Upgraded video card, now case gets hot. Need advice on Fan replacement?

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Sinfullysweet

Sinfullysweet

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Aug 22, 2013
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Ok, to sum up what I now have in my Gateway FX6860-UR20P:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($302.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K3000 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($118.29 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro M 1000W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($131.53 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Full (32/64-bit) ($179.71 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Logitech G110 Wired Standard Keyboard
Mouse: Razer Naga Wired Laser Mouse
Total: $972.50
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-08 18:00 EDT-0400)

More information:
http://valid.canardpc.com/f32849


My main concern is that I noticed the other day, when playing a game, that my case became hot. I leave 5-6 inches on each side open but I still have the factory installed fans (CPU fan, as well as rear fan).

What else can I do to minimize the heat output so that my pc doesn't overheat? Do I need to upgrade the fans as well?

BTW, I love you guys, absolutely adore my new graphics card, and psu unit. Was a breeze to install.
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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The real issue is whether your internal components are overheating. It may be normal for your case to get hot. Mine is barely warm though.

What do you mean, you leave 5-6 inches on each side open. You opened the sides? Be advised that that makes it difficult for the air to flow properly. Yes, hot air rises, but you want the fans to push it where it needs to go.

Anyway,
It would help to know:
a) CPU COOLER
b) CASE

What you want to do is have one or two front fans set to INTAKE air. No need to be very noisy. You should have one or two EXHAUST FANS at the top-rear.

Finally, the CPU Cooler should be half decent (preferably a 12cm fan) and blow that air towards the rear case fan (some position up but then that prevents air flow over your RAM).

*PWM vs VOLTAGE:
Most modern motherboards use PWM for fan speed control. If you get PWM for a Voltage controller, or vice versa, your fan will spin at one speed only. The only way to be certain is to check (My Asus has PWM for the CPU, but BOTH for the case fans).

The fans must also be VARIABLE if you want speed control. All CPU Cooler fans should be, however case fans vary. You want something like "PWM, 500 to 1800RPM" if possible for case fans.

*Your case fans are probably adequate, it may just be the CPU Cooler that's not.
 
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coastie65

coastie65

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May 26, 2010
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Hi. I have a Gateway FX6800-01e. That case, although somewhat of a midtower, leaves a lot to be desired as for cooling options. You have the CPU fan and the rear exhaust fan. That 1000w PSU is overkill and I don't know how much that is contributing to the problem. What is or was the ambient room temp at the time? The post about having the covers off or partially off was right about the fact it can mess up air flow, but if it was warm before you did that, then that is a non issue.

OK , this is a newer one than the one I have and it appears to be a Mini tower size wise, I don't think that 1000w PSU helps much. Air flow is severly restricted in those things.
 
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Sinfullysweet

Sinfullysweet

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Aug 22, 2013
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Nono, when I say giving it room, I leave the sides on, just have it to where it can get cool. It's pretty much the internal components, I know my hard drive was really hot. The only way I knew it was hot, was because I felt the sides and grew concerned, so I opened the interior up to find out where the source of heat was coming from. It seemed to be from the dual harddrives that I have installed. It just has a generic cpu cooler and generic case fan. When I get a chance I will open the case again and see if there are any numbers listed on the components.
 
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coastie65

coastie65

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This will help in monitoring temps and be helpful to us if we know how warm things are getting: http://hwmonitor.en.softonic.com/
 
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Sinfullysweet

Sinfullysweet

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Will do, in the middle of 3 more downloads on a 2.90mbps connection. When those get finished I will play one of the more graphic intensive games, and monitor the temps then post them.

Regarding the case, it is just the standard case:
FX6860-UR20P-FB-R-unit.jpg


When I installed the new PSU and graphics card, I didn't see where I could possibly put a fan in the front. In the front is where I can put removable harddrives. I bought a higher voltage PSU in case of the event that I do upgrade the case and motherboard, that I have some of the parts already on hand. IMO the only things left if I do get the money up to build a new pc is the MOBO, Memory, and case left. I know it seems like overkill, but with the rebates, I couldn't pass up the deal I was getting.

Still unsure about what CPU cooler I have, but as soon as these downloads are finished I will open the case up and see what I have on hand. I have to do the downloads while the kids are at school so that I have full bandwidth. When the kids are at home, I don't get the chance to fully utilize our meager download speed lol.

 
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coastie65

coastie65

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That's a newer FX than the one I have sitting here on the floor that gets hooked up from time to time, I have a couple of games on there I didn't feel like moving to this thing. I got it it '09 and it came with an i7 920 Processor ( 1st Gen ). That case is 7" something wide. You will be limited on CPU coolers because of the height of those things. As I recall, my FX case got a bit warm to the touch as well about where the Hdd was. Ihad HW Monitor installed, and the Hdd & CPU temps looked good. The South Bridge on the Motherboard did get warm though and I jury rigged a fan for that and got the temp down. Another thing with those prebuilt computers is the way they are out together, The Cables and wires are just shoved in there and mess up the airflow, such as it is in those things. You can use some ties and try to neaten things up some by moving cables out of the way. My temps will go up some in the summer in the afternoon as the sun is coming through the front window and it gets hot in this corner. The Ambient room temp can make a difference. My temps may go up about 5c.Trying to type this and have a 3 month old Shar Pei puppy giving me grief. My FX case is about the same width as yours and I didn't bother with the CPU cooler as temps were Ok. Essentially, what you have is the exhaust fan and the side vent, and that is about it, except for the CPU fan, with no options to add additional fans. A Corsair 850w has plenty enough to run a good sli / crossfire setup. I did see one build that used 4 GTX Titans and they used a 1500w PSU. That was barely enough, but created a whole new set of issues, such as tripping the breaker on the circuit. Doesn't share well. I know about that internet thing. I remember getting SP2 for XP and I had dial up at the time. It only took 6 1/2 hours. LOL
 
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Sinfullysweet

Sinfullysweet

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Haha, yep that is what I am running into. When I purchased the new card, they gave me three free games. Needless to say, I had a total of 65.5 gigs to download. My poor pc has been downloading for 4 days straight and I still have 25 gigs to go!

On the case, you are absolutely right, the psu I purchased was a modular one, which did cut down on the cables that was taking up space, but it is horribly cramped as it is in there. I have only the exhaust fan, and the cpu fan within. Considering we only have one income coming into the house, and attempting to explain to my husband about computers is a task within itself, I have to purchase things wisely. (I can't count my website income, because it may pay for a tank of gas and that is it, and where I live there is no jobs, plus with the fuel prices as it is, it's counter productive to find a job without a college degree or paperwork to back certifications)

Plus I can't complain too much, since even though my husband is computer savvy impaired, he purchased this for me as a christmas gift thinking it was a great deal. Which at the time it was. Perhaps I can continue to save up to build a pc from the parts I have purchased so far but that may be a long time away.
 
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coastie65

coastie65

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He did a good job in picking that one. As I said in an earlier post, the FX is Gateway's Top of the line PC ( the next one down is the DX ). I did the same thing with mine when I got it. Upgraded the PSU & Video Card ( it came with an HD4850 installed, and I went to an HD5770, then Nvidia GTX 560Ti ). I eventually upgraded the processor as well. I haven't made a penny on the internet ( spent a lot though ). I come over here to see who needs what as well as MaximumPC & Cnet. I moderate at PC World.com forums, which are slow for the most part these days ( except for the spammers ). I up grade my FX, but the memory speed wasn't as advertised, and found out that it was locked at 1066 MHz ( they said it would run up to 1600 Mhz ...... not ). I tried to unlock the BiOS to get the speed up and could never get it to work. All I got from BiOS Mods.com was the head guy kept trying to get me on staff over there. Got enough irons in the fire as it is. Yeah, it is tough out there for sure. I retired some time ago on Disability, so have a fixed income. Had a second Heart Attack last Oct. 30th, that nearly took me away from this world ( I was only given a 0 -10% chance of leaving the Hospital alive ). Ended up with nerve damage in my left leg, but am getting around without a walker now. Got a triple bypass the last day of Feb. I have FiOS now with 25.5 mbps down and 5 mbps up. No matter how many people are out there, I don't have to worry about a shrinking band width and slowing down. Always nice to get free games. I got one with a card i bought and didn't like it. Oh, HW Monitor is not a big download, but very useful. It will be helpful to see what your temps are. My FX case got a biut warm to the touch as well and around the Hdd, but the temps looked ok.
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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If there is still an issue, please put it simply as there's far too much info here to sift through.

BTW, that's a pretty good computer. Not sure why you would require to upgrade it.

I studied electronics (Radar Technician), and have built many gaming computers so if you have any questions at all I'll monitor this for a while.
 
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coastie65

coastie65

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Gave her a link to HW Monitor to install. Waiting to see what the temps look like. I have an older Gateway FX running an i7 960 and have noticed the same thing and it is a mid tower case. The temps looked pretty good though.
 
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Sinfullysweet

Sinfullysweet

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Aug 22, 2013
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Thanks Photonboy, originally it was just generic factory parts. I am trying to extend the life of the computer as much as I can. I finally was able to finish my downloads, but since my family is at home, I am unable to run games until I can have full access of the internet. I have HW Monitor installed now, but unable to give statistics right this moment. Sorry for the delay in response. Haven't just went off the grid.
 
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Sinfullysweet

Sinfullysweet

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Second, I had a adware/spyware that was a pain in my personal rear end to get rid of. Something called Selectionlinks. Was attempting to help my daughter with her Geometry/Quadratic formulas but didn't have a calculator. So like an idiot I downloaded from Download.com. When did that site, that used to promote safe downloads, become so infested with malware/spyware?? Not even Malware Bytes Pro, or most of my antivirus, firewalls caught it. Took an act of god to get it off.
 
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coastie65

coastie65

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Hi, First, You should not be running but one AV program actively. Running two or more just defeats the purpose. Too many Firewalls can either slow you down or completely prevent you from getting on the internet. There is a difference between Malware and Spyware. Spyware is a nuisance, but doesn't mess with anything. Malware on the otherhand is malicious in what it does. It can redirect you to different sites, or could be a Trojan downloader downloading porn to your computer. All kinds of stuff. They can Hijack stuff ( I had one that Hijacked my wall paper on my desktop of all things ). Keylogers are the worst as those things grab your Credit Card Numbers as your are typing and before it is encrypted ( the purpose of those things among other things ). As I said in an earlier post, My Gateway FX case got warm right arouind the Hdd as well, but the temps were fine, so didn't pay it much mind. Just kept an eye on the temps, which I usually do anyway. Quadratic Formulas are above my pay grade. :D
 
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