Graphics card cooling...

[Sinister_kid]

I am just wondering why graphics cards coolers are facing down, woulnd't it make more sense for them to face up and have the fan pulling heat away from the heatsink upwards (the natural way heat moves). *Of course if the gpu was on top*

Just kind of wondering if anybody knows why it is this way?

 

[CMadki4]

The "heat rises" argument is pretty fragile in computer case terms. The air in there is too turbulent for air to 'drift' as it naturally would; cold down / hot up. As far as I can tell GPU coolling is pretty effective as is. It either blows it straight out the back of the case. Or at least over the heatsink and off the card.

 

[Silent Knight]

The CPU cooler and chipset cooler (in older PC) are right on top of the graphic card,so a HSF facing up would have clearance issues.Not to mention the turbulence created by the hot air from CPU and graphic card would also reduce the effectiveness of the cooler.