The well-known DIYer Linus Tech Tips often experiments with hardware to test their optimal performance. Now he is taking it a step further. His team is getting support from NASA in their latest project.
What was tested? Linus Tech Tips explains in his YouTube video from 04.06.2025, how much distance a fan actually needs to cool your PC efficiently. With the help of NASA, it was investigated how different distances of objects affect the airflow of a fan.
In total, the team is said to have conducted three different experiments in the video to determine the optimal space for a fan. According to Linus’s information, testing was done with a simple Noctua 120mm model.
- Firstly, it is said that testing was conducted using “tufts,” a small cord-like electronics device that allows airflow measurements.
- Next, NASA is said to have tested the speed of the blown air using an optical measurement method called “PIV.”
- Finally, with NASA’s support, the sound level of the PC fan under different distances is said to have been recorded in a special acoustic chamber.
Thus, the team was able to make some statements about the required space of a fan.
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Keep enough distance from the wall!
What did Linus find out? According to Linus’s own statement, the results are not directly comparable for every situation, however, a fan should have at least 15 – 20 mm of space to operate efficiently.
Below this value, the airflow is said to be severely impaired, and the cooling performance of your gaming rig can decrease significantly.
It is said to be even worse if you place your PC on a carpet or against a wall. This leads to decreased cooling performance since your fans have little opportunity to efficiently blow out air, and may even partially suck in hot air instead.
However, not only the cooling performance is said to suffer, but the less distance a fan has to another object like a wall, the louder its operating noise is said to become.
Additionally, lack of cooling performance can affect your computer’s performance. One user even goes the extra mile for cooling his computer by using a personal air conditioning unit for his PC.
Why is airflow so important for a computer? Many gamers want to get the maximum performance from their components. Therefore, efficient cooling through sufficient airflow is essential. This ensures that heat is blown out of your computer, and your hardware is cooled with fresh air.
Otherwise, components like your graphics card and processor can become too warm due to insufficient airflow and may lose performance depending on the temperature. This can cause your FPS to drop during a prolonged gaming session (via YouTube).
This is because PC components are designed to reduce their performance at high temperatures to prevent damage. This function is called “thermal throttling” (via Corsair).
Therefore, we advise you: Make sure that your PC has enough distance from the wall and that your fans are not completely covered by other objects such as a glass pane. Otherwise, you should expect performance losses while gaming. Also, remember to apply thermal paste in the right place, otherwise, you might find yourself in a situation like another user: Clueless user thinks he doesn’t need a CPU cooler – puts thermal paste between the CPU and the motherboard instead.
