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Cooling query

A

AlteredState

n00b
Joined
Mar 24, 2006
Messages
27
Got a question about cooling, im running quite a hot system i think with my temps around 40c for cpu and 50 for gpu under idle, and around 65ish and 70ish respectively when under load.

What is the best configuration for intake and outtake? Currently i have rear exhaust fan(120mm) pushing hot air out, a side panel(80mm) pushing air in, and a front fan(80mm) pushing air in as well.

Thanking u all in advance
 
What type of system is it? Pentium 4/ AMD A64/ celeron???? What kind of video card?
Also, what kind of case do you have?

The fan configuration sounds ok. Maybe a new hsf would help, but, need to know this information first.

Thanks
 
rudedog89 said:
What type of system is it? Pentium 4/ AMD A64/ celeron???? What kind of video card?
Also, what kind of case do you have?

The fan configuration sounds ok. Maybe a new hsf would help, but, need to know this information first.

Thanks
Click to expand...


Details are in my sig..... case is Antec 1650B
 
Best configuration is optimized front-to-back air flow, which provides a cooling air stream over all components. Side-vents provide an alternate air flow path from side-vent to rear exhaust, reducing air flow over hard drives.

If possible, I suggest cutting a larger intake vent to accomodate a 120mm front fan and tape off the side-vent.

If not, some simpler mods for better air-flow:
- Remove all case vent grills (diagonal cutting plier, dremel, metaql shears).
- Examine your front bezel for air flow restriction - relieve all flow-restrictions.
- Remove intake filter or replace with low-restriction furnace filter media.
- Replace case fans with higher-flow fans.

Or you could buy an Antec 3000 case for less than $50, add the optional front 120mm intake fan and transfer your components to the Antec 3000, which is no more work than modding your present case and not all that expensive.

Hope this helps!
 
My bad, somehow my options had show sigs uncheckmarked. Sorry about that.

My wifes computer is really close to your build. She has 650 P4 3.4ghz, 2gb of ram. 6800gt instead of ati. Of course a different case.

There is a 120mm fan in the back a 92mm fan in the front and of course the psu/gpu/cpu fans. Her computer normally runs around 47c idle and 55c to 60c under load with the stock hsf.

I have asked many times before in these forums, and everyone says that is a normal range and I shouldn't worry about it. I personally would love to try another heatsink, but, wife doesn't think I need to.

Also, I would love to change her gpu fan, it runs at about 60-63c idle and can get like 80c during game play.

I would maybe suggest looking at a gpu hsf with rear exhaust and a different hsf. I think your fan configuration on your case is fine.
 
gud4u said:
Best configuration is optimized front-to-back air flow, which provides a cooling air stream over all components. Side-vents provide an alternate air flow path from side-vent to rear exhaust, reducing air flow over hard drives.

If possible, I suggest cutting a larger intake vent to accomodate a 120mm front fan and tape off the side-vent.

If not, some simpler mods for better air-flow:
- Remove all case vent grills (diagonal cutting plier, dremel, metaql shears).
- Examine your front bezel for air flow restriction - relieve all flow-restrictions.
- Remove intake filter or replace with low-restriction furnace filter media.
- Replace case fans with higher-flow fans.

Or you could buy an Antec 3000 case for less than $50, add the optional front 120mm intake fan and transfer your components to the Antec 3000, which is no more work than modding your present case and not all that expensive.

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...


Thanks for your advice,

Im actually planning on upgrading my case soon anyway as i need a more powerful PSU, and for a bit more than a decent PSU, i can get a new Antec TX1050B tower (bigger than the one i have, so hopefully more room for air to flow...is a bit cramped at the moment) which comes with an Antec 500 SPII PSU built in. So maybe i should do that.

Oh, and i cant mod the front of the case for the airflow as you suggested, but i realised that i could do it back to front, (air going from back to front) turned the fans around, and temps dropped to a nice early 30ish for cpu and early 40's for gpu under idle. Will that configuration be suitable till i upgrade do you think. The way i figured it, after the advice here, was have the big 120mm pushing relatively large amounts of air in, with the side fan circulating and mixing things up a bit, and the smaller 80mm in front dispensing it....

One last thing, how do i post pictures?

Thanks guys
 
Let me get this right, you changed the way the fans blow into and out of the case? Like the rear fan is blowing in, the front fan is blowing out? and you dropped your temps?

Wow, I might do this on my wifes computer if that actually is what you did.

Thanks
 
rudedog89 said:
Let me get this right, you changed the way the fans blow into and out of the case? Like the rear fan is blowing in, the front fan is blowing out? and you dropped your temps?

Wow, I might do this on my wifes computer if that actually is what you did.

Thanks
Click to expand...



Umm... yeah. Would be no reason for me to write anything misleading. Comp was , i felt, running hot and i thought about the advice which gud4u offered me, and when i realised that i cannot make way for a bigger fan in the front of the case, i thought, well if air flow is ideal when it runs from front to back, what difference will it make from running back to front. The back of my comp isnt sitting right up against a wall, so i hoped that it would receive enough airflow. So yeah, i literally changed the fans back to front, so the exhaust is blowing in, and the intake is blowing out, and it appears to have made a difference.

Just had a nice 30 min session with NFS Most Wanted and gpu peaked out at 64.2, and cpu at 55.1. According to ATI tool for gpu and speedfan for the cpu.

Thanks you guys for your words of wisdom, especially you gud4u, yr a genius
 
ok, update....

since letting the system chill out a bit from the game, my cpu is idling at 34 and my gpu is 42.

So yeah, it worked..... :)
 
I will give it a try then. The only thing I am worried about, as you stated that yours isnt up against a wall, is my wifes desk and computer is, but, the computer does not go all the way back. Where the computer sits, the back of the desk has been removed and the computer sits more forward in the desk.

But, I am willing to try anything.

Thanks
 
mine is just short of a metre from the wall. I would imagine that as long as u manage yr temps when u swap the fans and get ready to turn off machine in hurry if needs be, you should be ok...... i would imagine. Oh god, dont take advice from me....lol
 
Reversing intake & outake fans for back-to-front flow seems to have worked very well for cooler CPU temps. I assume your side-vent is still oriented for drawing air in.

That should provide positive case pressure, which is good for your PS as well.

The only problem you're probably left with is elevated hard drive temps - if that's a concern for you - since the heat from your CPU is streamed over your hard drive to your front-exhaust port.

If balanced cooling of all components is your goal, a new case is probably your next best upgrade.

Hope this helps!
 
@gud4u.... yup, side fan is still orientated towards the intake of air... but i removed the direct vent which antec supplies allowing the side fan to concentrate on the cpu, and it has certainly made a difference. You are also correct regarding the temps being nice to my PS as the exhaust fan on the PS hasnt kicked in once that i am aware of, since i swapped the flow orientation of the exhaust and intake case fans around. My hdd is however sitting between 30-38c (according to speedfan) during some pretty heavy video editing and codec conversions, so it doesnt appear to be suffering too much

But, yeah, as mentioned above, i am planning on upgrading my PS soon, to a 500 SPII Antec, and along with it, a new case too.

Once again, gud4u..... pure genuis mate, u know yr stuff.... thanks for all your advice, i do appreciate it.

The only thing now it sounds like im sitting next to a 747 taxing down the runway when i got all the fans going....lol.... need quiter fans i think.... any suggestions?

And rudedog, id be interested to know if it worked for your wifes comp as well????
 
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