[REQUEST] Do I have these gaming PC fans in the correct orientation?

[Appletax]

Got a new custom gaming PC that the client started building around a year ago and never was able to finish it

It had all the fans sending air backwards with the exception of the left CPU air cooler fan, which was blowing against the right fan. I moved the brackets that attach to the cooler so I could orient the left fan so it sucks air backwards. Now, all fans suck air backwards. Did I do this right? Is this considered a push-pull configuration? Hopefully this will be sufficient cooling when playing games. Has an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and Nvidia 3070 8GB.

Here's what it looks like:

https://imgur.com/393XfSc

There are three front fans, two CPU air cooler fans, and one rear fan.

https://imgur.com/qzjKaP4

 

[britechguy]

Now, all fans suck air backwards.

I'm still not clear from your description what you mean.

For myself, the CPU heat sink fan pushes air over the heat sink (which is why, over time, heat sinks tend to get really dusty). But, it really doesn't matter that much because so long as there is airflow over the fins, regardless of direction, you are getting the cooling from the fan that you're looking for.

As to the rest of the fans, all, but possibly one, should be pulling air OUT of the case. The idea is to maximize the amount of fresh "cool" ambient air drawn in from outside the case through the various openings to that allow that and pulling the hot air that resides within the case out of it. The more "open grate area" you have the more fans should be drawing air out of the case. There are occasions in a setup with as many fans as you have where one can be pulling air into the case, while the remainder are pulling air out of the case.

 

[Metanis]

Generally you draw air across filters into the front of the case and then exhaust air from the back of the case.

Although I routinely disconnect everything but the CPU and PS fans in order to minimize dust inside the case. To me, less dust and debris is worth the reduced raw CFM. But it really depends how heavily the system will be used and how likely the customer will perform cleaning maintenance.

 

[Canadian Tech]

Yes, this would be considered a push pull effect. Some cases do a better job than others but this is the best case senario.

 

[GTP]

It's a gaming PC, so depending on what games he/she is playing, the only thing I would change is to remove the CPU fans/block and replace with a decent water cooling system.

But if the client is playing games like Candy Crush, Farmville etc, then leave it as is.

 

[fincoder]

Generally you draw air across filters into the front of the case and then exhaust air from the back of the case.

This. And to minimise dust there should be more pressure at the front and less pressure blowing out the back. So three intake fans on the front and 1 exhaust fan on the back, means virtually no dust.

 

[fincoder]

depending on what games he/she is playing, the only thing I would change is to remove the CPU fans/block and replace with a decent water cooling system.

A Coolermaster twin-fan tower cooler is pretty good actually. You'd need spend a lot to get a water-cooling system better than that. And there's something to be said for simpler installation and easy replacement of fans etc.

I wouldn't replace that air cooler with a water-cooling system, unless the owner will be over-clocking which is unlikely considering they couldn't even complete the build.

 

[frase]

I find water cooling with the AIO's very noisy at high loads. Simple air cooling is more effective if airflow is consistant and flowing in the manner of the system specs as in case etc. Though AMD is another story, am unsure of current though they do heat up more than Intel based chips under load. I tend to avoid the huge CPU Heatsinks, at times they are totally unneccesary though is up to the user.

In my personal gaming setup -

• Front Fans: Intake fans drawing cool air into the case.
• Top Fans: Exhaust fans pushing hot air out.
• Rear Fan: Exhaust fan also pushing hot air out.

 

[britechguy]

In my personal gaming setup -

• Front Fans: Intake fans drawing cool air into the case.
• Top Fans: Exhaust fans pushing hot air out.
• Rear Fan: Exhaust fan also pushing hot air out.

A recent set of machines I had built was "almost this arrangement." The cases were on feet, and the filter panel slid in at the bottom, so the three bottom fans were intake fans. All others were exhaust.

Regardless of precisely how you do it, air change, and constant air change, within the case is the goal.

 

[Blues]

Along those lines bringing up bottom fans usually Bottom & Front are configured as intake and Top & Back as exhaust.

Certainly there can be exceptions to this and each setup you should look at the whole airflow.