Push vs Pull vs Push Pull for Radiators and Heatsinks Linus Tech Tips
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- Опубликовано: 5 дек 2012
- TONS of people have asked me about fan configurations for radiators and heatsinks. Push, pull, or push/pull? Which do I recommend? This is a 5 minute video with all of my answers in it :)
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I miss videos like this.
me too
levelfap Matthew Dennis WeAreMovieMakers : Me four.
ThatMiddleEastern
Me Five
WeAreMovieMakers Matthew Dennis levelfap ThatMiddleEastern h3ll0m3ll0 Me Six!
Kevin Ye Me seven :/
Hi Linus! You are simply my nr 1 source on youtube for video tips, tricks and reviews. Loved every single thing you've done from the start, a lot of things I know about computer components, I have you to thank you for! Thx man, please never stop using that burning desire and energy for sharing what you know with others :)
thanks :)
No TY you have very clear and entertaining ways of explaining EVERTHING....great channel bruh!
+LinusTechTips wow, linus replies directly to comments? mind blown
+LinusTechTips This was very helpful. I don't think I would have thought about not being able to get to the dust to clean it and push is how my water cooler is coming by default. I have two dogs and already have to clean my pc with a mini blower every two months. BTW I've been using a hand held blower (looks like a tiny leaf blower) for about two years and while it has never failed to do a great job can you foresee any reason not to do this? I always hold the pc fans still as sometime in my life I think I was told not to over wined a electric motor. Can anyone confirm this?
I see what you did there...
Woah.... I wasn't expecting that intro.... this video is old xD
what should i say? hello from the future :D
holy shit, this is ancient
Woah.... I wasn't expecting that comment.... this comment is old xD
I'm from the year 2019 Ram prices are still up but the GPU prices are closer to MSRP :/
Now it is even older.
"Blow a can of dust at it"
I noticed that too. Yeah because blowing dust will clean the dust off.
fire with fire.
I blow up the place where I job
The only way to kill a spider is with more spiders.
Sorry it really doesn't work that way. The ambient temperature of the air is the same whether you're pushing it through or pulling it through the radiator/heatsink fins.
YOURE A FRICKEN TEACHER GALORE! Any Pc question i have i usually find a video of you talking about it god damn thanks!
I’m from 2020, and I have never seen fans that look like a grill.
They hella ugly but I've seen a few PSU's that look like that
You do can buy those finger guards separately. I had to buy one for my side 200mm fan because the case was so tight that my GPU cable sometime touched the fan and stopped it from spinning. The guard kept it from blocking the blade and all is good now.
What is going on here?
One of the great perks about a pull configuration is that if the air passing is hot enough you can use those grills to cook on
I'm from last week and grills are no fans of seeing.
7 years old and still the quickest/simplest run down on push/pull fan config.
Try 9
9 years later and this video is still relevant and helpful as ever. My AIO is top mounted and this video saved me from taking my PC apart to switch the fans to push. They're running in pull atm, creating a positive air pressure in the case because of the 2x 200mm front fans and 1x 120mm exhaust fan.
Excellent wisdom right here, especially the tip about using pull so as to easily clean dust. Linus, after watching several of your videos, I can safely say you're my favorite tech guy!
+bennemann Cleaning the rads configured to push should be easy, you just blow them with a can of air from the outside. This way you're not pushing more dust on the deeper radiator surfaces but blowing it out the oppposite way to how the dust came in. Disadvantage is that you don't have much visual control, but as soon as dust stops falling out, you should be good.
+Siana Gearz Thats not very effective.That will simply blow the dust everywhere.
There are filters that stop most of the dust. Then you just clean the filter.
here from 2019. omg NCIX vid!
me too
Here from 2020
Rip ncix
4:57 - pets the radiator like a cat
+Jay Man AHHAAHAHHH XD
+Jay Man dont we all pet radiators like cats, i know i do lol
cat and people skin snow
Air Penetrators are EXCELLENT fans, and don't get enough credit. They undervolt extremely gracefully with no extra motor noise. The same can't be said of the majority of "good" fans out there.
Interesting stuff. I did a bunch of tests with my Corsair H60, and when I first got it I replaced the included fan with a single Antec TrueQuiet fan. I loved it so much, I decided to get another one and do a push-pull setup. The fans make literally no noticeable noise. With 2 fans, it's 4-5 degrees cooler at full load, than with a single fan. The difference is small, but it's definitely a difference.
Dear Linus,
I've had a serious argument with my fellow students regarding the validity of push/pull configurations. After showing them this video, they said that without providing test data (or even scientific studies) this is "just some guy on the internet" - no matter how many subscribers that guy has, how well-liked the video is, how many years of technical experience are hiding behind that opinion and him being a semi-official mascot (or saint, depending on who you ask) of /r/pcmasterrace.
So here's my question: Do you have data to back up your claims? Have you changed your mind about this matter? I've configured my builds fan configuration according to your advise, so I'd like to see that, too...
Thank you for being awesome
G
GavinHohenheim If he is just some guy on the internet, they're just some students in a school and if they ignore the fact of how many years he's been doing, how many subs and views, then they're just not that smart are they now ;)
GavinHohenheim www.overclock.net/t/1274407/fans-the-most-complete-and-comprehensive-array-of-tests-and-benchmarks
There is some tests done comparing a lot of fans through radiators using push, pull, and push/pull configs. As you can see the PUSH config out does the PULL config by around 2.5c-5.0c.
Hope that helps you make your decision on how you mount your fans.
GavinHohenheim Like most of Linus' OPINIONS, they are just that. I rarely see him provide any indisputable proof of any of the claims he makes, especially when it goes against common wisdom. His point about Pull providing easier cleaning is definitely valid, but I have yet to see any documented studies showing where Pull cools as well as Push unless his margin of error is +/- 10% or there about. Until he posts some studies from a reliable source then he's just blowing more hot air like he does so often.
GavinHohenheim I have been pc gaming and water cooling for years and while I wouldn't say the push/pull isn't sometimes better than push or pull alone, the extra effort (etc.) is not worth perhaps getting a degree or two lower on perhaps some of the cores.
For anyone getting results that make it seem like a watershed moment, then they were doing something wrong when they have the two original fans.
OTOH, everyone loves getting religious about tech, so if I were you, I wouldn't bother talking about this with your school chums. Might as well argue about abortion!
BINARYGOD For the most part, the advantage of Push/Pull is it enables one to use slower and quieter fans to achieve the same end cooling results, That's the only reason I do it on my air coolers. Otherwise I agree with what you said.
Thanks Linus. I've had this same talk with friends and got many different answers but you summed it up nicely. I just got my first radiator cooling unit. I went with the H100i for my Fractal R4 case and had to watch a dozen or more videos before finally finding yours explaining why its so much better to pull air through from a cleaning perspective.
just stumbled on this video and wow, production changed so much.
Watching this in 2023 :)
OK, that covers push vs. pull... now how about top vs. bottom? Which do you prefer? ;-)
Well to answer this question in two different ways. I think top *fan is better. But, when it comes to you know...I prefer top but wouldn't mind bottom lol.
I cant believe how long you have been around.
I watched this video when I built my second rig. Now a decade later, coming back for a reminder.
Keep it up brother!
Thank guys. I'm usually pretty good with hardware, but this actually helps my next build. I hadn't considered the newer fans and their capabilities, and had been thinking of going in the old push pull config.
So for the pull configuration, the fans are on top of the radiator pulling air through it and out the top of the case?
yes
Not at all practical for me.
what about having 2 fans on ur rad both on the same side but 1 in push and 1 in pull...
lol
Then you'll only have to pull it all out and only remove the push fan to clean.
I've been using push-pull configuration since the dawn of time
and I have never considered using a pool configuration leaving the bottom side of the radiator exposed for cleaning. This is such a simple tip but it's so helpful to be able to clean your radiator without taking everything apart
I'm sat here with my new H100 having the air pushed through it in my C70 case. I found this vid at the right time so I'll get it changed around tomorrow. Great vid, thumbs up and thanks for sharing.
Short answer: Configure your radiator and fan combination in Pull or you'll get tons of dust which is nearly impossible to clean out without taking the radiator apart.
Pull so that it is pulling air from inside the case through the radiator out right?
***** Yes. This keeps all the other non-watercooled components with some airflow past them.
Thanks!
*****
Pull= air pulled inside the case or air pulled outside of it?
So should you pull air from outside into case or from inside and out of case?
SlamminUK The goal is to get the heat out of the case so youre pulling air through the rad and dispersing it out the back/front/top. A push setup would be pushing the air through the rad and out of the case.
SlamminUK You do not want the hot air from inside the case passing through the radiator. So pulling outside air into the case solves this problem.
Why would you want hot air passing through a radiator?! Tell me how that makes logical sense!
you idiot. I answered the question. You want to get rid of hot air in the case.
"FROM INSIDE AND OUT"
Thanks all. After testing with my new build my temps are allot better with the air from outside the case being pulled in rather than the opposite. My build is here if you would like to look ;) i87.photobucket.com/albums/k151/slamminuk/IMG_1831_zps3ijoshdk.jpg
This really helped, I was planning on installing a radiator in push pull, and now I know to get pressure optimized fans, ran in pull, so I don't need to clean as much, thanks linus, I really appreciate it!
Thanks man! I was wondering about this for the past week and ran into your video! Thanks for showing me how much dust would build up!
Very important thing about cooling is that u have to make air moving up, not down.
Because hot air by nature go up.
+Arek R. Letting the air go up is the "obvious" choice, but actually the relative buoyancy of hot air isn't very high, it's easily overcome 100fold by the pressure difference created by fans. So in the end, it doesn't matter much, the air will go wherever you force it too without much resistance. The general upwards airflow does slightly help avoid creating hot pockets, but normally they shouldn't be an issue either if general airflow is sufficient.
But we also can run fans very slow at low loads.
+Siana Gearz Buoyancy is the ability of floating in water. Like... engineers calculate a ships buoyancy to make sure it doesn't sink, and it's max wheight. So i'm not sure why thats mentioned here.
Daju Buoyancy is an imaginary force counteracting gravity in a fluid. Trivial examples of buoyancy in gas are hot air balloons and Helium balloons. Fluid comes from flowing, it doesn't mean liquid, both gases and liquids are fluids.
Some of what you say isn't totally wrong but i refer to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buoyancy . Nothing you mentioned has to do with an upthrust of a immersed object that negates or partially negates it's gravital pull. Hot air is simply lighter than cold air which is the reason for wind as example. And wind has nothing to do with buoyancy. Things can change wheight based on it's temperature. Which is also why lakes aren't frozen solid in cold enviroments. Water at temperatures around 4 celsius are heavier and therefore sinks.
now, back in 2012 I don't even know there is a water cooler for computers xD but thanx to linus, I know more stuff than talking to people here, very tight lipped computer shops here. Now every time I go to a computer shop they frown upon my entrance xD
You said it wasn't that simple but this was the simplest video that I have seen yet... and really helpful.
so you know im useing some of your videos for (with your title next to the link) for a one stop place in my 120mm sp fan line up on a couple different forums your is one of them thanks for the awesome videos they are very informative..keep it up cant wait to see what 2017 brings
watches video, immediately switches fan on heatsink to otherside
The definitive answer to this existential question is a push-push configuration.
Won't it be even harder to clean the radiator out?
+Chalklate No, in a push-push config it is self cleaning. Get out of here. :P
Wash your fans with soap and water, while they are running.
pull-pull?
Excellent review. These are the stuff I like to see. Simple stuff that makes a big difference.
One again Linus... Thank you! This answered my question on this topic perfectly!
Several logical ways to know the best set up
- Industries (yes, INDUSTRIES!) in refrigeration and air-conditioning run their heat exchanges in pull to avoid dust in any environment possible. I believe they know a LOT better than we amateurs ;)
- I find it STUPID when people use static pressure fans in pull and air flow fans in Push :')
- Most of them get the whole concept of basic common sense thermodynamics wrong. What is the point in having the back IO fan in exhaust when the radiator, which if situated towards the top, needs more air? It has to be in Pull to help feed the radiator.
- Same goes with getting air to pull from top of case and push through bottom of radiator! That's like WTH moment. Why fight against nature by pushing not air down? There is a point that all data centers get cool air pumped from the floor down to cool all the racks.
I feel like Sherlock in these instances. It has got to be so VACANT in most peoples heads :D
i miss those old linus videos. kind of feels more personal, rather than the new clickbaity, "100000$ GRAPHICS CARD?!" linus.
Something I've always wanted to know but never bothered doing research.
This video was so well done I am subscribing without looking at anything else. i have a feeling I'll be back.
Lots of good tips in these videos! Thanks!
4:45 blow a can of dust at it...
What are non pressure fans for
Just normal airflow, not for radiators
So do they move the same amount of air, just static pushes straight more?
Ahhh okay that makes sense.
+FroztiProductions Generally if im correct, you use AF fans on casing exhaust on the back and top *if you not using any liquid cool*, and casing intake at front *some case has drive bay near to the front and people recommend use SP fans instead*
Use sp fans for radiator and heatsinks fan if you wish to replace it.
+FroztiProductions SP for restricted spaces, AF for free space. Example: Let's take a Corsair 750D case with an h110i at the top configured as an exhaust, back fan as exhaust, front as intake. Front: If no drive cages or stuff tucked against the fans, AF, otherwise SP. Back exhaust unless used as a rad is usually exhaust airflow. Top is AF if no rad, exhaust, if radiator SP as push or pull exhaust. A little bit more positive pressure (intake) in the case is better than negative pressure (exhaust) for dust buildup, because negative pressure will pull in dust from unfiltered holes, while positive pressure will push the air out.
i am subscribed since over a year, get to upgrade my rig, came up with the dust question, youtube-googled-ish for 10 seconds, found an old LTT video, linus explains 5min, ready to go! Thank you linus! you are awesome!
This is a great tip, thanks Linus! I've configured my X60 in pull mode thanks to this video.
damn. I wish I had seen this before setting my fans to push :/
Make sure your case has filters, and you will be fine. All you have to do clean the filters.
..when do the cows come home?
Thursday
James Gilmour
Isn't that also when the Universe began, last week?
bluephreakr LAST THURSDAYISM!!!
bluephreakr yes, at about 02:00 AM
Alec Allard It's been years, The cows haven't come home, should I update my bios?
loving the intro +LinusTechTips
Perfect answer to the question I had coming to this page. Thanks.
I think we all learned our lesson here, run fans however you want, don't buy a cat.
What about if I adopt a cat I found in an alley?
Woohoo! I have a dog.
I have a hamster...
Then explain OCDTV's "Ultimate Corsair H100 Cooling Mod"
You do realize that video was a major troll... right ?
R4gnarokLPs and why is that?
Mootypotuty
Mostly the ending of that video, it was a joke :)
R4gnarokLPs he showed the temps tho. Was he really just making shit up lol?
Mootypotuty
yes he was :)
Nice video and nice explaination. The topic is as up to date, as it can be! Right now I am considering installing an AiO, so very helpful!
Watch other vids where they actually compare and test temps. Push alone, and Push/Pull both provide lower temps than pull alone.
Wow Linus thanks for the helpful tip! This really helped me, I was about to go push-pull. I really appreciate it.
I run push-pull because i got a good deal on non pressure optimized fans.
waste of energy.
Allen TKO ?
I run push pull, it helps, It Lowered my temps 10'C with the fans at 50 percent.. Its easy to clean, i just use my air compressor with a moister trap filter on it so i don't blow moister all over the inside my computer. That canned air crap is for the birds.
At 5:30 He said a German Word "Spiel" :D
what does it actually mean
The German word "Spiel" means in English Game :D
MSGamerLP oh, thanks
Again and again gladly
Habs auch gehört!
awesome info Linus...cleares up a few questions in my mind...now i know what im gonna do for sure!
would love a lab like that by the way!
great video, glad to see linus is supporting the just pull configuration.
ur a good man. but cats are not stupid.
look at all that money. to be able to mess and configure with unlimited hardware and software sources and im just. its my dream. and this was 3 years ago and I still got a i5 cpu. lol
+James Thebeau i'm currently using a pentium dual core. And i'm actually saving money to buy an i5.
Blatz430 Well its not to say its bad. But this is the last era of gaming I will actually be able to use this max. Best thing is to get your ram and a capable motherboard first.. lol which for me would even be the z97. i made a mistake and bought ram and a video card first and cant even overclock them on this motherboard and its a single 12v rail.
I have the same case, Corsair Vengeance C70. What he said is true that so much dust accumulate if you made your cooler do push exhaust/intake. It was hassle to clean the radiator because you have to unscrew those fans and remove them. That tricky part about that is the small clearance of the screws (closer on the tray), it's blocked by the heatsink of the motherboard. So what I did was pull exhaust config on top of the case.
I was wondering about this, very helpful video.
PC enthusiast with a carpet floor ....
2012 - Nvidia GeForce GTX 580
2017 - AMD Radeon RX 580
man, AMD is that far behind
The old intro still gets me
Thank you I was curious about this and it makes a lot of sense!
This video is ancient
Why is this dinosaur in my recommended lol
Thanks Linus. This video helped me even in 2017. Thanks again
Love your videos, keep this up guys.
De_dust2
This was much more informative than I thought
Nice to know I was right on the money. First time I ever bought a small cooling kit a few month ago since it can get pretty hot where my computer is my cramped room and I wasn't truly sure what way to have it but I decided to have the fan pull air and no once every few month I can really easily go in and use a hover(vacuum) to clean the dust off it.
Coming from 2021, still pandemic, where am I? Whoa, NCIX? What year is now?
very cool ! i will be re configuring my whole build now just because of this very smart piece of info. 100% you still the best !!!! thanks bro......
Excellent advice, thanks man!
Awesome clear explanation, thanks
I have a Corsair H100i in a Push/Pull configuration using the original non-SPL rated 120mm fans on the back in order to space the radiator out the extra 25mm from the case. This allowed the radiator to BAREFLY fit inside my Antec 1200. The two fans on the front are the Corsair SP120s. So it's really Push/half-pull. But I can easily clean my radiator in my case when I take the side-panel off because I don't use a can of air... I use an air compressor that pushes over 60PSI out of the nozzle. When you push that much air backwards through the radiator, all the dust comes out with it. It's quite easy to clear the dust from the case in that manner. I never had to remove my fans at all.
A mix of Linus' shorter reviews and TTL's marathon reviews is so brilliant for keeping up with tech news :)
Old but gold. This video^^
Been subscribed to Linus for a while now.. also inspired me to build my own PC.
Having finished my build about 3 months ago I decided that I need(want) a new case... disassembling my h80i revealed an insane amount of dust! When I upgrade the watercooling to a full loop I will definitely keep this in mind. Thanks again guys ;)
***** Having dust filters on all intakes helps a lot too. If the case you have now, buy in future, doesn't come with nifty removable filters, you can always slap on some after market ones. ;)
thanks dude!
exciting as always!
Gotta love those old POV videos Linus xD
As always, Linus give us great advices... Thank You Linus!
Great tech tips **
You videos are great to learn from.
was the best in pull with the radiator on top or pull with the fan on the top.... im confused when in pull are you installing with radiator to top of case or fan to top of case.
Nice tip, Linus! Thanks!
The dust buildup shows why I would go with a pull config.
I would go so far to screw the fans into the case, then the rad into the fans. That way I could just take off the rad if I need to and keep the fans in place.
I have an air cleaner in my rooms (HEPA) and it takes MUCH longer for a radiator to get dust build up, along with good dust filtration.
Excellent video, just what I was looking for. My friend and I debated this for a while yesterday, whether or not he was going to get decreased performance from doing a pull setup, since it's the only option in his case is to mount the fans outside.
thx man this clear out my doubts about push >pull helped a lot! great channel btw found it by mistake :D
Love that intro love to see it for like anniversary videos
I could sit in that room you're at all day long man .. tons of hardware and awesome stuff
great video
Interesting point I never had thought about :)
Great info for beginners like me. Thank you
damn nice and good informing videos you got man! cheers.
And suddenly while browsing, i look now at old video from 2012 :)
So much time passed.
ok, this video was really useful. nice! thanx! so, does this also applies to air cooled heatsinks? cause i wan't to buy the CM Hyper 212 EVO and i want to know if it's good to have 2 fans for Push-Pull or Push-Push or just stay with the stock one and have it on Push.
The only advantage I can think of for push vs pull or vica versa, would be choosing where your dust primarily builds up. If you are in push, the radiator gets all the dust, if you are in pull, the dust may get caught in an intake filter. So you can possibly make your case a little easier to clean, depending on the case and setup.
Alright this one finally got my sub! Not because it's the best, just because in research I found myself constantly pulling up your videos. Anyway, then I'm completing my build and couldn't a nice complete answer to what I was looking for until I pulled this up! Nice videos and thanks for all the tips!
Makes sense! Will have to try this on my heatsink for better cleaning!
Good advice! I have recently bought pc parts and have a H60 as a cpu cooler. I was unsure of what kind of airflow I was going to use for it. Pulling air makes more sense after watching this.
Great vid. I was about to mount a 240 on the inside of the top of the case in push config. Going to go with pull now! Thanks! :)