How the Case Rear Fan Improves CPU Cooling

Conclusions

The first conclusion we can make is that keeping the left panel of the case open can reduce the CPU temperature. The best temperature we measured with the case closed is almost the same as the worst temperature achieved with the case open.

We can also say that, even with the left panel of the case open, a rear fan can still improve the CPU temperature.

Our data also show that, if you keep the case closed, the rear fan can take the same role as having a CPU cooler with a push-pull fan configuration. This makes sense, since the rear fan helps to direct the airflow that leaves the CPU heatsink to the exterior of the case. The data also show that a low-rpm (which means a silent) fan helps to improve temperature in single-fan tower coolers, but it needs a more powerful fan to decrease temperature if you use a twin-fan CPU cooler.

Please keep in mind that those conclusions apply to the kind of case configuration we used. In other configurations (such as in cases where the power supply is located on the bottom or in cases with large meshed areas), the results can differ from the ones we presented here.