Cooling combination...

[DogsiWoo]

Hey guys,

I've just finished my GCSEs and so now I have too much time on my hands :P I recently fitted a TT Blue Orb II to my PC, and was a wee bit disappointed with the performance, as it was the same as the stock HSF(Idle 42-44C, Load 52-56C). I ran it with the case open and the temps dropped to Idle 38-40C Load 50-54C.

Today, in a moment of teenage after-exam-happy madness, I decided to see what would happen if I stood a house fan next to it...:D...The temps dropped to Idle 32-35C and Load 42-44C. I was happy with that, apart from the noise...

My question is, my case has a 120mm fan space front and back, and an 80mm in the side. I would prefer not to fill the 80mm slot to keep noise down, but if I were to put to one of these (http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/ak12amseulqu.html) front and back, would that give similar temps, with a lot less noise? Or am I looking at a water solution for that sort of temp and noise(less) combo?

Cheers all,

Karl

[Chewie]

If your case has no active cooling beyond the PSU and CPU fans, then yes, you will notice a drop in the temperatures by fitting fans in front and rear of the case, just not as much as with the fan blowing in from the side with the panel off :wink:

Couple of things, when you fitted the Blue Orb II, did you use the thermal paste that came with it, or did you purchase something seperate.

Although cooler makers have started putting better and more efficient thermal compounds in/on their equipment, using something like Arctic Silver 5 (or similar high quality paste) should give you an extra 5 deg drop in temps. Bear in mind, putting too much or too little on the die could affect how the temps change.

Also, did you fully clean the CPU die with something like alcohol wipes or or Akasa TIM cleaner?

If you didn't clean the die before hand, suggest you try one of the other sites around and get some.
http://search.store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/n ... tic+silver (http://search.store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/nsearch?.autodone=http%3A%2F%2Fstore.yahoo.com%2Fs idewindercomputers%2Fnsearch.html&catalog=sidewindercomputers&query=arctic+silver)

1 final things, what are you using to monitor the temperatures? I find something like Speedfan provides good acurate readings.
http://www.almico.com/speedfan428.exe

[DogsiWoo]

I'll probably buy two of those Akasa Amber 120mm fans and fit one at the front and one at the back.

My colleague used this (http://thermaltake.com/product/Accessory/Grease/a2150/a2150.asp) grease. He put a BB sized blob in the centre, then used the HSF weight to spread it.

Yup. Cleaned it with an alcohol of some sort, but it was a clear bottle so I'm not sure exactly what it was.

I use Speedfan 4.28 and PC Probe from the Asus CD to get a second opinion :P

I had always thought of water cooling as a solution. I'm a bit put off by the old water+electricity=KABOOM theory though...Anyone got any thoughts on water cooling?

[Taxation]

i have watercooling, and some water did go onto my motherboard, but i just waited for it to dry up, and it started.
i can now get my cpu to 2.5ghz, with little noise, and low temps

2.5ghz may sound low, but for my cpu ( AMD 64 X2 3800), that is about the average overclock, the only thing holding me back is my RAM

bottom line
________________________________________________
watercooling is great
but voids all warranties

[DogsiWoo]

Hmm...I don't really want to void all my warranties...Does that include Novatech? In a way that seeing as I bought all my bits from them, if I water cooled my CPU, it went pop coz of leakage, does that mean I'm snookered?

[Chewie]

Well, your sorted then, get the 120's and you should come down 5+ deg with the increased airflow.

The thing with Arctic silver and other thermal pastes, is that you should allow a few weeks *bedding in* time, in which case the paste will get a bit thicker from the warmth and reach its optimal transfer capability.

As for being snookered if you provide inadequate cooling, then well yea, you haven't used the recognised cooling solution and the cpu dies as a result of being cooked, then pretty much so.

Could be worse, could have a pc thats got a warranty on it where if you so much as even tear the sticker seal on the back while moving the case one day, it voids you warranty and you have no support from the supplier.

[DogsiWoo]

Lol...I'm confused now...By snookered I meant if I went with the W/C and it leaked, would that mean that I wouldn't get support from Novatech? Would I be down and out totally, having to buy another CPU or whatever the leak killed?

[Chewie]

heheh

Ok

If you bought a third party cooler, and fitted it yourself, and it didnt get done right and your cpu expired due to excess heat, your not covered. If your cpu expired due to premature failure of the new cooler (and you can prove its dead with no tinkering on your part) your covered (i'd guess, but you'd probably have to take it up with the maker, not novatech)

If you fitted a water cooling setup, and it leaked for whatever reason and something went bang, unless you could prove you fitted it correctly, your not covered, as it is a modification undertaken at your own risk. Which the makers of the water cooling kit would only be too happy to point out when you go smashing their door down in rage. Only if you can show concrete evidence that the item is faulty to start with, your snookered.

Thats the problem with warranties and garuantees. Unless you can prove 100% without a shadow of a doubt that the expiration of any related items either connected to or in the nearby area to any 3rd party kit(such as a water cooler), was caused by that said part being faulty, your on your own.

Take Tax for example. He's going to butcher a perfectly good case, in order to get his super dooper radiator for his water cooler into the case. If something goes wrong (eg, the pipe fitments or the rad itself springs a leak) he won't have any comeback, because its not fitted ina recomended manor etc etc.

DOes that muddy the waters some more for you? :twisted:

[DogsiWoo]

I'm still a bit dubious, but the TT Big Water 735 is so tempting. I'll just have to weigh the differences and possibilities I guess...

Off the topic of WC, if I were to get a front and back 120mm fan, is there a better cpu cooler that would give me lower temps than the BOII? Perhaps one with heatpipes? I've just been captivated by the 32C idle and 44C load temps lol - Is there a way, short of WC to get these temps?

[Taxation]

micro vapochill heatsink and fans are pretty good.

and btw
My watercooling is the nuts, a few sacrifices had to be made, but the end result is what i wanted :D
And as for butchering my case, i would say i am ........................... carving it into the perfect piece of equipment for my needs. :twisted:

[DogsiWoo]

I had looked at the Vapochill Micro coolers, but I'm a bit of a low noise guy. I have been researching TEC coolers, and came across this one. (http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/subzero/subzero4g.htm) Anyone know if A) it's any good? and B) is it available in 775?

[Matt]

I don't like my case noisy so I try to keep fans to a minimum, but I found that having a large, slow spinning case fan at the rear of the case helps a lot. I went and bought a thermaltake shark case and put acrylic on the inside of the side panel to close the holes off, fitted a golden orb to the CPU and a hiper PSU that is really quiet, and an arctic cooler to the graphics. I've got the CPU and case fan running on average at 50%, and graphics at 40% using speedfan and rivatuner.

The fan at the back creates good airflow across the case, and as a nice side effect it causes air to flow in past the hard disks, keeping them cooler too.
It's not noisy but i'm always up for a quieter PC until it becomes silent :)

I'd like to know how the water cooling goes if you decide to go that way.

[DogsiWoo]

I'm gonna make decisions after Asus release their Core 2 Duo supporting Boards. I probably won't go with water cooling because I just can't get the old Water+Electricity=KABOOM theory out of my mind.

I'm pleased with the sound of my Thermaltake PSU as it is rated at only 17dB at 1300RPM, and I've never seen it go above 1200RPM, it normally sits at just under 1000RPM, hence it's pretty quiet. I think the fan on my gfx card is the loudet thing in my box atm.

[Chewie]

The loudest fans in any case go like this.

Chipset (40mm) spins the fastest to get the air across at any decent rate.

VGA (40-60mm) again, spins the fastest to get as much across because of its small size (in depth as well as overall diameter).

CPU/Case/PSU (80mm) more audible than the 40 and the 60, but only if using a high speed one such as a Delta fan. Used to have an 80mm Delta capable of something like 5800rpm at max. loud? harrier jumpjet at take-off comes close :twisted:

CPU/Case (92mm)

CPU/Case/PSU (120mm)

Now you can get different depth fans, and different orientation of the fan blades, which will change how a fan sounds at speed, so this is just a generic guide.