[SOLVED] Should CPU fan pull or push air through the heatsink?

[Mehda]

I am currently stuck in an odd situation where my CPU fan can only be installed on one side of my cooler due to ram issues (I've got a Hyper 212 EVO), and it is currently fighting my rear exhaust fan by pulling the air from the back of the case and blowing it through the fins. I am curious to know if I flip the fan, but keep it on the same side (it would be pulling air from the other side of the cooler through the fins) if it were to cause a problem when it comes to cooling, or if it will cool just as well.

 

[USAFRet]

Generally, air goes from front to back.

Put the fan on the right side of the fins, blowing through the cooler.
If the fan impinges with the RAM sticks, you can slide that fan up a little bit to clear. That won't affect performance.

 

[Mehda]

Thank you, good solution. I'm still curious though if pulling air through the fins is better or worse than pushing air through the fins.