I'm a new builder and have a few questions about how to position my heatsink on my motherboard...
 
I have the Ultra 120 Extreme heatsink, with a 120mm fan... what way should it be positioned over my CPU(Q6600) and attached to my motherboard (xfx 780i).  The fan is a Noctua NF 120mm.
 
I have the Coolermaster 830 Stacker SE and also have a question about how to mount fans for best airflow/cooling ... the case allows for 1 front, 1 back, 1 top, and 4 side fans, I have bought the extra 120mm fans for this but dont know what way the fan must face (how can you tell if it's intake or outtaking the air, if it helps explain what side to face where there is a sticker label on the fan blades in the center on one side)
 
please explain it as detailed as possible, as i am new to building a full computer, and know very little about the cooling/airflow.
 
well hope to hear back soon(so i can finish off my new build) if you need any more details about my setup please ask
 

The front & side fans pull air in to the case, while the back & top fans push air out. The fan on the CPU heatsink should blow toward the back fan or the top fan.
 
The blade side of the fan is the Intake(pulling the air) & the sticker side is the Outake(pushing the air)

you should always have the fan flow out the back not up - not up even with a case like antec 900 where there is a top fan
 
why?
 
there are many:
 
1) by having the fan face towards the rear of the case it pulls air accross the memory and also cools the chipset or nb
 
2) the rear fan and hs fan create a push pull effect that most top fans fan do not
 
3) after lots of testing it works best!
 
make sure you bend the arms to tighten the grip - slighly bend the 4 arms so there is more pressure - add lost of thermal compound since TR  hs are dished by design

i have found that air should come in through the bottom right of the case and exit though the top left. sort of at an angle this way the air will be expose to most of the mother baord as possible  while getting the GPU ram and HDD.  
 
i think on some of the satcker you have the abiltiy to mount the PUS at the top or bottom if you have this option i would recommend that you put the PSU at the top. this way it stop a heat pocket form by providing another top fan. also it at the bottom it start to suck air out before it even gert chance to go over the cpu and RAM.
 
if you have a tower style fan, have it  blow and suck air horizontally (ie right to left)
 
level 101 setup idea some like the best option. that way you have on continuous stream of air. there is no point having both intake and outtake next to each other meaning that it will just go in then stright out.
 
PS: i love that case.

oh ok i think i might have the fan on the wrong side of the heatsdink then...
 
the sticker side of the fan is facing the back of my case, and is closer to the back of the case then the heatsink.  
 
From what i understand from your explanations about the fan should be blowing(pushing) onto the heatsink from the other side of the heatsink, cooling it blowing though it, pushing the hot air directly out the back fan that should have the the outtake(pull)(sticker pointing out of the case).
 
thank you for your help so far, i will be working on it tommorrow as soon as i find out, if i have an answer by then.
 
PS: Last part of my computer will be arriving in a couple days, duel 8800 GTX,  it was on backorder but just got the information it was shipped.