PC cases come in all shapes and sizes, but they also may (or may not) come with fans already installed at the factory. Having fans installed inside the chassis before you unbox and start building your dream PC is a great way of not only saving some time but also some money. Some budget and even more expensive cases may come without any fans, allowing the owner to pick and choose models they wish to use.

Many of the best PC cases we recommend come with at least one fan installed.

Do all PC cases come with fans?

Not all PC cases come with fans installed at the factory. Cheaper PC cases will usually have either none or one installed on the rear panel. More expensive chassis will have up to three (if not more) installed at various positions. Choosing cases that cost more usually includes more expensive fans too. But some premium cases can come without any fans at all, allowing you to install your own. It's important to consider cooling when picking out parts, including the CPU and GPU.

Many all-in-one (AIO) liquid coolers come with fans of their own and if you choose one with a 360mm radiator, that'll bring three additional fans to the table. If your case already has some fans installed at the location where the radiator will go, you will be able to play around with the positioning of all available fans, moving the already installed OEM blowers to other areas of the chassis, or using the AIO fans elsewhere.

Airflow vs. high static pressure fans

Not all fans are created equal either. High-airflow fans have blades that allow them to push a lot of air with little resistance. These are better for cases with good intake and exhaust areas and are what manufacturers will normally include with a case. High static pressure fans are specifically designed for use where there's high resistance. This could be a radiator, CPU cooler heatsink, or front panel with restricted airflow.

How many case fans do you need?

This depends entirely on what PC components you plan on using and what case they will be installed within. For most modern processors and graphics cards released in the last couple of years, we'd recommend populating all fan locations inside a case to ensure you have maximum possible airflow through the chassis. You could never have too many fans and should the noise become unbearable, you can always turn down the speeds in the BIOS or with your favorite system app.