Chill Out

[Echo One]

My computer sits in my office, which is the hottest room in house. Yesterday, the temperature in the room was 85 degrees. That's about 10 degrees higher than the rest of house. I think it's because it gets direct sunlight in, and it's the room over the furnance.

My overclocked Opty 170 @2.7 Ghz has been idle around 43-45 degrees lately. I am using a Thermalright XP-120 and the fan is around 2500 rpm's. Under load, the temps will rise to 55-57. I don't want to move my computer to another room, and my windows have blinds on them to keep as much sun out as possible.

I am thinking that the best option for me at this moment is water cooling. If I do go this route, I want to have the entire system inside the case. My Coolermaster 730 case isn't big enough to house the components, so I'm looking at the Silverstone TJ05 or even the 07 cases.

How much will the water cooling help lower my temps and will it be loud? I don't want to hear a water pump going off or 3 fans at 6000rpm's blazing away either.

Any suggestions?

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Echo One
How much will the water cooling help lower my temps and will it be loud? I don't want to hear a water pump going off or 3 fans at 6000rpm's blazing away either.

Any suggestions?

Don't look at water as an option that will lower temps, though that will be an ancillary result. Water will lock your temps to within a few C of room ambient. So if you room is 20C, you can expect a water-cooler to keep your looped FRU's to within a few C north of that. Under anything short of the most extreme conditions, water will keep your computer running, even if you're sweating like a pig. 😉 And yes, you can tailor your cooler to be very quiet if you want, at the expense of slightly higher operating temps.

One thing though; depending on the size of your computer area, the way your loop works and available ventilation, a water-cooler can actually raise room ambient noticeably. Do you have any specific questions?

 

[TrevorRC]

Well said HW.

I'd tell you that your computer may be the source of the heat 😉 Open a window and keep your computer off... close the window, then see what happens with your computer off. If the 10+ degrees higher phenom doesn't happen, it's your computer that's the source of the heat.

Water systems can be both silent, powerful, and aesthetically pleasing. The TJ07 is a wonderful case, though a bit expensive for most people's tastes. For around ~150/200 cheaper you can choose from numerous others that with a bit of modding work just as well, if not better. See my thread for details, here.

As HW said, watercooling will bring you to within a few degrees of ambient. You can never quite trust your motherboard sensors... the best way is to stick a thermometer in your water 😉

Using a 3x120 radiator with 38mm fans under-volted [5 or 7] is extremely quiet. Pumps can be silenced as well...most noise usually comes from vibration on your case floor. Some foam usually solves that.

Good luck, happy you're taking the plunge! [so to speak]
--Trevor

 

[Echo One]

Thanks for the information. Right now the room is down to 80 and my cpu temp is reading 43-45. I guess I need to start with a new case and then go from there. My CoolerMaster Praetorian 730 case is very nice, but again, it doesn't have the space I need.

 

[HardWarrior]

Good luck Echo, and if you're so inclined keep us abreast of your progress. :thumbsup:

 

[Bateluer]

I wonder, if you were to coat the window with something reflective, say tin foil, would it lower the temperature of the room by deflecting the direct sunlight?

 

[pkme2]

My computer room the other day hit 28C and my CPU was working at 38C.
My mobo 33C and my CPU load was around 45C.

I've got two 120mm and three 80mm YLs on my PC-60s. I added a 120mm top exhaust plus a side 120mm intake fan.

Earlier during installation, I forgot to connect my 2 front 80mm and my temps were at 5C higher until I corrected the EBCAC.
To me, front intakes are very important to my cooling process. Maybe they might help you also/or not..

 

[soloz2]

a cm stacker would give you pleanty of room for an internal wc setup and let you keep the cm quality