My Cooling System

[OCFreak]

I thought I would take a few moments to draw up something to show my cooling system. I get asked a lot how I maintain such good temps, and have had a fairly decent OC history. I have an Antec Three Hundred case, but the general idea for case cooling stays the same. You don't want too much exhaust or else you create vacuum, which is bad. It brings in more dust, and can actually, in some ways, be counterproductive. I have found that a good rule of thumb for intake/exhaust numbers is to have your intake at 60% of whatever your exhaust is.

 

I have 5 case fans that run all the time:

 

2 x 120mm for exhaust

2 x 120mm for intake

1 x 140mm for exhaust

 

The 140mm its in the top of the case right above where the CPU sits, and it does an excellent job of make sure it sucks fresh air up to the CPU from the intake fans. Also, remember that heat rises.

 

The two 120mm exhausts are mounted at the back of the case, behind the CPU, and the other is mounted on the side of the case above the video cards area to provide released for the GPU.

 

The remaining two 120mm fans are used for intake behind a filter on the front of the case. Nice and fresh and clean! I purchased a set of 4 CoolerMaster 120mm for under $16 from NewEgg. They are quiet and push quite a bit of air.

 

Here is a quick image that I put together to show what I mean with the fans, and then also airflow:

 

 

 

Cooling is extremely important, even if you don't plan to ever OC, it prolongs the life of your products. I would recommend getting a fan control, either software or hardware as well. I use SpeedFan, and I have had great success with doing so.

 

Good luck!