SERIOUS cooling problems in new HTPC

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InorganicMatter

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Case = Antec NSK2400
Processor = Cedar Mill
Heatsink = Bigass copper thing

The case is in a bit tight of a spot, but still has enough room to breathe, I think. The side of the case with the fans, especially the grills covering the fans, get hot enough to burn after a few hours. I'm running the fans at low, should I bump them up to medium? How about replacing them, would that help? I think the heatsink would be plenty good enough, yeah?

Anything else I can do to get it cooler?
 
I did the same a while back...er...kinda. I had a Lian Li PC-37...mini tower. I thought everything would fit, but the problem was that all the cords from the PSU (vantec stealth) were taking up alot of space. I did manage to find a decent CPU cooler, a Zalman CNPS-7000AlCu, that fit despite the PSU being mounted sideways over the CPU cooler and leaving only 1/2" of clearance.

It worked for a while, but then the nV6-series came out, and the 6800 ultra just threw off too much heat for the single, tiny little 80mm blowhole to deal with. My small and silent aluminum case dream was dead.

So I had one of two options... Buy a larger case (which I did anyways because I wanted better cooling for the raptors and 120mm fans than I could provide with the PC-37), or, I could have added an external watercooling setup. At the time, there wasnt much out there (the new koolance exos2 wasnt out, and the Zalman reserator 1 was expensive)

In your case, I would strongly suggest getting an external unit. It simply removes the heat handling issue all together and handles it outside the case. There are many units available...but th Zalman reserator 1V2 ( http://www.zalmantech.com/ ) seems to be everyone's favorite because it is passive and uses a quality eheim pump (its dead silent cooling). If you want something more, Thermaltake has jumped in to the fray with the rocket...but the pump/res goes in the case which might be too cramped already...
http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/product/Liquid/DIY/cl-w0011/cl-w0011.asp But they do have a Symphony http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/product/Liquid/DIY/cl-w0040/cl-w0040.asp as well as a mini version... but the Symphony is a home theater made solution, it even looks like a speaker. not to mention it has 3(mini) to 5 (regular) 120mm fans for cooling...you could prolly overclock some stuff with this. But at that, they do use fans, so then you might consider the koolance exos2 as well...

But for the $$$, I would just pick up the Zalman REserator 1V2, the right blocks you need for the CPU/GPU, and call it a day.
 
Well, first, i recommend a biggerass copper thing. Something like a Zalman CNPS 7700 (i doubt the 9500 would fit). That, and a good NV Silencer or Accelro or VF900 for your gpu, and you should be ok.
 
I had that case for about two months and threw it away because it was nothing mor than a heat trap...... I got the new Zalman HTPC case and love it.
 
Definitely bump the fans up to medium... but that would make them way too loud. I'm not sure if that case has provisions for a front/bottom intake, so make sure it's got room to breathe (lots of HTPCs don't) and make sure the wiring is neat enough so airflow has an easy path from front to back. That rear vent, it needs to be open, and use the plastic baffle thing to direct airflow to your CPU heatsink (which isn't all that good). If you want low-profile, consider the Zalman 8000.
 
Guys, a bigger heatsink isnt the problem...its that the case lacks proper ventilation. No matter what size HSF he uses, the heat is still trapped in the case. He needs a way to move that heat to outside the case... That means one of two things...more or more powerful case fans (dremel blowholes?), or an external cooling system.

If you look around, Im sure you can find an older reserator for under $200, maybe around $120.
 
one thing that i think is important and is frequently overlooked is giving your exhaust fans enough room.
i've dropped temps by just moving my case further away from the wall it was close to.

the warm exhaust air needs to be able to leave the case - then - leave that area. otherwise it just gets trapped there and the warm air exiting your case has nowhere to go.

i took alook at your case and it looks like it has enough fans for good airflow - so yea, cable management and give the case exhaust fans enough room.
 
have an antec aria with northwood (not prescott!!!) 2.26 celeron running 49c after gaming for 30
plenty of room but, so just trying now to find a good fan and position it correctly
the manufacturer ought to know -- they build them around some standard spec?
hope so anyway
good luck. hope this helps.
 
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