Often stock case fans are too noisy, so you should use quality brands such as Noctua 120 mm fans as they move air much efficiently with less noise compared to smaller fans.

Dust filters are also great for keeping the HTPC clean.

If you want to really optimize fan speeds, you can get a fan controller as motherboards often adjust fans to run faster (and louder) than needed.

Depending on the case, you will need one to three case fans in addition to a CPU cooler, but it’s good to test with stock case fans to discover how many fans you need to reach optimal temperature and air flow.

Pay attention to ventilation

If you are planning to place you HTPC inside a TV cabinet, you will need to carefully consider how to provide enough ventilation for your HTPC.

It is quite easy for your HTPC to overheat if you don’t organize the airflow inside the case and TV cabinet properly.

For example, I’m using a TV cabinet from IKEA that I have customized for my needs to ensure proper airflow.

Reduce dust intake

It is a good idea to build positive air pressure flow within the case.

Positive air pressure inside your case will make a huge difference in keeping dust out.

The case with positive air pressure can prevent dust from penetrating into the case through the use of filters on intake fans and forcing air out of the case through unfiltered vents and gaps.

Therefore, intake fans should provide higher combined airflow compared to exhaust fans in order to achieve positive pressure inside the case.

It’s also recommended not to keep your HTPC on the floor (especially on a carpet) as it will significantly increase the dust intake.