Why does nobody talk about vertical GPU mounts hurting airflow in smaller cases?

I built a PC last month in a Fractal Terra case in Austin and used a vertical mount for my GPU thinking it looked cleaner. But then I noticed my CPU temps jumped 8 degrees because the GPU was too close to the glass, blocking the top exhaust fan. So which do you guys think is more important for a daily driver, the look of a vertical GPU or keeping temps low with a standard mount?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_david3d ago

Man I had almost the exact same problem with my build last year. I got a vertical mount kit for my Fractal Terra and instantly saw CPU temps shoot up by 7 or 8 degrees just like you. The card was basically pressed right up against the glass and choked off all the airflow to the top fan. I tried it for two weeks because I really wanted that clean look but ended up switching back to standard mount when my GPU started hitting 83 degrees during gaming sessions. Airflow in these small cases is just too precious to waste on looks. Standard mount every time for a daily driver, no question about it.

verab283d ago

Oh man, I totally get this struggle. I built in the Fractal Terra too and ran into the same problem with my vertical mount. I ended up switching back to a standard mount because my CPU was hitting 85 degrees under load and I got nervous. Airflow in the Terra is already tight, so blocking that top exhaust with a big GPU just kills the whole cooling setup. For me, keeping temps low won out over looks every time, especially since I run my PC for hours of gaming and video editing.