There are a few ways to tell which way your fan is blowing on your PC. One way is to feel the air coming out of the fan. If it feels like it’s blowing out of the front of the computer, the blowing fan is an exhaust fan. Another way to tell is to look at the blades of the PC fan. If they’re spinning clockwise, the blowing fan is an intake fan. The third way is to look at the aero head draw on high-quality PC fans, which indicated air blow directions. For details, and suggestions keep reading.
Cooling is important in good computers because no matter how low power PC you build or how powerful a PC you have for gaming, there it needs a cooling system that draws hot air out and draws cool air in for optimal temperatures, which is why we have CPU coolers, GPUs with air blower fans, and PC cases with multiple intakes and exhaust fans, to make optimal airflow and not burn down our PC by pressing the power button.
When building a PC on your own, consider several things before screwing your PC fan or CPU cooler fan onto the heat sink or placing your custom liquid cooling CPU cooler.
- Make certain that you find the correct size PC fans for your PC case.
- Your PC case requires optimal cooling; check how many fans your case can accommodate (top, bottom. front, and at the back).
- When installing your CPU cooler, make sure it fits snugly and that air flows in the proper direction to exhaust heat efficiently; otherwise, chaos ensues.
- Additionally, the most important thing to know before you install a fan in your PC case is you must understand its airflow direction.
Now that we know the PC fans work on cooling your PC components, and that particular thing you need to mind for not harming your PC build. There are some conditions for installing a PC fan.
Purpose of Intake and Exhaust Fans
PC fans are installed to keep the system cool and to prevent overheating, which could burn your expensive computer. Here’s what an exhaust and intake fan do in a computer chamber.
Intake Fans:
The intake fans are an important part of any PC build to keep your system cool by pushing air into the case and across the components. The aim of an intake fan is used to draw cool air from outside. Typically, they are counted more than exhaust fans on a PC case.
Exhaust Fans:
On the other end, exhaust fans are a crucial part of any computer to keep the system cool and prevent overheating. The exhaust fans are set to move hot air away from the case and make room for more cool air, which means they help intake fans in the business.
Why should PC have more Intake than Exhaust Fans?
As computers work, they tend to accumulate more and more dust. This dust can eventually lead to a decrease in performance and even damage the computer’s hardware. To combat this, it is important to have more intake fans than exhaust fans. This is why PC enthusiasts like us prefer to have slightly more intake than exhaust PC fans.
It aids in the creation of positive air pressure within the PC chamber, reducing dead spots in the absence of air circulation and keeping dust out of unfiltered openings. But make sure your intake fans are equipped with dust filters, preferably removable filters are best which is the specialty of high-end PC cases.
As cool air from outside the computer case is drawn in by intake fans whereas exhaust fans force hot air out. If the computer has more exhaust fans than intake fans, it will suck in all of the hot air, causing your computer to overheat. This is why it is critical to have more intake fans than exhaust fans – so that the computer can get rid of all of the hot air and maintain a stable temperature.
Different Methods To Tell Which Way Your Fan Is Blowing?
Knowing the direction of a CPU cooler fan and PC fan is easy with the right suggestions and tips you will know, which way your PC fan blows and also know if your PC case fan is sucking or blowing air in the right direction? The answers to these questions will help you understand your fan’s ability to blow air and know its direction.
With our guide, you’ll quickly learn which way the fan is blowing with simple methods. This helps both learners and seasonal PC builders who might need some assistance.
Two Simple Methods To Know Which Way Your PC Fan Is Blowing:
We have simple solutions to your PC fan problem when you can’t tell which way your fan is blowing.
Quick Tips:
There are a few quick ways to tell which way your PC fan is blowing:
- The easiest way is to feel the air coming out of the fan. If the air is blowing towards you, then the fan is blowing inwards. If the air is blowing away from you, then the fan is blowing outwards.
- Another way to tell which way your PC fan is blowing is by looking at the blades of the fan. If blades are spinning clockwise, then the fan is blowing inwards. If the blades are spinning counter-clockwise, then the fan is blowing outwards.
1. Arrow Head On Your PC Fan Tells You the Direction Of Air
While many fan manufacturers don’t care about user preferences, we can’t forget that some manufacturers take their time to design a fan and make it easy to use, which is true for high-end PC fans where we can see the air blow direction by looking at the arrowhead on the surface of the fan.
Look for a small arrow on the fan that points the direction of airflow. This helps ensure you fit the right fan in the right position.
2. Look at the Direction of Fan Blades
There is a way to find the direction of air after you have installed a PC fan on a case. In this situation, the direction of the fan blades indicates the direction of airflow. But keep in mind that the intake and exhaust fans are the same things, just oriented differently to create different airflow.
Intake Fan Blades Directions Inwards or Downwards:
When the fan blades curve away from you, like a convex, it works on the intake side. This means the case fans you placed in that direction are intake fans. If you installed a fan incorrectly, unscrew it and correct it before it’s too late.
Exhaust Fan Blades Directions Outward or Upwards:
Similarly, when the fan blades curve outward from you, like a concave, which is similar to a bowl, it works on the exhaust side. This means the case fans you placed in that direction are all exhaust fans. Additionally, this side usually shows support bars and bran stickers.
Can Intake Fans be used as Exhaust?
Yes, you can change the airflow direction of your case fan. This is completely free customization that you can perform on your own. To help with the process, you need to change the direction of a fan’s airflow. To accomplish this, remove the screws, flip the fan over, and reinstall it facing the opposite direction. Now the fan can be used for either intake or exhaust purposes as per your requirement.
