I is a Dumb or how not to install a CPU cooler fan.

[autumnalequinox]

So after installing a new R9 380x 4 gig (a big upgrade from my old R7 200 2 gig) and 8 more gigs of RAM I started running into crashes (mostly from heavily modded KSP).  It's funny, since I always noticed my HWMonitor temps were a bit too hot under idle since I put this rig together.  Then things got hotter, but not dangerously so.  The real problems came after new hardware.  At first I blame the hardware.

Then reinstall drivers, run monitors, other cleanup.  

Still there is this mysterious rattle and the top of my case getting waaaay too hot.  So hot my cats like to sit on it.  I always feared one cat would decide she liked this nice warm toilet seat and just let go.

Something was not right.  I researched and researched.

I had installed my EVO 212 case fan backwards.  I literally had it blowing hot, CPU air directly into the center of my case where it was playfully whisked over my memory sticks (yum!) and injected directly into my GPU by my helpful intake fan.  Nothing like searing hot air right into the middle of the case.  It's what GPUs CRAVE!

So a 10 second fix later and everything is faster, cooler, and more stable.  All because of a random forum post showing the correct placement of the fan (thank you unhelpful install guide that came with it).

I'm so happy I didn't incinerate my new memory sticks or my brand new GPU.  The top of my case is icy cold, making it an unhappy place for kitty-butts and I am rewarded with a constant stream of cold air on my bare leg.  

So remember kids always install your hardware in the correct direction!

Edited August 6, 2016 by autumnalequinox
grammar

[Nuke]

no matter how ingenious your cooling method is, rest assured that a cat will figure out a way to make it not work. i havent had problems with cats sitting on my case. there are vents up on top but this mostly serves as an intake for the psu. so if they did decide to sit on it i would have problems. that said i think my cats are too big since its just one of those mini-itx cube cases with only about a square foot of area. i dont think the cats would be very comfortable there.

[autumnalequinox]

6 hours ago, Nuke said:

no matter how ingenious your cooling method is, rest assured that a cat will figure out a way to make it not work. i havent had problems with cats sitting on my case. there are vents up on top but this mostly serves as an intake for the psu. so if they did decide to sit on it i would have problems. that said i think my cats are too big since its just one of those mini-itx cube cases with only about a square foot of area. i dont think the cats would be very comfortable there.

My computer desk is too small and the airflow sucks for this big tower I have now so it has to sit beside it.  With a file cabinet a foot above it and my desk's upper shelf within reach it becomes a perfect step for them.  One even likes to dig her claws into the grate to stretch!  Auugh.  

But speaking of cats inside cases:  When I was doing this build I tried my best to keep them out of my work room.  Once I accidentally left the door open and here comes one of my biggest cats and I literally catch her as she is leaping straight into the open case full of recently installed hardware.  She went straight for it.  I can only imagine the devastation that would have been wrought.

The same one has already chewed all the insulation over the hot water heater pipes.  She's a weirdo.

[magnemoe]

putting cpu fan the wrong way is pretty common, sometimes the default setup is so it will send air down or forward to for some weird reason. 
Remember my old AMD setup who had an giant heat sink with an 120 mm fan, the fan stopped working but the airflow over the heatsink was more than enough for it, think the cpu fan only reduced temperature 3 degree
 

[T-Bouw]

Glad to hear you got that sorted out before any real damage.

I one encountered a ship with half of the fans in the computer rooms blowing in the wrong direction because the replacements were setup to blow in reverse. Thanks for nothing takeover company!

[Nuke]

i tend to build computers in cases with weird configurations. mine has a single 140mm fan feeding a coolermaster elite 110 case, which is down right tiny. the psu gets its own intake from the top. a lot of cases seem to have a separate psu intake, and i think that goes against the atx spec. of course my case stays cool reguardless. but the one big fan kinda feeds the intakes of the cpu and video card and keeps the mobo cool. the only caveat is the psu isnt modular, so there are a lot of unused cables blocking airflow, im thinking about clipping off some of those and heat shrinking the ends. my build only uses a couple sata power cables and the mobo/cpu connectors, the video card doesn't have a connector (750ti).