Static Pressure vs. High Airflow Fans As Fast As Possible

There's more to choosing the right PC fan than picking a size, noise level, and bearing type! Linus explains the difference between high airflow and static pressure fans.
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[@david90210ca]

my wife said "are you listening to that goofy dude again?" yes i am

[@vdinh143]

Listening to Linus is one of my guilty pleasures. I put on WAN shows that I missed and fall asleep.

[@QuirkCentral]

You should have said "I'm always listening to you, dear. Oh, you meant linus?"

[@inund8]

haha, my wife hates his voice lol

[@galanjarod]

Hahahahahahha gold

[@iTzmajor]

haha "goofy"

[@WilliamBoothClibborn]

of course a video about fans comes out the day after I buy a set

[@cltwheels]

Same except I bought mine a few weeks ago :(

[@youngblackethiopian]

+william Booth-Clibborn Did you buy the wrong fans?

[@daveyboytellem]

Same except I bought mine 5 years ago ;(

[@necrolord1920]

+william Booth-Clibborn Heh I just bought some a month ago myself. I had always gone with included fans in the past. Aka, the fans that came with my case and the fans that came with my aio watercooling cpu cooler. I decided I wanted to replace some fans to improve the look of my rig, so I researched this just a few weeks ago. For fellow noobs like myself, the exhaust side of the fan is the side that the motor is attached to usually, if the fan doesn't have an arrow to know for sure. Therefore, if you are attaching an intake fan, put the side the motor is attached to closer to the center of your case than the rest of the fan, if you are attaching an exhaust fan, put the side the motor is attached to closer to the outside of the case than the rest of your fan. Also consider what is known as a "positive pressure" setup for your case. That means you have more air coming INTO your case, than getting blown OUT of your case. The reasoning behind this one is dust. You will know where all your dust comes from, specifically your intake fans. Therefore, you could put filters with your intake fans and eliminate a large percentage of the dust in your system. There are always other places dust can creep its way into your case. If you have positive pressure (more intake than exhaust), then those cracks and holes will be expelling air, instead of sucking in air, making it much harder for dust to enter those tiny holes. I personally have 2 140mm front intake fans, 1 120mm bottom intake fan, 1 140mm rear exhaust fan, and 2 120mm exhaust fans attached to my cpu radiator in pull configuration. As I said earlier, I am not an expert because this is the first time I attached custom fans, but I'm hoping this info is helpful to people that were in the same situation I was in.

[@ThirstysURL]

Trust this to come out 4yrs before i purchase mine

[@subashchandra9557]

Speaking of Houses made of Ice, lets talk about payment systems.

[@nathanevans4030]

Lol

[@aiddog10gaming82]

Yep

[@Subject295]

+Subash Chandra "This video was Sponsored by Cool Master!" :D

[@SuperKamoman]

+Subash Chandra yeh for once that transition got me. lol

[@AKIOTV]

Speaking of iglos: Brainfreeze!

[@matthewkinney5474]

When TechQuickie has better content than LTT

[@AnoEto]

+Matthew Kinney Because some of the videos should be TechQuickies... Like how to install a FREAKING GPU

[@jaradipra]

+Vinyl Scratch or .... How installing GPU in FREAKING way. lol ...

[@BenjaminDls]

Digging this video up because even 6 years later I needed an explanation for static pressure vs high airflows and I knew Linus would have that covered

[@Zankaroo]

So its basically horsepower vs torque.

[@Aleph-Noll]

yeah actually that's a good way to think about it

[@raymondjack]

As a car guy, nobody knows what that means! Lol no jk. It’s just a pain to explain

[@aurelion3]

​@@raymondjackI would love to say they are the same thing many would raise a spear against me but really, we are just missing the RPM part

[@raven1988able]

This seems like a very good topic for a "Workshop" type video - to see how much of a difference the types of fans would make in a congested vs airy case

[@macro820]

Come on Luke I want to see a does it matter video about static pressure vs airflow fans lol

[@weinerglory]

Preproto wait are you joking or...

[@whiteperson1]

i turbo charged my computer cooling, im getting about 20 psi of boost, with that i get both high airflow and high pressure

[@avelmusique]

Stututuuu

[@schlittytube]

Drink every time Linus touches that thing in his pocket.

[@TheHeavy666Metal]

+Nicholas1984Autonomy I'm tanked

[@Mitche23]

gigidy :)

[@DragoonDark97]

2:25 AM in Italy here, tomorrow I'll have an important math exam, hope this video will help me

[@eyehatesyou3576]

It won't!!

[@k35magnum]

+DragoonDark97 9am here, haven't slept yet, hope this video will help.

[@TheLofren]

+DragoonDark97 Please follow up with how the exam went when you're done

[@reggiebuffat]

Best of luck to you.

[@LordDecapo]

+TheLofren lol. we all must know the outcome. the Internet is watching now

[@ZRovas117]

Linus, can you do a video of building a CPU INSIDE an igloo??

[@Xhaleon]

+ZRovas117 Igloo-shaped CPU case. Made of genuine ice.

[@crazycanadian7223]

+ZRovas117 I don't think he has the equipment to manufacture a CPU. Much less inside an igloo.

[@VoidCraftedGamingHD]

+Crazy Canadian I think he means a pc

[@crazycanadian7223]

VoidCrafted Gaming He prolly should've said that, then.

[@Twiggy163]

+Crazy Canadian maybe ASML is kind enough to donate a multi million Euro machine for that....

[@coinsagE46m3]

Been wondering what the diff was between these two types of fans. Thanks LMG for yet another great video!

[@LiamIrwinsGooglePage]

All I could focus on is whatever Linus kept touching in his pocket.

[@natshenkin]

Ket

[@devilsfork100]

I find it quite irritating too!

[@mattolstad5078]

+Liam Irwin I think it's the remote for the teleprompter...

[@gabrielmccray3457]

+Liam Irwin prompter scroller

[@DataStorm1]

+Liam Irwin I think that is the audio equipment for his microphone.

[@alanreader4815]

Linus did a High Airflow fan arrange your haircut. LOL :)

[@titusnoel5757]

how can u tell if a fan is Static Pressure or High Airflow Fan

[@Aleph-Noll]

you can actually tell by the number of fins on the fan and the angle they have more fins usually means its for airflow. overlapping fins have good pressure

[@titusnoel5757]

@@Aleph-Noll OK thanks for the info

[@jimh6189]

Fans like any other component in your system need to have SPECS (specifications). The information comes in what is called a "datasheet". If you are shopping on Amazon you will not get such information. If you are really serious you need to be shopping on a real electronics components site like Digikey. You must realize also that the specs given will be for a specific condition. So "200 CFM" is worthless all by itself. It needs to be something like "200 CFM at blah blah blah static pressure environment". Sorry, there is no simple answer here- that's why we engineers get paid so much money ; )

[@RiverSiege]

Oh god, this has made the subject so much more understandable! Thanks Linus

[@TAUTO2011]

Thanks for that good explanation! I had no idea of this, so I'm with even more doubts about this topic everyday 😂. You only forgot to say how can we differentiate a kind to other, since most of sellers don't include such information.

[@cyberlion6411]

how babies are made as fast as possible?

[@IntelCoreI77700K]

Rithik Kumar Im dieing

[@BlackHearthguard]

It's a race. As long as I come first, it doesn't matter. lol

[@alemon22]

u really need a fan for ur brain the air doesn't get into the brain to oxygenate i wonder does the air runs away from stupidity or wt lol

[@MrDaniyalAh]

Don't you think 9 months is kinda slow?

[@LIITEMIES]

linus does ol ways good work on these videos.props to editors too :D

[@AppendixVermiformis]

Right now looking at the specs for Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition vs SP120 Quiet Edition at 12V: Airflow: AF120 provides 5% more airflow than SP120. Static pressure: SP120 provides 160% stronger static pressure than AF120. Looking at the "Preformance Edition" of the fans at 12V: Airflow: Less than 1.3% more airflow for AF120. Static pressure: 180% stronger static pressure for SP120. So why the fuck would anyone go for AF120?

[@TMAC53]

MoreCowbellPlzKthx I need a second front fan for my rig and was actually debating on which one of these exact models to get (my case already came with an SP120 fan). Now I know which one to get. Thanks!

[@tslash93]

I think that testing static pressure fans vs high airflow fans in a cpu heatsink and/ or a pc case would be a great video for your workshop series

[@publicmail2]

Static pressures completely critical in HVAC. How about a manometer for computer cases?

[@iant720]

I just had to calculate duct work for all of our weld booths at work. It was a lot more involved than I thought.

[@PropaneTreeFiddy]

+A D Or just have an HVAC system for the PC. Hell I got a window unit about 4 feet away from my desk, run some coolant tubes from my CPU block through the condensemanator and I'm golden.

[@DeadLoon]

That was a godlike ad segway

[@robert99255]

Lol ikr

[@Riotlight]

Is it possible to tell the difference between the types of fan just by looking at them? For example by looking at the type/shape of blade?

[@TorresinhoLFC]

+Riotlight sure. Airflow fans usually have a lot of blades 10-11-12 but narrow. Pressure fans have 5-6-7 blades but wide.

[@Riotlight]

***** Thanks for that.

[@Henkz85]

+Riotlight Airflow fans also usually have kind of flat blades that are easy to look through. The static pressure fans usually have more curve to the blades.

[@TheYoungweezy23]

@@TorresinhoLFC what if mine are medium width and 9 blades?

[@TankTheSpank]

Make a video about the difference in temps about the two :) Please

[@knaj8222]

Loved this video a lot, I liked the randomness but keeping to the topic a lot.

[@jaklawrence4301]

Some of the transitions that the LMG team have to do between a topic and their sponsor are comedy gold. This is definitely one of the better ones!

[@TravisAviation]

If I had fans in push-pull configuration, would this be just as good as static pressure fans? (other than the obvious more fans and more space used)

[@FutureAIDev2015]

Is the choice between high airflow and high static pressure an either-or choice or can one fan have both characteristics?

[@giant23]

Verry well explained, thanks

[@dewzahundred]

When you're broke as shit and ask yourself why even bother

[@MrDumptyTheDeadman]

Do a high flow vs static pressure test on a radiator and heat sink to measure the actual temperature difference. Could work as a workbench episode.

[@bjimenez88]

Love your videos i always find them helpful, keep it up!

[@neomamuro]

discuss usb-powered monitors! i saw something currently on sale for $70!

[@robban1987]

I would really love for Linus Tech Tips to do an experiment here. Could you do an experiment where you test AF vs SP fans as case fans and as radiator fans, measuring differences in case temps (for case test) and CPU temp (for radiator test)?

[@cherylm2C6671]

This is the info I need! Thank You!

[@MrBlitzpunk]

"speaking of igloo... braintree!" i laughed harder than i should xD

[@wolf_crown]

So my be quiet case actually came with High Speed Static pressure fans on the case, I was thinking of just getting static pressure fans all over.

[@sneeps]

I am 100% expecting an Igloo build now

[@Jakeyosaurus]

FINALLY, YAY!

[@nikitamarinko7641]

I am happy to have this confirmed.

[@scott4398]

Are dust filters really restrictive enough to warrant SP fans?

[@billyashworth3944]

Scott A If your 'airflow' fans also have a decent static pressure rating then you should be fine. The most you will gain from switching to SP fans is a couple of degrees anyway. I would be more concerned about noise to be honest.

[@Sykeye7]

Great advices, thanks Linus!

[@superjpbourrin]

cubic foot per minute? how much is it in vienna fathoms per hour? YOU BROUGHT THIS UPON YOURSELF AMERICA

[@billyashworth3944]

The Noctua fans seem to wup the ass of any Static Pressure fans and Airflow fans from what I've seen! haha

[@Ihaveanamenowtaken]

So, you want some serious flow, let me tell about the CFM-56 or the GE90 Badum ts

[@AndyAviation]

smlbstcbr lmao

[@patrickrose2349]

this channel has evolved so damn much...

[@mikael_johansson]

i WAS SERCHING FOR THIS KIND OF VIDEO 1 - 2 WEEKS AGO !!

[@droy333]

Do a CRAP fans VS Good Fans. The results would probably be negligible at best.

[@Fergesslich]

+Troy Graham For temperatures you may be right but I buy good fans mainly because of less noise and rattling noises...

[@filadelfozuniga3411]

+Troy Graham In performance maybe, lifespan, aesthetics and noise, are also quite important

[@droy333]

I wonder how many other people will feel the need to point out the obvious. The adage of "You get what you pay for." must have been forgotten.

[@filadelfozuniga3411]

Or the free thinker guy who feels the need to show how much he wonder about things. Those are not obvious statements for the people bulding their first pcs or just didnt care for fans besides the ones already came with their case...

[@droy333]

I just wanted to acknowledge your reply.

[@rudolfsbriedis9987]

so i was checking fans on amazon for my first pc build and i saw that there are different types of fans so i checked out this video so i finally understand what are airflow and pressure fans but i still have one question what are air balance fans

[@Hurileno]

Im so early that i can see the universe forming

[@rihndou]

I'm so early I always existed. O.o

[@FishFish1995]

So, let say I have 2 fans. The one has an airflow of 44 and air pressure of 0,7. The other one has an airflow of 51,2 and air pressure of 2,44. The first fan was mounted on a cpu cooler (let's say something similar with the 212 Evo), now that first fan is replaced by the second one. My logic tells me that since the airflow is more and the air pressure is more, better results should be seen. The problem: Temps went from 30°C to 50°C when those fans operate at 100%. What am I missing? Does it have anything to do with some kind of airflow to air pressure ratio?

[@likvor6110]

Linus can you make test, is the cooling of ps go better if we put case upside down but with old case where psu is on the top of case with 120mm fan and with high voltage gpu?

[@Pertamax7-HD]

Ok sir

[@MYshamanEYE]

when I upgraded my video card from a single to a dual i started getting over heat issues ,.. my solution ,.. I took off the side panel all together and set a 6 inch desk fan blowing directly into the open side ,my pc never ran cooler and surprisingly the sound did not increase in any noticeable way. the only down side is once a month i need to use a compressed air can to blow a small amount of dust out of the corners of my case.

[@RoximRox]

Hey, Linus and Luke, we always hear about using SP and AF fans for different purposes, but we also always heard about cable management and thermal paste application methods being important as well. How about a new Workshop episode on this topic to test it out by swapping fans out in different locations on the case. Like intake, exhaust, heatsink and maybe a radiator. So we see just how much of an impact it makes.

[@floridaboz1]

+Aarekk i like this concept. do it guys

[@hellterminator]

Is this supposed to be a joke?

[@RoximRox]

***** No. That's the entire point of The Workshop. They put a plushie in a case and it didn't do shit when we always heard that cable management is important to get the best cooling. They just plopped thermal paste in different ways when we were always told that the application method was important to, again, get the best cooling. Here we have another example of "do this to get the best cooling" and I would like to see a video quantifying that in order to see just how much of a difference it makes. What if the difference is one degree again. Maybe the _less optimal_ fan is far cheaper compared to the _more optimal_ one but the lack of temperature difference makes that a fair tradeoff for someone. We got two Workshop videos in a row where we learned that nothing happens. I feel I am justified in wanting to know if this falls under the same category.

[@hellterminator]

Aarekk OK, I get it now. You meant they should make a video about the effects of changing static pressure fans for airflow oriented ones and vice versa and the rest was examples of episodes they've already made. The way you phrased it was a bit ambiguous and I (and 5 other people, apparently) interpreted it as you suggesting they make episodes about cable management and thermal compound application techniques.

[@RoximRox]

***** Oh, no yeah. I was trying to justify my pitch by making the claim that it would fit right in with the other videos they made. It may have been a bit weird to open my comment with the past examples. My bad.

[@unluxkyDave]

Im trying to understand whether or not the airflow series of Corsair (AF140) would be a better bottom intake fan than an ML140, but the ml140 claims 97 CFM while the af140 claims 66. But the ML140 has significantly more static pressure?

[@ZAR556]

High Pressure type for Intake and CPU Cooler, High Airflow type for Exhaust, Balance Fan type for Both. If you choose RGB Fan, those fans usually adjust to Balance type, but more into RGB than Cooling Performance.

[@OGkush69x]

Witch one you think would cause less tinnitus

[@SRC267]

And which one for the top of the case?

[@R3in_Ch]

@@SRC267 Intake, the back usually for exhaust

[@SRC267]

@@R3in_Ch I was gonna get one for top, but someone said 80mm fans are loud (case only has 80mm support for the top) plus, I don't think it will make a huge difference.

[@mohadraies]

which one is more noisy, air flow fans or static pressure?

[@leafyslizardsquadhisss8641]

I needed this video

[@ItsDredj]

This video needs further exploration in, Luke's workshop series. Just how much difference is there between an SP and AF fan doing the same job? I doubt an end user has personally tested each fan at home and just believes what he's sold, and this is how we end up with, Monster cables or Wireworld's $1000 HDMI cables, even though there is no huge price difference between SP and AF. Get on it, Linus/Luke. For science!

[@Kraviken]

Is there an easy answer to what fans are most quiet?

[@shanebeasley8191]

so HP vs torque.... simples

[@TommyFenstermacher5150]

+shane beasley More horsepower tends to yield more top speed and a bit more acceleration. Torque is the rotational analog to linear force. It results in either more wheelspin when setting off or more acceleration (if you have enough grip, or friction, to handle the extra rotational force). If I was better at physics and automobile engineering, then I would have a better explanation.

[@zeronecker5576]

+THERAZORKILLE Productions Bad tires will make it bottleneck, unless you are drifting.

[@TommyFenstermacher5150]

+Zero necker Yes

[@cosmicalian]

+Power Max No it wouldn't. Assuming that current = high airflow fan in your analogy, static pressure fans do not produce more units of push than the airflow fan. The static pressure fan resists back flow of air. So in electronics, it would be high vs low resistance

[@iant720]

It's more like turbo boost pressure vs flow.

[@jaymuhammad7530]

Good video. I have a MSI 970. it has 3 case fan inputs but I can't control the 3rd!!!

[@MrAvatin]

How to use KZbin As Fast As Possible

[@Sarchein]

Last

[@fael097]

+partiancommander latest

[@alimoghnieh5661]

i am a mechanical engineering student, i have a fluid mechanics lab project. soon, his words are gold.

[@9danny81]

That transition to the sponsored part in the ending was so damn smooth.

[@natecortese1189]

Af doesn't stand for air flow. It obviously stands for as fuck

[@MrHakisak]

so if i have 2 fans, one is high static pressure and one is(low static pressure)advertised as an airflow fan, but BOTH have the same CFM, wouldn't i just go for the high static pressure fan?

[@MichaelFlatman]

I'm a fan of this video :)

[@TheVoxmouth]

Michael HTT 2 years later, get out of here.

[@mitchell3876]

Linus is hot

[@pnp072000]

Is the $80 Delta fan that spins at 6,000 rpm good for a radiator? I would use this as a joke since I don't care.

[@kingyeayea397]

pnp072000 it's called a pwm fan controller ..

[@bassmickey]

Linus you always kill it!!!

[@NickTesoro777]

Have Luke do a Workshop video on this. It'd be interesting to see the real world results

[@andrebarros7703]

i've got 2 120mm that cost me 4 bucks each, and they make a great airflow and coolling

[@RichardKincses]

Glow in the dark freezbe. Epic foreshadowing for the next Channel Super fun video ?

[@Skinnflute]

This couldn't be of any better time for me. I'm about to buy some more case and CPU cooler fans.

[@cublyy]

Was literally looking for a video about this a few days ago. Illuminati.

[@guilhemjusserand3205]

700th comment

[@Theawesomeking4444]

which fans are better Axial (desktops) or Centrifugal (laptop) if they were the same size and same RPM which would cool more?

[@heinrichkrull2523]

I got an ad that featured Linus befor the video starded.

[@laxmannate07]

Just go for SP fans. Most modern cases have dust filters or solid panels that restrict air flow. The only place I put an airflow fan is the rear exhaust position and I would put a SP fan there if I had another. The difference in open air performance is negligible. However, the difference in restrictive applications is very noticeably poor for HA fans.

[@Terry2020]

laxmannate07 thx for sharing

[@Smoothies_010]

thank you so much linus i learned so much from you . from philippines :)

[@NeoVoodooTech]

Two thumbs way up Linus good job! It's all about blade design, number of blades and angles. The motor is more about noise level , longevity, rpm's and torque but is mostly negligible as the cheapest fan and the best fan operate so similar. A better electric motor with a better bearing will be more powerful, quieter and last longer. More blades will push more air but rotate slower and require more energy. Larger fans move more air have lower rpm's and are quieter as well.

[@howardlam6181]

I always use high static pressure fans because of the dust and dust filter I put on my chasis

[@thogggg]

Linus is the type of person that corrects his friends when they say a GPU is the same as a CPU.

[@M4RC3L001]

Who wouldn't ?

[@yudiartog]

+Sebastian Larson it's linus from arabs

[@RTJPodcast]

+Sebastian Larson Argued with a guy on Craigslist telling me about his badass rig with two GPUs. Turns out he had a dual core processor.

[@thogggg]

RTJPodcast :/ R.I.P.

[@MrtinVarela]

+RTJPodcast Rest in pieces

[@yotuanyboi6201]

Would upgrading my airflow 140mm fans to high pressure 120mm fans help as intake. The fans current pull air through a filter with a 90 degree angle vent.

[@jimmypikachu5907]

Hmm thanks Linus. Been building rigs for years and never knew that.

[@parson7260]

Good stuff Linus! Thanks for the much needed info.

[@sergeyzinovkin7123]

Hmm and how to tell one fan type from another just by it`s looks?

[@pcxdrone]

For *exhaust* fan on a NAS stuffed with drives should I use Pressure optimized even though it's the exhaust?

[@yottazoid3222]

3:00 Linus Brony Confirmed

[@ParadoxdesignsOrg]

and if nothing else, this video is a good reminder to grab that duster and clean out your case fans and prepare for summer heat.

[@docdat3468]

All you need is all possible slots full with Scythe ultra Kaze 3000 no worries about pressure or cfm ^^

[@nullifypirates]

i have very little knowledge about this..does high RPM means better airflow?

[@TheMatsushitaMan]

How about a full system of Delta PFC1212DE??

[@Kristerkb]

What exactly are my issues, if i built my pc onto the side of an iglu ? Im intrigued..

[@sarukun1228]

How did you know about my questionable hairstyle?

[@woobilicious.]

I would assume a high static pressure fans would create more resonance in a case if the intake and outtake were not matched too well, I noticed that my case sort of had a vibration sound (like 10-20hz) when I did 2:1 ratio of fans, only when the cover was on. It feels like it might be best to have a high flow outlet fans near the CPU cooler and a high static near the hard drive cage, and let the outlet "adjust" to the inlet / CPU/GPU fan movement, instead of having them constantly fighting each other and create a pressure delta inside the case, plus having an opening without a fan that has positive outflow seemed to have best results for me in terms of noise.