To make the solar air heater model more competitive in the commercial space heating and dryer market, it necessitates the need for improvement in its thermal efficiency. This paper evaluates the possibility of enhancing the thermo-hydraulic efficiency of a solar energy-based air heater by modifying the geometry into an artificial roughed parabolic rib-shaped collector. The thermal performance of a modified geometry was analyzed using a 3D CFD model using thermal simulation software, SolidWorks Flow Simulation. The parabolic roughness profile parameters (roughness height (e) and pitch (P) are optimized by providing simulation runs for various values of e = 0.5 mm, e = 1 mm, e = 1.5 mm, e = 2 mm and pitch P = 15 mm and P = 20 mm. Performance optimization of the solar air heater is achieved at e = 1 mm and P = 15 mm at Reynolds number 3900. An experimental investigation of the proposed CFD model was also done to compare the actual results with the CFD results. Various experimental investigations done by relating heat transfer and friction factor have been reported for the comparative study of the thermal performance of various solar air heater ducts. At roughness height e = 1 mm, the optimum rib performance is observed. The experiment results are in line with the simulation results, with a minor deviation of 6.35%.