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I have been spending the last week trying to figure out ways I could improve the temperatures and airflow within my PC. However, given that it's a pre-built Dell PC, it seems like there is not much of wriggle room for me to improve the airflow within the casing.

However, I have one idea which I am not sure would work or not, and on a theoretical level, I would like to know from the knowledgeable members of this forum as to whether or not this is a workable plan.

I am posting two images below.

The first image shows a completely stock Inspiron 660. Circled red is where I propose to install a fan, and the blue circle is where air vents exist (below the front bezel).

The second image shows the configuration of my Inspiron 660. It is completely stock save for the fact I upgraded my PSU, and I have a graphics card (GTX 960) installed.

I would like to know quite simply, if I were to install a fan at the circled location, would it draw fresh air into the casing (and consequently cool my HDD and GPU) from the air holes located at the bottom of the front bezel, or would it merely recycle air that is already within my casing?

Image 1

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Image 2

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  • An overhead view is not helpful. How restricted is the air path between the fan intake and the case vent(s)? One (common) issue I see is the conflict between the CPU fan and the rear case fan (which is presumably an exhaust fan). Both the intake and some of the exhaust of the CPU fan are affected by the negative pressure created by the rear exhaust fan. If the PSU has a 120mm fan also facing the CPU, then it's even worse (more negative pressure to starve the CPU fan). If the side panel (that faces CPU) has a vent, then build a duct for the CPU fan to draw fresh air from this vent.
    – sawdust
    May 19, 2016 at 18:34
  • "I upgraded my PSU" -- That creates two air flow issues. 1) The 120mm fan competes with the rear-case exhaust fan, and both affect the CPU fan. That's 3 fans sourcing air from the same space. 2) A PSU with 120mm fan does not expel all of its hot air to the exterior of the case. About 10-20% of the heated air is recirculated back into the PC case (i.e. the PSU has exhaust vents facing inside the case as well as facing outside) .
    – sawdust
    May 19, 2016 at 20:12

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