Airflow pattern suggestions

[shoeb]

Hi guys, im using an antec nx 200 case with pretty mediocre airflow.

This is the case

while gaming my GPU temps crosses well over 80 degrees celsius.

so option for casing fans are:

1 at rear

2 at top

1 at front

now please suggest me the best airflow pattern and fan face directions and how many fans should i use for best airflow.

 

currently setup is:

2 intake from top, 1 exhaust at rear.

what should i change from them??

TIA

[Skiiwee29]

Upgrade your case first.. or remove the front panel and place 2 fans at the front and 1 rear. That front panel is horribly restricted. So your best option is to remove it, or modify it to open it up significantly to allow better access to air with the front intake. 

[WoodenMarker]

Specs? 

[LogicalDrm]

Front intake, rear exhaust. In current config your GPU isn't getting any fresh air.

[Pickles von Brine]

Get a better case first. However, if not an option:

Front - Intake
Rear - Exhaust
Top - Exhaust. 
If PCIe brackets are not vented, remove them. Negative pressure from the extra exahaust fans will pull fresh air to the GPU. 

Alternative, remove the side panel, turn all fans into intake. Leave it and move on. Fans will create moving air currents and fresh air can be had with the side panel off. Did this for years in a cheap case. 

[DragonTamer1]

That case can't breathe, there is only so much you can do with it.

 

Try a rear intake, top rear intake and leave the remaining slots open. Face the CPU cooler towards the back of the case. This is the only way I can think of where you are even going to get some air flowing around the GPU.

[LogicalDrm]

1 hour ago, DragonTamer1 said:

That case can't breathe, there is only so much you can do with it.

 

Try a rear intake, top rear intake and leave the remaining slots open. Face the CPU cooler towards the back of the case. This is the only way I can think of where you are even going to get some air flowing around the GPU.

Eh, what? Can you draw sketch where you show how rear and top rear intake will bring any air even close to GPU which has its fans facing PSU shroud? And CPU cooler faces rear by default, mounting it other way would make 70% of this forum crap themselves because "GPU radiates hot air".

[DragonTamer1]

1 hour ago, LogicalDrm said:

Eh, what? Can you draw sketch where you show how rear and top rear intake will bring any air even close to GPU which has its fans facing PSU shroud? And CPU cooler faces rear by default, mounting it other way would make 70% of this forum crap themselves because "GPU radiates hot air".

The rear tip fan will help push air down from the rear fan by displacing some of it. The top fan will also blow air down the side of the case. Another top fan as an intake might help but I don't think the case will be able to exhaust air at that point.

 

If the OP hase a tall GPU that sits close to the side pannel, he's pretty much screwed.

[LogicalDrm]

55 minutes ago, DragonTamer1 said:

The rear tip fan will help push air down from the rear fan by displacing some of it. The top fan will also blow air down the side of the case. Another top fan as an intake might help but I don't think the case will be able to exhaust air at that point.

 

If the OP hase a tall GPU that sits close to the side pannel, he's pretty much screwed.

No, thats not going to work. GPUs have intaking fans, regardless if its blower or open-air style cooler. Your scheme is expecting that air from rear intake would magically get drawn by GPU fans from other side of the card. In reality CPU coolers fan will take most of incoming air and suck/blow it through heatsink. And then to any exhaust. If there aren't any exhaust or any other fan other side of that CPU cooler, then natural air movement takes place (which is usually irrelevant). Meaning that hot air goes up. Which in turn means that GPU is still getting no cool air to be used.

This is actually very good video showing how air moves from fan to fan. It doesn't show how GPU moves air, which is shown better in this:

 

In order to GPU getting any air, fans need to be placed at same level or lower than PCB of the card. So that fans can suck the air in. PSU shrouds may look cool and neat, but actually harm cooling performance as they will block come of front intake potential and eliminate using bottom intake completely.

 

So in order for your scheme to work, there would need to be fan on the other side of CPU cooler directing airflow to GPU. In which case having front intake fans and CPU cooler towards rear (default positioning) becomes much better option overall. For your scheme to work, GPU would need to have fans pointed upwards. This means that case would have to support inverted layout, which it doesn't (there are very few which do).