Re: Fried CPU
 

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Ok...I guess my Vantec Aeroflow which have been keeping my overclocked AMD2500 under 40C idle is going backward then.

Most HSF that pull air have a shroud around them to stop the case air from rushing in...when you pull air you essentially create a vaccumm. When you push air you give it momentum and are able to direct it onto the CPU.

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Off of www.firingsquad.com

After you've got your heatsink, the next logical step is to put a fan on it. But which way should it blow? There really isn't a set answer for this question. It all depends on the situations that this fan and heatsink are in. Let's take into account heatsink design; some coolers come with shrouds to go over them. In cases such as these, it is beneficial to have the fan suck the air out of the heatsink, as the shroud causes air from the bottom of the heatsink to be pulled up. Most shrouds have a small opening at the bottom, near the base to allow the influx of cooler air, to replace the heated air that was pulled out. If you are trying to pull air out of a heatsink without a shroud, the results can be mixed. Depending on the design of the heatsink and the airflow patterns that result from it, the only thing you can do is try both ways to see which works better. We're betting that air blowing onto the heatsink will be the better solution in this case. If the fan is going to be pulling air out of the heatsink, the airflow patterns will take the path of least resistance, and as these fans aren't terrible powerful, chances are that the hottest air (the air closest at the very bottom) will not be moved effectively.

so it really doesnt matter unless your HSF uses a shroud. I have had no issues with the air blowing away. but im not O/Cing

Re: Fried CPU
 

Well there [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I'll agree that it depends on the current airflow in the case, etc. It's mainly related to design and I'm going to guess he has a standard HSF that came with the CPU, most HSF on the market push air through the HS.

Alpha HSF usually will suck as they are designed for it...however the shroud is removable for a reason...if you wanted to blow.

Since it depends on the particular situation it's always best to try both ways, but with a cheap HS it's almost always blow.

I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart

Re: Fried CPU
 

After some research and digging through my case I figured out that I had a simple airflow problem. My case takes in air from underneath and I just moved into a new apartment and had my computer on some fluffy carpet, almost completely blocking air intake. It also turns out that my CPU's normal idling temperature is around 55C and it's die temp is 85C, so it wasn't getting as hot as I thought. Those blue screens I was getting was Windows shutting off the computer to prevent the CPU from frying itself.

Just in case anyone was wondering...

Thanks for all the input.