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I'm going to build a custom-desktop from the parts I am going to buy. If I remember correctly, I think that the parts itself include fans that will cool off the system. (CPU has a heatsink + fan?, while graphics card has it's own dedicated fan.)

Is it necessary to purchase additional fans for the system or will it be fine, considering how I will not be overclocking the system?

Specs:

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 630 2.8GHz

RAM: Kingston DDR3 2GB

Graphics Card: Sapphire HD5770 1GB

Motherboard: ASUS M4A87TD or MSI 790X-G45

Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-550VXCN 550W

Case: NZXT M59

Hard Drive: WD Caviar Blue 500GB

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    As answers are indicating, you may. You also may not. If you were to be more specific about what sort of components you're buying we could probably be more specific as to 'you probably will' or 'you probably won't'. The only way to be sure is to test, though.
    – Shinrai
    Aug 27, 2010 at 17:25
  • Thanks for your reply. :) I have added the specs of my upcoming build as you have suggested. How would I test to see if it is necessary for extra fans?
    – JFW
    Aug 28, 2010 at 11:37

2 Answers 2

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As you can see in the diagram below, the normal airflow of a computer case is "pulling" cool air from the bottom of the front to extract the warm air with pressure through the back of the case. So either you should install an additional fan at the bottom of the front, or at the back somewhere around the power supply. But, my computer i.e. has no additional fans. It worked fine without them. My advise for this situation is to test it without additional fans and if ou recognize some temperature difficulties add at least one.

computer airflow

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    Original image: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Computer_case_coolingair_flow.png
    – Hello71
    Aug 27, 2010 at 14:47
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    You will want an intake fan (bottom right in this image) and an exhaust fan (top in this image although most cases use rear fans just to the left of the CPU in this image). This configuration pulls cool air in and over the hard drives (they get very hot otherwise) and push hot air out of the case to prevent it from swirling inside and turning your nice case into an oven.
    – Chris Nava
    Aug 27, 2010 at 16:30
  • Hello @Diskilla, @Hello71 and @Chris Nava, thanks all for the replies. Is it mandatory to have all these fans or could I add this later on? (Basically, would the computer components fry/blow up if I don't add them in?)
    – JFW
    Aug 28, 2010 at 11:34
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Those fans do not cool off the system, they cool off the devices they are attached to. You may need additional fans in order to extract the hot air from within the case depending on the airflow of the case itself.

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  • Thanks for your reply. :) How will I know if the case has good airflow or not?
    – JFW
    Aug 28, 2010 at 11:39
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    Put your hand across the case intakes, not covering them completely, and see if there's a noticeable flow. Aug 28, 2010 at 15:40

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