• Quick question about air circulation in computer parts
    4 replies, posted
Now processors, video card fans, etc. Do they suck air into the heatsink to cool them off? Or do they blow the hot away from it? And with case fans, do they bring air into the case? Or take the hot air out? Going to change computor parts for the first time real soon and I just wanted some clarity on this simple problem.
You pretty much answered your question in the thread title. Air [b]circulation[/b]. Fans are there to move the air around - force out hot air and bring in cooler air. You can't just pull air in or push it out. The former would create a pressure vessel and the latter a vacuum.
The fans next to/on top of the heat sinks draw air in the case over the heatsink. Since the heatsink draws heat from the component into the fins of the heatsink, the heatsink provides a large surface area for the air to blow over and 'carry' the hot air away to other areas of the case, and hopefully out the back. The fans on the case simply draw fresh cooler air in, and expel the hotter air out the back.
Usually you want the air to flow from the front of your case to the back, my case sucks air in at the front and blows air out of the back. If you can't have that, then you want it to blow air out of the back at least
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