How hot is too hot?

[simeon]

My case exhaust fan is loud, and I read somewhere that in all except the most extreme setups, it's not necessary to have case fans running. That sounds strange to me, so my first question is... is that true?

And also, how can I measure how hot my case is without special equipment?
The only heat measurement that I know I have is the ATI graphics card 'overdrive' application that tells you the temp of the card, so I'm using that to judge and it seems to run the same temp with or without the exhaust fan running.

Is this a good enough measurement of heat in the case and what can happen to my rig if it gets too hot without me noticing in time?

 

[akira34]

First, I wouldn't believe that running without case fans is a good idea in modern systems. Anything over a few hundred MHz should have some way to vent the heat from the case.

To get a good measure of the temps inside your case, check out motherboard monitor. It will put an item in your system tray that gives your processor and case temps (you'll need to know the make and model of your mobo).

 

[chocoruacal]

Yes its possible to run a box without fans. However, you can setup your cooling such that you don't break the bank, or your ears. Options:

* Low RPM/CFM fans. Most online retailers list the ratings. Easy enough, right?

* Lower the speed of your current fan.
** Use a fan controller. Pro: allows you to dial in *just* the right amount of noise. Con: costs $$.
** 7 volt mod. By switching two wires in the fan molex, you can lower the power to the fan, causing it to get less power, thus it spins slower

I 7 volt my fans. I've yet to encounter run of the mill $5 fan that didn't go Ninja quiet w/7 volts. Its free. Its easy to do.

http://www.radiativenz.com/guides/fanvoltmod/index.shtml

 

[simeon]

I think the idea about no case fans was that the PSU fan would be enough to suck out the heat. But still I've noticed that the video card runs about 10 degrees hotter without it and that's probably not good I guess.

anyway thanks for your help

 

[akira34]

IF you had an Arctic Cooling unit on your video card, you might be able to get away with no (or less) case fans. I don't see the need to have a ton of fans in a case. Right now, I have just two case fans running (one intake, one exhaust) and that does a very good job. Of course, I have the Arctic Cooling unit on my video card and an XP-120 cooler on my processor...