Question Regarding Case Cooling?

Question

Would it be okay if instead of buying a bunch of 120/80mm case fans to just pop open the side of my case and cool it with a conventional fan? Thanks!

Answer 1

Nope.

Keep the case closed, and get a case fan (or fans) to blow air out the back of the case. This creates a sort of wind tunnel effect. Hot air is blown out the back, and cool air is sucked in through the holes, cracks, slots, and spaces in your case.

If the case is left open, air will not circulate fast enough. Standing air is not sufficient enough to cool the components. Forced air is necessary, this is why the computer came with fans in the first place.

Blowing a stream of air into the open case with a conventional fan would theoretically work, but it's incredibly inefficient. Aside from the increased exposure to dust and debris, it's just plain wasteful, energy-wise. It'll be ugly and terribly noisy as well.

Invest in at least one fan. Use it to cool your PC. It's what it's designed for, it'll do the job fine, and it will save you a ton of money in energy costs. Just remember to install it so that it blows air out of the case, not inward.