So imagine I'm mounting my nettop-style PC behind my monitor. Its CPU is passively cooled via heatsink. Now the side facing up should have vents so the warm air can escape the case but shoud the side facing my desk have vents too? The way I understand it convection introduces an updraft so that cold air from outside the case will be sucked in through the bottom vents, get warmed up passing the heatsink and escape through the top vents. Also if it works this way I should pay attention that the heatsink's fins are arranged vertically so that they don't block the airflow. Am I correct?
Can convection draw cold air INTO a PC case
casescomputerscooling
Best Answer
Yes, the air needs to have a place to come from. A lot of equipment with vents in the top also have vents along both sides (like audio amplifiers) and some have vents under the bottom.
A heat sink will be more efficient in still air if the air can rise through the fins freely.