Question 1

Can this fan be used in "pull" configuration? I have a Silverstone FT03B-Mini that I would like to install a 120mm radiator in the base of. The bottom of this case already has a 140mm AP fan in it as an intake. So, when I cover it up mostly with the radiator, I would like to place this fan on top of the radiator, upside down to "pull" air through the radiator and push it out the top of the case.

Accepted Answer

I believe you want to use these types of fans as a push, not pull. This way it blows air through your radiator, instead of pulling it.

You could always test it out both ways, and monitor temperatures during each test. Hope this helped.

P.S. Don't bother doing a push + pull configuration, which uses two fans at the same time. It doesn't add anything.

Question 2

Hi, I am interested in buying some computer fans and I was wondering how to tell which fans are intake vs outtake (exhaust)?

Please explain thoroughly, thanks! =]

Accepted Answer

Daryl,

Any fan can be used as an intake or an exhaust; it just depends on how you orient it. Lots of fans have arrows indicating the direction of flow, but if you're ever unsure, just hold the frame in your hand, plug it into a fan header, and see where the air is going. If you were going to break fans down into classes, it would be fans optimized for static pressure and ones optimized for air flow. Fans that are optimized for air flow will often have higher throughput (able to push more air), but suffer a great deal in performance when put in a highly restrictive position (against a heatsink or radiator, an intake fan blocked by hard drive cages for example). Other fans are optimized for static pressure -- while they sacrifice some air flow, that don't suffer nearly as much as other fans when put against a restrictive surface. Corsair Air fans even have two different series, SP and AF series, to provide fans for static pressure and air flow use cases respectively. Some fans (ALL Noctua fans :)) are really great at both. When choosing a fan, intake vs exhaust is much less important than how restrictive your placement of the fan is with respect to air flow. My advice: if you're ever unsure, go with a static pressure optimized fan, or a Noctua fan. Seriously, noctua fans are unbeatable.

Questions & Answers