Best fan setup for Corsair 275R Airflow

How to configure fans inside the Corsair 275R Airflow

The Corsair 275R Airflow can take up to six case fans, depending on whether you choose 120mm or 140mm blowers. One 120mm fan can be installed on the rear panel, either one 140mm or two 120mm up top, and three 120mm or two 140mm on the front panel.

Being one of the best PC cases for airflow and thermal performance, the 275R Airflow is designed for pushing as much cool air through the chassis, but it all depends on how you install fans. We recommend using the best PC case fans money can buy.

Corsair recommends using the front panel as an intake and the rear and top panels as exhausts. We can confirm through testing that this is the best configuration for the 275R Airflow. It's also well suited for AIO coolers with a 280mm or 360mm radiator on the front to draw in cool air.

Why lower temperatures matter for PCs

What's the difference between a CPU operating at 40C and 60C? Both temperatures are well within the safe operating range set by AMD and Intel — you shouldn't be concerned until you hit 90C. The warmer the component through normal operation, the shorter its lifespan will likely be. Even a small difference of just 5C can make your PC part last longer.

This is why we recommend running the best cooling you can buy for the CPU, GPU, and other components. Going with a custom water-cooling solution is the best way, but even then you'll need to take into account fan placement and airflow direction. A push-pull (pulling air in the front and pushing it out the rear and top) configuration is the normal recommendation for most PC cases, including the Corsair 275R Airflow.