Opinions as to if I need more fans

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MazerRakham

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Feb 22, 2012
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I wanted opinions as to whether or not I needed any additional fans for my current setup.

My hardware is as follows:

CPU - Intel Core i7-12700K Alder Lake (12th gen)
Cooler - Noctua NH-D15S
Case - Corsair 750D Airflow Edition
GPU - Asus ROG STRIX 3090
Fans - 2 front intake fans : CORSAIR ML140 LED Elite (82.9 CFM)
2 rear exhaust fans : Noctua NF-A14 PWM (82.52 CFM)

I have included a diagram roughly depicting my current case setup:

fan-diagram-jpg.jpg



My question is, would an additional 120mm fan underneath my graphics card help? And by how much? The fans of the graphics card draw in air to cool the GPU, so a bottom intake fan makes some intrinsic sense, however I have seen other people post that the "turbulence" created by an intake fan underneath a graphics card is counterintuitively bad for the card's temps.

Additionally, if I had an intake fan at the bottom, should I then put an additional exhaust fan at the top?

P.S. the question marks (?) on the diagram depict where I'm thinking of getting fans.

Thanks in advance.
 
I have no idea, but it would be super easy to document your temps while running a benchmark then just throw a fan down there without mounting it and compare it. I'd be interested in the result.
 
If anything, I would maximize number of fans to minimize the noise per volume of air moved. Many slow spinning fans are quieter than a few fast moving ones.
 
Tsumi said:
If anything, I would maximize number of fans to minimize the noise per volume of air moved. Many slow spinning fans are quieter than a few fast moving ones.
Click to expand...
^^This^^...which is true IF noise is a concern for you...if it is not, then I say stick with what you've got unless your cpu/gpu temps are too high right now..

Generally, more airflow is better in most situations. And since you have 140mm fans everywhere already, I would recommend using the same size for the other 2 additional fans if possible, to keep everything balanced & smooth overall. I'm assuming that you have removed all the drive cages in the front & bottom to make room for the 2 new fans, which will allow for very good airflow potential...

Given that your case is relatively large and spacious, the real question is whether or not the 2 additional fans will make a significant difference in temps to be worth the time & money of installing them, which can only be verified thru testing with & without them...

If you want/need a couple of used Corsair AF140's to try this out, let me know, as I have several that I am not using ATM & could let go for minimal cost :)
 
If your temps & noise are OK now, I'd leave it as is. If not, then try adding an intake fan at the bottom first. There are enough holes in the case that static pressure (i.e., heat buildup) shouldn't be an issue, especially if you can run the rear fans faster than the front ones....
Also, I agree with others: Benchmark CPU & GPU temps before & after for comparison.

Edit: If you can fit an extra 140mm bottom and 120mm top, that would be perfect.
 
thats a personal opinion that youre gonna need to try out. its fine the way it is but could be cooler/quieter....
 
The top right fan I would run as intake. My secondary rig has it that way. If there is a bottom intake additional add it. Looks good.
 
I tried all sorts of configurations and found this one works best for me, very similar to what you drew out:

IMG_1188.jpeg
 
1. Only as good as ambient temperature.
2. Fans can get expensive maybe look at AIO instead. My 2 ML 140mm cost about 70 USD.
3. Unless your rig is throttling too much "measurabrating" on temps, just enjoy the 390.
 
I've personally found that once you have decent airflow adding extra fans doesn't do much. You can conduct a test where you run all at near silent vs. 100% and see how much temps change.
 
You don't need any. They're nice to have. For me, it's more about the amount of airflow at a given noise level. If you have more fans, then they don't need their curve to be as aggressive.

My PC is completely silent at idle and mildly noisy when playing games like Alan Wake 2. I notice a lot of people don't tune their airflow or pay attention to it. If you're happy with what you got, then that's all that matters. I'm an A/V nerd. I like a quiet PC, and I hate headphones. I like using high end home theater speakers in an acoustically treated room. Every fan slot is filled with the best fan (or similar) that I could find.
 
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