[Cyber Akuma]

I had asked about cooling this system before, but this GPU messes up what I was previously planning.

I have a Dell Precision T5810. This thing just has three fans in the front. One of which cools one set of RAM (and I think the CPU a little), the other cools the second set, the CPU and the first PCIe slot (not the GPU slot) and the last seems to blow towards the rest of the PCIe slots. That's basically all the cooling this thing has other than the small CPU cooler.

I noticed that the CPU tends to dump heat near the back of the case and it just lingers there, so I was planning to install a 80mm rear exhaust fan to help with that.

I was also planning to cut a hole in the side panel to install a 120mm intake fan on the side.

Recently I got a GPU upgrade for it, an EVGA 2060 Super (08G-P4-3062-RX, SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition). Testing the card to make sure it works fine and that the PSU/System can handle it I was hitting max temperatures of 80-82C, not great but I am pretty sure that's below the thermal throttle limit of 85C (Unless this card has a limit of 80C...) so I figured I was fine. However, I noticed that the case gets hot, very hot. Not quite too hot to touch but it actually comes quite close to that level.

Taking a closer look I noticed that unlike just about every other GPU I have ever had, even other EVGA cards, this thing had no vents whatsoever in the rear, it was just solid metal even though there was a lot of room to have put in ventilation. That's when I realized that the card doesn't expel hot air out the back of the card, but the "top", a.k.a. about an inch away from the side of my case that was getting so hot. There is practically no room for the hot air to go, it just hits the side panel and... no idea where it even goes after that, gets sucked back into the GPU? There are no fans in that area besides the GPU's to move the air. It also felt like the GPU was somehow blowing air below it too near the top.

As I said earlier, I was planning to cut a hole in the side panel to put in a 120mm intake fan, but now I am wondering if that would be a good idea. If making the fan intake would just make it even worse, preventing the GPU from expelling the air out the top by pushing it back, or just pushing the expelled hot air back towards the GPU. Maybe I should make that an exhaust fan, although then I have no idea where it would be pulling air IN from, and with the PC being on the ground that would expel the hot air towards my legs. I could also add a second 80mm (if 80mm would even fit, might have to go smaller) fan on the area of the unused PCIe ports below the card (any good adapters that let me screw a fan in place of the dust covers of those sockets? I don't mean that ancient blower fan with the molex connector, but something that would go in place of the PCIe slot covers that would allow me to attach a standard fan there), again though not sure if I should make this an intake or exhaust fan.

So what would be the best way to go about this? The 120mm on the side? The 80mm in the back below the card? Both? And which should I make intake and exhaust?

Here is a picture of the side of the case closed, open, and the underside of the GPU if it helps:

 

[Gattlin]

Cut a hole in the door panel and mount a fan. Under clock gpu with msi afterburner. Youtube videos will help with that

 

[Cyber Akuma]

Cut a hole in the door panel and mount a fan.

That's one of the ways I mentioned I was considering to do it, yeah, just wasn't sure if that fan should be intake or exhaust. Intake it would be pushing against the GPU's own exhaust, and if exhaust it would blow hot air towards my legs and I have no idea where it would be intaking air from.

 

[Dekatris]

Definitely add as large and strong of a fan as you can as exhaust on the rear behind the CPU. You are presently relying on pure positive pressure to exhaust the heated air, but with the layout of that case, the air probably isn't being directed through that area optimally, leading to a hot pocket (and not the tasty kind).

If you want to get cool air to the GPU, you may be better off finding a fan that can be mounted as an intake in the 4 vented expansion slots below it as an intake. In a negative pressure setup, it would be doing that on its own, but since your setup is positive pressure, hot air is probably finding its way down there and being fed into the GPU. If you do go with that hole in the side panel, make sure it's below the GPU so that any air it does bring in is coming in below the exhaust pressure coming out of the sides of the GPU. Another option with a side panel fan would be above the GPU and behind the CPU as exhaust to direct warmed air up from the GPU and away from both the CPU and GPU.

Here is roughly what I think the flow is now from your description with blue being fresh air, orange being heated air, and possible warm pockets highlighted in red.

As you can see, the top-rear exhaust would address two of these warm pockets. If your total exhaust in that area could be made greater than your total intake, making the case environment negative pressure, it would also allow cool air to naturally get sucked in from the bottom-rear openings, feeding straight into your GPU with no fan needed there.

 

[Takla]

Oh wow. Have you tried buying a case from this decade?

 

[raclimja]

Put a 92mm fan below the GPU as exhaust.

 

[doyll]

The only way to have better cooling / lower temps is by increasing thru case airflow .. we've been through it all in the two other threads you started about these problems.

As already know you are limited to small fans (88-92mm) because that's size of your case venting and areas in side cover you are willing to cut vent opening. Even then you have very limited options. For case to flow air intake venting needs to be toward front of case with exhaust venting near rear because that's only way to flow air to GPU and remove heated exhaust out back without it mixing into and heating up cool intake air. Small fans mean your system will likely be loud.

Your GPU cooler exhauting out of it's top edge is way most are. GPU cooler fins are usually perpendicular and at right angles from GPU PCB.

As stated, intake venting to GPU needs to be below GPU and also in front of center line of GPU.

Please let us know where you end up cutting in vents and what fans you use. Might help someone else in future.

 

[Cyber Akuma]

Oh wow. Have you tried buying a case from this decade?

Tell that to Dell

Put a 92mm fan below the GPU as exhaust.

Not sure if a 92mm will fit but yeah, I could put a 80mm or at worst 60mm fan below the GPU as exhaust.

The only way to have better cooling / lower temps is by increasing thru case airflow .. we've been through it all in the two other threads you started about these problems.

Yeah I know, but my other problems were more how to wire the fans and what types of fans I can fit on the side panel. I never had to consider a rear fan under the GPU, or if I would need to make the side fan intake or exhaust.

As stated, intake venting to GPU needs to be below GPU and also in front of center line of GPU.

Intake venting? Not sure what you mean by that, is that a fan that will be intake or exhaust?

And a 120mm fan would be both, but that means the whole area would have to be either intake or exhaust. Unless I just put a series of smaller fans in there and make some intake and others exhaust. I want to get more air in there for the GPU to use for cooling, but I also don't want to fight against the GPU's exhaust.

 

[doyll]

Filling back of case with fans (1 behind CPU & 1x/2x on unused PCIe back slots) is what I would do. That and change front fans as you originally planned. Then I would cut a vent even with top of GPU and in front of GPU fan/s in side of case for additional intake fan to flow cool air into case and to GPU. Same as I told you before.

 

[candy_van]

Put in a rear exhaust fan for sure, as for the side I'd probably just drill holes out to create a "mesh" vent, but you could put in an exhaust there too.
Since the card dumps heat into the case (and you don't have great airflow already) you should focus on mitigating that.

 

[Mergatroid]

The obvious problem here is...it's a Dell.

I think you have listed two helpful solutions already, the 80mm fan in the back and the 120mm intake fan on the side. More air has to be better than almost no air.

My roommate has a similar setup with a 1650 Super and his card howls like a demon because of how hot it gets. So he cut a hole in the top of the case and added a fan up there. It helped a little, but the case had too many obstructions for that fan to really do a good job. I think adding an intake fan to the side panel would work better.

If you can manage it, cut the hole on the lower portion of the side panel so it will blow fresh air under the card.

Look for some filters, such as this. It will not only filter out the dust but it will make the hole look good as well. You can get a 120mm hole saw bit for a drill on Amazon. They are cheap. Don't forget to drill the pilot hole first.

 

[UltraMega]

What CPU are you using?

 

[Cyber Akuma]

Ok, I have been doing a lot of testing with the cover on/off and fans in different positions, with OCCT's 1-hour Power test to heat up both the CPU and GPU, as well as running Unigine Heaven on loop to just tax the GPU.

With the power test, both the CPU and GPU appear to hit their limit in a stock configuration, adding a 80mm fan on the rear near the CPU helps both, although it just makes the GPU perform slightly under 80C at around 78-77C, putting that fan under the GPU to act as a rear exhaust helped the GPU slightly more at around 76C. I tried one of the spare high-CFM fans I had from the front, and that one seemed to significantly lower both the CPU and GPU with the GPU being at around 70C regardless of where I put the fan, I also tried adding the 80mm fan to the opposite vent the high-CFM fan was and it made no difference, in fact, it seemed to make some temperatures worse. Unfortunately I did not have two of the same 80mm fan to test, also as effective as the high-CFM fan was it was FAR too noisy to use.

However, all of this paled in comparison to just simply.... taking the cover off. The GPU hit 70C easy with no additional fans at all that way.

I tried a simpler test then with Heaven to just tax the GPU. It was again hitting 80C, but just barely, many times dropping to 79C for a brief period, while on the power test it was hitting 82-83C at times, that coupled with how having an exhaust fan on just the CPU also had a noticeable drop in GPU temperatures makes me think it's not just the GPU's own heat but the CPU cooler also dumping heat on the GPU. Anyway so I put the 80mm fan as a rear CPU exhaust again, temperatures dropped to 77C, put it as a GPU exhaust, temperatures dropped to 74C (back during the power test there was barely a 1 degree difference when moving that fan between a CPU and GPU exhaust, but a significant difference when it's just the GPU being taxed). And with the cover off.... 68C.

Of course, one issue with this test is that I just had the fan connected to an AC adapter, so it was running at full blast the entire time. Since I plan to use PWM control it's not going to be as effective, but it's also a bit loud at full power, even though it's SIGNIFICANTLY quieter than the high-CFM fan.

Also this means I definitely need to cut a hole in my side-panel for a 120mm fan, just not sure if it should be intake or exhaust. Exhaust sounds like it would be more useful, but I will also put a second 80mm fan under the GPU (if it will fit, 60mm if it does not) and then it's all exhaust, with the front of the case being the only intake, and it will dump the hot air right on my feet which could make the PC uncomfortable to use. While if I make it intake I am worried about it fighting against the GPU's own exhaust.

I also would want some better way to mount the fan under the GPU than just screwing into the PCIe slot covers, but I can't find anything.

Filling back of case with fans (1 behind CPU & 1x/2x on unused PCIe back slots) is what I would do.

Yeah, a 80mm exhaust for both the CPU and GPU (or 60mm if 80mm is too big) is a given, that's definitely happening. Problem is what else I can do, especially with so far the most effective having been just taking off the side panel without even adding any additional fans.

That and change front fans as you originally planned.

I can't do that, I noticed now that the front panel fans are high-CFM, rated for 0.95A and a CFM of 93. No consumer fan comes close, and buying industrial replacements for them that match or exceed the CFM rating would cost me $75-100 while still using just as much if not more power, so there is no point. The whole reason I wanted to replace them was to have more power from the likely 1A headers for additional fans, and because I assumed these were cheap low-end fans that any quality consumer model would out-perform. Turns out I was VERY wrong on that second one.

Then I would cut a vent even with top of GPU and in front of GPU fan/s in side of case for additional intake fan to flow cool air into case and to GPU. Same as I told you before.

The GPU exhausts air from that area though, not intakes.

Put in a rear exhaust fan for sure, as for the side I'd probably just drill holes out to create a "mesh" vent, but you could put in an exhaust there too.
Since the card dumps heat into the case (and you don't have great airflow already) you should focus on mitigating that.

So it would be better to make the 120mm side-fan an exhaust instead of an intake? Is it a good idea to make it an exhaust even though I will also be adding two other exhaust fans in the rear?

I think you have listed two helpful solutions already, the 80mm fan in the back and the 120mm intake fan on the side. More air has to be better than almost no air.

And there is a vote for making it intake. I am very unsure which configuration to have the side-fan in now.

My roommate has a similar setup with a 1650 Super and his card howls like a demon because of how hot it gets. So he cut a hole in the top of the case and added a fan up there. It helped a little, but the case had too many obstructions for that fan to really do a good job.

There is pretty much no room at all for the top to add a fan, too much additional nonsense up there. Plus, when I put my hands on the top of the case the front of it is freezing cold, and the back of it is cool. I don't think much hot air is going to that area to exhaust.

Also I already got a 120mm mech/filter, although I probably shouldn't use it if I make the fan exhaust.

What CPU are you using?

E5-2667 V4

 

[doyll]

The GPU exhausts air from that area though, not intakes.

On every GPU I've used it's fans draw air in. Fins on GPU cooler are perpendicular to motherboard and GPU PCB. GPU fans draw air in and push that air into GPU cooler which then exhausts air toward and away from motherboard.

Fan in case PCIE slot openings pulls air out of case, but you also need venting for air to flow into case and into GPU.

This is why I suggest a fan below and front of GPU fans.

I would experiment experiment with 2 fans in back of case and move side cover back so there is 60-80mm gap between front of case and front of side cover so air can flow in as back fan/s pull it out. Could even try using cardboard for side panel and cut vent hole where intake fan could be mounted. Could even tape intake fan on that vent.

 

[UltraMega]

Ok, I have been doing a lot of testing with the cover on/off and fans in different positions, with OCCT's 1-hour Power test to heat up both the CPU and GPU, as well as running Unigine Heaven on loop to just tax the GPU.

With the power test, both the CPU and GPU appear to hit their limit in a stock configuration, adding a 80mm fan on the rear near the CPU helps both, although it just makes the GPU perform slightly under 80C at around 78-77C, putting that fan under the GPU to act as a rear exhaust helped the GPU slightly more at around 76C. I tried one of the spare high-CFM fans I had from the front, and that one seemed to significantly lower both the CPU and GPU with the GPU being at around 70C regardless of where I put the fan, I also tried adding the 80mm fan to the opposite vent the high-CFM fan was and it made no difference, in fact, it seemed to make some temperatures worse. Unfortunately I did not have two of the same 80mm fan to test, also as effective as the high-CFM fan was it was FAR too noisy to use.

However, all of this paled in comparison to just simply.... taking the cover off. The GPU hit 70C easy with no additional fans at all that way.

I tried a simpler test then with Heaven to just tax the GPU. It was again hitting 80C, but just barely, many times dropping to 79C for a brief period, while on the power test it was hitting 82-83C at times, that coupled with how having an exhaust fan on just the CPU also had a noticeable drop in GPU temperatures makes me think it's not just the GPU's own heat but the CPU cooler also dumping heat on the GPU. Anyway so I put the 80mm fan as a rear CPU exhaust again, temperatures dropped to 77C, put it as a GPU exhaust, temperatures dropped to 74C (back during the power test there was barely a 1 degree difference when moving that fan between a CPU and GPU exhaust, but a significant difference when it's just the GPU being taxed). And with the cover off.... 68C.

Of course, one issue with this test is that I just had the fan connected to an AC adapter, so it was running at full blast the entire time. Since I plan to use PWM control it's not going to be as effective, but it's also a bit loud at full power, even though it's SIGNIFICANTLY quieter than the high-CFM fan.

Also this means I definitely need to cut a hole in my side-panel for a 120mm fan, just not sure if it should be intake or exhaust. Exhaust sounds like it would be more useful, but I will also put a second 80mm fan under the GPU (if it will fit, 60mm if it does not) and then it's all exhaust, with the front of the case being the only intake, and it will dump the hot air right on my feet which could make the PC uncomfortable to use. While if I make it intake I am worried about it fighting against the GPU's own exhaust.

I also would want some better way to mount the fan under the GPU than just screwing into the PCIe slot covers, but I can't find anything.



Yeah, a 80mm exhaust for both the CPU and GPU (or 60mm if 80mm is too big) is a given, that's definitely happening. Problem is what else I can do, especially with so far the most effective having been just taking off the side panel without even adding any additional fans.



I can't do that, I noticed now that the front panel fans are high-CFM, rated for 0.95A and a CFM of 93. No consumer fan comes close, and buying industrial replacements for them that match or exceed the CFM rating would cost me $75-100 while still using just as much if not more power, so there is no point. The whole reason I wanted to replace them was to have more power from the likely 1A headers for additional fans, and because I assumed these were cheap low-end fans that any quality consumer model would out-perform. Turns out I was VERY wrong on that second one.



The GPU exhausts air from that area though, not intakes.



So it would be better to make the 120mm side-fan an exhaust instead of an intake? Is it a good idea to make it an exhaust even though I will also be adding two other exhaust fans in the rear?



And there is a vote for making it intake. I am very unsure which configuration to have the side-fan in now.



There is pretty much no room at all for the top to add a fan, too much additional nonsense up there. Plus, when I put my hands on the top of the case the front of it is freezing cold, and the back of it is cool. I don't think much hot air is going to that area to exhaust.

Also I already got a 120mm mech/filter, although I probably shouldn't use it if I make the fan exhaust.



E5-2667 V4

Maybe you should consider doing a system upgrade soon and replacing the case, psu, motherboard and cpu. The cpu you have now is nothing special, a $100 used 3700x would probably be faster.

$300 worth of parts or so and you could move away from that dell mess entierly.

 

[candy_van]

Don't go nuts with trying to put a fan in every possible place you can have one (skip the bottom mounted fans altogether).

Good directional airflow is more important; a clear path to let cool air in and warm air out is what drops ambient temperatures.
Moreover you don't want to create any conflicting pathways, this can cause turbulence (trapping warmer air) and actually increase ambient temps.

Put the 2x 80mm fans in the back as exhaust and go from there.
After that all I would suggest is either a side exhaust for the GPU (best for cards that vent into the case), or drilling out holes into the side panel for a mesh effect.

 

[Always Counterclockwise]

I also would want some better way to mount the fan under the GPU than just screwing into the PCIe slot covers, but I can't find anything.

I wouldn't say screwing into the covers is necessarily broken enough to need fixing. It's how Fractal implements the North's 80 mm PCIe fan placement, for example. With motherboards typically putting the GPU on the second PCIe position and GPUs increasingly exceeding two or three slots, fitting an 80 mm fan inside the case below GPU is, in general, an increasingly niche possibility. But it appears you've shown that's beneficial here—not seeing which side of the covers you put the 80 on but I assume it's in the interior of the case.

The other somewhat formal option I know of is Lian Li's PCIe fan bracket for the Lancool 216, which mounts a 120 mm externally. Since Lian Li doesn't sell it separately you'd presumably have to find someone with a Lancool 216 who wants to get rid of their bracket and, once in possession of a bracket, the mounting issue just shifts to how to mount the bracket. Assuming you'd need to drill either way, it seems simpler just to bolt a fan and a grill on.

 

[Cyber Akuma]

On every GPU I've used it's fans draw air in. Fins on GPU cooler are perpendicular to motherboard and GPU PCB. GPU fans draw air in and push that air into GPU cooler which then exhausts air toward and away from motherboard.

Well yeah, same here, it's just that every GPU I have had exhausted the air out the back of the case from the PCIe slot covers area, haven't had one that just exhausts the air into the side of the case itself. Seems like a weird design idea to me since then where does that hot air even go? (And wouldn't this damage cases with a glass side panel by heating it up so much?)

This is why I suggest a fan below and front of GPU fans.

That's essentially what I said I wanted to do, just just wasn't sure what to use as exhaust or intake. Sounds like the rear one for sure should be exhaust, just not sure what to do with the side fan.

Maybe you should consider doing a system upgrade soon and replacing the case, psu, motherboard and cpu. The cpu you have now is nothing special, a $100 used 3700x would probably be faster.

$300 worth of parts or so and you could move away from that dell mess entierly.

I JUST got this thing, and it was far cheaper than building a system. The CPU was a mere $40, it's just a backup system.

Don't go nuts with trying to put a fan in every possible place you can have one (skip the bottom mounted fans altogether).

But that would just leave adding single rear fan by the CPU.

Good directional airflow is more important; a clear path to let cool air in and warm air out is what drops ambient temperatures.
Moreover you don't want to create any conflicting pathways, this can cause turbulence (trapping warmer air) and actually increase ambient temps.

Yeah I know, that's why my original plans was to make the side fan intake so there is more than just the front intakes and have the rear fans exhaust that air, but now that I know it would be blowing air against the GPU's exhaust I am not sure where I can even add any more intake fans, seems like every area just has potential for an exhaust fan.

Put the 2x 80mm fans in the back as exhaust and go from there.
After that all I would suggest is either a side exhaust for the GPU (best for cards that vent into the case), or drilling out holes into the side panel for a mesh effect.

The problem with that is the side panel, it's not flat, there are components in the way so I can't completely clear all of the GPU's vents:

I have room for a 120mm fan on that area with the label, maybe 140mm but that's hitting against the edges and it might not close.

But the GPU extends past that large black handle-thing that's in the way (apparently that's supposed to be a GPU support, I noticed that around the same area of my GPU there are no vents there) and a little bit past to the other area. A 120mm fan would still cover like, 80-90% of the exhaust area of the GPU, but not all of it, there are components in the way on the side panel to add vents for 100% of the GPU's exhaust.

I wouldn't say screwing into the covers is necessarily broken enough to need fixing. It's how Fractal implements the North's 80 mm PCIe fan placement, for example. With motherboards typically putting the GPU on the second PCIe position and GPUs increasingly exceeding two or three slots, fitting an 80 mm fan inside the case below GPU is, in general, an increasingly niche possibility. But it appears you've shown that's beneficial here—not seeing which side of the covers you put the 80 on but I assume it's in the interior of the case.

Yeah, I was testing it with the fans outside the case just to see how they lower the temps, and because I don't have a way to power them in the case YET so I was using an AC adapter, but my plans is to have the fans internal once they are actually installed. I just was hoping for something less messy, and less likely to possibly not work if the holes in the covers are too big/small to accept the screws or would put it at a weird angle.

The other somewhat formal option I know of is Lian Li's PCIe fan bracket for the Lancool 216, which mounts a 120 mm externally. Since Lian Li doesn't sell it separately you'd presumably have to find someone with a Lancool 216 who wants to get rid of their bracket and, once in possession of a bracket, the mounting issue just shifts to how to mount the bracket. Assuming you'd need to drill either way, it seems simpler just to bolt a fan and a grill on.

A 120mm would definitely not fit back there, a 80mm barely would.

 

[Mergatroid]

Ok, I have been doing a lot of testing with the cover on/off and fans in different positions, with OCCT's 1-hour Power test to heat up both the CPU and GPU, as well as running Unigine Heaven on loop to just tax the GPU.

With the power test, both the CPU and GPU appear to hit their limit in a stock configuration, adding a 80mm fan on the rear near the CPU helps both, although it just makes the GPU perform slightly under 80C at around 78-77C, putting that fan under the GPU to act as a rear exhaust helped the GPU slightly more at around 76C. I tried one of the spare high-CFM fans I had from the front, and that one seemed to significantly lower both the CPU and GPU with the GPU being at around 70C regardless of where I put the fan, I also tried adding the 80mm fan to the opposite vent the high-CFM fan was and it made no difference, in fact, it seemed to make some temperatures worse. Unfortunately I did not have two of the same 80mm fan to test, also as effective as the high-CFM fan was it was FAR too noisy to use.

However, all of this paled in comparison to just simply.... taking the cover off. The GPU hit 70C easy with no additional fans at all that way.

I tried a simpler test then with Heaven to just tax the GPU. It was again hitting 80C, but just barely, many times dropping to 79C for a brief period, while on the power test it was hitting 82-83C at times, that coupled with how having an exhaust fan on just the CPU also had a noticeable drop in GPU temperatures makes me think it's not just the GPU's own heat but the CPU cooler also dumping heat on the GPU. Anyway so I put the 80mm fan as a rear CPU exhaust again, temperatures dropped to 77C, put it as a GPU exhaust, temperatures dropped to 74C (back during the power test there was barely a 1 degree difference when moving that fan between a CPU and GPU exhaust, but a significant difference when it's just the GPU being taxed). And with the cover off.... 68C.

Of course, one issue with this test is that I just had the fan connected to an AC adapter, so it was running at full blast the entire time. Since I plan to use PWM control it's not going to be as effective, but it's also a bit loud at full power, even though it's SIGNIFICANTLY quieter than the high-CFM fan.

Also this means I definitely need to cut a hole in my side-panel for a 120mm fan, just not sure if it should be intake or exhaust. Exhaust sounds like it would be more useful, but I will also put a second 80mm fan under the GPU (if it will fit, 60mm if it does not) and then it's all exhaust, with the front of the case being the only intake, and it will dump the hot air right on my feet which could make the PC uncomfortable to use. While if I make it intake I am worried about it fighting against the GPU's own exhaust.

I also would want some better way to mount the fan under the GPU than just screwing into the PCIe slot covers, but I can't find anything.



Yeah, a 80mm exhaust for both the CPU and GPU (or 60mm if 80mm is too big) is a given, that's definitely happening. Problem is what else I can do, especially with so far the most effective having been just taking off the side panel without even adding any additional fans.



I can't do that, I noticed now that the front panel fans are high-CFM, rated for 0.95A and a CFM of 93. No consumer fan comes close, and buying industrial replacements for them that match or exceed the CFM rating would cost me $75-100 while still using just as much if not more power, so there is no point. The whole reason I wanted to replace them was to have more power from the likely 1A headers for additional fans, and because I assumed these were cheap low-end fans that any quality consumer model would out-perform. Turns out I was VERY wrong on that second one.



The GPU exhausts air from that area though, not intakes.



So it would be better to make the 120mm side-fan an exhaust instead of an intake? Is it a good idea to make it an exhaust even though I will also be adding two other exhaust fans in the rear?



And there is a vote for making it intake. I am very unsure which configuration to have the side-fan in now.



There is pretty much no room at all for the top to add a fan, too much additional nonsense up there. Plus, when I put my hands on the top of the case the front of it is freezing cold, and the back of it is cool. I don't think much hot air is going to that area to exhaust.

Also I already got a 120mm mech/filter, although I probably shouldn't use it if I make the fan exhaust.



E5-2667 V4

If your GPU intakes air from the bottom and blows it out the top, then I think the fan you add should be intake and aimed at the bottom of the card so the air it's using to cool is fresh air from outside the case.

If you make the new fan exhaust, then with the GPU sucking air from the bottom, and the new fan also sucking air from the bottom they will be fighting each other for air.

Allow the new fan to blow cool air under the card and then the GPU fans can move that cool air through the card and out the top.

This will also help to make the case overall positive pressure to help keep the dust out. This is why I recommended the filter.