PC Cooling

[Mike]

I think there's been a thread along similar lines recently but I didn't want to hijack it...

I'm concerned that my comp is running a bit hot... it's one I built myself and I must confess I don't know much about PC cooling or what sort of temperature the computer should be running at.

I have an Athlon XP 2600+ which is running on a cheapish Abit motherboard. I have 2 hard drives and a DVD writer installed, other than that a 64mb graphics card and my audigy soundcard.

I'm using the standard AMD cooler which came with the processor when I bought it. My motherboard has a small onboard fan, and I have one case fan attached to the back of the case (which is quite annoyingly loud). I have a 500 watt power supply which I think might be slightly excessive ... however, this has 2 fans on it, one which blows into the case and seems to keep things cool... when I swapped it for my old 300 watt psu which doesn't have the second fan, I found the computer got much hotter and started to function incorrectly.

As I type my PC has been on for a couple of hours and current temps according to the 'hardware doctor' software I got with the motherboard are

System temp: 65 degrees C
CPU temp: 54 degrees C

Is this too warm, am I likely to be doing my computer any damage? I can't even set the alarm thing up on the software properly as I don't really know what temp it should be running at and there's nothing in the manual to suggest.

The main problem is that the computer sounds like a hoover, I think this is mainly down to the cheap-ish PSU and case fan that I bought, so I'd like some quieter fans, basically what I'd like to know is what would you suggest I should buy to improve it and quieten it down a bit, also would a new case make any difference as I currently have a crappy PC world bog standard case which looks pretty ugly.

Sorry for rambling on - any ideas?

 

[Jimmy]

Mike,

Your CPU @ 54 is an expected surface operating temp, the fry temp is about 75 so your well under that.

Cooling I'm afraid is a bit of a hit and miss, I tried (I have a very similar spec) and in the end just leave the side of my case loose (it is fixed in a pod on my cheap Argos desk) !!!

If you want a place to check out cooling methods have a look at www.tekheads.co.uk They were really helpful to me.

Hope this helps

 

[sirius]

lol, as you know, Im no computer component expert by a long way......

........anyway, Ive just baught all my gear.

I have baught a Tagan 'whisper quiet' PSU unit, a Coolermaster 80mm case fan (only 21 decibels) and a Zalman Super Flower heatsink/fan.

Im gonna be running a XP3200 with 1gb ddr ram, and off the reviews for these products hopefully my PC wont fry. I too am worried about the heat, and I am also concerned about quietness. Im hoping my selections will solve both well. If not Id probably get another larger case fan or something that spins slowly to keep noise down.

I was gonna splash out an extra 30 quid on a Aluminium case, but after asking a few peeps on here it was deemed it may not make that much difference so I have got a regular steel one which has ventilation features in the top of the tower, which Im hoping will help cos heat does rise afterall.

Theres always them watercoolers, I think you can get em for under 75quid now for a basic type. Pretty expensive still, but theyre supposed to be well cool temperature (?).


Youd best not listen to me anyway, lol, trust the experts


Sirius.

 

[Myk]

The bog standard AMD heatsinks leave a lot to be desired you can drop that 2600+ temp to under 40ºc if you buy a good heatsink/fan. Stick with good brands and you should be laughing. Im using a Coolermaster Aero7+ on my good ole overclocked XP2400@2,5Ghz and Im still under your temp fella, somewhere around 45ºc under full load and with a generally hotter room temp (Spain).

Eitherway Coolermaster, Globalwin, Thermaltake, Zalman etc etc are the way to go.

 

[Mike]

Cheers fellas I think I'll do a bit of shopping tomorrow and see what I can find

 

[Mike]

Just quickly to say cheers for the advice, I bought a zalman heatsink fan thing yesterday which is massive but does the job, I am now running at around 45 degrees without a case fan. I bought a thermaltake case fan as well but it's ridiculously noisy and the speed control doesn't work so that'll be going back to the shop

But I would recommend the zalman thing to anyone looking for a decent and quiet CPU cooler

 

[Phil]

I've used Zalman products before and I've always been satisfied with them.

Have you got an intake fan at the front of your case?... In my experience its helped keep things cool...

I have :

Chieftec Scorpion Case
Quiet ish 350w PSU

One intake fan at the front of the case, (taking in cool air)
One side fan (expelling air)
Two rear fans (expelling air)

I may be wrong but it seems to take air in from the front, pass it over the components and throw out of the back of the case.

I'm using a standard Intel HS on my non O/C'd P4 @ 2.6ghz and case temp is 22/32 degrees, and cpu temp between 32/36 degrees. My akasa fan controller reports slightly higher temps but not much....

 

[turpieaj]

cooling

I just bought a mid size cheiftec dragon blue case and the extra side panel with the large perspex, I have two blue led fans on the front (intake) and two blue led fans on the rear (exhaust) and the standard cheiftec fan on the side panel. That makes 6 fans plus the psu fan...Its a noisy f**ker but looks great with the blue round ATA cables for my drives.

Dunno what temp mines at but with out being attached to cables it wants to hover around the floor!