This is quite possibly the silliest and most embarrassing issue I've had crop up yet with my build, but I feel it necessary to rectify sooner rather than later, and am here for some expert input on case fan installation.
My current build has been working a treat so far, despite a few road bumps that were really just learning curves for it being my first build. The entire build is completed however at present there are no case fans installed, simply a fan on the CPU radiator. Without fans, my CPU tends to hover mostly around 60 degrees C on games like CS:GO, but I would much prefer if that temperature was as close to ambient as possible using fans. I've measured the case fan areas on the rear and top, each one is of a consistent size to fit a 120mm fan. I can't actually measure the front section though, because the front of the case doesn't seem to come off at all, and I can't reach inside to measure the grate where the fan goes without removing the side panel. That's where the first of my issues lies: I don't exactly know how to install an effective fan for air intake that will give me the best results. Based on the case design, air can come in from either the top or bottom slots of the front of the case, but there doesn't seem to be all that much room. Based on this, would it be wise to install a static pressure fan to force more air in? This leads to the next part. I can very easily install a static pressure fan on the rear slot behind the CPU radiator to keep that flowing, and I imagine I can also install a static pressure fan on the top of the case as an exhaust fan. They are both in proximity to CHA_FAN1 on the MOBO (Asus Prime B250M-Plus) which is a 4 pin, so will I be able to join them with some form of adapter to plug 2 exhaust fans into 1 port? I can only see 2 fan ports on the board since CPU_FAN is already in use, and the user guide provided states that there are only CHA_FAN 1 and 2. I would have liked to have 2 intake fans and 2 exhaust fans for optimal airflow, but because of the curveball that the front of the case threw me, I'm not sure what would really be best. Case specs specifically state:
Cooling Front: 3 x 12cm Fan (Not Included)
Cooling Top: 1 x 12cm or 1 x 14cm Fan (Not Included)
Cooling Rear: 1 x 12cm Fan (Not Included)
Cooling Side: 2 x 12cm Fan (Not Included)
Cooling Bottom: 2 x 12cm Fan (Not Included)
So, what's the best solution? Would I benefit from static pressure intake fans on the front to counter the obstruction, or is the design specific enough that airflow is actually suitable on it's own? Also, how does one exactly install 3 12cm fans on the front given the obstructions? The HDD sits at the bottom so it is isolated from the airflow area, and by estimation the grate on the front interior seems to fit at most a 14cm radiator, with design to accommodate a 12cm one in it's place. This case and it's listed specs are awfully confusing, and have really thrown a wrench in the works, so much so that I just bypassed it instead of holding off on the build until such times as I had a solution. I can't really go about replacing the case because I'd need to move all of the contents over which is tedious and will cost me even more. You can find attached some photos I took myself of the interior as well as the stock photos from a site I found that listed specs of the case. Any solutions for me?
My current build has been working a treat so far, despite a few road bumps that were really just learning curves for it being my first build. The entire build is completed however at present there are no case fans installed, simply a fan on the CPU radiator. Without fans, my CPU tends to hover mostly around 60 degrees C on games like CS:GO, but I would much prefer if that temperature was as close to ambient as possible using fans. I've measured the case fan areas on the rear and top, each one is of a consistent size to fit a 120mm fan. I can't actually measure the front section though, because the front of the case doesn't seem to come off at all, and I can't reach inside to measure the grate where the fan goes without removing the side panel. That's where the first of my issues lies: I don't exactly know how to install an effective fan for air intake that will give me the best results. Based on the case design, air can come in from either the top or bottom slots of the front of the case, but there doesn't seem to be all that much room. Based on this, would it be wise to install a static pressure fan to force more air in? This leads to the next part. I can very easily install a static pressure fan on the rear slot behind the CPU radiator to keep that flowing, and I imagine I can also install a static pressure fan on the top of the case as an exhaust fan. They are both in proximity to CHA_FAN1 on the MOBO (Asus Prime B250M-Plus) which is a 4 pin, so will I be able to join them with some form of adapter to plug 2 exhaust fans into 1 port? I can only see 2 fan ports on the board since CPU_FAN is already in use, and the user guide provided states that there are only CHA_FAN 1 and 2. I would have liked to have 2 intake fans and 2 exhaust fans for optimal airflow, but because of the curveball that the front of the case threw me, I'm not sure what would really be best. Case specs specifically state:
Cooling Front: 3 x 12cm Fan (Not Included)
Cooling Top: 1 x 12cm or 1 x 14cm Fan (Not Included)
Cooling Rear: 1 x 12cm Fan (Not Included)
Cooling Side: 2 x 12cm Fan (Not Included)
Cooling Bottom: 2 x 12cm Fan (Not Included)
So, what's the best solution? Would I benefit from static pressure intake fans on the front to counter the obstruction, or is the design specific enough that airflow is actually suitable on it's own? Also, how does one exactly install 3 12cm fans on the front given the obstructions? The HDD sits at the bottom so it is isolated from the airflow area, and by estimation the grate on the front interior seems to fit at most a 14cm radiator, with design to accommodate a 12cm one in it's place. This case and it's listed specs are awfully confusing, and have really thrown a wrench in the works, so much so that I just bypassed it instead of holding off on the build until such times as I had a solution. I can't really go about replacing the case because I'd need to move all of the contents over which is tedious and will cost me even more. You can find attached some photos I took myself of the interior as well as the stock photos from a site I found that listed specs of the case. Any solutions for me?
