GPU Cooling Fan Direction?

[FreemanInSpace]

My GPU is at the bottom PCI-E Slot (Only one I have for this computer) and it alone has little room to breathe, so I bought an antec cooling fan, one that takes up to card slots on the motherboard. It would be right up against the card sadly and was wondering, should I make the fan blow on the back of the GPU, or away from it? (I do not want tips for cooling, shown items to buy, I know this community is helpful but that's all I want to know)

[Bad_Motha]

Can u link to the cooler you purchased so can see exactly what you got?

[geekofalltrades]

How little room does it have to breathe, exactly? It doesn't need a whole lot to cool itself effectively; if it's got a centimeter or so underneath it, as well as clearance on the side (does it sit flush with the side panel of your case, or is there space?) the air is going to flow under there just fine. I would personally set up the fan to blow down onto the GPU, although I don't think that's going to cool it off much; it might help create an area of positive pressure where more air would be forced down to the bottom of the case and the GPU intake, though.

EDIT: Also, does your case have a vent on the bottom? If so, as long as it's up on feet and not sitting on a carpet, your airflow should be just fine.

[FreemanInSpace]

No vent and the gpu is fine now, I just wondered which one would cool it off more.

[Bad_Motha]

@FreemanInSpace

Would help if you provided some more info.

Could you tell us these things?
> What case you have?
> What graphics card you have?
> What cooler are you installing?

[imeem]

No vent and the gpu is fine now, I just wondered which one would cool it off more.

since we don't really know your setup and the fan you bought. It's better if u test the placement of the fan yourself and run a benchmark. See which placement cools ur GPU the best.

[Bad_Motha]

Yes try using the fan in different orientations and see how it works for your setup.

Use a program to monitor your CPU/GPU temps (like HWMonitor (http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html)) and run a good benchmark (like 3DMark or FurMark) for about 30 - 60 mins and see how your component temps do, depending on where you place that slot fan.

[FreemanInSpace]

For this setup, I have a Dell Studio XPS 435MT, a GeForce GT 240 512MB GDDR5, and this is the fan I'm using. http://store.antec.com/Product/cooling-cooling_fan/v-cool/0-761345-75060-8.aspx The Gpu has maybe, 3 inches at most to blow air, and it's pretty good on it's own, though I did remove of lot of the things on the case, like the side panel and the expansion slot covers to give it more air. But sadly, if I install that cooler, my only option is to put it right next to it. (Also side question, could I use Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Paste to replace the compound on my GPU?

[geekofalltrades]

Can you take a picture of what your setup looks like now? Three inches seems like plenty of room to me, but I want to make sure I'm thinking of the same space you are. I wouldn't try to take apart your card and substitute arctic silver for whatever's on there now; at the very least you'll void your warranty.

[FreemanInSpace]

Not concerned about the warrenty. And 3 inches is 3 inches. It can breathe pretty well, I just got this fan to make it a bit cooler and was wondering if pushing heat away would cool it off more or if blowing air on the back of it would.

Edit: I did an actual measurement and it's 1 inch.

[Bad_Motha]

Generally for those slot fans, it's usually best to have this installed above the GPU, facing down (as the fan only exhausts air out the rear of case) and thus can grab some hot-air rising off the back of the GPU and blow it out your case. It should help depending on the rest of your case/CPU cooling as this area is usually somewhat of a dead-spot for air-flow if you don't have front/side intake fans that can blow air over the GPU.

[FreemanInSpace]

Well I can have it blow against the gpu or away from it towards the cpu heat sink and fan.

[Bad_Motha]

It doesn't BLOW air. It sucks it into the plastic container and forces it out the rear of your case. So having it sit on top of your GPU, facing upward would be pointless.

[FreemanInSpace]

It doesn't BLOW air. It sucks it into the plastic container and forces it out the rear of your case. So having it sit on top of your GPU, facing upward would be pointless.

I already plugged it in, it sucks in air from BEHIND the fan and blows it out through the FRONT, I can change the direction of which direction it blows. All I wanted to know, is it it'd be better to hair the hair be blown away from the gpu, or towards the back of the gpu.

[Bad_Motha]

Ok well I'll have to take your word on the changing of fan direction. According to Antec's specs/description, it doesn't say anything about that. Just that it has a 3-speed switch.

It would be best installed above the GPU. As to which way the fan should blow the air, again I would try it one way, run some tests to see how hot your GPU is getting under full loads. Then try the fan blowing the other way and re-run your tests, and compare GPU temps between the tests.

[imeem]

Ok well I'll have to take your word on the changing of fan direction. According to Antec's specs/description, it doesn't say anything about that. Just that it has a 3-speed switch.



The only clue it gives u that it is an intake fan is that it " brings fresh air to your graphics card "

[Bad_Motha]

Well I've used many of these in the past from various brands, including that Antec one (been a while though) and while you can generally change weather the fan is facing top or bottom (by uncliping it from the metal bracket), generally you can't change which way the fan/air blows. Which in any of these I've used, they all exhaust the air out the rear through the vent.

Not bring in air and blow it into the case.

So with this in mind, I would install this type of cooler above the GPU card, with fan facing down and thus allowing it to suck hot air off the back of the GPU and blow it out the rear of your case.

[Sjael]

Well I've used many of these in the past from various brands, including that Antec one (been a while though) and while you can generally change weather the fan is facing top or bottom (by uncliping it from the metal bracket), generally you can't change which way the fan/air blows. Which in any of these I've used, they all exhaust the air out the rear through the vent.

Not bring in air and blow it into the case.

Interesting. Seeing as it uses an axial-flow fan (as you can see here (http://rigshowcase.com/img/281aOTVr/11113.jpg)) it should be forcing air out in the way the OP described (towards the graphics card.) A squirrel-cage would achieve the effect you describe (blowing air out the grille in the bracket.)

And if your graphics card exhausts out through the back plate, this fan (placed above) would probably just suck all the hot air back in. :p

[imeem]

And if your graphics card exhausts out through the back plate, this fan (placed above) would probably just suck all the hot air back in. :p

recycling the air.

OP what's the exact model of your video card?

[Bad_Motha]

What Sjael stated sounds correct for that particular fan. Sorry the Antec I've used was slightly different, as it didn't have that open grille on the other side, which I didn't even see til I saw the pic Sjael linked to.

Yea if it's bringing air from outside of case to blow over a component, then all you'll end up doing is taking the hot air your GPU exhausts and recycling it back onto the GPU. Which is not what you want at all.

But yea, would help to know what video card he has. Like I've been waiting to hear, but never got an answer to.

He stated is this post (http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showpost.php?p=28327471&postcount=8) that it's a GT 240. But which brand/model though? As that will help us better since then we'll know exactly what type of cooler it has on it.

[imeem]

What Sjael stated sounds correct for that particular fan. Sorry the Antec I've used was slightly different, as it didn't have that open grille on the other side, which I didn't even see til I saw the pic Sjael linked to.

Yea if it's bringing air from outside of case to blow over a component, then all you'll end up doing is taking the hot air your GPU exhausts and recycling it back onto the GPU. Which is not what you want at all.

But yea, would help to know what video card he has. Like I've been waiting to hear, but never got an answer to.

He stated is this post (http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showpost.php?p=28327471&postcount=8) that it's a GT 240. But which brand/model though? As that will help us better since then we'll know exactly what type of cooler it has on it.

I think the OP's pc is OEM (http://boilr.net/2009/02/13/review-dell-studio-xps-435mt-gets-the-job-done/). and i think the video card blows the hot air into the case since usually low end cards isn't 2 expansion slot wide.