Author Profile: Stu Grubbs Resident PC Enthusiast

Air Flow Matters, Part 1

Chassis air flow is one of the many highly debated topics amongst enthusiasts and forum-goers. Many have provided insight and offered varying advice on the topic. For a newcomer on the scene, there is no clear answer. Ironically enough, that is actually the answer: there is no definitive answer. Before you mistake me for an oracle from The Matrix, allow me to explain.

Every scenario is different. Show me results that declare one setup the best and I will choose a different chassis to prove it’s wrong. There are many factors that effect how chassis air flow should be set up:

• What chassis has been chosen?
• What is the intended airflow of that chassis? (fan placement and direction)
• How many fans would the user be running?
• What kind of fans will be used?
• What level of noise is preferred?
• What kind of environment will the computer be kept in? (carpet? hardwood? pets?)
• Will filters be used?

As you can see, the long list of questions can get out of hand fast and there are indeed more that could be asked, including:

• Mount liquid cooling radiator as chassis intake or exhaust?
• Keep designed air flow or flow air from front -> back or back -> front or even bottom -> top.
• Maintain Positive or Negative Air Pressure in the chassis?
• Use Push or Pull Fan Configuration?

For the purposes of this blog post, I would like to examine the data behind mounting our liquid cooler as an intake or an exhaust. This will also help us talk about direction of our air flow. Lastly, since we will already be remounting the radiator several times, I decided to test the fan configuration of push vs. pull.