Question Need advise on fan setup in case

[grady115]

I am building a new PC with a NZXT H9 Elite. It came with 3 fans on the side. I'm not sure if they are blowing in or out. I have put 3 more fans in the bottom and one in the back and on the top I have an NZXT Kracken Elite 360 RGB AIO.

I would appreciate some advise as to the best cooling setup for all of this. As far as each position blowing in or out.

 

[Paperdoc]

Bottom and side fans as Intakes. AIO rad at top and rear fan as exhausts.

Make one change, though. In the top front corner such an arrangement will produce an air flow "short circuit" by which air coming in from the side top fan gets removed immediately by the front fan of the AIO rad right above that. Simply disconnect or remove the top SIDE intake fan. This will reduce overall intake air flow capacity, but you already have more that you need with your proposed set-up. Removing that top side fan will leave you with 5 intakes and 4 exhausts (but the three AIO fans' flow capacity is reduced by the rad fins), so you still have more intake than exhaust capacity.

 

[In2Photos]

The fans that came on the side are likely already set to intake. It used to be easy to tell at a quick glance what the fans were set to. Air would enter the fan from the "clean" side of the fan. The "back" of the fan is typically where the supports from the frame to the motor are located. But now, reverse flow fans exist. So when you have fans on the side or bottom set as intake you can have a "clean" fan to look at. Fans may also have an arrow on the side indicating the flow of air.

I agree with Paperdoc on the first part of his post. Set side and bottom to intake, top and rear as exhaust. But removing the top fan on the side would just look funny in that large of a case so I'd leave it. Even if the fresh air gets pulled directly back out it is going through the radiator so it will cool the water better anyway.