Static pressure fans are designed to pull or push air with extra force, which is ideal for areas with more restricted airflow-like a water cooling radiator or a large CPU cooler with lots of fins. Airflow or static pressure: Case fans generally come with two types of fins: those designed for airflow, and those designed for static pressure. Airflow-optimized fans are quieter and great for unrestricted areas, like the front of your case.Some fans and cases even come with manual switches for basic fan control. With a compatible motherboard or a fan controller, though, you should be able to adjust your fans’ speed for the perfect balance, so this won’t matter as much.

Faster fans move more air, but slower fans are much quieter. Fast or slow: Case fans are rated at a maximum revolutions per minute, or RPM.RELATED: Can You Build a Fanless Desktop PC? Since the tiny electric motors in the fan mechanism doesn’t need to spin so fast, bigger case fans are quieter than smaller ones-and thus more desirable, if your case supports them. Big or little: Generally bigger fans can move the same amount of air as smaller fans at lower revolutions per minute.You’ll need to make sure they’re sized right to fit the screw mounts on your case, obviously, but beyond that you’ll also want to consider:

That said, cooling fans come with a surprising amount of variation. Deciding on a cooling approach that matches your case and your components before you go shopping for fans and coolers can be helpful. Pick the Best Fans for Your PCĪny desktop PC with standard case fan mounts will work (80mm, 120mm, 140mm, 200mm-it doesn’t mater as long as they’re consistent). But there are a few basic principles you can apply to almost any build to get optimal airflow, and thus, optimal cooling.

We’re talking about physics, thermodynamics, all sorts of fun stuff. It’s often explained as “LEGO for adults.” But managing the air cooling system within a PC is considerably more complex. Building a modern desktop PC is surprisingly easy, thanks to modular parts and a lot of solid engineering.

Fan control