Big Shuriken Rev 2b orientation?

[Harnser]

I'm using this cooler in a tiny case I'm building around an ITX motherboard. The motherboard is mounted vertically, there's some ventilation top & bottom and a side intake for the Shuriken's fan, which is hopefully the only fan in the system.

In which orientation do you think the Shuriken should be mounted? With the fins running vertically in the case so any bottom to top airflow can run through them, or horizontally so the 4 heatpipes will get the air passing round each? Or won't it matter?

 

[EdZ]

Fit it so it clears any components.

Passive vertical airflow due to heat is barely measurable without very hot heatsinks (i.e. hot enough that you chip would have fried long ago), and adding a fan will disrupt that easily. With a side opening for the fan to pull air from, airflow will be:
- In from side vent
- Between heatsink fins
- From underneath heatsink to top and bottom vents
Changing the orientation may slightly change the turbulence patterns within the case, but it is unlikely to result in a measurable temperature change to any component that matters.

 

[Harnser]

Thank you EdZ, that's very helpful. It clears the components in either orientation; I'll stick with it the way I first mounted it (horizontally).