Tower cooler vs. top down?

[jazzman831]

I'm looking for anyone who can tell me the advantages/disadvantages of a tower cooler vs. a top down cooler. I've looked everywhere and can't seem to find anything (even on THG *gasp*).

Specifically, I'm comparing the Xigmatek S963 to the D1264. The 1264 is quieter and has a higher flow rate, but I see many more people choosing tower-style.

I would normally just pick one and get on with it, but as an almost graduated chemical engineer, it's driving me crazy that I can't figure out which would work better!

Thanks in advance for any help or advice!

(PS: I'm looking for more general resources, but if it matters I will be using a Sunbeam Transformer case, which has two side intake fans and one top exhaust fan. I also will be using an AMD processor, which as far as I can tell means that a tower fan has to be pointed up, towards the PSU, and not out the back, in line with normal air flow.)

 

[WR2]

These won't give you a definative answer but it does have the resources to give you comparisons between both (& the 1283 too) when tested by the same people over @ SilentPCReview. For CPU cooling they look to be cabable of very close performance (*be sure to noticed which fans were being used*).
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 & SD964 "heatpipe direct-touch" CPU coolers
Two Big Top-downers: Big Typhoon VX & Xigmatek HDT-D1284

 

[Evilonigiri]

The best coolers are tower coolers, so it's logical to think that tower cooling is somehow more effective. I'm thinking it has to do with the layout and the length of the heatpipes, but I'm no engineer.

Those top down coolers are good for cooling nearby components such as the NB and ram. This is one of the major advantage over the tower coolers, which barely cools the surrounding area. Another advantage would be it's shorter height, something very important for smaller pcs.

 

[ausch30]

If you look at the chart on this page Anandtech has a list of the best performing coolers. http://www.anandtech.com/casecoolingpsus/showdoc.aspx?i=3210&p=8

Most of the top performers are tower coolers and I think that there's something to be said for getting the hot air out of the case rather than blowing it back down onto the motherboard and CPU.

 

[jazzman831]

WR2, thanks for finding those articles! I was having a tough time finding much on the 1284/1264.

Evilonigiri and ausch30, I've definitely seen that the best/most popular coolers were tower coolers, but there's not been much said for a direct comparison between tower and top down coolers.

Oh well I'll probably just pick whichever one's cheaper when it comes time to buy. Maybe in the mean time I'll create some sort of theoretical model....

Edit: Another thing I've noticed when looking up reviews or rankings is that most places uses open systems to keep values consistent. In this way the air flow direction doesn't really matter as much as pure computer cooling. I'm almost tempted to buy both (maybe a graduation present?) and compare the two to see what happens to *all* the temps when using either one. My educated guess would be that the top-down brings down NB, SB, and RAM temps, while increasing the case temp, and the tower cooler has little effect on anything but the CPU, while slightly raising the PSU temp (if it is pointed upwards).