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Case Cooling Conundrum

Elcs

Elcs

Diamond Member
Hello all,

I am trying to keep my PC cool and quiet but its proving to be a conundrum.

I have:

AMD X2 AM2 6000+
MSI K9N Neo V3
Powercolor HD4870
1 HDD, 1 DVD ROM
Club 3D Theatron Agrippa 7.1
Ultima 90I -> pointing up into the PSU because I cant get it to point out the exhaust.
4 x 120 Scythe Slipstream 1600rpm's
1 x 80 Panaflo L1A
Sunbeam Rheobus
Antec SLK3000B lined with AcoustiPack Deluxe
Seasonic S12 600W

1 slipstream intake in front of the HDD cage.
1 slipstream on the CPU
1 slipstream exhaust at the back
1 slipstream suspended next to the DVDROM crossflowing over the RAM and towards the CPU
1 Panaflo L1A exhaust where the duct used to be.

I have all of my fans at spin-up speed and the HD4870 at idle is set to normal/automatic. Now its ok but it is a little noisier with all of the fans going. The HD4870 at idle is hitting 80C and starting to increase fan speed on occaision which is audible.

With an open case, it seems to me like the HD4870 is still having to hit the higher notch on its fan speed but my CPU drops 10C idle and about 7C load.

I considered replacing the HSF on my HD4870 but that in itself presents a problem. The stock GPU HSF exhausts hot air out of the back and I have not seen a suitable replacement which wouldnt heat up my case. This really needs pictures and a diagram.

1) If I pop my HDD in the lowest cage slot possible, it would give me a little bit more room around the card and increase airflow to the back, not sure it that would make a difference.

2) Sunbeam Anywhere Bracket to put the HDD below the GPU and above the Soundcard, remove the HDD cage. This provides unrestricted airflow to the back of the PC however it could restrict the airflow into the blower unit for the GPU.

3) Similar to the above, but placing the HDD in one of the floppy drive slots. This would be good for airflow down below but considering my PC is on 24/7, it is not good for the HDD.

Its not easy to explain, I am bad at organising cables and its very tight with the HD4870 in the case so please bear with me.

I am able to clarify any points you need and will attempt to get pics up on the net however I am lacking my camera software, FTP software and unsure of my passwords for Photobucket 😀 so those will be a little slow.
 
Side fan should be intake instead of exhaust (perhaps aim the flow toward your hot vid card with a sheet of card stock) and your exhaust fan has to be able to move out ALL the air the other fans are bringing in, so you may need a stronger one. I'd suggest one of the Cooler Master fans I reviewed here: http://www.techimo.com/reviews and click on the pic of the black one for the full review (soon to appear in Vapor's 3rd test on XtremeSystems.org), the LED addendum is linked from the black review if you're interested. You didn't mention how many HDDs you have in your rack blocking the front fan. Space them out if you can for freer air flow.

.bh.
 
Originally posted by: Zepper
Side fan should be intake instead of exhaust (perhaps aim the flow toward your hot vid card with a sheet of card stock) and your exhaust fan has to be able to move out ALL the air the other fans are bringing in, so you may need a stronger one. I'd suggest one of the Cooler Master fans I reviewed here: http://www.techimo.com/reviews and click on the pic of the black one for the full review (soon to appear in Vapor's 3rd test on XtremeSystems.org), the LED addendum is linked from the black review if you're interested. You didn't mention how many HDDs you have in your rack blocking the front fan. Space them out if you can for freer air flow.

.bh.
Click to expand...

Intake or Exhaust for the side fan never really made a difference in my whole setup with my 8800GT in so I just left it as exhaust.

To upgrade to a stronger fan defeats the purpose of trying to keep things quiet. My overall PC is already louder than I would really like but I understand what you are saying.

I have only 1 HDD in my system and that sits in the HDD rack. Going from top to bottom, it sits in Bay 2. Bay 5 would probably be the optimal area for it to go Id say.

My Seasonic S12 has a 120mm fan in which doesnt shift much air but then again, neither does my 80mm Panaflo so they should realisitically balance each other out.
 
Actually, the CM fans I reviewed move more air more quietly than most (just my subjective opinion). I'm waiting on tenterhooks to read Vapor's data on them.

.bh.
 
Originally posted by: Zepper
Actually, the CM fans I reviewed move more air more quietly than most (just my subjective opinion). I'm waiting on tenterhooks to read Vapor's data on them.

.bh.
Click to expand...

Even quieter than the fabled Scythe Slipstreams which SPCR worshipped for a time?

I think RallyMaster may be correct although I am loathed to do anything about it. My SLK3000B is a fantastic little case and the Acoustipack Deluxe really does take the edge off the whole system.

Replacing that is an expensive matter and the end result isnt guarunteed to fix either problem.
 
I've never had any slipstreams. I bought the CM's because SVC had a super deal on them plus a rebate and they turned out to be "all that" at least to my subjective testing. I've had several varieties of Yate here and have a couple of the fabled Sanyo Denkis (which the C-M subjectively shades (a lot) on noise). All that remains is to find out if the C-Ms can actually push over 100 CFM as claimed and how well they do on radiator/CPU heatsink which Vapor's testing will fill in for me as well as fill in some objective noise readings. I don't think they make 100CFM as Vabor recently sneak-peeked his over 100 CFM group of fan tests from the 3rd roundup. His 50 CFM group test from the 3rd roundup appeared a while ago

.bh.
 
#1 Turn your exhaust fan all the way up. I think you'll find that this solves everything except noise - slipstreams are loud over 1000rpm, there's no way around that. It's not bearing noise so much as airflow noise. Kind of annoying but at least they don't growl.

I'd also recommend swapping out the slipstream on your Ultima 90. I found that the S-flex is a much better CPU fan than the slipstream - because of its better static pressure, you're able to cool heatsinks more efficiently at slower (quieter) speeds.

Haven't used the CM fans that Zep's recommending so can't comment on those.

-z

p.s. I just realized which case this is. My server is in the old version (1650) and yes, they're tight to work in. That side fan is almost useless unless you cut out the grill, and should be intake. Also cut out the rear grill. That'll help with exhaust airflow and noise.

p.p.s. If you put a 92mm fan on your Ultima90, will you then be able to point it to the back?
 
Originally posted by: zagood
#1 Turn your exhaust fan all the way up. I think you'll find that this solves everything except noise - slipstreams are loud over 1000rpm, there's no way around that. It's not bearing noise so much as airflow noise. Kind of annoying but at least they don't growl.

I'd also recommend swapping out the slipstream on your Ultima 90. I found that the S-flex is a much better CPU fan than the slipstream - because of its better static pressure, you're able to cool heatsinks more efficiently at slower (quieter) speeds.

Haven't used the CM fans that Zep's recommending so can't comment on those.

-z

p.s. I just realized which case this is. My server is in the old version (1650) and yes, they're tight to work in. That side fan is almost useless unless you cut out the grill, and should be intake. Also cut out the rear grill. That'll help with exhaust airflow and noise.

p.p.s. If you put a 92mm fan on your Ultima90, will you then be able to point it to the back?
Click to expand...

The CPU itself is pretty fine. 24C in my room, CPU at 38C idle, GPU idling at 56C @ 30% fan speed (hiked it up a little for testing porpoises) The heatbuildup is the killer.

Removing grills doesnt sound like my idea of fun as Id have to take everything out but needs must now. Its for the best 😀

Re: 92mm fan. No idea. It'd need some kind of ghetto attachment. The sides of the Ultima 90 are quite slim so I dont know whether it would be detrimental to CPU cooling despite its obvious potential case cooling gains.

EDIT: Here is a rather rusty looking picture of my setup. As explained, I am useless at "tidy" and its currently not looking the best as I am awaiting some more advice before delving in again.
 
Those temps sound fine, when are you getting those higher temps from your first post?

Ultima 90 comes with 92mm mounts. Check your swag drawer.

I'd ditch the top "crossflow" fan. Unless you have serious ram overheating issues all it's doing is disrupting airflow, and probably pushing hot air back down toward your video card.

Acousti-mats do insulate to some degree. Something to keep in mind.

I'd do a bunch of fan management tests...remove the crossflow, change the side one to intake, remove the side one, etc. Also play with fan speeds - once you remove the top one and turn the rear exhaust all the way up, I think you'll see improvements.

p.s. removing front/rear grill isn't rocket science, you just need a pair of tin snips and maybe a dremel to clean it up. But you're right, you need to remove everything from the case. Maybe when you do that and put it back together you can also do some wire management? 😉

Good advice for removing fan grills:
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2205065&enterthread=y

-z
 
Originally posted by: zagood
Those temps sound fine, when are you getting those higher temps from your first post?

Ultima 90 comes with 92mm mounts. Check your swag drawer.

I'd ditch the top "crossflow" fan. Unless you have serious ram overheating issues all it's doing is disrupting airflow, and probably pushing hot air back down toward your video card.

Acousti-mats do insulate to some degree. Something to keep in mind.

I'd do a bunch of fan management tests...remove the crossflow, change the side one to intake, remove the side one, etc. Also play with fan speeds - once you remove the top one and turn the rear exhaust all the way up, I think you'll see improvements.

p.s. removing front/rear grill isn't rocket science, you just need a pair of tin snips and maybe a dremel to clean it up. But you're right, you need to remove everything from the case. Maybe when you do that and put it back together you can also do some wire management? 😉

Good advice for removing fan grills:
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2205065&enterthread=y

-z
Click to expand...

Well, top post I had my HD4870 fan set at Auto which is 26% and ramps up at around 80-82C briefly then back down. It was 80-82C with the constant ups and downs. Now it is set at 30% static and idling lower.

Turning fans up really isnt much of an option. Things start getting noisier but I'll tweak around to get better balance.

Im not sure you can jury rig the 92mm fan onto the side of the Ultima90. I wish I could make the heatsink face the back of my case but its just not happening with the mounting system. I will explore the ins and outs of it... also get some canned air to clean a few dustbunnies out.

Using canned air, Id naturally do it when the PC is off. Is there any places i should avoid spraying into or where i could cause problems?
 
Originally posted by: zagood
did you throw your 92mm clips away? if so:
http://www.acousticpc.com/ther...ma_92mm_fan_clips.html

try to get the larger crap out of there before the canned air, and avoid blowing any large dust into the psu that may be hard to get out. Check heatsink fins for caked-on dust, canned air probably won't blow that off.

-z
Click to expand...

I have the 92mm clips but I dont see how I could fix up the fan onto it so that it blows from front to back. I cannot physically make the Ultima 90 face the back due to the mounting system so the large face is always pointing up at the PSU. Attaching a fan to point out of the back would mean it was blowing against a thin side of my Ultima 90 and would this provide sufficient cooling.

Maybe Im just struggling to visualise what you mean.
 
Just installed my Thermalright HR-03 GT (Tuniq TX-2 TIM) with the heatsink facing up, just below my CPU. I have also attached an Arctic Cooling Turbo Module to it to blow down onto the GPU.

Ambient temp: 23C
Idle: 51C
Load (30 mins Hellgate:London): 57C

This is at 790/1000 via CCC.

Furmark is crashing my PC out for no good reason today so I cannot use that to test.

The problem I have now is that my GPU and CPU are both wanting the same air and as a result, my CPU temps are going through the roof when applying load, rapidly dropping to normal quickly after load stops.

I may have to re-fit the heatsink below my card to resolve that issue but overall, things feel cooler inside.
 
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