CM Hyper 212 Evo Installation

[p4ck3tl055]

I just ordered the parts for my new gaming rig (YAY!!!). Two of those parts are a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo and a Zalman Z9 U3 case.

For optimum cooling, I'm wondering what the best orientation for the 212 Evo is. Should I orient the Evo so that its fan pushes air toward the top of the case or the back of the case?

Unless I'm advised otherwise, I'm planning on orienting the heatsink so that the fan will be pushing air toward the back of the case.

 

[Charlie98]

Default is toward the back. If you have an open vent in the top you could try running it up out the top. The question is if you have a big hot GPU right under the CPU cooler... if the fans are pointing up, they will be drawing hot air off the top of the GPU.

...but you never know... try both orientations!

 

[p4ck3tl055]

If you have an open vent in the top you could try running it up out the top.

That case not only has an open vent in the top (it actually has two), it comes with a 120mm fan there as well, which is what brought on the question.

The question is if you have a big hot GPU right under the CPU cooler

I'll have a Gigabyte GTX 660 Windforce Edition in the rig and its cooling fans are facing toward the power supply (ie, the bottom of the case). I assume that they pull air from the bottom and blow across the heatsink and exhaust out the back of the case. Looking at the photos, I can see where some of the hot air (probably a good deal in fact) will be exhausted directly into the path of the Evo's intake if I orient it so that the Evo's fan is pushing toward the top.

try both orientations!

I may have to do just that. What's a bit of thermal paste to try, right?

 

[Charlie98]

Yes, the GPU fans blow into the card and the air generally exits out the back... but the law of physics dictate that heat rises...

FWIW, I have my 212 with dual fans pointed towards the rear case fan...

 

[SKORPI0]

Get another fan for a push pull configuration.

 

[Charlie98]

Get another fan for a push pull configuration.

That looks remarkably like...

...with just a few minor differences...

 

[T_Yamamoto]

That looks remarkably like...

...with just a few minor differences...

Well first off , yours has no bling.

Second, no cf/sli

 

[Charlie98]

Well first off , yours has no bling.

Second, no cf/sli

Thank you, Captain Obvious...

The 'bling' in my rig is it's function. Reliability is very... uh, blingy.

 

[UaVaj]

Well first off , yours has no bling.

Second, no cf/sli

lol

i wonder how many actually admire their case/neon lights on a daily basis. :whiste:

lol



for some of us. it sit in a nice hidden place out of the way.

 

[Shephard]

I made mine push air toward the front.

by the way this cooler has the worst installation. I always felt like something was gonna break and it was way too tight.

 

[Raincity]

I made mine push air toward the front.

by the way this cooler has the worst installation. I always felt like something was gonna break and it was way too tight.

I concur, installation is fairly easy but its not secure. The abilty to twist/ rotate the heatsink 30 degrees never sat well with me so I replaced it.

 

[p4ck3tl055]

I always felt like something was gonna break and it was way too tight.

The abilty to twist/ rotate the heatsink 30 degrees never sat well with me so I replaced it.

Wow...this actually bothers me. I was dead set on an Arctic Freezer i30 until the day I went to purchase the machine. The CM 212 was nearly $30 (because of instant and mail-in rebates) so I went with it. I hope it doesn't give me problems.

Looking at the way it's gonna fit in my case, I'm gonna have to have it running toward the back. I'm tempted to make it pull only configuration - mainly to access all four RAM slots. I'll know more when I start to button it up and run some tests.

Will report back then.

 

[Charlie98]

Wow...this actually bothers me. I was dead set on an Arctic Freezer i30 until the day I went to purchase the machine. The CM 212 was nearly $30 (because of instant and mail-in rebates) so I went with it. I hope it doesn't give me problems.

Looking at the way it's gonna fit in my case, I'm gonna have to have it running toward the back. I'm tempted to make it pull only configuration - mainly to access all four RAM slots. I'll know more when I start to button it up and run some tests.

Will report back then.

If there is a conflict with a RAM slot, just slide the fan up the heat exchanger a bit (unless it's very tall RAM.) Pull config on a 212 is a very inefficient setup.

 

[p4ck3tl055]

Pull config on a 212 is a very inefficient setup.

Not sure I understand why this is. I'd be using the same fan, just on the other side of the heatsink. Care to elaborate please?

 

[Charlie98]

A fan pulling air will get it from the path of least resistance... in the case of the 212, there are two huge gaps at the top and bottom. I put down some of my comments in a thread here.

There is also a benchmark or test somewhere that documented that a pull fan doesn't work as efficiently as a push fan, all things being otherwise equal.