Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.overclocking.amd (
More info?)
"Mike B" <zlo@insightbb.com> wrote in message
news:vYxDc.161450$3x.30750@attbi_s54...
> Well, i play all of my games at high detail, and atleast 1024x768..
usually
> one or two steps higher. I use 8x AF, but i usually don't even use AA. I
> actually do run my computer with the side of the case off, because i have
> to. I have two case fans in it that i got from best buy for 13 each. One
is
> blowing in at the lower front of the case, and the back one is blowing out
> and is set higher. The pc runs hotter with the side on, so i leave it off
> all the time. I really don't know why it runs so warm.. i mean i have two
> fans in there, and the fan in my ps is extra large, although there is only
> one in it. Maybe it's just poor case design? I don't know.
8< Snip 8<
That your temps drop with side off means that the case ventilation is poor.
Adding fans will not necessarily improve the poor airflow.
Check the air intake on the bottom of the front panel. On quite a lot of
cases this is usually 1cm * 5cm and is much to small. Some cases even have
this intake blocked by the front USB/Audio input PCB so they don't let
enough air inside the case.
Next, check the grills. The drilled type ones are very restrictive and
could cut out up to 70% of your air flow. The ones punched ones that look
spokes are better, about 40-50% of air gets through. Get snips or other
cutters and cut these grills out. If you use a nibbler or dremel then I
would recommend total disassembly of the case and a thorough cleaning before
reassembly. If grills are needed then the chrome wire ones are the best,
having a small impact on the air flow.
Check you power supply. The above about grills applies for the fan grill on
the back. On my supply, the intake is a number of vertical slots, side by
side, about 2cm high and 4mm wide with about 4mm metal between each. I used
needle nosed pliers to twist the metal between the slots so they looked like
fins and nearly doubled the intake area, without cutting.
Check you heatsink. Some copper ones with lots of fine closely placed fins
clog up very quickly.
Check you wiring. I have seen cases when the cause of overheating was
power/data cables jamming the CPU cooling fan or where the HD data cable did
not jam the fan it almost totally blocked off the top of the CPU fan.
Adding fans. The rear mounted fans should be exhaust, i.e. blowing out.
The front and side ones should be intakes, i.e. blowing in. Start with a
rear exhaust fan and add more as necessary. But be aware. My case has room
for two rear exhaust fans and for a while I used two fans there but one fan
was too loud. I disconnected it but left it mounted and the temps went up a
degree to three but when I removed the fan, the temps went up even more. As
an experiment, I taped up the unused rear fan hole and the temps dropped
back down to being 1-2C higher than when I ran two rear fans.
Don't run your computer while it is sitting on the floor, especially if is
carpet. It will fill up with dust very quickly and carpet can block your
air intakes.
Back to cabling. Some people would say you must have round HD/CD/floppy
cables for best internal case air flow but this is not so. Simply
"stealthing" your cables by hiding excess length behind case framework or
tucking the excess between drives is just as effective. The same applies
for your internal power and other cables. Having said that, I will admit I
am a bit of a neatness freak and have round data cables and have sleaved
most of the other wiring in my case and try to stealth these cables where
possible.
The above has worked for me but don't just take my word. Check out the
various overclockers sites and check their articles for cooling methods.
You could even check sites such as www.silentpcreview.com for cooling ideas
as well, to get a quiet computer you must have good cooling.
My case usually only runs the fan in the PSU and a rear 92mm exhaust that is
run at 7-9V through a home made diode fan speed controller. While I do have
a 3 coloured LED fan mounted in the side cover, this fan is rarely
connected, except when I want to show off or the room temp is above 32C in
summer - it's too noisy.
My AMD XP2000+ CPU is overclocked from 1666MHz (12.5*133) to 2025MHz
(13.5*150) and the core voltage is 1.7V instead of 1.6V and it generally
runs at 13C above room temp for average use. I am currently running Prime95
torture test - maximum heat and the CPU is 20C above room temp and the 92mm
fan is running at a little over 9V.
Dave
they say that works nicely on the 2.0 board.
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