Does case size matter for temperatures?

[Ergroilnin]

Hi there,

 

this is just me being curious, but do properly ventilated cases that differ in size also differ in pc temperatures? Just to make sure, I am asking more about the more "normal" sized PCs, not extremes like full tower with >9000 3k RPM fans or ultra SFF, where everything is within a half cm of each other. And also let me just repeat that I am being simply curious, I am not planning on buying a new case anytime soon (been using NZXT H710i for few years now and even though I know it is not exactly the most airflowy case out there, I like the design and my temperatures are just fine (35-40c CPU, 41c GPU (zero rpm mode) when browsing web and when gaming, never over 80c on either).

 

It may seem like a totally stupid question, but to be honest when I think about it, I cannot really say myself.

 

On one side I'd say that in bigger cases, the higher volume of air helps soaking more heat from components, not to mention the fact that it is possible to use bigger motherboards, thus the components are not so crammed together, so they do not give each other as much heat.

 

On the other side I'd guess that in smaller cases it is easier for fans to move out the heated air more quickly out of the case and pushing fresh, colder air inside faster.

 

Then again if the bigger cases have more fans or 140s instead of 120s, it probably evens out?

 

Last three paragraphs are pretty much my own thoughts, so you can see why I cannot put my finger on the matter myself.

 

Obviously, there will be the extremes, there is the fact that for any proper conclussion it will always depend on the exact case in mind and its fans setting etc. but is there a general rule that most of the time can be used?

 

Thank you for your time and responses.

[Stahlmann]

If you take the Corsair 5000D and the Corsair 4000D for example, the 5000D is better in terms of temps. But it also comes with more fans out of the box. I'd say the difference would still be there if you spec them out with the same fans, but it's debateable if the slight advantage actually matters.

[jaslion]

All that matters is airflow. Bigger cases can have more airflow and thus more fresh air comes in.

 

This is of course based on the assumption that they are all full mesh front.

 

The h710 cools better than than the other h510 simply because it has more holes for airflow because it is bigger. It still has bad airflow but just has access to more air intake than it's smaller version.

[Chris Pratt]

Well, you took out the two extremes, and that's where it matters, mostly on the smaller end.

 

The more tightly you pack the components, the more they share the heat each other give off. Also, smaller cases tend to offer less room for good cooling solutions.

 

Once you get to a compact mid tower size, though, it doesn't really matter any more. At that point, it becomes more about the airflow (openness of the case and size, number, and position of the fans, etc.) 

[Moonzy]

It all depends on the ambient temp inside the casing and how well the air circulates

 

Huge casing will have more volume to soak the heat, but require more time to dissipate the volume of air

Small cases can be better if you can ensure good airflow as the air gets drawn out before it's recycled

 

In the end, as long as your components are at good enough temps, I wouldn't worry about 1-2c