A Better Fan Design

[Rainsford]

So I've been messing around with some various fans I have to try and make my CPU run a little cooler and I discovered something. I purchased a blower style fan (not sure about the name, but it sucks air in the side and blows it out the front) for something else. So I gave that a try, I set it up so that it pointed directly at my heatsink from the top (just like my regular fan) and I removed the included fan from the heatsink. Now the blower isn't any louder, and it doesn't seem to move any more air (based on the "hand in front of the fan" test), but it got my CPU to register a good 5 degrees C colder. My theory is that since the air out of the blower moves in a straight line with no dead spots (like the center of traditional fans) it blows over the fins of the heatsink faster and covers more of the fins. In any case, it really seems to work and my case is a lot quieter now too. I wonder why these type of fans aren't used in more places. Thoughts?

 

[JPT]

That type of fan is being used in the Noisecontrol Silverado (check Tomshardware cooler comparison). Its very silent and very effective, but very expensive and hard to find...

 

[PlatinumGold]

rainsford, can you give us a link where you bought the fan?

 

[Rainsford]

Actually I just bought it from my local Radio Shack. Any store like that should have it.

 

[Gibzilla]

Is this what you are talking about?

Blower fan

 

[McCarthy]

Reasons for axial (type we're used to) fans:
Cheaper
Simple to mount on heatsinks
Lower profile
Less space

Reasons we shouldn't be using them
Blowers work better


That said, I'm still using the ol axial that came with my FOP.