Permanently open case door with deskfan: viable or no? *long*

[warbean]

Hello,

Apologies in advance for this long winded post. I would just like to share my frustrations with inadequate case cooling inhibiting general pc performance and the things I would like to do to fix it.

About two years ago, before I became an avid do it yourselfer, I purchased a computer from ABS; a place that seemed the closest thing to actually doing it yourself, as they use no proprietary components and just build a PC using the parts you designate. The case my PC came in was the Silverstone SST-TJ04.

Here's a Link

Notice the glowing reviews all celebrating the aesthetics and fine cooling of the case. It actually only includes 2 120MM fans, a rear exhaust and a front intake.

I noticed something was wrong when I routinely noticed temperatures of 53c idle, and 59c load on my FX-53. "ok,", i thought, "maybe I got a bad chip and it just runs hot." So I replaced with an Athlon 64 3800+, which runs almost as hot: 42c idle, 54c load, even when paired with a Thermaltake Venus 12! As a result, my venice chip which is supposedly easily overclockable, struggles to hit 2.65ghz stably (from 2.4 stock), and 1.54v vcore. Lowering the vcore makes it usntable at anything higher than stock. (yes, I know that is more my chip's fault than the cooling)

That's when I looked into the case further: WHERE ARE THE FVCKING intake holes in the front???? It has an intake fan on the inside of the case that is supposed to blow cool air from the outside into the case. Where is this air supposed to come from? Definitely not the front. Or the sides. The bottom maybe? Seems unlikely, there are a few holes there but not enough to let any significant air pass through.

So that is my first question...what is going on with this case, and what can I do to modify it to make it cooler?

So, I did my best to organize the cables and blow the dust out, etc, but it really hasn't done all that much. That's when I got the bright idea to take the side of the case out and just blow a regular desk fan right into it.

Pics

This works great from a temperature standpoint! 35c idle, 45c load even when overclocked to 2.7ghz, and pretty much stable. I then thought to myself, "hey, I don't really mind the noise, can I leave this permanently?"

Well, that's where I am now. Has anyone tried this? Is dust going to be a problem? (wouldnt it just keep blowing it's way out of the case?) Any other dangers I should think about?

I am curious as to what thoughts anyone has had regarding this case, or if someone has seen my layout has any suggestions as to what else I can do. I mean, it's not the best cable management, but it's not the worst either. I have no idea why it's so hot.

Finally, I would like to start investigating the viability of water cooling. If someone thinks that would help a lot and could be easily implemented into the system, please PM me. I am looking for someone in the Bay Area who could be a consultant on this project and who could help me install it. Pay would be negotiable (around $30-40 an hour is all I could afford), or returned with services in kind, as I am soon to be alaw student at UC Berkeley.

Ok, sorry this was so long, but any thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I see nothing wrong with a desk fan, although for some weird reason, back in the day when I tried it my temps actually got hotter... but if it works for you, great!

Watercooling is also a very viable option, but I generally recommend it for people who know their system and don't mind getting their hands dirty actually constructing the watercooling. I do not recommend it for newbies or people who have not personally worked on it themselves.

If you don't want the hassle of watercooling, you can just get a better case that has better ventilation. Antec LANBoy comes to mind. There are others as well.

 

[renozi]

warbean, no worries I'm in the same boat as you. I have an oscillating fan right now cuz it's summer and my prescott P4 gets pretty hot. I've been doing this for a while now and nothing seems to be wrong with it. if anything my case gets less dust bunnies cuz of the ventilation. i have 4 HDs and an overclocked Prescott P4. but sometimes when the weather outside is above 90F my room gets ridiculously hot so I have to turn on the AC.

 

[warbean]

Thanks for your replies so far guys....
Why don't more people use this method as an inexpensive method to cool?


Anyone comment on the inside of my computer and its implications for cooling? Or the Silverstone case question?

 

[Shadowknight]

Originally posted by: warbean
Here's a Link
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That's when I looked into the case further: WHERE ARE THE FVCKING intake holes in the front???? It has an intake fan on the inside of the case that is supposed to blow cool air from the outside into the case. Where is this air supposed to come from? Definitely not the front. Or the sides. The bottom maybe? Seems unlikely, there are a few holes there but not enough to let any significant air pass through.

Going by the link you posted, the only intake vents are on the bottom of the bezel. It's not very big in the first place, and the placement of the fan right on top of it isn't going to provide very good pressure to pull air in.

 

[JAG87]

ah my friend... I feel so close to you.

Believe it or not, Silverstone has some bad engineers working for them. I have used the TJ-03 now for about 4 months, and I have the exact same problem that you describe. If I put my hand on top of my hard drives there was no air blowing even thou the 120mm fan was spinning.
And thats not all. Not only did they not make a proper intake for the fan to draw air in, but the smart guys even applied a fan grill+filter onto the front intake fan. Basically if you put your hand where its supposed to blow, it was like it was off. Brutal.
So my cpu was idling at 50C, my GPUs where at like 70. I thought, heck I have to do something to fix this. So this is what I came up with.

PIC

Thats done with a 4" hole saw. It actually cuts nicely into aluminum. It might look like it did not, but thats just the flash from the camera that makes it seem like its rough. Its actually very smooth, I sanded afterwards. Now when I put my hand I have a massive stream of air. Ah, its just sad thou to think about how much I paid for this chassis, and the good bastards at Silverstone were not smart enough to figure that the fan does not do anything if it has no intake. If you check their website, there is a pic where they describe the little holes on the side of the bottom door as Stealth intake vents... ROFL they are not stealth, they are not sufficient for the fan to blow air inside.

 

[warbean]

Mistakes like these aren't a sign of bad engineering; it is so obviously stupid that I cant even bein to think why they did what they did.

Originally posted by: JAG87
ah my friend... I feel so close to you.

Believe it or not, Silverstone has some bad engineers working for them. I have used the TJ-03 now for about 4 months, and I have the exact same problem that you describe. If I put my hand on top of my hard drives there was no air blowing even thou the 120mm fan was spinning.
And thats not all. Not only did they not make a proper intake for the fan to draw air in, but the smart guys even applied a fan grill+filter onto the front intake fan. Basically if you put your hand where its supposed to blow, it was like it was off. Brutal.
So my cpu was idling at 50C, my GPUs where at like 70. I thought, heck I have to do something to fix this. So this is what I came up with.

PIC

Thats done with a 4" hole saw. It actually cuts nicely into aluminum. It might look like it did not, but thats just the flash from the camera that makes it seem like its rough. Its actually very smooth, I sanded afterwards. Now when I put my hand I have a massive stream of air. Ah, its just sad thou to think about how much I paid for this chassis, and the good bastards at Silverstone were not smart enough to figure that the fan does not do anything if it has no intake. If you check their website, there is a pic where they describe the little holes on the side of the bottom door as Stealth intake vents... ROFL they are not stealth, they are not sufficient for the fan to blow air inside.