Operation Shhhh

[Zardnok]

When I started tinkering with computers, speed was where it was at! I wanted bigger faster clock speeds. I wanted to pump as much power through my machine as possible and overclock as much as possible. This led to first problem I encountered, excess heat.

I did what any newb would do and crammed a ton of fans into my computer. This cooled my system down considerably, but now I had a vaccuum cleaner sitting on my desk. I read the various reviews of products from Thermaltake and had a friend that swore by their products, so I ignored the comments listed about excess noise, but now it has gotten to the point that I can no longer stand it.

I spent some time reading these and other forums and decided to replace all of my fans with quieter fans. I ordered a box of Panaflo L-1s, a couple Aero-cool Centaurus I fans, an Enermax fan controller, and a new OCZ powersupply and went to town. One major problem though, excess heat build up especially on the processor.

I run an Athlon Mobile 2600 OCed to 2.5 with 1.7 volts using a Thermaltake Extreme Volcano-12 for cooling. I have a thermal probe on the bottom of my chip to give instantaneous temperature information. My case temps are usually around 25C with my processor running 30ish under idle. Under heavy load, my case gets up to 28 and my processor can get up to 40C.

After replacing all of my fans, including the extremely loud fan on top of the Volcano-12, my CPU temps were much higher. My machine would not boot at 2.5, so I dropped it back to 2.2 just to get in and see what the deal was. Under load at 2.2, using one of the Aero-cool fans mounted to the top of my HS, my processor slowly crept up to 53C and my system temp was 40ish. I replaced the Aero-cool with one of the L-1s and soon after I had beeping flashing warnings from the Enermax thermal monitor when the temps rose above 55C. I removed the L-1 and replaced it with the stock Thermaltake fan and the temps dropped 15C.

My processor temps are acceptable again, but my desktop vaccuum cleaner is back. So I humble myself before you, Oh Great Wise Husami Masters, and ask for your assistance in quieting my machine down while maintaining some modicum of performance. The processor in this machine is incredibly close to the power-supply (shuttle an-35 ultra MB), so I may be limited in what I can use. The power-supply has to be removed to unclip the HSF now.

My case has slots for an 80mm side fan, an 80mm front fan, an 80mm top blowhole fan, and a 60mm fan at the back of the case. The OCZ PS I am currently using has a single 120mm fan, but it intakes through holes I drilled in the top of the case and exhausts out the back so it contributes no significant airflow.

Parts I have on hand now:
6-Panaflow L-1 80mm fans
6-Speeze 80mm fans
1-Panaflow L-1 60mm fan
1-Y.S.Tech 60mm fan
1-Tornado 80mm fan
1-Volcano extreme 12 HSF (lapped to mirror finish)
2-Aerocool Centaurus I 80mm case fans
1-tube Arctic Silver 5
1-Enermax fan controller with 6 fan pots

I do not want to take the watercooling plunge until I upgrade to a complete new A64 system, so any tips, hints, or ideas on what to try or what to buy would be appreciated.

 

[imported_Kensai]

Grab a Thermalright XP-120 if it'll fit, you should grab a 120mm Panaflo or Tt Thunderblade for it. I'd suggest getting 2 80/120mm exhaust fans if you have room.

 

[S Random]

try to fite 120s (atleast top and side) then a 92 or 120 in front and a 92 or 80 in back, and make the side and front intake, top and rear exhaust then use a fan controller to turn them to medium, and plug the front and side into mb so they will increase and decrease according to temp sensors this will give you positive pressure and a not all too noisy case

 

[thunderroller]

try changing bios setting of tripoff

 

[Zardnok]

Originally posted by: S Random
try to fite 120s (atleast top and side) then a 92 or 120 in front and a 92 or 80 in back, and make the side and front intake, top and rear exhaust then use a fan controller to turn them to medium, and plug the front and side into mb so they will increase and decrease according to temp sensors this will give you positive pressure and a not all too noisy case

I am pretty sure I can cut the case top out larger to fit a 120 in the top for exhaust. I cut the 80mm hole out already with a dremel and would actually enjoy another shot to clean the hole up and make it prettier.

Currently, I have the 80mm in the front and side for intake and the top 80mm for exhaust. I also have an Arctic Silencer NV-5 on my 6800 that exhausts. I am not sure how much airflow an NV-5 actually removes from the case, but I figured it was a shade less than an 80mm fan. That means I have a slight positive airflow into the case which should reduce dust collection.

I do not have the 60mm slot filled currently. It is merely a collection of holes in the back of the case near the processor. In the past I had this set to exhaust and it seemed to reduce temps a bit on the processor, but I also had a Tornado intake fan on the side so I was not worried about positive airflow or dust collection. Except of course from where the Tornado sand blasted dust particles into my clear UV shielded cables. I still can't wipe them clean!

You mention connecting the intake fans to the motherboard to use thermal sensors built in to increase and decrease the fan speed. Is that a bios setting? How accurate are the thermal sensors and can the fan speed adjust quickly enough? Sorry to sound like a newb, but I am just trying to do what is best for my rig and appreciate everyones assistance.

Grab a Thermalright XP-120 if it'll fit,

I am pretty sure an XP-120 will not fit. I think I read somewhere that you needed to be able to place a CD over the top of your processor and have no obstructions touching in order to fit an XP-120. My PS currently is maybe 1/2 inch away from the retaining clip on my HSF.

I may end up needing to purchase a new case simply to give me the space I need. I wish I had done more research before intitially purchasing this case. At the time it was "pretty and cool", so I plopped down $100 to a buddy at the computer store for it. Now I realize how inefficient it is and how cheap the quality is with sharp inside edges and panels that do not fit properly all the time. That is what I get for buying a used Lian-Li case for a dual box. You never know just what you are missing quality wise until you use the best!

try changing bios setting of tripoff

I actually do not have the tripoff set currently. I have a seperate Enermax thermal sensor mounted in one of the 5.25 slots. I have one of the thermal probes taped to the underside of my processor. It was flashing the blue LED screen and beeping whenever it topped 55C. I can set the temp level to any level or also totally turn it off if I chose. The fact that I know my CPU should not be running that hot is inherent in my desire to rectify the problem instead of simply ignoring it.

PS I clocked my processor back up to 2.5 tonight when I got home. My idle tems on CPU are 33C and my loaded temps are 45C. Time to search FS/FT forums and see if anyone has any quality HSF for a good deal.

 

[Mrvile]

Is it just me, cuz my NV5 doesn't exhaust any air at all (nothing I can feel) so I doubt it actually exhausts that much air out of the case. Temps are fine on the card (~65 under load, 6800GT @ 400/1100) so don't worry about it.

Try an XP-90 if a 120 doesn't fit.