Adequate and sufficient cooling is necessary to maintain ideal performance and prevent damage from excessive overheating.
But one question remains for beginners and PC enthusiasts: how many fans should they use for better cooling?
So, lets begin.
How Does the Airflow Work on a PC?
Proper airflow is crucial to prevent overheating and ensure the parts safety and longevity.
Fan Size
When it comes to PC fan dimensionssize matters.
Most PC cases come with one or multiple pre-installed fans.
But to give the best cooling performance, they arent sufficient enough.
The fan comes in various dimensions, ranging from 40mm to 200m.
80mm, 120mm, 140mm, and 200mm are the most common PC case fan sizes.
The fan size determines the cooling capacity by providing airflow or static pressure.
Thats what the intake and exhaust fan does.
Intake Fans:The intake fans are typically located at the front and side.
It pulls the cool air from outside and passes inside the computer case.
Multiple intake fans can be placed to create positive pressure in a case.
Exhaust Fans:The exhaust fans are generally placed at the rear and top of the PC case.
It expels the hot air created by the components and prevents overheating.
Front and Rear Configuration:Its another common fan configuration, mostly used in entry-level PC and pre-configured cases.
The front usually consists of two fans creating positive pressure and one rear creating negative pressure.
If you have a low-budget build, it’s possible for you to go with this arrangement.
But for the high-end configuration, you should choose a better one.
But this configuration can benefit your PC if you have a sound air circulation system at the front.
Top and Bottom Configuration:The chimney configuration is opposite to the front-rear configuration.
It creates a straight entry and exit from bottom to top.
This configuration isnt suitable for most PC arrangements.
But it can give better results if you have a vertically mounted graphics card.
Rear Fan Only:The single rear fan setup solely emits the hot air from the PC.
Its suitable for the low configuration PC, which doesnt require much cooling performance.
I guess youve already decided which fan configuration you want to go with!
But which types of fan are you choosing on your PC?
Does your case have enough room, or is it very congested with the components?
Well, theres nothing to get confused about.
Depending on the casing space and cooling requirements, you must choose different fans for the best performance.
Read the following passage to learn the ideal fans for your PC case.
What Types of Fan Do You Need For Better Airflow?
The jot down of fan required in a computer depends on your PC setup.
Generally, a computer needs a fan to cool the component, CPU, or GPU.
Theairflow and static pressurefans are different in size and are made to serve different purposes.
The 200mm fan is an excellent example of an airflow fan.
They are used as intake and exhaust fans to create massive positive or negative pressure.
If you have a computer with such a casing, airflow fans would be perfect.
The static pressure fans are designed to overcome resistance and push air through obstructed areas.
These fans are generally smaller in size and have different dimensions.
80mm, 90mm, and 120mm fans come in the static pressure category.
They run at a high RPM and move the air rather than volume to cool down the dense components.
How Many Fans Does Your PC Need?
Usually, a PC needs at least three fanstwo intakes and one exhaust.
But it may change considering the PCs size and providing adequate airflow.
Ive already described the types of fans, airflow, and static pressure fans above.
It will give you a basic idea of what fan to start with.
It demonstrates how effectively a fan can circulate air within a specific period.
A 70+ CFM will be a good starting point when choosing a fan.
But besides CFM, youll also need to consider the RPM and dB.
Noise Level (dB):Sound level is crucial when choosing a fan for your PC.
Depending on the workload and required cooling performance, a fan can go from 30 to 70 dB.
30 dB is a pretty good sound level for a fan, whereas 70 is very loud.
Thats why you should buy the best CPU cooler to maintain noise level resilience.
RPM:Revolutions per Minute or RPM indicates the speed at which the fans blades rotate.
For the fan, a higher RPM refers to better airflow but also generates more noise.
Its directly connected to the fans ability and cooling performance.
The best result we got was when using two intakes, one exhaust, and paired with the NH-D12L.
Weve also tested by adding two top exhausts, but the result wasnt satisfying.
The top exhaust was picking up the hot temperature from the GPU, and the CPU was getting warmer.
The best practice is to use the front intake and rear exhaust for better performance.
And if you’re free to use an air cooler, its a plus point for your PC.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many fans does a good PC have?
A good PC generally has three fans.
Two fans stay at the front as intake, and one at the rear as exhaust.
Are eight fans on a PC too much?
Eight PC case fans are required for extreme cooling performance.
Will more fans make my PC quieter?
The noise from the fan depends on the size.
Larger fans are quieter but only good for the airflow.
Installing more fans will increase airflow by providing better cooling performance and minimizing noise.
Conclusion
Sufficient fans are necessary to improve the cooling ability and maintain performance.
If you provide fewer fans than required, the PC will overheat.
And if more fans are installed than required, you wont get any additional benefit.
The number varies from three to eight based on your PC configuration and the cooling performance you desire.
I hope youve found the details informative and use them to build your next PC.
