{"id":21624,"date":"2023-02-04T16:18:52","date_gmt":"2023-02-04T15:18:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/g100.us\/?p=21624"},"modified":"2023-05-05T16:07:52","modified_gmt":"2023-05-05T14:07:52","slug":"pc-fan-airflow-direction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/g100.us\/pc-fan-airflow-direction\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Tell Which Way Your PC's Case &#038; CPU Fans are Blowing"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_39 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-668456a5af1a8\" class=\"cssicon\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\" \/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-668456a5af1a8\" class=\"cssiconcheckbox\">1<\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-668456a5af1a8\" checked><nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 \"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/pc-fan-airflow-direction\/#Find_the_Arrow_Indicator\" title=\"Find the Arrow Indicator\">Find the Arrow Indicator<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/pc-fan-airflow-direction\/#Examine_the_Fan_Blades\" title=\"Examine the Fan Blades\">Examine the Fan Blades<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/pc-fan-airflow-direction\/#How_to_Tell_Which_Way_Your_PCCaseCPU_Fan_is_Blowing_Summary\" title=\"How to Tell Which Way Your PC\/Case\/CPU Fan is Blowing (Summary)\">How to Tell Which Way Your PC\/Case\/CPU Fan is Blowing (Summary)<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/pc-fan-airflow-direction\/#Why_Does_Fan_Direction_Matter\" title=\"Why Does Fan Direction Matter?\">Why Does Fan Direction Matter?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/pc-fan-airflow-direction\/#Over_To_You\" title=\"Over To You\">Over To You<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>Are you trying to build or upgrade your PC, but you\u2019re struggling with fan orientation? Don\u2019t worry, you\u2019re not alone!<\/p>\n<p>Many beginners struggle with what may seem to be one of the simplest parts of a PC build.<\/p>\n<p>And as it's not always immediately apparent which direction the fan <em><strong>will<\/strong> <\/em>blow, or, <em><strong>should<\/strong> <\/em>blow, here's our guide to figuring this out in no time!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Find_the_Arrow_Indicator\"><\/span>Find the Arrow Indicator<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When it comes to building your own PC, understanding the direction your fans are blowing in is of crucial importance, not just to <strong><em>optimize<\/em><\/strong> the airflow but to actually <em><strong>create <\/strong><\/em>some kind of basic airflow in the first hand that'll continually supply your PC's internal components with fresh and cool air.<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, most modern <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/best-case-fans\/\"><strong>case fans<\/strong><\/a> come with easily distinguishable arrow indicators that'll make it a breeze to figure out which way air is moving through the fan.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21630\" style=\"width: 2048px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21630\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21630\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Fan-airflow-spinning-direction.jpg\" alt=\"Fan airflow spinning direction\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Fan-airflow-spinning-direction.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Fan-airflow-spinning-direction-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Fan-airflow-spinning-direction-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Fan-airflow-spinning-direction-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Fan-airflow-spinning-direction-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21630\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21630 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Fan airflow spinning direction\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Fan-airflow-spinning-direction.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Fan-airflow-spinning-direction-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Fan-airflow-spinning-direction-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Fan-airflow-spinning-direction-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Fan-airflow-spinning-direction-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Fan-airflow-spinning-direction.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-21630\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.deepcool.com\/products\/Cooling\/fans\/2021\/13238.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Deepcool<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Arrow indicators found on fans point towards the direction of the airflow. In other words, the arrow direction is the direction in which the air moves through the fan.<\/p>\n<p>If you have two arrows on your fan (as in the image above), the one pointing right or left will indicate the rotation of the fan blades, and the one pointing up or down will indicate the direction of airflow.<\/p>\n<p>Depending on how your fans are installed and how easily accessible they are, you may not see the airflow arrow indicators until you've taken it out of the PC for closer examination.<\/p>\n<p>Or, you can always hold a piece of paper in front of it to see if it blows away or pulled toward the fan.<\/p>\n<p>But not all fans come with arrow indicators. Luckily, that\u2019s not the only method of checking which way the fan is blowing.<\/p>\n<p>Examining the blades is what we\u2019ll be focusing on in the next segment. If you\u2019re still troubleshooting fan placement and potential cooling issues, examining the fan blades ought to help you out:<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Examine_the_Fan_Blades\"><\/span>Examine the Fan Blades<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Another simple way of checking which way your PC fans are blowing is to examine the fan blades.<\/p>\n<p>If your fan doesn\u2019t have an arrow indicator or it\u2019s already mounted and you\u2019re not willing to remove it, in most cases a simple examination of the fan blades will tell you all you need to know.<\/p>\n<p>If the fan blades are curving away from you, you\u2019re looking at the intake side. In technical terms, the intake side is the convex side of the blades.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21631\" style=\"width: 2048px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21631\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21631\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Case-Fan-Airflow-Direction.jpg\" alt=\"Case Fan - Airflow Direction\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Case-Fan-Airflow-Direction.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Case-Fan-Airflow-Direction-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Case-Fan-Airflow-Direction-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Case-Fan-Airflow-Direction-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Case-Fan-Airflow-Direction-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21631\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21631 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Case Fan - Airflow Direction\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Case-Fan-Airflow-Direction.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Case-Fan-Airflow-Direction-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Case-Fan-Airflow-Direction-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Case-Fan-Airflow-Direction-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Case-Fan-Airflow-Direction-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Case-Fan-Airflow-Direction.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-21631\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bequiet.com\/en\/casefans\/3705\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">beQuiet!<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>However, if the blades are curving towards you, if they resemble a bowl shape (in other words you're looking into the bowl), you\u2019re looking at the exhaust side (so the fan will blow air towards you).<\/p>\n<p>And although the exhaust side typically has the <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/best-cpu-cooler-brands\/\"><strong>CPU fan brand<\/strong><\/a> sticker in the center, which seem like another easy indicator of airflow direction, this isn't always the case.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Tell_Which_Way_Your_PCCaseCPU_Fan_is_Blowing_Summary\"><\/span>How to Tell Which Way Your PC\/Case\/CPU Fan is Blowing (Summary)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To summarize, here's how to figure which way your fan will blow:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Check the fan for airflow indicator arrows<\/li>\n<li>Check the curvature of the fan's blades. If they are curved towards you, that's the exhaust<\/li>\n<li>Check by holding a piece of paper or your hand in front of it while the fan is blowing (you can usually tell how the air is moving)<\/li>\n<li>Check the fan's sticker. The side with the sticker typically is the exhaust side (but this isn't always 100% accurate)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Does_Fan_Direction_Matter\"><\/span>Why Does Fan Direction Matter?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When building your PC, you have to pay close attention to the airflow. It\u2019s crucial for maintaining your PC\u2019s health and performance.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-21633\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Intake-vs-Exhaust-Fans.jpg\" alt=\"Intake vs Exhaust Fans\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Intake-vs-Exhaust-Fans.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Intake-vs-Exhaust-Fans-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Intake-vs-Exhaust-Fans-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Intake-vs-Exhaust-Fans-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Intake-vs-Exhaust-Fans-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-21633 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Intake vs Exhaust Fans\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Intake-vs-Exhaust-Fans.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Intake-vs-Exhaust-Fans-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Intake-vs-Exhaust-Fans-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Intake-vs-Exhaust-Fans-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Intake-vs-Exhaust-Fans-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/Intake-vs-Exhaust-Fans.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>You might have the best, highest <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/cpu-fan-rpm-guide\/\"><strong>RPM fans<\/strong><\/a> there are, but if they aren't mounted correctly and blow air the wrong way, your computer\u2019s airflow is likely severely impacted.<\/p>\n<p>This means that your PC is either not getting enough cold air in, or is trapping hot air inside the case. Both scenarios aren\u2019t good for your temperatures, <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/thermal-throttling-guide\/\">will reduce the CPU and GPU's performance due to thermal throttling<\/a> and could cause damage to your components if not taken care of.<\/p>\n<p>Proper airflow looks something like this:<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-21632\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/negative-vs-positive-pressure-airflow.jpg\" alt=\"negative vs positive pressure airflow\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/negative-vs-positive-pressure-airflow.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/negative-vs-positive-pressure-airflow-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/negative-vs-positive-pressure-airflow-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/negative-vs-positive-pressure-airflow-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/negative-vs-positive-pressure-airflow-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-21632 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"negative vs positive pressure airflow\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/negative-vs-positive-pressure-airflow.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/negative-vs-positive-pressure-airflow-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/negative-vs-positive-pressure-airflow-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/negative-vs-positive-pressure-airflow-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/negative-vs-positive-pressure-airflow-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/02\/negative-vs-positive-pressure-airflow.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Ideally, you need two intake fans to blow cold air into your case. The hot air will circulate around your components, making hot air rise up and exit the case through the exhaust fan(s).<\/p>\n<p>Another important aspect of PC airflow is air pressure. It can be neutral, positive, or negative, depending on the amount of intake and exhaust. You can learn more about PC case air pressure <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomshardware.com\/how-to\/set-up-pc-case-fans-for-airflow-and-performance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Over_To_You\"><\/span>Over To You<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>That\u2019s it for our guide on figuring out the direction of your PC, case &amp; CPU fans. We hope you\u2019ve found our guide easy to follow!<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Have you figured out which way your PC fans are blowing? If you still have issues, leave a <a href=\"#comments\">comment<\/a> below or on our <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/forum\/\">forum<\/a>, and let me know if you have any other questions.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you trying to build or upgrade your PC, but you\u2019re struggling with fan orientation? Don\u2019t worry, you\u2019re not alone! Many beginners struggle with what may seem to be one of the simplest parts of a PC build. And as it's not always immediately apparent which direction the fan will blow, or, should blow, here's...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2343,"featured_media":21625,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[74],"tags":[181],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21624"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2343"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21624"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21690,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21624\/revisions\/21690"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}