the GPU fan and PSU fan and make them spin just a little faster. You want turbulent air pushed in, rather than smooth air sucked out. Air is turbulent after a fan, but smooth while being pulled into it.
Maybe add low RPM as consideration would be good idea too, since this this kinds of PC case kinda nice for silent build. In that 'case' the air probably won't immediatelly get sucked to the sky.
I wonder if using 140mm for intake and 120mm for exhaust would circumvent the effect of that top intake air being immediately exhausted. Another thing maybe would be to put the intake fans in a "standard" config and exhaust fans in a "quiet config" another way of possibly getting the cool air further into the case before it is exhausted. Awesome tests!
i'd say, logically thinking, having 1 rear exhaust fan and 1 top exhaust fan at the very back might be better. compaired to 2 top, 1 rear. you want to let the air have a chance of getting to your cpu also you can play around with the fans. im putting higher capacity/airflow at the front so its positive air pressure. combined with low pressure, high flow fans as exhaust (1 top, 1 rear)
@@appakinggghave this case and tried it with 2 140 front 2 120 (top and rear) also with 3 120s front and 2 120s rear. The 3 120s front and 2 120s rear did a much better job than the 2 140 and 2 120 rear. The 140s at the front its still good but not as good.
@@justanobody4983 interesting. Yes 120's got more pressure for sure but noisier. I wonder if you put a custom fan curve to match same DBA and then test temps again. Im running 2x 140 in front and 1rear/top exhaust 120. Quality fans and specs really matter moreso than the size.
i have the same case but using an NZXT Kraken X53 RGB 240mm CPU Liquid Cooler located on the top and an exhaust fan which really did make a difference to temps when added . annoyingly corsair should supply the matching exhaust fan with the case instead of having to purchase another especially for what the case costs
Thank you for making this video. This is everything I was looking for and more. I received the case wondering whether I needed extra fans or not. An oversight on my part, not checking if all fans were included.
I have a little problem with the case because of my Deep Cool AK500. I have 3 front fan for air intake and 1 top and 1 rear Corsair fan for air outtake. The Ak500 cpu cooler fan point the air to the back and I want to add another cpu cooler fan, but it will be going against the direction of the rear fan. What should I do?
Please test non traditional layout MATX or ITX case. I have Corsair 280X so I would like to know which configuration is the best. It is known to have limited airflow because of tempered glass at both the front and the top. But it is interesting case since the PSU is in separate chamber. So there are two fan slots at the front, two at the top, and two at the bottom.
My prebuilt came with 3 front fans and 2 fans at the top with no fan on the back, should I install an exhaust fan at the back. Same case btw with 3080.
I have the same problem with my Corsair 400x case. I've noticed my CPU was a lot warmer with 2x top exhaust fans. If my system isn't set up for water cooling, how would you recommend that I install my fans? One top exhaust fan at the rear, one rear exhaust fan, and 3 front intake fans?
I'm thinking front bottom fan to blow outside, giving a route for the hot air from the GPU fans out of the case.. or intake top and back exhaust to fronot... copu is anyway under postive presure due to fan... but this way there is a flow inside the case that works with the direction of the GPU and CPU fans. Starting to miss those old side intakes from the 90s? PS I have same gfx card. I woulkd also take temps in the PSU compartment... I've had expensive experience with PSU dying of heat taking out everything with it in a loud BANG
I decided to keep my top case fan off and just leave the rear fan on. Got better temps with this configuration, I have the kraken x63 cooler and fans in front. Idle temp for my gpu is now 42c now instead of hopping back and forth between 45c and 50c. Very surprising to see these results just from changing the air flow direction by turning off a fan.
what if we reversed the top fans to also intake air, so now you have the front fans and top fans taking in cold air. Would it be too much for the back exhaust fan to get rid?
With GPU fan blowing Up, front intake blowing to rear, and top intake blowing down, you'd get a pocket of turbulent air that would most likely remain in area of CPU/GPU for longer resulting in even higher temps, as well as some extra noise from the turbulent air pocket. With the Down draft CPU cooler, the dual exhaust, one up one rear with 3 intakes in front is the best option. It's when you change the CPU fan style to a tower cooler with single or double rear blowing fans that you'll see a new result. I've had similar tests with tower fans where not having the second top exhaust caused a small influx of extra heat due to turbulent air caused by the last GPU fan closest to the front. My Current setup has 5 intake fans and 4 exhaust fans, 3 Front intakes, 2 backside on AIO, 3 top exhaust and one rear exhaust fan. I wasn't sure I'd get popper cooling however, since the second set of side intakes is through the CPU AIO, it creates the slightly positive pressure I wanted with the front fans being less restricted cause no AIO and allows them to sort of break up the AIO heat once system is heat soaked. Getting pretty constant 30-32 at idle and tops out at 60 on CPU running a full heavy test run. GPU stays constant at mid 60's with just fans, as I've not decided to go with a full water loop as of yet. Honestly with just CPU AIO, and the temps I'm getting, I'm not sure I'd even want to run a custom loop because It seems a waste at this point minus just the visuals. Wasn't really sure on the case when I got it either, but Segotep T3 with the 3 Angled adjustable fan vents on the front is actually not bad. Was mostly interested in its look. While more or less hoping it would allow for good airflow with its odd setup. I mean, it can run 3x360 AIO or radiator blocks, with 1-2 rear fans as well, was a fun build, sorta like taking the O11 Evo and giving it extras with a slightly smaller side footprint.
Do gpus push the air out through the top or the sides? I have a 3070 gigabyte gpu and it has a shroud on top so my guess is that the air was released to the sides instead of the top.
gpu trying to suck air from the back corner of the case. My idea is Try to give the intake fan on corner + debris filter in there.. Maybe there was a good result?
I have an artic 3 liquid cooler 360mm with the intake fans. And I have 3 exhaust, would it be better to switch the closest to the intake fans to an exhaust as well? I’m new to PC building and maintaining so just asking to learn.
Hi, I'm an HVAC expert, and I found this very interesting from an HVAC standpoint. It actually is probably most efficient to have just the front and back fans, because the back fan pulls cooler air across the mobo. Having the top fan like you said, just pulls air straight out of the top before it has a chance to take any heat off of the mobo. referred to as a short circuit. The air from the top front fan is effectively useless in the setup with front, rear, and top fans. Additionally the top front fan is probably THE most effective fan in the system given it's positioning to the mobo when there isn't a top case fan.
A couple configurations worth trying; if you have the top fans on, reverse the back fan so it's an intake, and all the air is exhausted out of the top, this will result in turbulence around the cpu, but will probably result in the most effective mobo cooling solution.
Another option albeit more complicated, a baffle in the case that would go from the top of the front fan and angle maybe 35' downward past the first top fan would direct the front fan air directly to the mob, and then the top fan would pull it back out the top.
I'm actually watching this video because I am refreshing my PC with this case and a CPU liquid cooler that has 2 top fans. If I feel up to it I'll install a baffle and maybe share the results with you if you're interested. Because the 2 top fans will be pulling air directly off the CPU with the liquid cooler, it won't be as much of an issue having the top/front fans short circuit, but it is still a waste of efficiency from the standpoint that the top front fan in the case is doing next to nothing while there is a top exhaust fan.
Thanks for the video.
I agree, for a total air cooling setup I have found that a slightly positive front intake to negative rear exhaust setup is more efficient at blowing cool air across the components and cooler heatsink while also drawing heat away through the exhaust fan, the trick is to make sure that all of the case fans are the same make and model, I've been building PC's for 25 years or so and this configuration works well in most tower cases, and Is my standard go to setup for cooling and dust prevention.
I think part of the reason that he was seeing this is because of the stock CPU cooler that blows air directly at the motherboard. I'd like to see this test with a tower air cooler and aio.
I think it's worth noting that the reason the back end was a little tower for the top fan configuration was because they were actually sucking the hot air from the GPU up and out of the case instead of the GPU recycling its own hot air like in the others.
I learned more from this video than 20 other videos combined. Automatic sub! Thanks!!
I have a similar setup only have 2x200mm front intake. The top two fans, I got the first one as intake and the one above cpu as exhaust. Works indeed better than having both top fans exhausting.
I wonder if 3 front intake fans + 1 rear exhaust fan while having the top of the case completely sealed would help make sure the air from the front fans would flow easily through the case towards the rear
I wanted to see the top fans pulling air inside test :(
Heat naturally rises so that is going against the natural flow of things, it'd do something but probably not as good
Not worth it
@@cowmath77 he’s right. Why would you go against the natural flow of heat? That’s just unnecessary stress on your fans?
@@cowmath77 sounds like someone’s projecting. If you think cold rises then you’re just ignorant to basic thermodynamic
@@cowmath77 correct. Radiator should get the coolest air possible. Always. Top as intake right out the back exhaust.
Love the visualisation. Super interesting to see that none of the configurations affected gpu temp much at all. Would adding fans to the bottom of the case affect gpu temp?
You commented about the different airflow patterns you'd want for an AIO, I'd be really curious what would happen with a tower cooler as well.
the only reason the GPU temp didn't change is because I was stress testing it at 100% the entire time. if it was just normal use you would see a difference, I'll include some normal gaming situations in my next tests so you can see the difference
I had tried both set up for the top fans. If it pushes air in, CPU runs cooler, if it pulls out air, GPU runs cooler. This experiment shows why, airflow does matter. Air filters should be installed on the top fans if air goes in so as to minimize dust build up. Personally, I had them as exhaust fans as my case were cooler to touch particularly in the glass panel where the GPU is.
I have this case with a 280mm AIO and I changed the config several times and my best results is front fans intake. Top AIO intake and rear fan exhaust. This gave me drastically better cpu temps. The gpu temps really didn’t change much no matter what I did.
Fantastic video, I'm aiming to pick up a 4000x for my upcoming build and this is precisely what I wanted to know. Seems like with all fans installed it's a slightly negative pressure system, easily corrected with a bit of fan curve adjustment.
14:41 I wanted to see everything the same as here except you change the top right one blowing down so the cold air isn’t leaving soon!
I just bought this case and this video was exactly what I needed. Thank you!
This helped me decide. For my 4000D with a NH-D15, I shall now proceed to employ two front NF-A14 intake fans and one rear NF-A12 exhaust; and, I shall let the positive pressure do its thing to exhaust passively through the top. I believe in doing only that which is necessary and sufficient, and I lean towards a quieter solution that gets the job done. If need be, I shall add an NF-A14 top/rear to diminish peak temperature spikes.
This is exactly what I’m planning on doing as well.
Same as I do with the NF A12x25 (because they work better than the A14) but I also added 1 slower running top fan for "dust exhausting".
Are 2 in better or more optimal than 3 in?
@@tobireindl the 3rd intake fan would be front-bottom, which would be largely blocked by the PSU shroud of 4000D. BTW, my build is complete with 5800X3D and 3070 Ti, and CPU temperature does not exceed 70C at full stress test with fans remaining inaudible. Amazingly good.
@@Chris.Brisson Okay thank you, but 3 in did not make any difference in my tests (thought I was wrong there) because it is blocked, as you already said correctly. Think I will stay with the way I currently have it and I cannot get more than 50-55° at all - maybe because of my 4070 Ti. 😅
Fantastic demonstration. Now I'm curious about what might happen if you had the front top fan (relative to the front of the case) as intake, with the rear one as exhaust.
I have the same question
Intake will pull the exhausted hot air, so the hot air will not get chance to cooldown and it will create negative pressure inside case.
Tysm for doing this!! Just bought this case exactly with an AIO. I'm wondering if frontmost top mounted AIO fan was oriented as an intake with rear most as exhaust along with an exhaust fan at the back of the case? 🤔 if you have the time to test maybe just update us in the comments if a staggered top fan orientation was beneficial?
I was literally just talking about this configuration with one of our PC builders the other day. I'll test it on a future video
This is my exact set up with an LC360. Great temps, I lowered RPMs of the exhausts and raised the AIO intakes so it creates positive pressure. They’re in ‘super quiet’ mode. Everything OC’d I’m idling 29C on GPU, 31C CPU. Load I reach 55-60C GPU, 50-58C CPU. 3070Ti Strix and a 3700X with an LC360 Strix cooler.
I'd like to see how this test would be affected by a cooler master hyper 212 cpu cooler pushing the air to the back exhaust...is it then worth mounting the fans on the top?
Love the smoke test and the different fan configurations. Wish more pc case reviewer would do the smoke test to give viewers a better visualization of the case's airflow.
Good job guys.
What if you had air coming in the front and back, but out the top?
wanted to see that too. This test is lacking other configurations.
Great video, loved the visualisation! I am wondering if the main purpose for the two fans at the top is mainly liquid cooling. As the first fan is only getting fresh air fed right into it, this would be great for a 240mm radiator. Would like to hear your thoughts on this. :)
That exact concern is addressed towards the end of the video.
This was awesome. So glad I stuck around till the end because I have this case with 5 fans. Going with that setup you showed. Thanks!!
did you end up going with that set up? how was it?
you could have slid the placement of the top fans further to the back so the front fans air pressure gained a little more momentum before getting exhausted..
I enjoy this channel. It's excellent for us DIY enthusiasts. It feels like you're doing things just as I would at home. Thank you.
Enjoyed your video! Would've been nice to see all the possible combinations and specs revealed as well. For instance, what effect would it have on the temperatures inside the case to have a 1700RPM exhaust fan and keep the average corsair fans in front, or relocating a front fan to the exhaust, or all previous tests but with a Noctua CPU Cooler which usually come with dual fan configurations. Would've been nice to know the fans speeds as well.
I've done this test with the same fan configuration and got the same result, I even flip the fan on the top front to be the intake to see what happens and I got even worse temp with it so I zip tied that fan on the back on my CPU cooler tower and add two more at the bottom to help feed the GPU and two exhaust fans(1 rear and 1 top)
really ive had different experiences, recent i upgraded the intake fans in my theramltake h200 case, its a solid front panel, so i bought 3 artic p 12 in the front of the case now, i took the faceplate off the case and added mesh to it, and i also flipped my top front exhaust to intake. my top back is exhaust, rear is exhaust, im also running a sama aircooler on my cpu. rn under load im averaging 48 to 54 degrees underload. just idling im averaging 34-38 depending on background apps on idle. so my therory is the 3 artic p12s are static pressure fans, the other 3 are airflow, but i think the static pressure helps hold the cold air in the front when the top airflow fan is pushes fast and swirling it around
This was found just in perfect time, and we opted for the aio on the top, fantastic post.
So basically Fractal Torrent is the perfect airflow case. Unless you lower the RPM on the upper intake fans there isn't enough time for the cooler air to cool the GPU and CPU. Big 180 fans to cool the CPU mainly and bottom set 140 to cool the GPU with the exhaust to move the hot around near the top.
Would an all out push setup be viable? Where as much air is being removed from the case as possible. (Idrc that much for aesthetics) Just want it to cool as much as possible. The Case I'll be using is the Phanteks G500A if that helps.
got this case and my husband told me I didn't need to buy a fan for the back, this video has proved my case that we do need one lol
Can u add a score at the end comparing cases like the doug score
No problem, I'll do it on the next episode, next week!
Very interesting. I've been a bit too obsessed about case airflow lately. Not just as a newfound PC-enthusiast, but as an engineering student. I was even thinking about designing some cases in CAD and looking into doing CFD simulations. (Which I might still do). But this did the job even better, and for the almost the exact case I've bought as well. The 4000D Airflow, but with a tower cooler. So the mesh front will add more front to rear flow, with which the tower cooler will interfere somewhat. But it's close enough. I'll do the front to rear setup, no top exhaust towards the rear. I love the work you put into this. I'm subscribed 👍
You could make a killing selling cases to miners. The only good server cases with somewhat good airflow for multiple gpus are sold overseas in bulk at high price.
Doing those on ANSYS would take quite a while
i really liked those tests. im curious however, how those results would differ with a 240 or 360mm radiator mounted on the top, considering there would be 2 or 3 fans at the top exhausting, but with the resistance of the radiator ridges.
The case only supports 280 on the top, not 360, so, you can mount 2x140/2x120
Is this case good?
I'd be curious what kind of change you see with a pass-through dual fan cpu cooler would make
Yes! This is the config i have right now. 3 front, 2 top, 1 back, and Dual fan CPU cooling.
It could be interesting to test the flows with thermal vision camera to clearly see, if any hot air is intaken into the case again eg reverse from exaust fan into the under-GPU area.
Nice one with only 1 fan on the top, was thinking the same, now I see it really works with smoke, thanks
thinking of making my first two fans on the aio as intake, and the last third as exhaust next to back exhaust.
Question: *Are the three front fans in motion, facilitating an "airflow" that directs air into the computer, or are they idle and not participating in this experiment?*
Test the fractal design meshify 2 compact. It's one of the best cases on the market and would definitely be interesting to see results for it.
ye the slots under the GPU (in the back) i just add transparent tape to close all those holes and the result was just amazing, many times if the open holes around the case are not in use should be sealed with a simple piece of tape, inside the tower( when using intake fans and exhaust fans properly) you will have the best cooling machine, i say it because years of experience and error trials. great video
Am I drunk or the front 3 fans isn't turning at all @ 8:50,12:54 and 13:15? At 10:10 and 11:38 I can definitely see the rear and top exhaust fan spinning but the front one isn't lol.
Good job. Who would have thought that taking out a fan actually made for lower temps in the case.
Thanks!
Thanks for the donation buddy! It means a lot!
@@WePC keep up the fine work
P400A
id also be interested if a tower cpu cooler does the job of the rear fans in an open case like this
Damn i purchased 3 extra fans. Tempted to use the top one at the front to pull in more air and mat help cold air travel all the way through the case before being pulled out
Hi WePC, your airflow test videos are so awesome! Really adds another perspective to things. Was wondering if you could consider doing a video on a Small Form Factor case, specifically the Tecware Fusion. Just a thought. Keep up the good work!
I'd have loved to have seen the top fans as intakes instead of exhausts. A lot of the exhaust at the top was the recently pulled in cool air.
Awesome episode, this was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for the explanation.
I would suggest that it would be very useful to put the temp probe in front of the GPU fans (below the GPU). That's a key point of measure.
At 12:15 why are you saying thirty point zero five when it says 30.5 not 30.05😅
Idealy you'd have a PC case that cycles air in under the GPU towards the front, then a fan blowing up from underneath the front, then 1 top front fan intake blowing over the MoBo, then out the back top again. It'd essentially be a backwards C airflow, with the GPU partitioning the air qithin the centre C. Alas, we'd need another fan mount instead of PCIe brackets.
i understand this video is a bit old but why not put intake on the top? i have a 4000D AF case and i saw a 5-10C drop in GPU temp from setting my rad as intake push on the front with 2 140mm fans, 2 140mm fans as intake on the top and 1 120mm exhaust on the rear. initial setup had the 2 top fans as exhaust, as is the commonly accepted "correct" orientation. but like i said, thermals were better when flipping those two fans to intake because as you noted, when they are exhaust, the fan coming in from the front gets sent out the top immediately.
Do it with the psu fan up and down please
the PSU fan should always be pointing down
This was very informative, although airflow is complex and very dependent on case and hardware configuration. I keep seeing builds with like 10 fans which seems like just a waste of money as a good amount of fans will simply intake and exhaust between each other without that airflow actually hitting any components. It seems like GPU cooling tends to fall off with this standard case design. I would love to see a ducted fan setup directing air to the GPU to see if that actually helps as there really isn't any airflow down below the GPU from any of the case fans. The recirculation of exhaust air from the rear fan back down through the rear panel being drawn up through the GPU is not ideal.
I just got this case and the reason I watched the vid was I wanted to see the best configuration without a aio cooler. My theory was 4 intakes and 2 exhausts. So front 3 intake 1st slot at top intact to the 2 top exhaust snd rear exhaust. Also I was thinking of just 5 fans with the front top being covered so increases airflow. Let me know what you think . My system won't be used for heavy gaming I only play bfv and wow at the mo
I want the 4000x because I have loads of icue stuff. Only thing that's not is my case which is a be quiet purebase 500DX. I'm not sure what's best now as it would be purely for looks and better cable management
16:33 I was looking for other stuff and completely by chance found this hahaha
I have the same case, and build based on my experience and videos about air flow the exactly "best configuration" you tested and proved. Dual fan AIO in the top and a exhauster in the back =)
Exactly what I was looking for… subscribed
Please do a video on the CORSAIR CARBIDE 600C this case gives me more questions than answers.... Thanks!
So glad you did this and found a good video on this. Just bought a 3070ti and some extra fans and wanted a good config.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
did it not occurred to you that you have to block unused holes so the air from the top front fan does not escape right away? Also, tower cooler would be a lot better (and prevent air sucking in)
Why not also try intakes at the top. So 2 front intake, 2 top intake and one back exhaust?
You could always just lower the fan speed on the top front fan.
You should have done this with a tower cooler.
The stock cooler messes up the airflow of the front fans
Basically it should be 2-3 front intake fans
Tower cooler (pushes front airto the BACK of the case/heat off the cpu)
1(or 2 fans if configuration allows) exhaust fan(taking all air out the back of the case.)
But what do I know, lol
Could you do this exact test for the BeQuiet Dark Base 700 and with an AIO?
Thats the case I recently got and the temperatures I get are just out of the ordinary. Many people have problems with heat development in this case so I think you would be of great help to all of us!
Makes me think if you do put a case fan on the back, you should have it pushing in like the front fans, instead of sucking out the back. To increase more positive air pressure, to push it out ever crack and out the top and out the empty PCIe slot holes and even be assisting the GPU fan and PSU fan and make them spin just a little faster. You want turbulent air pushed in, rather than smooth air sucked out. Air is turbulent after a fan, but smooth while being pulled into it.
Maybe add low RPM as consideration would be good idea too, since this this kinds of PC case kinda nice for silent build.
In that 'case' the air probably won't immediatelly get sucked to the sky.
Would rather have seen it with the cooler at the top. Great work.
I wonder if using 140mm for intake and 120mm for exhaust would circumvent the effect of that top intake air being immediately exhausted. Another thing maybe would be to put the intake fans in a "standard" config and exhaust fans in a "quiet config" another way of possibly getting the cool air further into the case before it is exhausted. Awesome tests!
i'd say, logically thinking, having 1 rear exhaust fan and 1 top exhaust fan at the very back might be better. compaired to 2 top, 1 rear.
you want to let the air have a chance of getting to your cpu
also you can play around with the fans. im putting higher capacity/airflow at the front so its positive air pressure. combined with low pressure, high flow fans as exhaust (1 top, 1 rear)
@@appakinggghave this case and tried it with 2 140 front 2 120 (top and rear) also with 3 120s front and 2 120s rear.
The 3 120s front and 2 120s rear did a much better job than the 2 140 and 2 120 rear. The 140s at the front its still good but not as good.
@@justanobody4983 interesting. Yes 120's got more pressure for sure but noisier. I wonder if you put a custom fan curve to match same DBA and then test temps again.
Im running 2x 140 in front and 1rear/top exhaust 120.
Quality fans and specs really matter moreso than the size.
i have the same case but using an NZXT Kraken X53 RGB 240mm CPU Liquid Cooler located on the top and an exhaust fan which really did make a difference to temps when added . annoyingly corsair should supply the matching exhaust fan with the case instead of having to purchase another especially for what the case costs
Great video youve helped me decide where to place my AIO thank you
Try top fans ang front fan intake and 1 rear exhaust.
Thank you for making this video. This is everything I was looking for and more. I received the case wondering whether I needed extra fans or not. An oversight on my part, not checking if all fans were included.
I have a little problem with the case because of my Deep Cool AK500. I have 3 front fan for air intake and 1 top and 1 rear Corsair fan for air outtake. The Ak500 cpu cooler fan point the air to the back and I want to add another cpu cooler fan, but it will be going against the direction of the rear fan. What should I do?
Please test non traditional layout MATX or ITX case. I have Corsair 280X so I would like to know which configuration is the best. It is known to have limited airflow because of tempered glass at both the front and the top. But it is interesting case since the PSU is in separate chamber. So there are two fan slots at the front, two at the top, and two at the bottom.
My prebuilt came with 3 front fans and 2 fans at the top with no fan on the back, should I install an exhaust fan at the back. Same case btw with 3080.
Nice build thinking of mounting top front as extra in take as my AIO is front mounted.
How about intakes at the bottom?
However this is exactly what I was looking for cuz I've got this exact setup.
Love the fog test. Thanks
Wouldn't the enclosed air from the cardboard box be warmer than the actual room temp?
What about top right fan as intake and top left fan as outtake?
How about both front and back intake, and only only exhaust?
Hi What programs are you using to do this test. Whats the best way to make the flog test. What a cool test.
this is what im looking for, thanks for the guide
Please review a Protolyth Slate case with dual 280 mm radiators.
what if you put the fans on the top as intake opposed to exhaust fans? would that still work with just 1 exhaust fan?
Amazing video! I’ve learned alot! More soon? Fractal Torrent possibly?
Hello great test I had seen before, a question do you think that a watercooling in 280 would pass on this kind of box thank you
I have the same problem with my Corsair 400x case. I've noticed my CPU was a lot warmer with 2x top exhaust fans. If my system isn't set up for water cooling, how would you recommend that I install my fans? One top exhaust fan at the rear, one rear exhaust fan, and 3 front intake fans?
I'm thinking front bottom fan to blow outside, giving a route for the hot air from the GPU fans out of the case.. or intake top and back exhaust to fronot... copu is anyway under postive presure due to fan... but this way there is a flow inside the case that works with the direction of the GPU and CPU fans. Starting to miss those old side intakes from the 90s? PS I have same gfx card. I woulkd also take temps in the PSU compartment... I've had expensive experience with PSU dying of heat taking out everything with it in a loud BANG
Why not have a small fan at the back short end of the case below the gpu pushing out? Try it.
How about testing ASUs Helios? But with aio cooler gpu and cpu maybe?
I decided to keep my top case fan off and just leave the rear fan on. Got better temps with this configuration, I have the kraken x63 cooler and fans in front. Idle temp for my gpu is now 42c now instead of hopping back and forth between 45c and 50c. Very surprising to see these results just from changing the air flow direction by turning off a fan.
my case is the nzxt h510 flow
Definitely need to do the P360A since we been staring at its' box for 3 videos
what if we reversed the top fans to also intake air, so now you have the front fans and top fans taking in cold air. Would it be too much for the back exhaust fan to get rid?
With GPU fan blowing Up, front intake blowing to rear, and top intake blowing down, you'd get a pocket of turbulent air that would most likely remain in area of CPU/GPU for longer resulting in even higher temps, as well as some extra noise from the turbulent air pocket. With the Down draft CPU cooler, the dual exhaust, one up one rear with 3 intakes in front is the best option. It's when you change the CPU fan style to a tower cooler with single or double rear blowing fans that you'll see a new result. I've had similar tests with tower fans where not having the second top exhaust caused a small influx of extra heat due to turbulent air caused by the last GPU fan closest to the front.
My Current setup has 5 intake fans and 4 exhaust fans, 3 Front intakes, 2 backside on AIO, 3 top exhaust and one rear exhaust fan. I wasn't sure I'd get popper cooling however, since the second set of side intakes is through the CPU AIO, it creates the slightly positive pressure I wanted with the front fans being less restricted cause no AIO and allows them to sort of break up the AIO heat once system is heat soaked. Getting pretty constant 30-32 at idle and tops out at 60 on CPU running a full heavy test run. GPU stays constant at mid 60's with just fans, as I've not decided to go with a full water loop as of yet. Honestly with just CPU AIO, and the temps I'm getting, I'm not sure I'd even want to run a custom loop because It seems a waste at this point minus just the visuals. Wasn't really sure on the case when I got it either, but Segotep T3 with the 3 Angled adjustable fan vents on the front is actually not bad. Was mostly interested in its look. While more or less hoping it would allow for good airflow with its odd setup. I mean, it can run 3x360 AIO or radiator blocks, with 1-2 rear fans as well, was a fun build, sorta like taking the O11 Evo and giving it extras with a slightly smaller side footprint.
Do gpus push the air out through the top or the sides? I have a 3070 gigabyte gpu and it has a shroud on top so my guess is that the air was released to the sides instead of the top.
You got a new suscribe !!! Awesome test and transparency!!!
With an aio at the top would u mount the fans soming off at the bottom of case if so in which orientation thanks
Is it not worth putting a fan blowing in at the back at the bottom if it pull air from the back anyway then have 2 top and one top back exhuast
gpu trying to suck air from the back corner of the case.
My idea is
Try to give the intake fan on corner + debris filter in there..
Maybe there was a good result?
how about installing 360 aio at front panel and tow fan at top for insert air to case and one exhaust fan at back of the case?
Is it just me or are the fans at the front of the case not spinning in the first smoke test?
Extremely helpful, thanks.
ty for this video, was exactly what i needed to hear for my case as im running the same setup and thinking of going aio up top 👍
I have an artic 3 liquid cooler 360mm with the intake fans. And I have 3 exhaust, would it be better to switch the closest to the intake fans to an exhaust as well? I’m new to PC building and maintaining so just asking to learn.