Why are graphics cards upside-down?

Posted by gbjbaanb on Super User See other posts from Super User or by gbjbaanb
Published on 2010-02-20T23:56:48Z Indexed on 2010/04/28 17:48 UTC
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graphics-card

This is something that has always bugged me - when I install a card into a desktop (ie mini tower) case, the fan is always facing down. Surely, making the card so the components and fan is on the top would help a lot with cooling, allowing those whiney fans to spin a little slower.

I know some card manufacturers tried to mitigate this by adding heat pipes and big heatsinks on the back of the card.. but they still put the bits on the same way as everyone else!

So, does anyone know why they're all upside-down?

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