Antec P180 - +6C with the side panel on.

[SunnyD]

I'm trying to determine how best to address this. I recently upgraded several components in my system, one of them being the HSF to a Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer. It definitely is doing its job, however now that I have my system completely updated it's time to put the side panel on. In doing so, my CPU temps go up by about 6C, not that it was unexpected that it went up, but by that much.

Obviously it's an air flow issue. Being that there are no intakes in the case that high up, I'm fairly certain it's a case of the heatsink having to take in stagnant case air.

Now my question is on the P180, I have both the top and the rear fans blowing out of the case. I'm wondering if I should even bother trying to flip the top fan around to suck air into the case instead. It sits about half way into the body of the heatsink itself, so it may help some, but at the same rate it sits behind the heatsink's fan, so I would guess that it may not help the issue any either.

Opinions? I'd like to recoup at least some of the benefit of the temps the CCF can achieve.

 

[thilanliyan]

I'd rather have the back one blowing in rather than the top one. When I had the P180 I had the top ones (I modded it to take a 2x120mm rad) blowing out to keep as much dust off the radiator as possible. I also modded the side panel with another 2 fans so it wasn't much of a problem for me...if you can, do the same.

Here's what I did:
http://i53.photobucket.com/alb.../thilan29/P8190336.jpg

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...y&keyword1=modded+p180

 

[balloonshark]

If your fans are Tri-Cools, have you tried other speeds? Are you sure your CCF fan is blowing through the heatsink towards your case exhaust fan? Sorry, had to ask...

Also, does your GPU vent outside the case? If not, it could be creating a lot of heat in the case.

FWIW, I get about a 1 degree drop in cpu temps when I leave my front case door open in my P182.

 

[SunnyD]

Unfortunately I don't have the tools nor desire to mod my case. If I did have either, I would end up building a case from scratch.

balloonshark - both the rear fans are TriCool fans. I'm fairly certain I have the fan on the CCF blowing the right way - it took me about 10 minutes to find the arrows on it when I was installing it. BUT... I do feel quite a bit of "blow-back" at the front of the heatsink too. I don't know if that's because so much air is bouncing off the heatsink or maybe if the fan is facing the wrong way. The GPU doesn't vent out per say, and I'm certain I could use a better air flow path down there, but I don't think it's radiating that much heat upwards due to the fan layout in the case.

 

[CurseTheSky]

I'm in the same boat. With the same Core-Contact Freezer heatsink, I get mid to low 40s with the side panel on (fans on low for noise) and mid to high 30s with it off. I installed the bottom chamber fan right off the bat, and added the optional fan in the middle chamber; both helped a bit.

If you wanted to take the time, you could buy a piece of acrylic, fasten it in place of the normal side panel (even tape would work for a quick test), and blow some thing like theater smoke into the case to see where it goes. My guess is it tends to stagnate around the northbridge area.

 

[SunnyD]

Here's a good look at what everything currently looks like.

I currently have cans everywhere the P180 will allow them. Though I may swap one of the tri-cools with the top fan to get some more air moving over the video card as well.

 

[videogames101]

Move HDDs to bottom cage and replace mid cage with an intake fan?

 

[error8]

That is horrible cable management. Try tiding them up somehow, it will surely let the air move better and temps will drop.

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: videogames101
Move HDDs to bottom cage and replace mid cage with an intake fan?

The HDDs are alread in the bottom cage, and there is an intake already midline.

Originally posted by: error8
That is horrible cable management. Try tiding them up somehow, it will surely let the air move better and temps will drop.

Easier said than done. There's no semblance of cable management in the P180. Most all of the cables are actually up against the side panel anyway, which in this case is probably optimal for air flow.

Besides, there's nearly no obstructions up high, so the CPU would have clear path - the catch is there's no intake up top anywhere.

 

[balloonshark]

You never did say what speed your exhausting tri-cools were set at. Set them on med. Also, are your air filters in the front of the case clean?

You should look into some sort of cable management. This is my first build and it just takes practice. I can't count how many times I have changed mine around until I got it right. You can try stuffing the extra lengths in holes like under your cd/dvd burner and maybe in your lower chamber HDD cage. Just not too close to the HDD though. You want to block as little of the upper chamber intake as possible.

What else do you have plugged into your pci slot? It could be creating heat also.

 

[Painman]

The Orb cooler on that vidcard is probably part of the problem -- dumping all its hot exhaust into the case...

I would try:

-Flip the CCF 180 degrees (if that's possible) and keep its fan oriented the same way it is now -- strut side (exhaust) facing the rear of the case.

-Flip the top tri-cool so that it's blowing in.

That will eliminate the CCF fan's blowback issue while throwing the CCF's heatload right towards the rear exhaust, and the top tricool will be throwing fresh air right at the CCF (which then gets sucked through).

That might create a dead/hot zone around the video cards, but at least the lower one's blower fan does exhaust 100% to the outside...

 

[Itchrelief]

Open up some of the 5.25" bays and place some very fine mesh (preferably metal for EMI shielding) over them to act as filters?

I suppose if you don't have many 5.25" devices, something like a hard disk cooler with a front intake and fan might work and look less ghetto, but I don't know if these things work well with drive rails.

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: Itchrelief
Open up some of the 5.25" bays and place some very fine mesh (preferably metal for EMI shielding) over them to act as filters?

I'm actually trying to figure out what the best way to handle this would be. I haven't looked, but if I could find some sort of 120mm "fan bay" for 2 of the 5.25" bays, I'd probably be all over that as an intake.

Originally posted by: balloonshark
You never did say what speed your exhausting tri-cools were set at. Set them on med. Also, are your air filters in the front of the case clean?

You should look into some sort of cable management. This is my first build and it just takes practice. I can't count how many times I have changed mine around until I got it right. You can try stuffing the extra lengths in holes like under your cd/dvd burner and maybe in your lower chamber HDD cage. Just not too close to the HDD though. You want to block as little of the upper chamber intake as possible.

What else do you have plugged into your pci slot? It could be creating heat also.

Good question, I think the tri-cools are set to medium. I'd have to check. As far as cable management, what you see exposed is pretty much the bare minimum lengths. Any cable runs (like for the DVD drive) use the connector shortest to the run, with anything left over zip-tied and stuffed into an empty bay. The bundle you see in the motherboard bay - all of those cables go to something. There's no where to route the cables in the P180 unfortunately.

The card in the lowest slot is actually a 9600GSO.

Originally posted by: Painman
The Orb cooler on that vidcard is probably part of the problem -- dumping all its hot exhaust into the case...

I would try:

-Flip the CCF 180 degrees (if that's possible) and keep its fan oriented the same way it is now -- strut side (exhaust) facing the rear of the case.

-Flip the top tri-cool so that it's blowing in.

That will eliminate the CCF fan's blowback issue while throwing the CCF's heatload right towards the rear exhaust, and the top tricool will be throwing fresh air right at the CCF (which then gets sucked through).

That might create a dead/hot zone around the video cards, but at least the lower one's blower fan does exhaust 100% to the outside...

No doubt the video card is producing heat. It's a 4870. Interesting thought about the CCF, but turning it around would be strange, as the rear fins angle downward a bit. It would make drawing air IN a bit awkward wouldn't it?

 

[Itchrelief]

Originally posted by: SunnyD

Originally posted by: Itchrelief
Open up some of the 5.25" bays and place some very fine mesh (preferably metal for EMI shielding) over them to act as filters?

I'm actually trying to figure out what the best way to handle this would be. I haven't looked, but if I could find some sort of 120mm "fan bay" for 2 of the 5.25" bays, I'd probably be all over that as an intake.

Well, looking at that pics of the 2x5.25" HD cooler I linked in my edited post, I think you may have to get a 3-bay device to be able to fit a 120mm fan, as it seems the height of two bays will only accommodate an 80-92mm fan.

 

[Painman]

Originally posted by: SunnyD
No doubt the video card is producing heat. It's a 4870. Interesting thought about the CCF, but turning it around would be strange, as the rear fins angle downward a bit. It would make drawing air IN a bit awkward wouldn't it?

No more awkward than pushing air out through that section, I would imagine.

 

[balloonshark]

Ok, so you have 2 video cards and 2 case exhaust fans. Do you have the other 2 optional intake fans in the upper chamber? You have no HDD in the upper chamber correct? What are your other specs like what is your CPU and is it and your RAM overclocked? Did you find the speeds of your exhaust tri-cools? Are your intake filters clean? All of these little details are important to your cooling.

When calibrating Speedfan with my system, I found that at stock CPU speed and all fans on high with open side panel and open front door running Prime 95 short FFT's that my Core temps were 45C at a 22C ambient. When I closed my system up and set my fan speeds back to a tolerable med. speed, my Prime temps were 48C after 10 mins. My system is a Q6600 with a Xigmatek S1283 with 2 tri-cools mounted on it blowing upwards and I have 2 tri-cools in the optional intake area. That's 6 total upper chamber fans in my P182 with all but 1 cable ran behind the motherboard which is a P182 option. I also have most of the major holes blocked to maximize negative air flow. Even after all that work and extra fans, my loaded CPU temps are 3C warmer with my side panel on. I guess what I'm saying is every little detail helps to lower temps.

I know somebody with a P180 that used Velcro to mount a 80 or 92mm fan below the cd/dvd drive that pointed towards the RAM and NorthBridge area. I've also toyed with the idea of mounting a 120mm fan below the cd/dvd burner as another intake, but that would require cutting and metal shavings which means taking everything out of the case.

If you don't have upper chamber intake fans, try them first as it's the easiest option. Not sure if your noise sensitive, but I would recommend getting something with speed enough to blow air past your grfx cards and out the empty pci slots. Med. speed Yate Loons might just be a good compromise with their low cost, noise level and air flow.

Give us more details and don't be afraid to experiment with your existing fan speeds. You could also try experimenting with blocking off extra holes that might suck in air into your case. You can use thin cardboard and electrical tape and take notes of your results.

Edit: Sorry, I see your running a Phenom II 940. Is it OC'd? I take it that since it's a quad core that it runs warm regardless. Also, what temp application are you using? What are your idle temps with and without the side panel on and your ambient temps. Have you tried adjusting the CPU fan speeds in your BIOS if your using the 3 pin motherboard connection?

 

[SunnyD]

Well, the quickest thing I could do was turn around the top case fan. In doing so (Tri-cool set to "medium"), I'm running Prime95 and things appear to have leveled off around 43C, with idle temps at around 29C. I'm going to goof around with the fan speeds and see if I can mix noise with efficiency to the best possible level.

 

[imported_wired247]

nm

 

[aigomorla]

sunny D i need a complete picture of your internal.

lets see if we can clean it up and increase your flow somehow.

EDIT: nm you posted...

Replace Sink fan and tricools is my first recomendation.

Also is the case under a desk? or in the open?

 

[SunnyD]

Originally posted by: aigomorla
sunny D i need a complete picture of your internal.

lets see if we can clean it up and increase your flow somehow.

EDIT: nm you posted...

Replace Sink fan and tricools is my first recomendation.

Also is the case under a desk? or in the open?

It's on top of the desk.

My main goal was to get under 50C, which I'm there now. I'll likely revisit the issue once I get a new video card in there (RMA'd the HIS 4870) and see what happens then.

I did take a look as well and noticed my filters were a bit dirty (I just cleaned them a couple weeks ago when I put in the CPU), so those were vacuumed out as well. A gripe about the P180 - it's amazing how much airflow gets restricted by the filter and the filter door. It's a very noticeable difference, and rather disappointing especially when trying to move air for the video cards.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: SunnyD

Originally posted by: aigomorla
sunny D i need a complete picture of your internal.

lets see if we can clean it up and increase your flow somehow.

EDIT: nm you posted...

Replace Sink fan and tricools is my first recomendation.

Also is the case under a desk? or in the open?

It's on top of the desk.

My main goal was to get under 50C, which I'm there now. I'll likely revisit the issue once I get a new video card in there (RMA'd the HIS 4870) and see what happens then.

I did take a look as well and noticed my filters were a bit dirty (I just cleaned them a couple weeks ago when I put in the CPU), so those were vacuumed out as well. A gripe about the P180 - it's amazing how much airflow gets restricted by the filter and the filter door. It's a very noticeable difference, and rather disappointing especially when trying to move air for the video cards.

Ahhhh yes i remember those filters very well.

 

[balloonshark]

SunnyD,

What temp program are you using and were you running Prime95 Short FFT's? The Short FFT's stress the CPU more and product more heat. If your using a good temp program and running Short FFT's, your temps are great.

 

[SunnyD]

CoreTemp and Everest. Unfortunately I'm in Win7 so AOD doesn't work, but in my previous testing (with an "older" version of AOD) temps were just about spot on.