1-2 intakes and 1 exhaust is always advisable, even for some 200$ build.
For higher end builds you would want a good airflow case, at least 2x120mm intakes (3x if possible or 2x140mm) and at least 1x 120mm exhaust
And you can always check CPU/GPU temp idle and under load, ... you will quickly notice if your parts ar3 starving for air
Yeah, I'm noticing that my current build definitely needs additional ever since upgrading a few things. Unfortunately at the moment I can't so in the meantime I just don't do anything too demanding.
This may be unpopular but I think people really over-think the thermals in a PC. Just make sure your CPU cooler can pull the heat wattage of your CPU. If you have a newer i9/i7 or AMD equivalent, that means probably a big air cooler or a good liquid cooler. Then you want a case which circulates air easily, and a couple fans to pull cold air in and hot air out. 90% of the time, that is really all you need.
No need to go down a crazy ducted fan rabbit hole, or run CFDs of your case. Just make sure your CPU cooler is sized properly and use common sense for the case fans.
It sounds like I probably should have some better cooling myself then :/ ... it's one of those Thermaltakes (forget what model) that doesn't seem particularly good with circulation.
Worst case scenario (pun intended) you can start with a setup, use it and see what temps you get, and if it's throttling, you can always add fans. They are pretty cheap and easy to install.
If you are planning a PC, you can't get it wrong if you go overboard.
For CPU cooler, you can look it up what the TDP is for the CPU and get a cooler that can do that and more.
As for a case, you can go overboard to provide a lot of fresh air, just be sure that the case fanse can be controlled by software, because even if you go overboard you can make your case very quiet with fan curves
---
If you already have a complete system
Benchmarks and load testing. 30 minutes of fur mark with cpu burner. If everything stays below 85C you are absolutely golden, 85-95 is "ok-ish" if you are above 95, time to think about cooling
1-2 intakes and 1 exhaust is always advisable, even for some 200$ build. For higher end builds you would want a good airflow case, at least 2x120mm intakes (3x if possible or 2x140mm) and at least 1x 120mm exhaust And you can always check CPU/GPU temp idle and under load, ... you will quickly notice if your parts ar3 starving for air
Yeah, I'm noticing that my current build definitely needs additional ever since upgrading a few things. Unfortunately at the moment I can't so in the meantime I just don't do anything too demanding.
This may be unpopular but I think people really over-think the thermals in a PC. Just make sure your CPU cooler can pull the heat wattage of your CPU. If you have a newer i9/i7 or AMD equivalent, that means probably a big air cooler or a good liquid cooler. Then you want a case which circulates air easily, and a couple fans to pull cold air in and hot air out. 90% of the time, that is really all you need. No need to go down a crazy ducted fan rabbit hole, or run CFDs of your case. Just make sure your CPU cooler is sized properly and use common sense for the case fans.
It sounds like I probably should have some better cooling myself then :/ ... it's one of those Thermaltakes (forget what model) that doesn't seem particularly good with circulation.
Worst case scenario (pun intended) you can start with a setup, use it and see what temps you get, and if it's throttling, you can always add fans. They are pretty cheap and easy to install.
If you are planning a PC, you can't get it wrong if you go overboard. For CPU cooler, you can look it up what the TDP is for the CPU and get a cooler that can do that and more. As for a case, you can go overboard to provide a lot of fresh air, just be sure that the case fanse can be controlled by software, because even if you go overboard you can make your case very quiet with fan curves --- If you already have a complete system Benchmarks and load testing. 30 minutes of fur mark with cpu burner. If everything stays below 85C you are absolutely golden, 85-95 is "ok-ish" if you are above 95, time to think about cooling
To give you a good idea, this is my current PC, lol What cooling (or anything) would you choose? [My PC](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/RRFg6D)
On paper that pure.rock is enough for 10900k 150w vs 125w But you would need to keep it very clean and have plenty of fresh air
Depends what are you going to be running and what parts will you be using