April 20, 2006
Horizontal Cooler Showdown
By Victor Loh
Most factory CPU coolers blow downwards directly onto the CPU or heat spreader. Horizontal coolers elevate the heatsink radiator fins away from the base, directing airflow either toward the chassis exhaust point or channeled to help cool other motherboard components like the northbridge chipset, memory, or voltage regulators. Also, many of these coolers can be used without a fan. If you don't have a scorching hot CPU and don't plan to do much overclocking, some horizontal coolers can easily transform into silent passively-cooled solutions.
[img]http://common.ziffdavisinternet.com/util_get_image/13/0,1425,i=132740,00.jpg[/img]
The idea of mounting the cooling fan so it blows horizontally across the radiator fins is similar to what's used in BTX cooling. However, using one of these coolers allows you to continue to use ATX motherboards and cases. Note that the majority of these coolers are quite bulky, so you'll need a case that offers enough clearance above the motherboard. You'll also need to be careful about your choice of motherboard, so that no onboard parts make contact with the heat sink. Finally, you'll also have to be careful about components such as tall memory modules. These coolers may also require additional effort to install.
Also, many of these coolers can be used without a fan.
Your fan, stock or otherwise, will depend on good cool airflow within your case to pass over and cool the cpu. So, if that is already flawed, it won't matter whether it's a fan or a sink.
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