Hey everyone! I'm about to order my new PC soon and could really use some guidance on optimizing the airflow in my Antec Flux Pro case. I'll be using a 360mm AIO cooler for my CPU and another 360mm AIO for my GPU. I want to nail down the airflow from the start without switching to a custom loop.
My initial plan was to replace all the radiator fans with 6 Noctua NF-F12 fans, and I wanted to swap out the rest of the case fans too, but I'm feeling a bit lost about the overall setup.
Here's what I've got so far:
- Top: 360mm CPU AIO radiator – exhaust
- Front: 360mm GPU radiator – exhaust
- Rear: 140mm Noctua NF-A14 – exhaust
- Middle tray (above PSU): 3x Noctua NF-A12 – intake (I think the third fan mount makes sense, right?)
- Bottom (besides PSU): 2x Noctua NF-A14 – intake
I'm especially unsure about the front GPU radiator since typically, the front should be an intake, but I worry about blowing GPU heat into the case. Also, if I just set up exhaust fans only (top, front, and rear), would the case just take in air passively from the bottom? That sounds balanced, but I suspect there's a reason people usually avoid that.
Here's the full build I'm looking at: [PCPartPicker List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hCvR6Q)
- Case: Antec Flux Pro
- Motherboard: MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk Wifi
- CPU: 9800X3D
- CPU Cooler: Arctic Freezer 3 360mm AIO
- GPU: RTX 5090 Astral LC
- PSU: be quiet! Straight Power 12 – 1200W
- RAM: G.Skill 32GB CL28
- Storage: 2x 2TB Samsung 9100 Pro
I'd love any advice on optimizing the airflow setup! Thanks!
1 Answer
You might want to skip the power supply shroud fans and the rear exhaust. The airflow from your bottom intakes and the dual AIOs should be enough. I’d suggest running the front AIO as an intake instead—you have ample surface area, and the air temp should stay low. As for just using exhaust fans, it could work, but it might create hotspots around your M.2 and RAM slots, so testing it out could be worth it. Also, consider using Phanteks T30 fans; they outperform the Noctua fans for radiators. Pro tip: using 5mm spacers on your bottom intakes can help reduce turbulence and noise!
That’s some solid advice, thanks! And yeah, that exhaust-only question was more of a random thought that popped into my head after mulling over my fan setup for so long. Appreciate your feedback!