CM Hyper 212+: Horizontal or Vertical?

[rjkucia]

My current cooler is a Cooler Master Hyper 212+, and something about this cooler has bothered me ever since I installed it. I don't really know what direction it should be facing! Obviously, the two logical choices would be either to the back of the case or to the top, but I don't know which is better. My case is a Thermaltake Dokker, with five 12cm fans installed: one in the front-bottom (by the hard drive), one on the left side blowing on the GPU, one on the floor of the case, and two blowing out the top. Currently the 212+ is blowing toward the back of the case, but since most airflow is from bottom to top, should I change its orientation? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[bystander]

I believe you still have the best direction. It's not all about what direction exhausts the most, but mostly about what feeds it the most. If you face it up, it will not get as much air fed to it. Of course you can always test it for both to know for certain.

 

[rjkucia]

Thanks, I figured that this was the preferred direction since it seems to be how most people have it.

 

[rjkucia]

Best answer selected by rjkucia.

 

[beammeupscottie0406]

THE BEST ANSWER IS NOT WHAT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED! Read on...

Maybe I'm missing something here but I'm hesitant to install the HYPER 212+ in my machine in favor of another cooling solution that does not use heat pipe technology. WHY?!

99% of people (me included) have a vertically oriented tower case (mobo and CPU vertical). This would require that you install this heat sink in a HORIZONTAL orientation. The physics of this heat sink require a cycling of the fluid that is inside the copper pipes and GRAVITY is a relevant factor in the principle operation of the device. IE unless you install this with the longer copper cooling pipes pointed toward the sky, you are NOT getting the intend efficiency that the system is capable of. GRAVITY must return condensed fluid from the tops of the tubes back to the pipes on/near the CPU interface where it is then vaporized again returning back up the vertical pipes to be condensed again. Gravity can't perform this function if the long tubes are not pointed at the sky (opposing gravity).

SHAME ON COOLERMASTER for not explaining this on the box, in the instructions, or anywhere else. If people knew this, sales would PLUMMET!!!! OR, they would lay their case on the side which defeats the whole space saving + display friendly case orientation.

I'm willing to bet TONS of people have this installed in the entirely suboptimal orientation that I describe above...

HAS ANYONE SEEN A TEST OF THIS DEVICE IN BOTH HORIZ and VERT ORIENTATION? I'm dying to see if there is a variation as there should most definitely be...

I CAN NOT FIND ANYONE ADDRESSING THIS HUGE ISSUE WITH THIS COOLING SOLUTION!

Let me know what anyone thinks and FFS TOM TEST THIS SHIZ!!!!!

 

[bystander]

Whether there is a benefit to laying the case on it's side or not, in order for fluid to run in the pipes (as far as I know, there is no such fluid inside, but I don't know for certain), all tests to compare them to other solutions have been in the ways we use them. The ways our cases are designed. And when we compare the Hyper 212+ to other coolers with the way we install them, it performs very well for the cost.

 

[beammeupscottie0406]

There is absolutely fluid in the pipes - this is the principle behind heat pipes, HOWEVER, there are a few different designs. I deep dove the physics on the designs of heat pipe systems in order to better understand the issue.

http://www.electronics-cooling.com/1996/09/heat-pipes-for-electronics-cooling-applications/

This link is GREAT! So, it comes down to this. VERT vs HORZ is inconsequential IF the heat pipe design is such that it incorporates a "wicking" liner in the heat pipes. The capillary effect SHOULD be such that it is capable of overcoming gravitational effect on the mass of the fluid itself. And since this is the case with water in soil in nature, it would stand to reason that VERT vs. HORIZ should not matter provided that there is wicking material in the hyper 212+ design.

There are 3 different orientations strictly as an FYI... Vertical, Horizontal, Vertical (inverted). In theory, all 3 should perform the same if the capillary action works properly.

Back to the original question about orientation... I would say that you want to "push" air with your FIRST fan through the condensing area or fins of the device (there's no limit to increasing pressure, but there is a limit to drawing a vacuum). A second fan would be just the opposite; it should blow away from the fans or draw a vacuum on them increasing the throughput of the fluid (air) flow. In other words, the 2 fans should both be blowing in the same direction.

The flow direction of the cooling device (1 or 2 fans) SHOULD match the MAJOR flow of air through your case. Generally speaking if your largest and most numerous fans run air from front to back through your case (true in my case), then point the unit toward the back of the case. If you have EQUAL air flow front to back, and bottom to top, I would point your cooler toward the TOP of the case so as to take advantage of the natural convection current in the case -- this assumes that the airflow can leave the top of the case. If you are blowing the air to the top of your case only to allow it to sit there and get blow out the back, pointing it up doesn't make sense. The other thing to consider is... are there MAJOR obstructions between the flow of the CPU cooler and the case fan that would expel the air from the case? If so, this will just create turbulence in the case and reduce (or at least, not increase) the total throughput.

 

[saint19]

@rjkucia: You have the correct direction.


@beammeupscottie0406: You don't need write in caps, that's not a decent way to write on Internet. Regarding the cooling direction, please test the possible ways for install the cooler and make your answer.