Cooling and noise questions

[Foxhound311]

Hello, I am new here having found this site after googling for information about open fan GPUs. I used to be in fairly into my computers when I was more into flight sims but then got distracted for some ten years.

I am now back into flight sims and Metro 2033.....and since the PC is upstairs in the third bedroom I need to be quieter.

So.....I have an AMD Phenom II
Cooler Master Hyper TX Evo cooler with an extra Noctua NF-b9,
4gb ram,
2x sata HDD,
a Xonar DG,
Gainward Nvidia GT630,
Case fans Noctua 120mm fan, a Zalman ZMF1 80mm, Akasa 12cm silent, one generic 120mm all cramped into a Xigmatek Asgard case .
Coolermaster GX Lite 500w PSU

I've ordered an Antec 320 and will get a DCU II Asus GTX660 when I can afford it. I've gone for DCU since it seems to be much quieter?

My queries are:
From the threads I've read so far, does 2x 120mm fans at the front, one 120 exhaust at the rear and 1 in the top sound OK?

Would using the 80mm to blow in from the side and add positive pressure help that much given I have two fans on the CPU cooler.

My cpu is at 43 degrees as I type this. This seems far too high but I am guessing the cramped case is not helping. Or is this high enough that I might have another problem?

Can I use a fan controller to control the 3 pin fans? Or does this apply to 4 pin only?

Really, really dim question: PWM = 4 pin? :'(

What software do people use to test their CPU and GPU? I keep seeing reference to being testing at xx% load?

Thanks and hopefully I'll get brighter over time.

Matt

 

[Tweakin]

Welcome to the Anandtech Forums!

As for your questions, 2x120 up front with a 120 top exhaust and 120 rear is pretty normal and should allow for good case flow. The 80mm blow hole will add lots of sound and probably not much else.

As I'm not familiar with your cpu, I'll just say that 43c sounds a little hot to me.

Fan controllers can be used on 3 pin and 4 pin (PWM) fans. If you are going to add a fanbus, stay with the 3 pins as it will save you money.

Testing...Way too many to list, but if you read through each specialized forum you will normally see someone as for benchmarks...with a download to some latest and greatest test.

Some of the more common are AIDA64, OCCT and IBT for starters.

 

[Cerb]

all cramped into a Xigmatek Asgard case .

It's a cheap case, sure, but cramped?

From the threads I've read so far, does 2x 120mm fans at the front, one 120 exhaust at the rear and 1 in the top sound OK?

Yes. You could likely get away with half that, with a bit of cable management.

Would using the 80mm to blow in from the side and add positive pressure help that much given I have two fans on the CPU cooler.

Adding an 80mm side fan will make it noisier, but if you want positive pressure, remove on of the exhaust fans, instead. Fans on your CPU cooler make little to no difference, for overall case airflow (at least generally).

My cpu is at 43 degrees as I type this. This seems far too high but I am guessing the cramped case is not helping. Or is this high enough that I might have another problem?

43C is nice and cool, for a PhII. No worries.

Can I use a fan controller to control the 3 pin fans? Or does this apply to 4 pin only?

Really, really dim question: PWM = 4 pin? :'(

*deep breath*
*refill coffee mug*
*acquire cracker style cookies for said coffee*
*they're ginger crackers, from Switzerland, and are addictive, I tell you*
*what was all this about? *

3-pin fans have power, ground, and tachometer pins.

They can generally have their speed controlled by one of two ways. One is to vary the voltage, such as running them at 6V instead of 12V. Well some fans can run at a much lower voltage than they can start up at, and often, fans will need higher minimum voltages to run, as they get older.

The other way to control them is varying the amount of time the full voltage is sent to them, AKA PWM. Well, that kind of PWM could cause some fans not to turn on at low speeds, and could cause vibrations that would lead to extra noise as every one of those hundreds of thousands of on/off cycles flexed the fan's frame.

PWM fans use 4 pins: power, ground, tach, and PWM signal. The fan is responsible for starting itself, and adjusting its own speed, based on the incoming PWM signal. The power lead should always have a constant 12V from the ground lead. From the PoV of a user, it's logistically much easier to work with. The fan should run at 100% if no PWM signal is present, so a PWM fan plugged in a 3-pin fan header will act like a 3-pin fan.

What software do people use to test their CPU and GPU?

All kinds. Linpack and Prime95 are still pretty good torture testers, as is Furmark, as is Kombustor.

I keep seeing reference to being testing at xx% load?

They're trying to get higher unstable OCs, but justify them by not testing under a full load, typically.

 

[Charlie98]

Personally, I would duct tape the side fan port shut... 2x intake, 2x exhaust fans is plenty of moving air, but you won't ever get to positive case pressure with that side port open (or maybe you could flip the top exhaust and make it a 3rd intake fan.)

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Personally, I would duct tape the side fan port shut... 2x intake, 2x exhaust fans is plenty of moving air, but you won't ever get to positive case pressure with that side port open (or maybe you could flip the top exhaust and make it a 3rd intake fan.)

Just throwing in here after review the OP's and other posts.

I don't see the use of an 80mm fan in that case. At first I thought the fan ports in side and top were dual 140mm. Even 120's are fine. There seems to be another 120mm behind a screen of filter in front.

So there's plenty of potential there, if you can reduce fan noise, increase airflow, maybe pressurize the case so all the exhaust air goes through the Hyper TX Evo. find some old, black-plastic 120x38mm fans that you'd just as soon throw away, cut out the motors leaving the square shroud with mounting holes intact, either glue them together or use nylon wire-ties, and cut the length of the exhaust fan plus duct so the forward end of it fits up close to the rear of the cooler fins.

Pick Gentle Typhoon, Scyth or other 120mm fans for side and/or front and/or top for intake. Add up the total CFM air throughput maximum (from specs) for all the inputs, and pick a fan to push air through the cooler at some percentage of that. Pick the exhaust fan behind the duct to give slightly higher CFM than the pusher fan on the cooler. If you don't use some of the fan vents and they have little to do with cooling other components, block them off with black foam-art-board using dabs of "Pit Crew" auto adhesive, nylon screws and nuts or wire tires through the holes you might punch for use with screws.

That's about as good as it gets with that case, and I sort of like that case, so it's probably good enough for that processor and the remaining hardware.

 

[Foxhound311]

Hi,

Thanks for the responses.

Ok I will ditch the side panel and block it, there is a Maplins near work so I will see what they have.

Thanks for the PWM explanation...good excuse for coffee too.

I am finding that the gap between the psu and the cooler is quite close...and the cooler and the card. I should have bought a low profile cooler really.

Live and learn. ...

The case ought to arrive today so I will let you know how I do .

Thanks.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Hi,

Thanks for the responses.

Ok I will ditch the side panel and block it, there is a Maplins near work so I will see what they have.

Thanks for the PWM explanation...good excuse for coffee too.

I am finding that the gap between the psu and the cooler is quite close...and the cooler and the card. I should have bought a low profile cooler really.

Live and learn. ...

The case ought to arrive today so I will let you know how I do .

Thanks.

Well -- been there done that -- it could also help, provided the intake fan for the PSU faces the cooler. If the rear exhaust fan matches up with the rear fins of the cooler, that's a good thing.

 

[Foxhound311]

Hi, well the new case is at home and I have a huge pack of zip ties in my bag.

So that is my evening sorted

 

[Cerb]

I am finding that the gap between the psu and the cooler is quite close...and the cooler and the card. I should have bought a low profile cooler really.

That's just the nature of tower coolers, and that Cooler Master is smaller than some others you could have gotten. No need for low profile. Being close to stuff doesn't make any of it work any less effectively.

 

[Foxhound311]

Good morning!

The good news is that everything is in and more or less fitted. Only the I/o shield needed a shove.

The bad news is that the graphics card is dead now. The cooling Fan spins but no output. I will reseat it this evening. Hey ho.

Matt

 

[Foxhound311]

Ok we're done with the system temp now at 20 degrees, the CPU at 31 and the only real noise from the external drives mt pictures sit on.

Small scare with Win 7 refusing to load operating system but we're sorted out now.

Thanks