Advice on optimal cooling fan arrangement for planned GPU upgrade

[PandemicPCNoob]

Hello, I am hoping to get some help with making sure I have the most optimal fan arrangement for my gaming PC. I especially want to make sure my PC is adequately ventilated as I plan to upgrade the GPU to either a 3080 or 3070, so am concerned about how my setup might handle the extra heat load.

I got this computer about 6 months ago, and is my first ever gaming PC, so I am completely new to all this. This was a ‘build to order’ system that I purchased from Memory Express, as I didn’t feel ready to build my own PC from scratch (and, in terms of the specs, this is all I could afford at the time). I have been monitoring my temps using HWinfo64, and so far I have not had any issues with excess GPU, CPU, or motherboard temperatures while playing Shadow of the Tomb Raider, while stress testing with Cinebench, Intel Burntest, OCCT, etc. I want to upgrade the GPU though, as I am currently gaming at 1080p, and want to upgrade my monitor to an ultra-wide 1440p (as well as be able to take advantage of ray tracing for some of the games I play).

However, now that I am slowly starting to learn more about my PC, I am a bit curious about the current fan arrangement (see pic for reference, including airflow arrows I added for clarity). The h110 radiator is mounted vertically at the front, with the two 140mm radiator fans pushing air OUT through the front grill, the single 120mm top fan is pulling air IN, and the rear 120mm fan is pushing air out. But wouldn't it make much more sense for the radiator fans to bring air in at the front, with the top and rear fans pushing air out?

I am also wondering if it would be best to install an additional fan to the top of the case for additional airflow.

If anyone could offer advice that would be greatly appreciated. And again, this is all new to me, am happy to forward on any additional details if needed.

 

System details:

i5 9600kf (overclocked to 4.8 Ghz), cooled with Corsair h110

MSI z-390-a pro

Gigabyte GTX 1660 SUPER OC, overclocked to 1830 Mhz boost clock (using MSI Afterburner)

Corsair Vengeance DDR4, 3200MHz, 16GB (XMP profile enabled)

WD blue nvme m.2 ssd 1tb

Corsair Carbide Spec-Omega case

Thermaltake 600w (will upgrade at same time as GPU)

 

 

[narrdarr]

2x front intake

1x rear exhuast

1x top rear exhaust

[Jumballi]

2x top exhaust for radiator
2x in front for intake

You don't want hot air from rad going to all the other components

[Deli]

21 minutes ago, Jumballi said:

2x top exhaust for radiator
2x in front for intake

You don't want hot air from rad going to all the other components

A major misconception. Unless the CPU is 10900k at 5.3GHz drawing 250w. Most CPU in 100-150w power consumption doesn't generate a lot heat. The air coming out of the radiator is barely above room temperature even when the CPU is under full load.

 

Don't believe me? Put your hand behind the rad and feel the air coming out of it.

[PandemicPCNoob]

4 minutes ago, Deli said:

A major misconception. Unless the CPU is 10900k at 5.3GHz drawing 250w. Most CPU in 100-150w power consumption doesn't generate a lot heat. The air coming out of the radiator is barely above room temperature even when the CPU is under full load.

 

Don't believe me? Put your hand behind the rad and feel the air coming out of it.

Thanks for clarifying this, makes sense to me, and yes with the current configuration (radiator fans blowing out) I've noticed the air exhausting out the front isn't very warm, even during stress testing.
Either way, I can't position my radiator to exhaust out the top, it is unfortunately a limitation of these cases that there isn't enough clearance to mount a 280mm radiator at the top.

[PandemicPCNoob]

51 minutes ago, narrdarr said:

2x front intake

1x rear exhuast

1x top rear exhaust

Thanks!

[Deli]

1 minute ago, PandemicPCNoob said:

Thanks for clarifying this, makes sense to me, and yes with the current configuration (radiator fans blowing out) I've noticed the air exhausting out the front isn't very warm, even during stress testing.
Either way, I can't position my radiator to exhaust out the top, it is unfortunately a limitation of these cases that there isn't enough clearance to mount a 280mm radiator at the top.

Put the rad in front or top is fine either way. It doesn't affect the temperature inside the case too much, as long as you have good enough exhaust fans.

[Jumballi]

45 minutes ago, Deli said:

A major misconception. Unless the CPU is 10900k at 5.3GHz drawing 250w. Most CPU in 100-150w power consumption doesn't generate a lot heat. The air coming out of the radiator is barely above room temperature even when the CPU is under full load.

 

Don't believe me? Put your hand behind the rad and feel the air coming out of it.

Either way rad in front blocks air flow in, versus blowing out doesn't matter as much. It's slightly more efficient.

[Deli]

7 minutes ago, Jumballi said:

Either way rad in front blocks air flow in, versus blowing out doesn't matter as much. It's slightly more efficient.

I think there is no one-size fit all answer. The two components that generate most heat is CPU and GPU. You can have a 100w CPU with a 350w GPU, vs another system a 250w CPU with a 150w GPU.