Cooler Master HAF 932

[peebee]

HSF alignment:

Horizontal or vertical?

I went vertical with a push-pull (Vigor Monsoon III LT) configuration thinking the heat would be pushed up through the massive 230mm fan. BUT, I've seen a lot of others going with a horizontal alignment and it's making me second guess myself.

Here's my setup (huge picture):

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/1900/compe.jpg

Some considerations... With my current alignment a lot of the air from the fan pushing is being barricaded by the X-Fi soundcard. I didn't think it was going to be that bad when I initially thought of the setup, but it's a little worse than I anticipated. With a horizontal alignment, a lot of the air being pushed will be pulled over the memory, which will be hot. We all know hot air doesn't cool a CPU, etc.

Suggestions?

 

[PCTC2]

Well, here's some other considerations. The hot air is coming off the graphics card now, but the cpu's first fan may block the first memory slot.

In all honesty, I doubt you will realistically notice a major different beyond a few degrees C either way. Horizontal pulls across memory and exhausts in the back fan. That is very traditional. Vertical pulls from below and exhausts in the top fan.

It's your choice. If you want, test both ways and see which way is cooler if you have extra thermal paste.

 

[peebee]

Yea, I had wondered if rotating the HSF would block the first memory slot or not. The HSF itself is relatively equal on all sides. The picture makes it look a little more rectangular than it really is. It's still a consideration to keep in mind, nonetheless.

You're probably right though. The real-world difference would probably be miniscule at best. I'm really quite anal about getting every little detail as efficient as I can (sans cable management skills, I've seen better lol..) so I might just swap it around to see how it works.

Unfortunately there's only a single PCI-E 1x slot right there above the graphics card. But, there is a 16x slot at the bottom (for 3x SLI) that I might just use for the sound card. It's a waste of a 16x slot, but it's not like I'm using it anyhow. That would at least give the push fan a little more breathing room.

 

[Boyo]

I would turn it, but that's my two cents......

 

[Puffnstuff]

What do the installation instructions show? Most I've seen are mounted horizontal so the fan blows towards the exhaust on the back of the case. If you're unsure then try it each way as was already suggested.

 

[peebee]

What do the installation instructions show? Most I've seen are mounted horizontal so the fan blows towards the exhaust on the back of the case. If you're unsure then try it each way as was already suggested.

The Monsoon III LT instructions amount to nothing more than a 5x7 card with scribbles.

Dropping the sound card down actually dropped my temps by about 1-2c. I think it made SOME difference, but it's really not a whole lot to accurately measure. If you're curious, here's an updated pic:

http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/3870/dsc01555t.jpg

Thanks for the replies guys.