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Can I reverse the fan direction on a stock Intel cooler?

Tags:
  • Heatsinks
  • Cooling
  • Fan
  • Intel
  • Overclocking
Last response: in Overclocking
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May 6, 2008 10:06:07 PM

Simple n00bish question.

The air is being pulled OUT of the heat sink, and it seems it would be more effective if it was sucking air in (the northbridge gets hot as *#@!, and if the fan was reversed, it would help to cool it, and the PSU fan is right above it pulling air in, meaning they are fighting each other).

Not sure on the electronics part of things.

Thanks!

More about : reverse fan direction stock intel cooler

May 7, 2008 12:29:47 AM

The heat sink draws the heat up (or rather sideways) and away from the chip, and the fan aids with this process and draws the air away from the heat sink fins. It's more efficient than blowing warm case fan air onto the chip and heat sink.
a b K Overclocking
May 7, 2008 12:32:12 AM

I have no idea if you can reverse the fan, however the blades are tailored to move air most effectively in only one direction. It would be better if the fan can be unscrewed, and turned over, so you reverse the airflow, not reverse the way the fan spins.
The other little thing I would take into consideration is that a lot of research has gone into making a heatsink/fan cool properly. If it worked better the way you are talking about, I am pretty sure it would already be like that.

But, no harm in trying and see what happens as long as you keep your eye on the temps.
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May 8, 2008 12:16:07 AM

k, all the Intel CPU coolers I've seen blow air down onto and through the heat sink fins, since the point is to transfer the heat from the heat sink fins to the air. If yours does the opposite, it may be defective.
May 8, 2008 12:17:42 AM

It was the one that came with my P4 2.6C (served me well, bless its synthetic heart :p  )

I'll take a look and see if something is screwed up.
May 8, 2008 12:25:35 AM

You can easily tell which way a fan is intended to work by noticing which way the "cupping" or curve of the blades faces. The "inside" of the cupping will face in the direction of the airflow.
May 8, 2008 12:28:03 AM

So if the blade looked like this:

(

from the side, would the air blow:

<-----

or

----->

Thanks!
May 8, 2008 12:34:25 AM

toward the "open" side. So for a blade like ( it is designed to blow -->.
December 23, 2008 4:58:19 PM

Well, faced with the same issue of the PSU being right over the CPU in a ITX set up.... I did the following...
Promptly voided my warranty on the PSU and flipped the PSU fan upside down causing it to suck air in from out back of the case and BLOW the air into the fan of the CPU. Placed a second small fan in the case as an exhaust fan. Biola! Cool air for all that need it. Hope this is helpful..... and yes, I know that it may make the CPU dusty..er soon..er....but, it does work.
February 10, 2013 3:23:41 PM

nikonmaster :
Quote:
Well, faced with the same issue of the PSU being right over the CPU in a ITX set up.... I did the following...
Promptly voided my warranty on the PSU and flipped the PSU fan upside down causing it to suck air in from out back of the case and BLOW the air into the fan of the CPU. Placed a second small fan in the case as an exhaust fan. Biola! Cool air for all that need it. Hope this is helpful..... and yes, I know that it may make the CPU dusty..er soon..er....but, it does work.


sadly all of this willy nilly crud of jimmy rigging this or that PC component could be fixed with a modest 60-100$ expenditure on an entirely NEW, WELL DESIGNED, (possibly quite slick looking if you take a bit of time to research and then purchase, but probably no more time than this whole DIY jimmy-rig setup took) low maintenance case that included all the fans needed AND you would be able to use your now void PSU with the case...or at least have sold it-warranty included-to help fund the $$$ towards the fix-all new case that, in my opinion, is the simplest fix to SO MANY pc builds/upgrades without having to modify(and potentially void warranty) components beyond the point of use for ANYTHING other than THAT OH-SO-SPECIFIC "well it fixed the problem in theory...i think.....{that should do tha' trick!!!} Destructo hold me overs until i can afford____________(fill in blank). A NEW TOWER CHASSIS is the number one recommendation for airflow/size constraints, or both and if you do the research you just may end up with much cooler temps, decent to quality grade extras and a case with a over the top design for your here and now and all the case specific upgrades for your next build included, ESPECIALLY FANS, cable routing options and likely several bonus bells and whistles included. ANSWER NUMBER 1 FOR DIZ SHIZ: getta new tower/chassis
Your idea is creative to boot but if your cpu is your brain and your mobo is your CNS, VGA card your sight, audio card your hearing and those all work fantastically but your Heart is pumping blood out your veins and into your arteries what good are thinking, seeing, hearing etc when you're dead from heart attack? just some food for thought....btw any high powered intake fan not utilizing a foam or fine woven screen-Dust/Dirt Filter(REMOVABLE, REUSABLE,EASY-TO-CLEAN) will make dusting your pc innards a frequent crucial task of upkeep.
a b K Overclocking
February 10, 2013 5:22:53 PM

Please try to keep your replies to current "live" threads. Bringing back the "dead" will only make you look weird and leave the forum smelling evil and foul, the "living" needs attention too.
February 10, 2013 11:25:15 PM

that will be somewhat useless really
February 10, 2013 11:25:43 PM

that will be somewhat useless really
!