What are your cooling solutions for projects?

[Bradtech519]

Folders have to be aware of thermal events that could take place. A lot of the stock coolers, and cheapo cases won't work. Which CPU, GPU, and cases do you guys use and prefer for your rigs?

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Sadly, I just use my machine with the side open, and sitting next to an AC vent. I don't OC or anything though (really don't have time for it), so my temps aren't actually bad in the first place.

specs: Intel i7 3770, 32gb RAM, Nvidia 670 GTX, CoolerMaster full tower case.

 

[Sunny129]

its not just folders, but DCers in general who have to monitor temps. as you can see in my sig, i have four single-CPU boxes. both of the 1055Ts are OCed, while only one of the 1090Ts is OCed. i keep them cool with CoolerMaster's Hyper 212+/212 EVO. i also have a 2nd fan added to each so that they operate in a push/pull configuration. as you can also see in my sig, i have 2 GPUs in each box, so the CPU isn't the only thing generating heat in these machines. take into account that many crunchers (myself included) run their hardware at or near 100% load 24/7 (and not just an hour or two a day, like the gamers out there), and it becomes very apparent that folks like us need above average cooling solutions.

aside from the aftermarket CPU coolers that i use, some of my GPUs also use aftermarket cooling in the form of Arctic Cooling products. my dual HD 6950's both use the Accelero Xtreme PLUS II, while my single GTX 560 Ti uses the Accelero Twin Turbo II. my dual Gigabyte GTX 560 Ti's use their stock WindForce coolers b/c the motherboard they're installed in allows for generous spacing between them. the HD 7950 and the dual HD 6670s use their stock coolers.

my cases aren't listed in my sig, but they contribute just as heavily to sufficient cooling as my other components. my dual GTX 560 Ti rig is housed in a Corsair Graphite 600TM ( the version w/ the mesh side for mounting four 120mm fans). my dual HD 6950 rig is housed in a Corsair Carbide 500R. my HD 7950/GTX 560 Ti rig is actually not in a case at all - its on a test bench out in the open. my dual HD 6670 rig is housed in a Rosewill Armor.

i should note that i'm also a silence freak, which is difficult for a cruncher to be, considering all the cooling one needs. that said, the Graphite 600TM and the Carbide 500R may not seem like the best cases for cooling out there - they're not. they're excellent, but there are better cases for cooling out there. that said, you're going to sacrifice silence when going to a better cooling case. it helps that my ambient room temp is ~71°F (22°C)...i live like an Eskimo. if i were more like the average person who leaves the thermostat at 75-77°F, these cases would still do a sufficient job of cooling, but i'd incur a significant increase in fan noise.

 

[ZipSpeed]

I use an assortment of coolers. My go-to budget cooler is the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ or EVO which is in three of my rigs. I also have a Corsair A50 which is pretty decent as well. For my higher end rigs, I have 2 x Thermalright Venomous-X, Thermalright TRUE 120, Noctua NH-D14 and Noctua NH-U12P SE2.

As for budget cases, hands down the Antec 300 is my favorite. Plenty of airflow once you add two intakes along with the 2 exhausts that come with the case. I like Corsair cases too but recently I've been using Fractal Design cases which are fairly quiet (but not silent) cases. They're pricier but I try to use Noctua fans when I can as they strike a good balance of airflow and noise. Noctua fans also comes with resistor wires if you want to make the fan even quieter.

 

[StitchExperimen]

I took a on sale case and made it a sleeper small box using a Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $44.99. (minus mail-in rebate.)
Inside goes 400 watts of video cards that need cooled. (2 Gigabyte 3 fan 7950s).
I add to the case 3 120mm Noctura fans (2 intake on front and 1 exhaust on side).
There is a 140mm & 120mm I replace with Cougar/Vortex fans because there's to much noise.
The processor is Intel Socket 2011 120 watt i7 3930K. Because the case is small I cut a slot for the water tubing and mount the radiator outside the case using a sealed CORSAIR Hydro Series H100i Water Cooler. The stock fans are way to noisy so I replace the pair with 120mm Cougar/Vortex fans. There were prior complaints about Cougar/Vortex fans but the only position I haven't tried is downward pushing, so when they were on sale a $9.99 I tried 2 then 2 more (a 140mm). Cheaper than Noctura. COUGAR CF-V12HPB Vortex Hydro-Dynamic-Bearing (Fluid) 300,000 Hours 12CM Silent Cooling Fan with Pulse Width Modulation (Black) (and I'm using all 4 pins on the connectors)
Tjmax on the processor runs 100c at 90c throttling occures presently the processor runs upper 50s and under IBT/linpack I would get highs of just above 60c.
The GPUs are at 54c with the fans at 37%. I don't know what Tjmax is for the GPUs but these cards are supposed to run 30% cooler. When I had a DOA card, running only one GPU the fan stayed at 30%.
The GPU is o/c to 1000 Mhz and the memory is down-clocked to 950 Mhz to reduce heat.
System memory speed is more important (1866 is as fast as I could get for this motherboard for XMP 16 gig 4 channel) to GPU calculation times I'm running 9-10-9-29 and I believe 1T (on the 1T I don't get a choice).

Bruce

 

[VirtualLarry]

My quad-GPU (9600GSP 96SP x4) box, which I upgraded from an AMD low-power 45w AM2 dual-core to an AM3 1045T @ stock speed, is in an Antec 300. They do have good cooling, if you fill all of the fan slots. Plus, they have a dust filter on the front intakes, which is really nice. I think that it is a well-designed case.

I've taken two of the GPUs out, and put them into another box, as it started to freeze up with all four. I suspect the PSU is getting weak. It's a budget 800W PSU, a Xion PowerReal (SuperFlower OEM?). I had previously run the rig on an Antec EarthWatts 650W (Delta OEM), using PCI-E power splitters.

 

[Kiska]

Don't have a cooling solution since its a laptop.

 

[Rudy Toody]

My current cooling solution is a tall, iced, raspberry tea.

 

[Sunny129]

LOL...just don't use that on your computer parts...unless its in a liquid cooling loop that is

 

[Kiska]

Might try that solution. Might not be able to fit it in the heat sink. Anyway I just let the cpu and gpu get up to say 140 Degrees Celsius. LOL

 

[StitchExperimen]

One more comment on radiators. Place the fans so they are pulling the air that way you can see to be able to clean the gunk that collects on the radiator and dust it off. Other than that the blades collect the dust and then it mats on the radiator vanes and blocks the air from flowing through. Also because of the placement of the fan (front sealed side facing the intake) if you need to you can spritz some water through holding a towel on the other side if you got to have it looking spotless.

 

[salvorhardin]

My main rig currently has an i7-3770k clocked at 4.4 with 1.25V and a cooler master hyper 212+. My GPU is 5850 with stock cooler. For this build I used a corsair 300 case with a 120mm fan for intake and another for exhaust. Under DC load my cpu stays in the low 50s.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

I keep seeing the Cooler Master Hyper 212 over and over again. I may have to give it a try. How much of a pain is it to install? (This is why I am with my current cooler really - so much easier to install than previously owned ones).

 

[petrusbroder]

It is a good cooler; I have two of them running well "for ever".
IIRC you have to remove the mobo though ... but it sits very well and has - at least in my system - very good and even pressure on the CPU.

 

[Uppsala9496]

If your case allows you access to the back of your mobo, you won't have to remove it for the 212+. I am using it in 2 machines. For the money it's a great cooler. Works just as well as my antec h2o 620 coolers at a fraction of the cost.

 

[Ken g6]

My case is too small for a Hyper 212 anything, so I have a little Xigmatek Loki in there. ("Little" is relative, but it fits.) It's a decent cooler, but I'll be looking for something bigger for my next build. You have to remove the mobo to install this one too, but I wouldn't install any cooler this size or larger without a backplate.

 

[salvorhardin]

At stock speeds I saw my temps drop 20 degrees. Newegg has a installation video. It needs the backplate for installation. It fits in a corsair 300r case and it should also fit in an antec 300 (about the same size). My case had a cutout behind the socket so I didn't have to remove the motherboard.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

I don't mind removing the motherboard to install. That part is not difficult. I just really hate when you can't reach the screws to install the mount for it, or you have to use a funny screwdriver just to get some torque on the screws. Never doing that again. Looks like I will give this CPU cooler a try next time I need to change or add anything to one of the machines.