PC Case Airflow Guide

Balanced or slightly positive pressure works best for most builds. The optimal configuration is three 120mm fans at the front as intake, two fans on top as exhaust, and one fan at the rear as exhaust. Tested results consistently show a 14°C improvement over poor airflow configurations.

Understanding Pressure Balance

Positive pressure (more intake than exhaust) keeps dust out by pushing air through filters. Negative pressure draws more dust in through gaps. For most home users, balanced or slightly positive is ideal for cooling and dust control simultaneously.

Fan Placement Priority

Always prioritise getting cool air directly over the GPU and CPU. Front intake fans feeding a side-mounted GPU work better than top-mounted intakes in most mid-tower cases. The rear exhaust fan is the most critical single fan in any build.

Upgrading Stock Fans

Most stock case fans are adequate but mid-range aftermarket options like be quiet! Pure Wings or Corsair LL120 provide noticeably lower noise and better airflow. Invest in better fans before spending on an expensive CPU cooler if temperatures are your concern.