Hi! I currently have this build using the GT502 case.
I just recently got 3 more case fans. Previously it was set up like this:
I think that for some reason the temps got worse and the PC much louder. It might just be buyer's remorse but I got more fans so that they could use less RPM and be quieter, but I feel like the complete opposite has happened.
Can I change anything about this layout to optimise airflow? I was thinking of maybe switching the side panel fans to exhaust? That might starve the CPU cooler, though...
Maybe I'm just imagining things and I just need to perform exact tests to figure it out. What do you use for testing airflow effectiveness?
UPDATE:
The issue was weirder than I would've thought. The bottom 3 fans are controlled by one motherboard channel using a PWM splitter cable. The rear and side panel fans are the same - one channel for all 3. Previously I had just the rear exhaust plugged in to a single channel but now it's plugged into the splitter.
Apparently the order of the fans in the splitter is VERY important. I changed it so that the rear fan is the first in the splitter and that instantly fixed the issue. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Is the top mesh or solid? I can't tell.
If mesh you shouldn't be having any problems with rear exhaust and the rest intake.... I'd just tune the rear exhaust to match the cpu fan and run the rest on a much, much less aggressive ramp up.
If solid, leave bottom 3 intake, rear exhaust, side two exhaust. This leaves the air pressure net balanced but keeps air flowing consistently up through the case.
The top is mesh. That's why I did so many intake fans - to let the pressure naturally out of the top.
I still might experiment with switching the side panel to exhaust. That's what I wanted to do in the first place but every build I saw used it as an intake and I was scared that would starve the CPU fan.
I did seem to get the noise down a bit by modifying the curves and making the ramp up smoother.