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Building my first PC..cooling questions

imported_Noah

Junior Member
Going to be building my first pc soon..

amd 3400+ clawhammer
lanparty ut nf3 250gb
1gb ddr400
6800gt
74gb raptor drive
I don't know what else generates heat

I'd like to try to lightly overclock.

was thinking I'd use a Wave Master case.

Will the 3x 80mm fans that come with the case cool it well enough?

If not, what do you all suggest?

also wondering about the stock heatsink and fan that come with amd 3400+'s, will I need something different?

there's got to be other stuff that I'm not thinking of, really I just need advice on cooling in general, what am I going to need?



I probably sound very noob, which is what I am, so that's ok 🙂
 
If noise is not an issue, you can prolly get by with the stock case fans. I like the Panaflo L1 fans because they are very quiet. As for your processor, you may want to upgrade a few ticks to a thermalright or zalman unit since it will keep your processor a bit cooler than stock especially when overclocking.

Fan placement is also key to keeping all your components happy. Your psu has a fan, so does your northbridge (prolly) so you need cool air coming in the front, best if it comes in over your HD and then an additional exhaust in the rear or perhaps one on the side.

Most likely, your case is already configured for that.

Best of luck,
 
I agree with Gravity about your fan placement, If you can put a panaflo 120 as a side intake and one as your top blowhole. The Wave Master is such a neat case you hate to put holes in for fear of messing it up. I would pick the Thermalright over the Zalman, but you cant go wrong either way. No such thing as light overclocking !! It's very addictive!!!!!!
 
ok, noise is not an issue, so I guess I'll have to play with placement a bit.

I'll check out the Zalman/Thermalright.

thanks for the info 😀
 
I wouldn't go with the wave master if I were you. I went with the wave master and in the end, it's going to be so hacked up that it'll look almost ugly. Granted I did put an internal water cooling kit, the case is still not very versatile.

For example, the back of the case has one 80mm fan. They could have easily put two 80mm fans in the back but for some odd reason, they chose not to. Also IMO, I don't think there is enough fresh air intake. True there are holes in the front but honestly I doubt the holes are big enough or plentiful enough for good fresh air intake. Right now my wavemaster's front bottom panel is open. This weekend I'm going to rip it off completely and try to put some sort of wire mesh/filter with magnets to hold it onto the front bezel. I'm also going to cut the back case to fit two 80mm fans. The top blowhole is being used for a reservoir.

If I were you, I would go with the Cooler Master Stacker over the Wave Master. I completely regret getting the wave master. I mean it looks nice and if you don't plan on doing any case, air, or water mods, it's prolly fine. btw, get a really nice PSU...with the components you're gettin, you'll need a really good one.
 
Well, I'd prefer not to do any mods to the case. The Wave Master just looks so nice I want to use it 😛
That and I'd prefer not to use a Full-Tower.

Would the Praetorian perhaps be a better choice?

Not sure about PSUs, that's going to be my next problem :/
 
A nice looking case is important to me and the only reason I'm not going to go with a Praetorian is because CM's stealth drive bezels have a huge logo on them [although I read thier new ones won't have the logo, but unavailable right now]. Feature-wise, there should be at least 2 exhaust fans on the back... at least a space for another one... if only it had 120mm.

 
Originally posted by: gotensan01
I wouldn't go with the wave master if I were you. I went with the wave master and in the end, it's going to be so hacked up that it'll look almost ugly. Granted I did put an internal water cooling kit, the case is still not very versatile.

For example, the back of the case has one 80mm fan. They could have easily put two 80mm fans in the back but for some odd reason, they chose not to. Also IMO, I don't think there is enough fresh air intake. True there are holes in the front but honestly I doubt the holes are big enough or plentiful enough for good fresh air intake. Right now my wavemaster's front bottom panel is open. This weekend I'm going to rip it off completely and try to put some sort of wire mesh/filter with magnets to hold it onto the front bezel. I'm also going to cut the back case to fit two 80mm fans. The top blowhole is being used for a reservoir.

If I were you, I would go with the Cooler Master Stacker over the Wave Master. I completely regret getting the wave master. I mean it looks nice and if you don't plan on doing any case, air, or water mods, it's prolly fine. btw, get a really nice PSU...with the components you're gettin, you'll need a really good one.

Why are you comparing these two cases... obviously they are aimed at different users.

As for the case itself; you don't need to make any changes. The stock cooling will do fine unless your going for ultra low noise. I also recommend you get a good PSU 400watts+; Tagan, Seasonic, PC Power & Cooling, Forton-Source are good places to start.

Go for the WaveMaste.
 
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