cooling concerns?

[Kilgore65]

I'm running an Asus P4B board with a 1.5G P4 and am experiencing CPU idle temps in the 52C - 56C range, according to speedfan. Isn't this a bit high? I've got a 80mm fan in the front of the case set to wide open to circulate air. Should I replace the 'stock' heatsink/fan with something better? Any suggestions?

 

[Kilgore65]

anyone?

 

[wisdomtooth]

What's your case temps?

If your case temps are 40C or up, you need to improve case venting.

If your case temps are low- to mid-30C's, you need a better CPU heatsink/thermal paste.

HTH.

 

[Kilgore65]

Case temp right now is 39. Can anyone recommend a heatsink fan? I've looked at Zalman's site, but can't find anything compatible with my Asus P4B mobo.

 

[wisdomtooth]

Your case temps ARE rather high (essentially 40C).

I would improve your case venting first. See if you can drop your case temps down to the low 30's, and then see if there is any improvement in CPU Temps.

Make sure you have a defined airflow path (all the fans in the back exhausting, all the fans in the front intaking). Make sure your PSU is exhausting hot air properly, etc.

HTH.

 

[Kilgore65]

I've blown out the heatsink/fan with compressed air to clean out the dust, but I wonder if I should take off the heatsink/fan and check behind it for dust? I've never removed a heatsink/fan, so I'm a bit nervous...

 

[Umberger]

if you take off the heatsink, you're gonna have to clean the sink and processor and re-apply thermal paste. i'd second wisdomtooth's opinion that you should take a look at the case temps first. if you're using 40C air to cool a processor, it's not going to do so very efficiently.

 

[Kilgore65]

OK, maybe I'll try one of Zalman's 92mm silent exhaust fans for the back of the case (under the PSU).

 

[Kilgore65]

http://www.thermaltake.com/dcfans/smartfan/a202829.htm Anyone seen these fans available in the USA? I google the model number and it only comes up on non-USA sites....

 

[Kilgore65]

I added an Antec 92mm thermally controlled fan to the rear for exhaust, but under full load I'm still getting case temps of 45C. Any other suggestions?

 

[xsilver]

if your outside ambient temp is 40c there is no way your're going to get case temps of below that!!!!!

remove the side panel just enough to put your hand in .... feel if you can feel any airflow with your hand in empty space, if you cant, then there's your problem..... the airflow will be very gentle with the side panel open but should still be noticable..eg. a warm feeling is no good

you need to create a channel of air going in and out

 

[wisdomtooth]

Originally posted by: Kilgore65
I added an Antec 92mm thermally controlled fan to the rear for exhaust, but under full load I'm still getting case temps of 45C. Any other suggestions?

Yikes! Those are very high case temps.

I would make sure that the exhaust fans have room behind them for the hot air to escape. You want to leave at least 5 inches of space behind your computer.

I would also make sure that 92mm exhaust fan is exhausting enough air. Put your hand there behind the fan and make sure you can feel air blowing out.

Lastly, it helps to have a PSU that has a 120mm or larger fan. What PSU do you have right now?

 

[Kilgore65]

Good God, man, no I don't keep my house at 104F.. more like 78F/25.5C.... I'm going to try a HD cooler / no hd installed and maybe even vent the case panel next...

http://www.pctoys.com/840556058328.html
http://www.pctoys.com/840556056751.html
http://www.pctoys.com/120almmesh.html

 

[imported_Phil]

Make sure the new fan is actually blowing outwards. I'll bet it's not.

 

[Kilgore65]

Yes, at least a foot behind the computer, and yes the 92 is blowing hot air. PSU is Mad Dogg 350W, but I believe the fans are 92mm...

 

[bob4432]

get those case fans down, damn that is hot. i live in AZ and in the summer my computer room will routinely reach 84F but my cases are always around 31-34max.

 

[wisdomtooth]

Yeah, that Mad Dog PSU with its dinky small fans ain't helping your case vent any. You want to give a better PSU with bigger fans a try.

Coolmax has a PSU with a MONSTER 140mm fan: 400W

I've never used a Coolmax so I can't say how good that unit would be.

However, I've always had good luck with Seasonic PSUs with 120mm fans (which also happen to be some of the coolest running PSUs because they are very efficient, and are the quietest too): Seasonic Super Tornado 400 w/ 24-pin plug

HTH.

 

[Kilgore65]

Holy sh*t, I just went into my BIOS and it said that my CPU temp is 80.5C!!! Can this possibly be correct? Speedfan, meanwhile says that the CPU temp is 64C!!! What's going on here?

 

[imported_Kensai]

Possibly, but there have been reportings of faultiness. I think you should get some more airflow in your case, and if that doesn't work out too good, get a better heatsink. (Maybe a Zalman 7000Cu.)