Quick HSF mounting question

[sherlockmeister]

My expertise: minimal
Case: Antec 300
Heat sink/fan: Xigmatex Dark Knight

Question: The case is a bottom mounted PSU. I mounted my HSF so that the air blows out of the top of the case. The top 140mm fan is supposed to exhaust out of the case, which is what the manual specifies. Well, I put a tissue a on top of the case and it stuck, meaning the fan is actually blowing into the case. Very bad, now the HSF and the top fan are blowing against each other. Case fans are all 4-pin molex PSU connected so I can't possibly have put it in backwards. The machines seems to work fine when I turn it on. Inside the BIOS it is reporting around 30 C, which is not hot. Fan speed is reporting 1440 RPM.

Question is what do I do know? I think the easiest thing for me to do is to remove the case fan and put it in reversed. Frankly, I'm pretty shocked that the case came with the fan blowing the wrong way.

 

[tecmo34]

Your temps are fine... I would recommend you switch the top fan around so it is blowing air out, as you suggested.

I normally always recommend you have the DK blowing the air out the back, since the "fresh" air is coming in from the front, which keeps the air moving in one direction... just my recommendation on how to set it up. You have good temps so no need to change the direction.

 

[sherlockmeister]

Ok, my thoughts exactly, thanks.

Just another couple of quick questions.

1. How do I know that the HSF fan is facing the right direction? I want it to be blowing out the top obviously, but as far as I know there is not marking on the fan that shows which way it blows.

2. Which of these configurations is better:

a. The HSF is between the heatsink and top exhaust. The HSF is sucking air from the heatsink/CPU and blowing it out the top.

b. The HSF is under the heatsink. The HSF is blowing air across the heatsink/CPU and out the top.

Right now I have the first setup but I've done some research and it seems like the second one is better.

 

[tecmo34]

1.) if my memory serves me correctly, the Xigmatek logo should be facing out.

2.) Option B is the better option. If you can fit in option C (both), it will perform the best with that option (push / pull setup).

Hope that helps you out some...

 

[sherlockmeister]

Yes, thank you very much, I found your advice extremely helpful. For anyone else with similar questions about mounting a HSF, look at this animation on the Xigmatex website: http://www.xigmatek.com/edm/hdt.php

It will show you quite clearly how the air should be flowing through the heatsink and how the fan should be mounted.

 

[sherlockmeister]

I'm posting to let anyone who reads this thread know that Antec does not in fact manufacture cases with fans in backwards. However, some of us do come with our heads on backwards, and I'm sorry to say that the only thing that was wrong with my rig was the fact that I put the HSF in backwards. The case fan was in the right place to begin with and the tissue stuck because of the HSF's suck, which I believe was overcoming the case fan's blow.

Now, I fortunately have both fans pointing the same way and the air is clearly moving in the right direction. Right now I'm getting a stable 25 C. Glad I got this all sorted out finally...