Fan Orientation ?

ian54 · 29 Sep 2011 at 22:27

Bit of a noob question ...

I've seen various pictures of CPU coolers with the fans facing different directions, i.e. front<->rear or top<->bottom. Is this a feature of a particular model of cooler or can most models be mounted in any orientation ?

Is there any guide or recommendation which orientation is best ?

Specifically asking about AM3 and FM1 sockets.

95thrifles · 29 Sep 2011 at 22:50

Its largely dependant on your mobo, i.e. orientation/RAM clearance etc, either top to bottom or front to back are considered fine, just not the opposite of these, the idea is you want the bottom front of your case to be intaking cool air, and the top back of your case to be exhausting hot air, creating a wind tunnel kind of effect

kevbiss1 · 30 Sep 2011 at 08:37

All my coolers that i have fitted on am3 socket have been bottom/top,and they could only be fitted this way

Surveyor · 30 Sep 2011 at 08:50

Scythe Ninja 3 High Performance CPU Cooler

The fan(s) can be fitted on any of the 4 sides of the cooler so you can have them blowing whichever way you like.

Plec · 30 Sep 2011 at 09:26

Ditto thrifles (glad to see your sig is still going strong thifles)

Surveyor said:
Scythe Ninja 3 High Performance CPU Coole

The fan(s) can be fitted on any of the 4 sides of the cooler so you can have them blowing whichever way you like.

I'm thinking of purchasing one of these for a friend's build as top venting would suit his case and MB combination.

Have you fitted one Surveyor - if you have i would be interested in your opinion as i'm still swayed by the SA but the Scythe would probably be a simpler and aesthetically neater looking option with only a slight peformance drop.

Surveyor · 30 Sep 2011 at 09:38

Plec said:
Have you fitted one Surveyor - if you have i would be interested in your opinion as i'm still swayed by the SA but the Scythe would probably be a simpler and aesthetically neater looking option with only a slight peformance drop.

I've got one fitted to an overclocked i7-2600K.

I didn't buy it specifically for that job but I already had the cooler from an older build so I thought I'd give it a go.

Unfortunately I'm at work and can't remember what sort of CPU temperatures I get.

If you're interested I'll try and remember to have a look tonight.

Plec · 30 Sep 2011 at 09:52

Surveyor said:
If you're interested I'll try and remember to have a look tonight.

Thanks Surveyor, that would be appreciated if you have the time - plus your setup would be an excellent comparison.

Surveyor · 30 Sep 2011 at 16:46

Plec said:
Thanks Surveyor, that would be appreciated if you have the time - plus your setup would be an excellent comparison.

As promised.

i7-2600K @ 4.6GHz.

2 Xilence Red Wing fans (1400RPM I think) in push pull configuration.

Ambient temperature is pushing 30 degrees.

Running Prime95, Small FFTs, 8 threads, core temperatures are hovering around 70 degrees.

Plec · 30 Sep 2011 at 17:35

Surveyor said:
>snip<

Reassuringly good results - thanks for taking the time to do that, appreciated.

What voltage does the 2600K @ 4.6GHz pull at load?

ian54 · 30 Sep 2011 at 17:40

Thanks for answers. Are there any other models that can change orientation ?

Surveyor · 30 Sep 2011 at 19:13

Plec said:
Reassuringly good results - thanks for taking the time to do that, appreciated.

What voltage does the 2600K @ 4.6GHz pull at load?

1.344V according to CPU-Z.

Surveyor · 30 Sep 2011 at 19:16

ian54 said:
Thanks for answers. Are there any other models that can change orientation ?

Coolers for Intel processors can be fitted in any 90° orientation as the mounting holes are square. This is subject to the cooler physical clearing RAM, motherboard heatsinks etc.

With AMD it's more difficult as the mounting clips are located at either end of the socket so coolers can't be rotated the same as with Intel. Most can only be rotated through 180°.

Plec · 30 Sep 2011 at 20:09

Surveyor said:
1.344V according to CPU-Z.

Thanks again.