
If you have one less fan, you're going to have an uneven amount of fans, meaning that your choices here are a positive pressure or a negative pressure setup.
#Pc airflow Pc
Here is a diagram of what such a neutral pressure airflow setup looks like in a gaming PC I built for a local one day:
#Pc airflow install
Simply install 3 fans in the front as intakes (meaning they are positioned so that they suck/draw air in from out the front), and then have the other 3 in the rear and top as exhaust fans (pushing air out). With a total of 6 fans to install in your PC, in most PC cases I would personally opt for either a neutral pressure setup, or a slightly positive pressure setup by running the front 3 intake fans slightly faster than the exhaust fans. For example, the NZXT H510 case has been proven in tests to behave better with a negative pressure setup, but that case is an exception to the rule. In most computer cases that is - the odd case out there may be better suited to a negative pressure fan setup, so it does really depend on your case. If you're in doubt, if you have an equal amount of fans to install I would just do a neutral airflow setup, and if I had an odd amount of fans I would do a positive airflow setup. As I said, there's no strong consensus on what the best fan setup is, and if you ask different PC builders you'll get different responses based on their subjective experience. The thing is, computer cases are not air-tight, and any differences in pressure is unlikely to make a big difference on cooling performance and temperatures.īut same goes for dust build-up, many will argue that the whole debate of positive vs negative vs neutral airflow really doesn't matter, and that either method will accumulate the same amount of dust. However, when you look at tests between say positive and negative pressure PC fan setups, there typically isn't a huge difference overall in terms of system temperatures. Not all cases are designed to work well with a negative pressure setup.Ĭomparison of positive (left), neutral (middle), and negative (right) airflow pressure However, how much of a difference a negative pressure setup makes to cooling and temperatures depends on various factors, such as the case in question. This may result in a higher amount of dust being pulled into the system (through gaps in the case), and this is the main downside of a negative pressure setup.īut the potential benefit of a negative pressure setup is that it may be more effective at dispersing hot air within your PC - negative pressure in a PC is generally said to lower internal temperatures relative to positive pressure (because getting hot air out of a case is typically more important overall when compared to drawing more cool air in). Negative pressure airflow occurs when there is more air being expelled from the case than being brought in, which is typically created by having more exhaust fans vs intake fans (but can also be a by-product of having a very breathable case).
#Pc airflow how to
A fan can be installed to be either an intake or an exhaust fan - the orientation that you install it will change its function (see how to install PC fans for more). Exhaust fans are ones that push hot air out of the case, and are typically placed in the rear or the rear-top of the case. Note for Beginners: Intake fans are ones that draw/suck cool air in from outside the case, and are usually installed in the front of a case. Alternatively, you can set your intake fan/s to operate a little faster than your exhaust fans, which will have the same effect (more air in vs out). To setup positive pressure in your PC case, you can install more intake fans vs exhaust fans so that more air is coming in than going out. What positive pressure airflow looks like (more air coming in than out) This can result in a small amount of extra air being trapped inside the case, which can help to prevent dust from entering the system and lead to easier/less maintenance of your PC.

Positive pressure airflow occurs when there is more air being brought into the case than being expelled out. In a computer case, the concept of positive pressure, negative pressure, and neutral pressure refers to the balance of air pressure between the inside and outside of the case. See Also: How to Install Extra Fans in PC

Positive Pressure (more intake fans than exhaust fans).When it comes to PC airflow optimization, you basically have three options: Even if you have more or less fans in your computer (eg 3-4 fans which is very common), the question of where to position your PC fans is something I see people asking all the time. If you have say 5, 6, or 7 fans to install in your PC build, you may wonder what the best fan setup is and where to install them for optimal airflow.
