Ways to keep my mid-tower computer cooler when gaming?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.pc.hardware.homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homebuild,alt.comp.hardware.amd.x86-64,alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homedesigned (More info?)

Hello!

I have a dilemma. I seem to have an overheating problem with my computer
setup when I play games (e.g., World of Warcraft, Battlefield 1942,
Half-Life 2, etc. Windows would crash with mostly blue screens (random
errors like PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA (50) with fwdrv.sys (still get
crashes without Kerio's Personal Firewall v2.1.5),
KERNEL_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED (8e) with ntkrnlpa.exe, BugCheck 50,
{fffffff1, 0, 805b0109, 0} with ati2mtag.sys ( ati2mtag+d0d49 ),
BugCheck 8E, {c0000005, c458bf4, b7df7938, 0} with portcls.sys (
portcls!CPortPinWavePci::GetKsAudioPosition+1c ), BugCheck 7E,
{c0000005, 1d58c920, f7a5fcb0, f7a5f9ac} with win32k.sys (
win32k!ESTROBJ::vInit+357 ), etc. The crashes can take 30 minutes to
hours to happen.

I have NO problems when I am not gaming, using 3D (openGL and Direct3D)
screen savers, running atitools to stress test my ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
AIW (128 MB) card for hours, cpuburn by itself for hours (highest was
154 F/67.8 C degrees, memtest86 for hours (all passed), etc. To me, it
sounds like a combination of everything in game makes my computer too
hot instead of individual compontent. What else can be getting hot
beside the video card and motherboard during gaming? I doubt a sound
card could. I have a HDD cooler so HDDs should be fine. You can see my
full detailed system specifications at
http://alpha.zimage.com/~ant/antfarm/about/computers.txt (primary
computer -- note that I have old stuff like old Quantum HDDs, CD burner,
etc.).

I notice my system would become unstable if my ASUS K8V SE Deluxe
motherboard's temperature was at about and over 110 F/43 C degrees.

Another problem is that my small room is always warm due to the location
and it is upstair. I do not get sufficient cooling from the air
condition. Opened window is useful when the weather is cool, but useless
when it is warm or in a middle of a heat wave (100+ F/37.7 C degrees
outside!). Big fans for my room and myself don't really help much
either.

Would getting a Thermaltake Silent Boost K8
(http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/venus/rs/a1838.htm) to cool the
AMD Athlon 64 CPU down help at all? Again, going up to 154 with cpuburn
did not have any problems. However, BIOS and ASUS PC Probe say 140+
F/60+ C degrees is overheating so I might as well get a better CPU
cooler. I was thinking of readding my old squirrel fan blower (used it
for my old Voodoo2 card that kept overheating years ago) in the PC case,
but would it help and where would I put it? Would these be enough? I
already have Arctic Cooling VGA Silencer revision 2 for the video card
(had dot problems in DOOM 3 due to heat issue), a 3 fan HDD Peeze
cooler, two 80 mm case fans, and an Antec Model SL400 (400 watts; 80mm
and 92mm fans) power supply. Isn't this enough? I have two front vents
(HDD cooler in the middle of the full-tower ATX case and at the bottom
that is part of the case). The power supply fans blow out the heat in
the back (1/4th down from the top of the case and feels like a heater
(not hot; very warm though)), and there is another vent at the top (no
air blow out -- maybe a good place for the squirrel fan?) Note: I have
had this case since July 1998 and I never had problems with P2 300 Mhz,
P3 600 Mhz, and Athlon XP 2200+ setups before getting an Athlon 64
3200+.

The fans speed to be working normally according to ASUS PC Probe and
BIOS:
-CPU Fan (the one from the retail CPU box): 59xx
-Chassis Fan: 2556 (forgot which fan is connected to this -- don't
have a chassis fan)
-Power fan is not hooked up to the sensors, but I know it is blowing.
-Note: Voltage graphs looked stable when gaming and not.

Any suggestions on how to make my system cooler during gaming? I don't
want to go overboard like getting water cooling system. I need to fix it
before summer comes alone and so I can get back into gaming. Thank you
in advance.
--
"Be thine enemy an ant, see in him an elephant." --Turkish Proverb
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Ant @ The Ant Farm: http://antfarm.ma.cx
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net (offline)
\ _ / Please remove ANT if replying by e-mail.
( )

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.pc.hardware.homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homebuild,alt.comp.hardware.amd.x86-64,alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homedesigned (More info?)

On Sun, 10 Apr 2005 18:17:45 -0500, ANTant wrote:

> Any suggestions on how to make my system cooler during gaming? I don't
> want to go overboard like getting water cooling system. I need to fix it
> before summer comes alone and so I can get back into gaming. Thank you
> in advance.

You shouldn't need more than 2 case fans as long as they are mounted
properly. Most people can get by with only 1 if the PSU fan is high
volume. With only one fan, it ahould be mounted in the lower front of the
case. You can double the cfm (cubic feet per minute) by making sure there
isn't anything restricting the intake of the fan and that ribbon cables
aren't blocking the airflow inside the case. Most cases front fan intakes
are blocked by metal where the fan mounts and then the front cover also
restricts it more by not having enough holes or cutouts in the plastic to
allow air to get to the intake. Cut out all the metal in front of the fan
hole so theres nothing directly in front of the fan. Next, mod the front
cover to allow more air to get to it. Both of these actions are critical
for proper airflow. Using 2 fans, the other should be an exhaust fan at
the top rear of the case. And if the rear exhaust fan is more than 50%
blocked, you should open it up more too. A good test of case cooling is to
check the temps with the side cover on vs. off. There shouldn't be more
than a few C difference.

--
Abit KT7-Raid (KT133) Tbred B core CPU @2400MHz (24x100FSB)
My server http://wesnewell.no-ip.com/cpu.php
Verizon server http://mysite.verizon.net/res0exft/cpu.htm

 

[wayner]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.pc.hardware.homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homebuild,alt.comp.hardware.amd.x86-64,alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homedesigned (More info?)

<ANTant@zimage.com> wrote in message
news:0Yydnd07sviEKcTfRVn-sQ@mminternet.net...
> Hello!
>
> I have a dilemma. I seem to have an overheating problem with my computer
> setup when I play games (e.g., World of Warcraft, Battlefield 1942,
> Half-Life 2, etc. Windows would crash with mostly blue screens (random
> errors like PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA (50) with fwdrv.sys (still get
> crashes without Kerio's Personal Firewall v2.1.5),
> KERNEL_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED (8e) with ntkrnlpa.exe, BugCheck 50,
> {fffffff1, 0, 805b0109, 0} with ati2mtag.sys ( ati2mtag+d0d49 ),
> BugCheck 8E, {c0000005, c458bf4, b7df7938, 0} with portcls.sys (
> portcls!CPortPinWavePci::GetKsAudioPosition+1c ), BugCheck 7E,
> {c0000005, 1d58c920, f7a5fcb0, f7a5f9ac} with win32k.sys (
> win32k!ESTROBJ::vInit+357 ), etc. The crashes can take 30 minutes to
> hours to happen.
>
> I have NO problems when I am not gaming, using 3D (openGL and Direct3D)
> screen savers, running atitools to stress test my ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
> AIW (128 MB) card for hours, cpuburn by itself for hours (highest was
> 154 F/67.8 C degrees, memtest86 for hours (all passed), etc. To me, it
> sounds like a combination of everything in game makes my computer too
> hot instead of individual compontent. What else can be getting hot
> beside the video card and motherboard during gaming? I doubt a sound
> card could. I have a HDD cooler so HDDs should be fine. You can see my
> full detailed system specifications at
> http://alpha.zimage.com/~ant/antfarm/about/computers.txt (primary
> computer -- note that I have old stuff like old Quantum HDDs, CD burner,
> etc.).
>
> I notice my system would become unstable if my ASUS K8V SE Deluxe
> motherboard's temperature was at about and over 110 F/43 C degrees.
>
> Another problem is that my small room is always warm due to the location
> and it is upstair. I do not get sufficient cooling from the air
> condition. Opened window is useful when the weather is cool, but useless
> when it is warm or in a middle of a heat wave (100+ F/37.7 C degrees
> outside!). Big fans for my room and myself don't really help much
> either.
>
> Would getting a Thermaltake Silent Boost K8
> (http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/venus/rs/a1838.htm) to cool the
> AMD Athlon 64 CPU down help at all? Again, going up to 154 with cpuburn
> did not have any problems. However, BIOS and ASUS PC Probe say 140+
> F/60+ C degrees is overheating so I might as well get a better CPU
> cooler. I was thinking of readding my old squirrel fan blower (used it
> for my old Voodoo2 card that kept overheating years ago) in the PC case,
> but would it help and where would I put it? Would these be enough? I
> already have Arctic Cooling VGA Silencer revision 2 for the video card
> (had dot problems in DOOM 3 due to heat issue), a 3 fan HDD Peeze
> cooler, two 80 mm case fans, and an Antec Model SL400 (400 watts; 80mm
> and 92mm fans) power supply. Isn't this enough? I have two front vents
> (HDD cooler in the middle of the full-tower ATX case and at the bottom
> that is part of the case). The power supply fans blow out the heat in
> the back (1/4th down from the top of the case and feels like a heater
> (not hot; very warm though)), and there is another vent at the top (no
> air blow out -- maybe a good place for the squirrel fan?) Note: I have
> had this case since July 1998 and I never had problems with P2 300 Mhz,
> P3 600 Mhz, and Athlon XP 2200+ setups before getting an Athlon 64
> 3200+.
>
> The fans speed to be working normally according to ASUS PC Probe and
> BIOS:
> -CPU Fan (the one from the retail CPU box): 59xx
> -Chassis Fan: 2556 (forgot which fan is connected to this -- don't
> have a chassis fan)
> -Power fan is not hooked up to the sensors, but I know it is blowing.
> -Note: Voltage graphs looked stable when gaming and not.
>
> Any suggestions on how to make my system cooler during gaming? I don't
> want to go overboard like getting water cooling system. I need to fix it
> before summer comes alone and so I can get back into gaming. Thank you
> in advance.
> --
> "Be thine enemy an ant, see in him an elephant." --Turkish Proverb
> /\___/\
> / /\ /\ \ Ant @ The Ant Farm: http://antfarm.ma.cx
> | |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net (offline)
> \ _ / Please remove ANT if replying by e-mail.
> ( )


Try taking the side of the case off?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.pc.hardware.homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homebuild,alt.comp.hardware.amd.x86-64,alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homedesigned (More info?)

ANTant@zimage.com writes:

> Another problem is that my small room is always warm due to the location
> and it is upstair. I do not get sufficient cooling from the air
> condition. Opened window is useful when the weather is cool, but useless
> when it is warm or in a middle of a heat wave (100+ F/37.7 C degrees
> outside!). Big fans for my room and myself don't really help much
> either.

The higher the ambient temperature, the more air movement you need to
keep the machine cool. As the ambient temperature approaches the max
temp you'll tolerate inside the machine, it will become impossible to
keep it cool with air movement alone. At that point, you need air
conditioning or active cooling systems that are based on air
conditioning; there is no other option.

On days that are too warm, I just don't play any games. There isn't any
way to keep the machines safely cool if it's too hot, and my air
conditioning isn't powerful enough to compensate the weather these days.

--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.pc.hardware.homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homebuild,alt.comp.hardware.amd.x86-64,alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homedesigned (More info?)

On Thu, 14 Apr 2005 02:53:37 -0500, ANTant@zimage.com wrote:


>> Consider that only an example, you can get wired or wireless
>> outdoor thermometers all over... probably at your local
>> hardware store or superstores. Online just search for
>> "digital outdoor thermometer
>
>Ahhh. I was expecting a really simple cheap tyoe, not a fancy one with LCD
>screens and stuff. Thanks.

Having a probe on a wire to measure temp, necessitates an
electrical measurement type sensor. Since that portion is
electrical, the user feedback "display" portion would be
also, meaning either a digital or perhaps panel meter
"needle" type, but a panel meter would be no cheaper nor
easier to use, and probably much more expensive as it would
be used mostly for laboratory instruments.


>> Keep in mind that these cracks may not be ideal but aren't
>> necessarily a problem either, IF you have the AMD and Intel
>> recommended case configuration. That is the power supply
>
>I assume this full-tower ATX case is designed since I used it
>for P3, P4, and Athlon XP CPUs and DFI and ASUS motherboards.


"is designed"?
No, the system builder must choose and/or configure the
system, rather than just buying any random ATX case. That
is _why_ they make the recommendations, because it is NOT
"automatic" to get this result simply by having an ATX case.

>However, I do not recall seeing the case box saying it was
>certified or anything like that. To me, all case interiors
>look similiar. Mine is like that. Power supply in the back,
>vents back and front, etc. The only thing is I don't have USB
>plugs in the front like some cases like Dell's.

Many cases are not engineered for optimal airflow. There
can be cutting and other mods necessary. The criteria is
still the same though, an unimpeded PSU and case exhaust
fans plus ample front bottom intake.


>
>
>> AND a rear fan exhausting. Both fans should have open
>> exhaust paths, NOT stamped-metal grills, only a wire grill
>> if there is a safety issue of something getting into the fan
>> blades path. You really need to stop focusing on anything
>> else and just do what they recommend, THEN see if you need
>> anything more. The above also assumes you have adequate
>> passive intake on the front bottom of the case.
>
>OK. I definitely need to get more inttakes (too weak) and
>outtakes (beside the powersupply fan).


Not just "outtakes", the exhaust fan directly under PSU.
There is not room for creativity here, the basic
configuration is needed to route the airflow properly and
remove it most immediately from the CPU region. THEN if you
found you had other hot-spots, like southbridge or bottom
(front) of video card, those would be secondary concerns
only addressed afterwards. Most people don't have nor need
anything more.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.pc.hardware.homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homebuild,alt.comp.hardware.amd.x86-64,alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homedesigned (More info?)

In alt.comp.hardware.amd.x86-64 Mxsmanic <mxsmanic@hotmail.com> wrote:
> ANTant@zimage.com writes:

> > Another problem is that my small room is always warm due to the location
> > and it is upstair. I do not get sufficient cooling from the air
> > condition. Opened window is useful when the weather is cool, but useless
> > when it is warm or in a middle of a heat wave (100+ F/37.7 C degrees
> > outside!). Big fans for my room and myself don't really help much
> > either.

> The higher the ambient temperature, the more air movement you need to
> keep the machine cool. As the ambient temperature approaches the max
> temp you'll tolerate inside the machine, it will become impossible to
> keep it cool with air movement alone. At that point, you need air
> conditioning or active cooling systems that are based on air
> conditioning; there is no other option.

> On days that are too warm, I just don't play any games. There isn't any
> way to keep the machines safely cool if it's too hot, and my air
> conditioning isn't powerful enough to compensate the weather these days.

Yeah, and summer isn't even here yet and I already have problems. I
never had these problems in the past with older system. Ugh. I hope
future computer parts are cooler, but they're not with my experiences.
Video cards, CPU, etc. are getting too much power and heat for each
upgrade.

I should move to Canada or something. [grin]
--
"Be thine enemy an ant, see in him an elephant." --Turkish Proverb
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Ant @ The Ant Farm: http://antfarm.ma.cx
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net (offline)
\ _ / Please remove ANT if replying by e-mail.
( )

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

Have you considered moving to liquid cooling system ?
The price are getting low now. You can get a ThermalTake's full system for
less then $150


Tal


<ANTant@zimage.com> wrote in message
news:0Yydnd07sviEKcTfRVn-sQ@mminternet.net...
> Hello!
>
> I have a dilemma. I seem to have an overheating problem with my computer
> setup when I play games (e.g., World of Warcraft, Battlefield 1942,
> Half-Life 2, etc. Windows would crash with mostly blue screens (random
> errors like PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA (50) with fwdrv.sys (still get
> crashes without Kerio's Personal Firewall v2.1.5),
> KERNEL_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED (8e) with ntkrnlpa.exe, BugCheck 50,
> {fffffff1, 0, 805b0109, 0} with ati2mtag.sys ( ati2mtag+d0d49 ),
> BugCheck 8E, {c0000005, c458bf4, b7df7938, 0} with portcls.sys (
> portcls!CPortPinWavePci::GetKsAudioPosition+1c ), BugCheck 7E,
> {c0000005, 1d58c920, f7a5fcb0, f7a5f9ac} with win32k.sys (
> win32k!ESTROBJ::vInit+357 ), etc. The crashes can take 30 minutes to
> hours to happen.
>
> I have NO problems when I am not gaming, using 3D (openGL and Direct3D)
> screen savers, running atitools to stress test my ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
> AIW (128 MB) card for hours, cpuburn by itself for hours (highest was
> 154 F/67.8 C degrees, memtest86 for hours (all passed), etc. To me, it
> sounds like a combination of everything in game makes my computer too
> hot instead of individual compontent. What else can be getting hot
> beside the video card and motherboard during gaming? I doubt a sound
> card could. I have a HDD cooler so HDDs should be fine. You can see my
> full detailed system specifications at
> http://alpha.zimage.com/~ant/antfarm/about/computers.txt (primary
> computer -- note that I have old stuff like old Quantum HDDs, CD burner,
> etc.).
>
> I notice my system would become unstable if my ASUS K8V SE Deluxe
> motherboard's temperature was at about and over 110 F/43 C degrees.
>
> Another problem is that my small room is always warm due to the location
> and it is upstair. I do not get sufficient cooling from the air
> condition. Opened window is useful when the weather is cool, but useless
> when it is warm or in a middle of a heat wave (100+ F/37.7 C degrees
> outside!). Big fans for my room and myself don't really help much
> either.
>
> Would getting a Thermaltake Silent Boost K8
> (http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/venus/rs/a1838.htm) to cool the
> AMD Athlon 64 CPU down help at all? Again, going up to 154 with cpuburn
> did not have any problems. However, BIOS and ASUS PC Probe say 140+
> F/60+ C degrees is overheating so I might as well get a better CPU
> cooler. I was thinking of readding my old squirrel fan blower (used it
> for my old Voodoo2 card that kept overheating years ago) in the PC case,
> but would it help and where would I put it? Would these be enough? I
> already have Arctic Cooling VGA Silencer revision 2 for the video card
> (had dot problems in DOOM 3 due to heat issue), a 3 fan HDD Peeze
> cooler, two 80 mm case fans, and an Antec Model SL400 (400 watts; 80mm
> and 92mm fans) power supply. Isn't this enough? I have two front vents
> (HDD cooler in the middle of the full-tower ATX case and at the bottom
> that is part of the case). The power supply fans blow out the heat in
> the back (1/4th down from the top of the case and feels like a heater
> (not hot; very warm though)), and there is another vent at the top (no
> air blow out -- maybe a good place for the squirrel fan?) Note: I have
> had this case since July 1998 and I never had problems with P2 300 Mhz,
> P3 600 Mhz, and Athlon XP 2200+ setups before getting an Athlon 64
> 3200+.
>
> The fans speed to be working normally according to ASUS PC Probe and
> BIOS:
> -CPU Fan (the one from the retail CPU box): 59xx
> -Chassis Fan: 2556 (forgot which fan is connected to this -- don't
> have a chassis fan)
> -Power fan is not hooked up to the sensors, but I know it is blowing.
> -Note: Voltage graphs looked stable when gaming and not.
>
> Any suggestions on how to make my system cooler during gaming? I don't
> want to go overboard like getting water cooling system. I need to fix it
> before summer comes alone and so I can get back into gaming. Thank you
> in advance.
> --
> "Be thine enemy an ant, see in him an elephant." --Turkish Proverb
> /\___/\
> / /\ /\ \ Ant @ The Ant Farm: http://antfarm.ma.cx
> | |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net (offline)
> \ _ / Please remove ANT if replying by e-mail.
> ( )

 

[GlimmerMan]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

I got 7 80mm Fans in my case. 1 at the top, 2 at the back , 2 at teh
front and 2 at the side. What do you think i should set each one at
(intake or exhaust) If youw anna see the case i got its a v1000a from
thermaltake