Hi! I currently have this build using the GT502 case.
I just recently got 3 more case fans. Previously it was set up like this:
I think that for some reason the temps got worse and the PC much louder. It might just be buyer’s remorse but I got more fans so that they could use less RPM and be quieter, but I feel like the complete opposite has happened.
Can I change anything about this layout to optimise airflow? I was thinking of maybe switching the side panel fans to exhaust? That might starve the CPU cooler, though…
Maybe I’m just imagining things and I just need to perform exact tests to figure it out. What do you use for testing airflow effectiveness?
UPDATE:
The issue was weirder than I would’ve thought. The bottom 3 fans are controlled by one motherboard channel using a PWM splitter cable. The rear and side panel fans are the same - one channel for all 3. Previously I had just the rear exhaust plugged in to a single channel but now it’s plugged into the splitter.
Apparently the order of the fans in the splitter is VERY important. I changed it so that the rear fan is the first in the splitter and that instantly fixed the issue. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This reminded me that I too probably have a bad airflow.
I did optimize curves for silence when not gaming but with helldivers I noticed I am hitting just a bit too high temps on CPU then I am used to.
I have two 140mm front coolers, and 240 liquid top-mounted CPU cooler (2x 120 coolers, pushes air out through the radiator), no exhaust fan but the fractal north case has pretty open back side so the theory was that whatever extra pressure there is it’s going to out the back but I think the front intake fans might not be configured properly (3080 and lightly undervolted 13900kf).