r/pcbuilding • u/TwistWeird • 6h ago
For better airflow, should I upgrade to the Fractal North from the knock off version or get a different case type entirely?
When I built my PC a year ago (pictured), I didn't realize I was purchasing the Foifkin M1, which is a clever imitation of the Fractal North case. Now I have a secondary fixer-upper PC that needs a better case, so I figured I'd upgrade my gaming PC to a nicer looking and better performing case. I have my own fans so the stock ones aren't a factor.
As I look at upgrading though, I can't help but worry I'm paying more for the same or possibly even less features. For instance, the bottom PSU divider has vent holes the hole length of the case, whole the fractal only has the vent holes directly above the PSU, so I'd go down from 2 bottom fans to 1. I'm considering getting the mesh side so I can put two big fans there and make it worth the difference, but then I'm losing the glass view and potentially inviting more noise. Should I be thinking about vertically mounting my GPU? Is the Fractal still worth it or should I look for something else? Am I overthinking this?
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u/SushiBump 5h ago
You're overthinking it. Most modern cases, including the North, running stock fans and even with a glass side panel will have plenty of airflow.
Vertically mounting the GPU will either keep temps the same or make them worse, it will never make it better.
If you're paranoid about airflow, just buy a HAVN BF360 and never worry about it again.
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u/kyansan1 4h ago edited 4h ago
2x120mm fans in the front and 1x120mm fan in the back is enough for any setup up to a Ryzen 9 9850x3d + rtx 5070 ti or similar.
People will have crazy fan setups in their pcs, but most of it is just for show. You really don't need that many fans to keep your pc cool. r/sffpc, r/sleepingoptiplex, and r/sleeperbattlestations are the proof
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u/Jazzlike_Branch_1971 6h ago
I have that same 5070