Can we talk about how many fan configurations are actually pointless?

I was looking at some thermal testing data from a hardware site last night and found out that having three top exhaust fans instead of two actually raises your GPU temps by 2-3 degrees on most mid-tower cases. All this time I was cramming extra fans into the top of my Fractal case thinking I was optimizing airflow. Turns out you're just stealing fresh air from the GPU before it gets to the cooler. I spent an extra $45 on a fan that's probably making things worse. Now I'm sitting here looking at my build trying to figure out if I should just leave that top slot empty or plug it and see if my 3070 stops hitting 80C under load. Has anyone else tested this with a solid side panel case versus a mesh one?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

dakota_rivera2mo ago

Ugh that hurts man I feel your pain.

3

tylerw722mo ago

Been there before and it's the worst feeling ever. Had my old truck break down on me twice in one week last winter, spent more on repairs than what the thing was worth lol. Sometimes you just gotta laugh through the pain or you'll cry. Hope things turn around for you soon.

2