Cooling on the cheap

[maximus1284]

I'm new to PC cooling and want to find out about some inexpensive but quality options to cooling my new rig. right now I'm not 100% sure if I need to invest in extra cooling but I plan to go for moderate to high OC on the CPU, and perhaps OC my GPU in the future. I should probably install everything first and see the temps before buying extra cooling, but I'd like an idea of what I could be buying.

anyway, I'm not interested in liquid cooling or obsessing about maxing out my PC for an extreme OC, but I would like something reasonably high. I would like do all my cooling with air and fans


this is what I'll be running fairly soon:

Thermaltake Armor Case - comes with 2x 120mm fans and 2x 90mm fans, 3 of which are installed. I'll have to double check to see the size the one that isn't installed, and where the installed ones are located

e6700 core 2 duo - I'm considering the Zalmon 9700 for this, and right now the price isn't too bad. I'll be buying a CPU fan regardless, and it will most likely be this one

eVGA 680i - I hear it comes with a fan, but I'm not sure if this is sufficient. I've read about people buying extra cooling for the PWM, NB, and SB...but I don't know if I'll need it. I may also consider the Abit 680i, but leaning towards the eVGA right now. I know the Abit only comes with the installed copper heatsinks and pipes

2GB Dominator 8500 RAM - I would like to run it at 4-4-4-12 @ 1066...not sure if thats possible out of the box just yet, but I would like to drop the timings down to 4's, and run atleast at 1066

XFX standard Geforce 8800GTX - this is a heat beast, I probably should get a fan for it if I want to OC it in the future, or run SLI (which I do plan to do much later)

and I'll have 3 Seagate Barracuda HDDs, either the 250 or 320. the case fan may take care of this, I'll have to check

I plan to buy some arctic cooling thermal puddy too

 

[maximus1284]

btw I'd like to keep my temps under 70C at load - preferrably at about 65, not sure if thats relevant or useful

 

[Arcygenical]

Make sure you get the arctic SILVER paste.

It's not much better than the ceramique (read: proper application of ANY substance between the HSF and the CPU will work wonders, it's application over substance here) but might as well...

Uhm, the Zalman is good... The Scythe Infinity is great too, along with the Tuniq Tower (I say the Tuniq tower's the best because it's also the quietest).

If you're not OCing much, get a Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Plus... They run about 25$ (anywhere but newEgg) and cool any conroe easily up to 3.2ghz.

 

[gchanjam]

Just wondering, you are buying fairly expensive parts but you want to go cheap on the cooling? Just doesnt make sense to me.

 

[maximus1284]

doh! I meant to post this in the OC/Cooling forum...would it be possible for a mod or admin to move this?


anyway, I want a moderate to high OC. I want to be able to get my E6700 up to a minimum of 3.66 and possibly as high as 3.8 or 4 (stable) without my CPU, mobo, or any other parts of my PC overheating. do I even need extra cooling with this kind of an OC? I'm not sure

I have a CPU cooler picked out that I'll order, but I worry about other components getting too hot - especially my mobo with this kind of an OC. I'd like to be able to keep all of my PC's components at about 65C at load. I listed my other components, I don't know that a fan for my RAM would be necessary, but a cheap one may help. same with my GPU. I would like to keep it cool at the present, and possibly have some room later to OC it a little

I don't know the first thing about extra cooling options, especially for my mobo, so thats why I'm asking. if I can get it done cheaply, then great. like I said I'm not necessarily looking for the best of the best, and I'm not trying to max my system and get an extreme OC, so maybe its possible to get a couple parts for good prices. my main goal is to make sure my parts don't overheat

 

[Jomanscool2]

Ok, well. First, REPLACE THE TIM ON YOUR MOBO! There is that bubble gun crud everywhere on that thing. All you really need to replace is on the MCP and SPP though.

Next, grab some Swiftech MC14's and shove them on the 6 MOSFETs (or at least I think those are em). This is a tad pricey, and you can use other heatsinks, but I like the MC14's, and they fit PERFECTLY on the 680i.

Third, GET GOOD CASE AIRFLOW! Nothing can help more than to keep all the air in your case moving. If it means get a new case because your case doesn't have great airflow, by all means GET A NEW CASE! If you can't, mod your current one. You want, AT THE VERY LEAST! 1 120MM exhaust (rear) and 1 120MM intake (front).

My final advice, should help with that OC of yours, grab some plastic and make bascically a wind funnel so you can get all the air from an 80MM to go through your SPP (the one with the heatsink). That thing gets HOT (hence EVGA's leafblower of an odd sized fan). I would do this, but I got no skillz. Instead, if my 680i wont stay cool (am still building it), I am just going to get something like a thermalright HR-05-SLI, but that slightly ruins the 'cheap' part of your cooling.

For a mem fan, cheapest would be ziptie a case fan somewhere. If your mem has good heatspreaders, you should be fine (assuming ur not OCing it). If you want a mem fan, I personally really like the Corsair Dominator Memory Cooler. It is whisper quiet, but is definately providing enough air to cool my mem.

Now, with your GPU, watch out for those PCI slot coolers. Typically, they either steal air your GPU fan needs, or they just make air go in a circle. I would just recomend shoving a 120MM fan blowing at your card if your worried about it. That, or mod the nearby PC slot covers with some plastic so that the slots on the side of the card exhale from the case as well.

Btw. If I have said something you disagree with, please say so. I am just speaking my mind, what I'd try to do. I am not a very experienced PC builder, but I read forums nonstop.