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How to Configure Side Intake in a Panoramic PC Case

But in a panoramic PC case, where the traditional mesh front has often been replaced by tempered glass, side intake fans become more than another row of RGB hardware: they may be the primary route through which room-temperature air reaches the GPU, CPU cooler, motherboard VRMs, memory, and radiator.

So why do so many builds configure them almost as an afterthought?

The basic configuration I recommend is straightforward: 

run the side fans as intake, use the rear fan as exhaust, use the rear portion of the top panel as exhaust, and add bottom intake when the GPU needs more direct airflow.

That is the starting point, not a universal law.

Modern panoramic PC case airflow is especially important because graphics-card power has moved far beyond the loads case layouts were dealing with a decade ago. NVIDIA lists the GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition at 

, with a 90°C maximum GPU temperature specification and a 1000 W recommended system power figure for its reference configuration. 

NVIDIA's official RTX 5090 specifications

 illustrate how much heat a modern high-end system may have to move through a glass-heavy chassis.

Why Side Intake Matters More in a Panoramic PC Case

A conventional tower normally pulls cool air through the front and pushes warm air toward the rear and roof.

A panoramic chassis often removes that front intake entirely.

The glass is there for a reason: visibility. But glass does not breathe.

That leaves side and bottom openings doing most of the intake work. In practice, the side fan bank often becomes the panoramic case's functional equivalent of a conventional front intake.

Noctua's current airflow guidance specifically treats side-intake layouts found in cases such as the Lian Li O11 Dynamic and NZXT H6 Flow similarly to conventional front-intake layouts. Its recommendation is based on building a directed route between intake and exhaust rather than assigning fan direction simply according to whether the mounting position is physically at the front, side, top, or bottom. 

: component heatsinks can only move heat into the surrounding air; the chassis then has to remove that heated air before internal ambient temperature continues climbing.

Your GPU cooler does not cool the room inside your PC. It transfers GPU heat into it.

If you want more background on why glass cases must be judged by their actual intake geometry rather than appearance, ACEGEEK's guide to 

balancing aesthetics and cooling in tempered glass PC cases

The Best Panoramic PC Case Fan Configuration

For most gaming systems using an air cooler or top-mounted AIO, I would start here:

The reason is simple: cool air enters close to the GPU and motherboard, crosses the component area, and leaves through the roof and rear.

But there is one mistake I see repeated constantly.

Builders fill every available top slot with high-speed exhaust fans.

More exhaust looks logical. It may not be.

A top-front exhaust positioned immediately above your side intake can remove freshly introduced air before that air reaches a tower CPU cooler. GamersNexus observed exactly this airflow interaction while experimenting with the HAVN HS 420: moving a top fan changed how much side-intake air actually reached the cooler.

Fan count is therefore not the same thing as cooling performance.

Hardware LayoutSide FansBottom FansRear FanTop FansPrimary GoalAir-cooled gaming PC3× intakeOptional intakeExhaustRear-top exhaustBalanced CPU/GPU coolingHigh-power GPU build3× intake2–3× intakeExhaust2–3× exhaustMaximum GPU fresh-air supplyTop-mounted AIO3× intake2–3× intakeExhaustRadiator exhaustRemove CPU heat from chassisSide-mounted AIORadiator intakeBottom intakeExhaustExhaustLowest CPU coolant temperatureQuiet gaming build2–3× low-RPM intakeOptionalExhaust1× rear-top exhaustLower fan RPM and noiseDisplay-focused vertical GPU3× intakeTest carefullyExhaustRear-top exhaustFeed vertical GPU without recirculation

These are starting configurations. Your GPU cooler orientation, dust filters, radiator thickness, vertical mounting bracket, desk clearance, and fan resistance can change the result.

Side Intake Fan Orientation: Make Sure the Fans Actually Pull Air In

On a conventional axial PC fan, air normally moves from the open blade side toward the side containing the frame supports, motor structure, and rear label. Intel also notes that the sticker, wires, grille, and support structure normally identify the exhaust side of a conventional fan.

Room air → side ventilation → fan → PC interior

Do not rely entirely on aesthetics, though.

Reverse-blade RGB fans deliberately reverse the visual relationship so builders can show the clean blade face while maintaining intake airflow. If your panoramic case ships with reverse-blade fans, check the airflow arrows on the fan frame or the manufacturer's documentation.

A reversed fan bank can turn an apparently sensible build into:

At that point, much of your cool bottom air may leave the chassis before cooling anything meaningful.

Bad airflow loops can be remarkably efficient at cooling empty space.

Position Side Intake Fans Around the GPU, Not Around the RGB Pattern

Three side fans often look best when perfectly aligned.

The lower side fan usually has the most direct relationship with the graphics card. The middle fan feeds the GPU zone, motherboard, and CPU region. The upper fan may supply a CPU tower cooler, RAM, VRM area, or top-mounted radiator.

That difference matters when tuning fan curves.

For a 3×120 mm side intake bank, I generally prefer keeping all three as intake but allowing the lower and middle fans to ramp more aggressively in a gaming-focused machine.

Because a modern gaming GPU may be dissipating several hundred watts while the CPU is using substantially less power.

A 575 W RTX 5090-class GPU makes this imbalance obvious.

If you are deciding between 120 mm and 140 mm fans, larger fans can often achieve a target airflow at lower rotational speed when the case supports them. Noctua likewise recommends using the largest fan diameter that fits a given mounting point as a general starting rule.

Real Testing Shows Why Side Intake Can Beat the Obvious Alternative

This is where airflow discussions become useful.

 in the HAVN HS 420 rather than assuming one arrangement would win. Its six-fan testing showed a 

 between configurations. The best GPU result came from a horizontal GPU with side intake, while its best combined CPU/GPU configuration also used three side intake fans. 

 is worth reading because it demonstrates how much fan location alone can alter the result.

Another GamersNexus test makes the point even more forcefully.

In the TRYX LUCA L70, standardized side intake produced a GPU average of roughly 

, with memory junction at 48°C and hotspot at 55°C above ambient. Moving the intake fans to the more restricted bottom position pushed those values to approximately 

 attributed much of that difference to the restrictive bottom intake geometry.

That is why I dislike advice that says, "bottom intake is always best because the GPU is above it."

Air must actually get through the opening.

A side intake with a large mesh area can outperform a theoretically perfect intake placed behind a restrictive filter, thick grille, solid structural panel, or inadequate floor clearance.

Static Pressure Matters When the Side Intake Is Restricted

A fan rated for impressive free-air airflow can lose much of that performance when installed behind a filter, fine mesh, narrow side opening, radiator, or decorative panel.

That is where static pressure becomes relevant.

 explains why a side intake behind restrictive glass-adjacent ventilation may benefit from a balanced or pressure-oriented fan rather than a model selected only for maximum free-air CFM.

I would think about side intake resistance in three rough levels:

Large perforated side panel, open mesh, minimal filter resistance.

Mesh plus removable dust filter, limited panel clearance, moderate grille density.

A balanced fan with respectable static pressure is safer.

Radiator, dense filter, narrow slots, overlapping structural rails, or a panel positioned close to the fan.

Prioritize useful static pressure across normal operating RPM.

And remember: a stronger fan cannot fix a wall.

Side Intake with Bottom Intake: Usually Good, Sometimes Redundant

Combining side and bottom intake is common in panoramic case cooling.

Side fans introduce cool air across the main chamber while bottom fans feed air directly toward the graphics card.

But adding three bottom fans does not automatically produce three fans' worth of extra cooling.

The LUCA L70 data is a useful warning: its bottom location performed worse than side intake because the path itself was restrictive.

That approach costs twenty minutes and can save you from buying three fans that mostly illuminate your desk.

Should a Side-Mounted AIO Be Intake or Exhaust?

For CPU temperature, side radiator intake is usually the stronger starting point.

It lets the radiator use room-temperature air instead of air already warmed by the GPU.

The radiator then dumps CPU heat inside the case.

Noctua recommends pairing a front- or side-mounted intake radiator with top and rear exhaust fans so the heated radiator air can leave the chassis efficiently. Its guidance also notes that top-mounted exhaust radiators tend to favor GPU temperature, while front or side intake radiators generally favor CPU temperature.

Learn how to configure side intake fans in a panoramic PC case for better GPU cooling, balanced pressure, lower noise, and efficient top and rear exhaust.

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