I'm a bit confused about the expected airflow in PC cases nowadays. I have an Antec One and a Corsair Carbide case but this seems to be the norm for most cases I've seen --- dust filter on the front and bottom of the case, so I suspect that is for air intake. Then there is a top vent and a rear vent --- fair enough, hot air goes out so the fans there help usher the hot air out of the case. But what about the side vents? Is this supposed to be intakes or vents? I always thought this was for air intake, to blow cool air over the GPU, but without a dust filter, it kinda makes the front/bottom dust filters moot. Also, sometimes, the side vent is bigger than the fan it can mount.
I always liked the idea of having a predictable airflow inside my PC case. Air goes in through the front, cools down the HDDs, then into the main space of the PC case where it is used to cool the GPU, and then the hot air gets vented out the top and/or rear of the case. I liked the idea of having holes at the bottom of the PC case and being able to mount the PSU so that it sucks in air directly from outside, ensuring it gets fresh, cool air straight away. The extra hole at the bottom of the case would also be a good entry point of fresh, cool air to supplement the one taken in through the front. Then there is the top and/or rear fans, useful for making sure the hot air is vented outside the case quick. In my older PC builds, I would have negative pressure in my case -- fans only blew out; I did not have front fans so the top/rear fans vented the hot air out and would also suck in fresh air due to the negative pressure it created inside the case.
But it's the side holes/cutouts/vents that confuse me the most. With such a large "leak," as is the case on my Corsair Carbide, I'm not sure where my air is now flowing. I don't even know if it's supposed to be a vent or an intake.
I always liked the idea of having a predictable airflow inside my PC case. Air goes in through the front, cools down the HDDs, then into the main space of the PC case where it is used to cool the GPU, and then the hot air gets vented out the top and/or rear of the case. I liked the idea of having holes at the bottom of the PC case and being able to mount the PSU so that it sucks in air directly from outside, ensuring it gets fresh, cool air straight away. The extra hole at the bottom of the case would also be a good entry point of fresh, cool air to supplement the one taken in through the front. Then there is the top and/or rear fans, useful for making sure the hot air is vented outside the case quick. In my older PC builds, I would have negative pressure in my case -- fans only blew out; I did not have front fans so the top/rear fans vented the hot air out and would also suck in fresh air due to the negative pressure it created inside the case.
But it's the side holes/cutouts/vents that confuse me the most. With such a large "leak," as is the case on my Corsair Carbide, I'm not sure where my air is now flowing. I don't even know if it's supposed to be a vent or an intake.
