Cooling problems in my Lian Li PC-7...

MrToilet

Weaksauce
Joined
Mar 8, 2005
Messages
108
To start, here's the exact case that I have:

Lian Li PC-7B Plus:
http://www.svc.com/pc-7bplus-47.html

I really like the build quality, etc, but my CPU, motherboard and video card tend to run a little on the warm side, in my opinion. I have a quiet 120 mm fan in the front, and a slighter higher CFM 120 mm fan on the back. I've been using an Opteron 165 on an Asus A8N32 mobo in this case, with an 8800 GTS 320.

I also have a slot cooler installed under the video card (Antec Super Cyclone blower fan, shown here: LINKY

My CPU heatsink is an XP-90, with an 120 mm fan mounted on top. Overall, the system is pretty quiet, I can hear a low hum through the front filter, but nothing noticeable.

My temps have been a little warm. With the side closed, My mobo temp is ~47-48, CPU 47-48C idle. Video card is at 65C on idle. I mounted the slot cooler under the CPU, no temp changes; I mounted it under the video card, the 8800 temp went down 4-5 degrees C. My question is how I can improve airflow/cooling, outside of adding noisier fans. I was thinking about adding a side intake 120 mm fan, cutting out a hole in the window; does anyone have any advice on what tools to use, how to cut the hole, etc? Is there an easier way?

Sorry for the lengthy post, and thanks for any help.
 
i have the same case minus the window.

first off, your A8N32 board will always be hot, you can try to add the little fan that came with it. they say its for use when you watercool but its worth a shot.

your cpu temps are about right with a XP-90. i had one too on my opty 165 and with 1.45v on the cpu i had about the same temps you have. honestly, its the XP-90 at fault here. its a awsome heatsink but for dualcores, i'd recommend something better, ie. Tuniq Tower, Thermalright Ultra-120/Extreme, or Thermalright SI-128.

if you want something quiet, all 3 that i listed above can be quiet. the Thermalrights you get to chose your own fan, while the Tuniq has a built-in fan controller. if you want to kill 2 birds with one stone, the SI-128 is not a tower heatsink so you have the fan blowing down at your motherboard to help with temps. it should be tall enough to overhang the mosfet area and help cool it.

hope this helps.
 
So I'm not inept or crazy? Sweet.

Yeah, I've been contemplating getting a different heatsink, maybe it's just time.
 
You should swap out the side window for a PC-7 Plus II side window and drill holes for the 120mm side mounting to vent the video card. It works wonders extracting all the heat that pours out from my 8800GTS so it doesn't hit the rest of the system. Also the top blow hole helps some but you have an advantage with the rear 120mm where i have a rear 80mm :(

PC-60 Plus II :(
 
Do you have a fan in the top blowhole? If not, adding one there could very well help with expelling some of the hot air that gathers in the case. Other than that all I would say is to make sure your cables are tucked away out of the path of airflow. Now, my setup isn't really that similar to yours but I do have the same video card (except I have the 640MB version). Right now, my card is idling at 57-58 C with my room temp being around 75 or 76 F. I did spend a fair amount of time getting cables out of the way knowing that the 8800GTS could generate alot of heat especially under load. So far, I haven't had any issues with temps nor does anything run particularly hot.
 
Hmmm... so I loosened the side, and left it propped up against the case, leaving a couple inches or so at the bottom. I checked the temps after about an hour, and the 8800 was at 54C and the CPU/mobo were both at 37C... so I need an intake fan on the side, mounting a 120 mm fan there. Is a Dremel the best tool to use, or is there something better?
 
Back
Top