need better temperatures

[hy0r1]

I have an aspire x-dream case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144001

possible:
2 80mm front intake, one 80mm hole at top, one on side, two 80mm exhaust
im running 3 panaflo 80mm L1A's (the 21db ones)
one intake, one blowhole up top, and one on my heatsink

my heatsink is a thermaltake .. dont remember exactly but i think its an slk 900, pretty old, but the point is, it doesnt come with a fan, and the biggest fan you can put on it is a 92mm. Im running an 80mm panaflo on it right now.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article72-page1.html

I can turn on my two 80mm stock fans that came with my case for one exhaust and the side fan, but they are pretty loud and only lower case temps by 1 or 2 degrees C. Is there any use in buying a 120mm fan + a 120-->80mm fan adapter? Anywhere I could put it to get better airflow or better temps? a 120mm fan might be able to fit in the front intake of my case... but I'm not sure how much it'd help.

 

[Arcygenical]

Well, in these situations I always suggest getting a better HSF. After that, you might as well throw in one of those Scythe Bay Coolers if it'll fit. They provide excellent cooling at a good price... Especially when the stream of cold air is pointed at a loose-finned HSF like the ninja.

How are the grills at the exhaust and intake of your computer? The default steel ones most likely restrict about 40-70% of your aiflow, which'll make even the quietest of fans loud and inneficent. I Run 2 of those panaflows as exhaust (the 80's) and was honestly pissed off at how much I spent on them. Until I cut out the grill that was, . They perform almost 100% better with no restriction guarenteed.

A top blowhole and side intake are, IMO, bad designs. Unless the side intake is vented to only the CPU, which probably isn't happening, it's a total waste of time, and ruins the airflow in your case. The blowhole is only needed if you're getting a pocket of trapped air at the top of your computer... a pocket that should be eliminated somewhat by the PSU and by radiating through the case top... With your stock fans on those holes, they're definitely not for you.

Last thing, try the 120mm in the front intake, but make sure to cut out it's grill. Run the 120 at 5-7 volts and you should be in good order.

 

[joemama]

I'll let others comment on fans/placement but....I can personally recommend an Arctic Cooling 64pro (around $25) and a bottle of Zalman STG-1 thermal grease http://www.svc.com/zm-stg1.html as a low cost/low noise solution to reduce the temp of your processor.

edit- if you have an Intel proc I believe there is an AC model for that also..

 

[dchrsf]

What is your processor/motherboard? I belive the SLK was a Socket A cooler (Athlon XP) correct?

 

[hy0r1]

Thanks for reply

right, i have an athlon xp 2500+ barton, socket A. My motherboard is a relatively cheap shuttle an35n ultra.

I don't use the side vent built into the side case, but I do use the blowhole. I never thought about replacing the fan grills though. The panaflo im using as a blowhole + the stock fan grill isn't too loud, but if i take off the grill how do i secure the fan? It seems to be constantly blowing out hot air, but I'll try turning it off and seeing how my temperature react. By the way my temperatures are 38/37 idle, 42/40 doing things like AIM and surfing web, and then 48/43 under load. I really hate how much hotter my computer makes my room when i play starcraft (which uses up 100% cpu). Also, I have an ati radeon 9800 pro, and it seems like the built in fan/heatsink on it is the loudest thing in my case. I also replaced my power supply with a cooler master and it has a built in quiet 120mm fan on the bottom of it, so intake comes from the case and it blows upward.

Arcygenical, what do you mean cut out the grills? Do I just cut out the whole center part of the built in steel can grill and leave the corners for the screws? What do I use to cut it?

 

[rysher]

120mm is always better when looking for a case.
since u can't mod 2x80mm to 120mm as it will overlap, the best thing to do is have a good airflow.

 

[hy0r1]

120mm is always better when looking for a case.
since u can't mod 2x80mm to 120mm as it will overlap, the best thing to do is have a good airflow.

can i just put a 120mm fan in there anyway and just stick it in the middle? Will it still get good airflow?

 

[rysher]

can i just put a 120mm fan in there anyway and just stick it in the middle? Will it still get good airflow?

depends upon the config of ur airflow:
for reference:

yes u can do it that way but u'll have to do a little modding to fit ur 120mm in the 80mm.
best suggestion is to have descent airflow, to negate ur 80mm fan.
every fan sucking air from the outside, there must also be a fan exhausting air.
i'd prefer 3 fans sucking air and 4 fans exhaust. to have no heat inside the case.