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How To: Properly Plan And Pick Parts For An Air-Cooled PC, Part 1

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  • Cooling
  • Graphics Cards
Last response: in Reviews comments
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November 8, 2011 3:39:32 AM

After reading the charts of PSU placement and the GPU cooling diagrams, I'm even more convinced that my Lian Li PCA05-NB is a great solution. The motherboard is upside down, so that GPUs (In my case an axial fan gpu) faces towards the top. The CPU is now at the bottom back of the case and with the rear fan acting as an intake and not exhaust, you get great CPU cooling. The PSU mounts in the bottome front as well. The great part of this design is all the heat ends up in the top. As an option, you can vent the top to release the heat rising from the GPUs, but I like the case because it has very little venting. Through unusual case design and careful component selection I have an almost silent system - but with overclocked CPU and GPUs. The front fan is the exhaust, but has a bezel over it. With a few bucks worth of acoustic dampening material I can even hear myself think sometimes. I regard low temps and low noise output to be two sides of the same coin, but I know that many seem to not mind loud systems and mainly just care about temps. It's never been easier to build a near-silent system, even with high performance gear.

If you plan ahead of time, you can make a super quiet and cool running system. It's easier to build a cool and quiet system from the start than retroactively go back and try to make a noisy (and/or hot) system quiet with great temps.

I'll be waiting for article 2.
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November 8, 2011 4:39:16 AM

Good timing as the Australian summer approaches. You guys in the US think you have it hot :S
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a b U Graphics card
November 8, 2011 4:55:04 AM

Guten hunger YAH!
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November 8, 2011 4:57:39 AM

I want my next PC to be able to play Crysis AND make me hot dogs and Iced Frappuccinos.

All kidding aside...curious though, the test setup is on AMD CPUs. What about Intel CPUs? I would assume many of the concepts are similar.
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November 8, 2011 5:02:33 AM

Finally! A definitive article on how to air cool effectively! :D 
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November 8, 2011 5:05:27 AM

Great guide. I live in a perpetually hot n dusty place. This will come in handy.

Would be better if there's some tips on dust management.
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November 8, 2011 5:45:49 AM

heh i am just showing you a pic from my pc that the airflow is totally different because there is a watercooling system on the cpu, i hope that the picture is self explanatory for all.


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a b U Graphics card
November 8, 2011 5:46:41 AM

Hey I have a question... for the PSU you say to not put it in upside down (ie. with it's opening facing up into the chassis..) but this is how I have mine in my ANTEC300 case since there is little room between bottom of case and the PSU if mounted right-side up. So what should I do?!!
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November 8, 2011 6:15:49 AM

amirpHey I have a question... for the PSU you say to not put it in upside down (ie. with it's opening facing up into the chassis..) but this is how I have mine in my ANTEC300 case since there is little room between bottom of case and the PSU if mounted right-side up. So what should I do?!!


PSU's don't pull that much air, normally. So unless your Unit kicks it's fan speed way up there then don't royy abotu it and do as suggested. If it doesn't work then you can always just flip it back to where it was.
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November 8, 2011 6:20:38 AM

BeetlejuiceGr, your cpu core temps are pushing 70 or 90 degrees C... thats hot!
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November 8, 2011 6:44:42 AM

Mark HeathGood timing as the Australian summer approaches. You guys in the US think you have it hot :S


LOL, you both in the US and Australia think that it is hot at your home.
Come taste the hot weather + high humidity in the Gulf countries.
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November 8, 2011 7:07:46 AM

Great article. It would be good to have also words on noise and dust (filters)
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a b U Graphics card
November 8, 2011 7:54:25 AM

MAGPCLOL, you both in the US and Australia think that it is hot at your home.Come taste the hot weather + high humidity in the Gulf countries.


Seconded :D 
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November 8, 2011 8:19:24 AM

This is a decent article.

However, the compilation of articles on Silent PC Review provide much more thorough details on air-cooling effectively. SPCR also comments on noise characteristics, with detailed comments on specific component selection. It makes this article kind of redundant.
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November 8, 2011 8:33:08 AM

So how is cooling in system with bottom PSU, downdraft cooler, top and rear exhaust and NO side fans (without any holes for silent system)?
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Anonymous
a b U Graphics card
November 8, 2011 8:42:31 AM

Based on this the tower format is a heat failure as the best orientation would be for the motherboard to be laid on the floor of the case. One other aspect that wasn't mentioned and I don't know how much of an affect it would have, is Bernoulli principle that dictates moving air to have reduced pressure and temperature over surrounding static air. Tunnel structures for airflow to assist air speed inside the case?
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a b U Graphics card
November 8, 2011 8:46:43 AM

Great work! As someone pointed out, dust intake is a problem when you have lots of fans pulling the air inside the case. While not all places are dusty, my place sits behind a school and there are dust everywhere. So my solution come from Organza, a thin, plain weave, sheer fabric traditionally made from silk. I fixed the fabric outside the case, and it works to filter the air.
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a b U Graphics card
November 8, 2011 10:40:23 AM

great article, was going to revamp my cooling system in december anyway, this article helped a lot, and confirmed a lot of my suspicions (like the side fan).
only prob with the side fan is that most manufacturers don't include dust filters on the side went, even if the front and psu intakes have it. you can always make/buy one though...

MAGPCLOL, you both in the US and Australia think that it is hot at your home.Come taste the hot weather + high humidity in the Gulf countries.

i was going to make a similar comment regarding Indian summers :D . I only see my hard drive below 30*C during winter!
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Anonymous
a b U Graphics card
November 8, 2011 11:06:31 AM

You did not address or test air pressure. I spent many days testing multiple formats such as the tests above at my previous position and when I included air pressure, the whole story changed.

Positive air pressure in a case, that has optimal channels for air movement, will cool components better than neutral, or negative pressure.

All else equal, the positive air pressure creates more small eddies that pull more heat from the surface of components, which would otherwise be missed.

You can test this, grab a good tower case, with a bottom mounted PSU, well groomed cabling, and make sure the case has no perforated walls (which defeats the purpose of air pressure testing). If you have 6 fans, 3 point in and 3 point out, in any configuration, it will cool less effectively than arranging the same 6 fans in a 4 in 2 out configuration.

Try it and see if you get the same results...also any thermodynamic engineers care to join in? I am no engineer, just interested.
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November 8, 2011 11:30:39 AM

A 60 watt light bulb emits approximately 90% of its energy through heat, so about 54 watts of heat. A computer drawing 60 watts at idle isn't going to be a particularly warm one. The power supply alone is 80%+ efficient. You just can't compare a light bulb's heat output to a computer's. Plus, a computer's heat is spread out over a higher area.

As for the case you're working with in this article...I would not recommend it to anyone. These cases with the hard drives mounted sideways may be slightly handy, but there is basically no airflow over them. I don't see why a person with a simple tower would need quick removal. If you want server-type features, man up and buy real server hardware. Hard drives don't need much airflow to stay cool. There is no need to add anything to a hard drive to cool them, they should be properly cooled in the first place.
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November 8, 2011 11:39:19 AM

The guid was great and so are a lot of the comments. However, I would like to see how the Raven and Fortress cases stack up in comparison. More so the Fortress as it mounts the PSU a bit differently than the Raven.
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a b U Graphics card
November 8, 2011 11:55:02 AM

Nice article, but ....

One principle that you wander arouind, but do not directly address is rational airflow. Cooling is best had when you have a directed airflow from one side of the case to the other with good venting. The best solution for a single GPU rig is intake from the front bottom and exhaust to the top rear. This scheme works with natural convection to maximize cooling. Adding a side fan to a single GPU rig disturbs the airflow with side cross currents and blows hot air around the case.

I differ from you on the issue of GPU cooling. Exhausting the heat from a shrouded reference GPU card is like pissing through a pin hole. There is a lot of splash back of hot air directly on the GPU. Open-air bench tests of GPUs show the non-reference multifan configurations to be superior to the reference design. The problem with the enhanced cooling designs is, as you state, a lot of hot air splash into the case. However, this is where good case design and ventilation take over. The case is a much more efficient means to exhaust the heat from the GPU than the fan and small aperture of the reference design GPU.

One caveat is the muiltiple GPU rig does not follow in line with this design. In the case of a multiple GPU rig the blockage of airflow causes some problems. In the case of muiltiple GPUs, you are correct in emphasizing spacing between the cards to assist airflow. Multiple GPU rigs should either use a reference card (or enhanced reference design) that exhausts the top card out of the rear of the case. The bottom mounted card can use either exhaust (referece or case exhaust) method depending on case ventilation. This is also an exception to the side door fan. In cases populated with multiple GPUs, a fan blowing air towards the GPU cards will enhance cooling and longevity of the GPUs. The eddying of the (irrational) airflow may not be avoidable in a multi GPU rig.

One observation about CPU cooling: you do not take up closed loop liquid cooling. While tests show that closed loop cooling is little (if any) more efficient than good tower cooling they ignore the fact that closed loop coolers have the advantage of exhausting the heat directly from the case. With the radiator mounted at the rear or top of the case, virtually all of the heat exhausted from a closed loop does not create any hot air splash on other components. While the CPU itself may not experience an advantage over tower cooling, the other electronic parts (north bridge, south bridge, GPU(s), HDDs & SSDs, etc.) all benefit.

I look forward to your next article.
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November 8, 2011 12:22:42 PM

at least in [Europe] the USA the weather is not that warm.... sorry but I live in Spain, and as far as I know, Europe... And here the summer is hot. California is hot too, because they have MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE... So Italy, Spain, Greece and France all have Mediterranean climate and the weather in summer is hot.
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November 8, 2011 12:37:14 PM

This is perfect. I was just searching the forums for info on airflow yesterday.
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Anonymous
a b U Graphics card
November 8, 2011 12:48:01 PM

This is my ultra silent configuration: http://img813.imageshack.us/img813/1417/02ae.jpg It has NO airflow, because the fan on the CPU cooler runs at less than 800 rpm, and the PSU never goes faster than its lowest speed. The video has passive cooling. So the only noise from this cheap case is from the HDD, thats why i mounted it on rubber base, and plan to buy ssd and move all HDDs to my homemade athom based NAS over gigabit lan. The parts are 90W cpu and 90W video and there was no overheating all summer long.
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November 8, 2011 12:54:09 PM

This is my ultra silent configuration: http://img813.imageshack.us/img813/1417/02ae.jpg It has NO airflow, because the fan on the CPU cooler runs at less than 800 rpm, and the PSU never goes faster than its lowest speed. There are no other fans. The video has passive cooling. So the only noise from this cheap case is from the HDD, thats why i mounted it on rubber base, and plan to buy ssd and move all HDDs to my homemade athom based NAS over gigabit lan. The parts are 90W cpu and 90W video and there was no overheating all summer long.
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November 8, 2011 1:21:17 PM

Silverstone Raven. For all your cooling needs.
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November 8, 2011 1:37:58 PM

You described common tower and mini-tower configurations, but didn't even touch on the HTPC-typical "desktop" configuration, in which the motherboard lays flat and cooling goes more front-to-back than bottom-to-top. As an example, take the Silverstone LC16, LC17, etc. On these, the PSU is usually what you would call "on the bottom" if the case were rotated to match a typical tower config. But that just means it's on the left. Some such cases have a vent on the right that can be used either as intake to help the CPU get cool air, or as exhaust for the CPU if there is enough airflow from the front of the case.

What guidance would you give for such a configuration? Obviously a desktop orientation is not ideal for cooling, and wouldn't typically be considered for a top-performance enthusiast gaming rig. But such cases do have a much better chance of passing the "wife approved for living room" test for HTPCs.
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November 8, 2011 1:53:38 PM

@ ramico, a computer PSU is usually rated 80% efficient meaning that out of the 100% it draws out of the wall, 80% is usable as power in the computer, the other 20% is converted to heat right there. The 80% put into the computer is 0% efficient. All Energy used by the computer is output in heat. A lightbulb can have an efficiency comparison because 25% or so is turned into radiation form, and 75% directly into heat energy.
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Anonymous
a b U Graphics card
November 8, 2011 2:04:28 PM

I've never understood why the motherboard is not surface mounted. It seems to me putting anything in a box creates heat problems.
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November 8, 2011 2:10:48 PM

Great article. Most mistakes are made from a failure in fundamentals! I'll probably be referencing this in the future to make sure that I have everything right. Thanks Toms!
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November 8, 2011 2:20:54 PM

The fans blowing in opposite directions should be classified as 'epic' failures.
I use a paper test for figuring out correct air flow.
- Bottom mounted P/S
- Front 14 cm
- Rear 12 cm
- Top 14 cm
- Side 14 cm (blowing inward to keep the graphic card cool).
- Processor H/S+Fan 12 cm (Rear blowing)
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a c 173 U Graphics card
November 8, 2011 2:30:21 PM

Mark HeathGood timing as the Australian summer approaches. You guys in the US think you have it hot :S


Those in Europe don't know what a real summer is till they go to the Mediterranean areas. As for the US come to my home state of Texas it is more than adequate for melting asphalt during the hot part of the day and the rear view mirror has melted off a few times in the past.
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a b U Graphics card
November 8, 2011 2:50:27 PM

As with most things in life appropriate, objective, scientific testing separates fact from opinion.

Most people will need to test different fan cooling configurations to see what works best for their hardware. As this article shows, you basically want cool air in the front and hot air out the back. There are many cooling configuration possibilities. In most cases a change of 1-2C isn't going to change anyone's life or the performance and reliability of their PC so don't get OCD over a couple degrees in temp.
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November 8, 2011 3:11:14 PM

MAGPCLOL, you both in the US and Australia think that it is hot at your home.Come taste the hot weather + high humidity in the Gulf countries.

Fair enough :p  Australia isn't the hottest place around, but the variation that can happen between cold and raining one day to melting plastic the next is what makes it seem even hotter than it really is :) 
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November 8, 2011 3:23:41 PM

I am also eagerly awaiting part two of this article. However like someone else also pointed out, I would like to see the effects of dust accumulating contributing to poor cooling and how to measurably prevent dust from building up too much.
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November 8, 2011 4:41:19 PM

beastlieI've never understood why the motherboard is not surface mounted. It seems to me putting anything in a box creates heat problems.



It would be great if we could not put all our computer components inside a small box. However do a search for Antec Skeleton case electromagnetic interference.

http://www.cydeweys.com/blog/2008/10/19/review-of-antec...

Also there are other reasons. Such as Pets, children, and midgets with hammers.
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November 8, 2011 5:40:07 PM

I have done a great deal of research on this topic. Did you know the ATX case standard only anticipated accessory cards maxing out at 15 watts? LOL. The standard just doesn't make sense anymore. Instead of writing an article on how to make the best of a 20 year old case standard, you should be showcasing the case solutions that improve upon it.
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November 8, 2011 6:04:44 PM

Ichy said:
The guid was great and so are a lot of the comments. However, I would like to see how the Raven and Fortress cases stack up in comparison. More so the Fortress as it mounts the PSU a bit differently than the Raven.

^ +1: Silverstone also has their Air Penetrator intake fans designed to provide better intake airflow.
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November 8, 2011 6:13:35 PM

I've always been concerned about the heat pipes on coolers. Would they not be more efficient if they were pointing upwards instead of downwards? Graphic cars are always upside down in a Tower design. When are they going to change the standards to flip them around and have the heat sinks pointing upwards to aid in cooling? Right now, the heat that is not dissipated by the heat sink is flowing upwards against the video card. Not the best flow. The heat pipes also contain a liquid that evaporates, then turns back to liquid and has to work against gravity and wick to where the heat source is. Again, gravity would help make those more efficient instead of working against it.
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November 8, 2011 6:21:36 PM

they should talk about the design of certain cases that uses the stack effect to great effect. cases that comes to mind are the silverstone ft02, rv02 and rv03. these cases really cool your parts and is silent as well.
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a b U Graphics card
November 8, 2011 7:02:33 PM

pointless like most of tom's articles. no test benchmarks and the PSU orientation on the bottom is based of what? personal feelings? i've run the test myself and found the PSU makes less noise when it goes fan side up and "debris" can be kept out with a simple magnetic fan filter.
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a b U Graphics card
November 8, 2011 7:10:55 PM

Whoops... need to flip my PSU the other way..!
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November 8, 2011 7:50:25 PM

Dear Tom's Hardware,

Even though this is part 1 of the article, I can already tell the 2nd part will just be as fantastic. I love how you guys are taking the time to explain to us non-experts on how to get a good cooling solution for a PC.

I personally think myself as an enthusiast and would like to know more information about unique cooling solutions offered by companies like Silverstone with their cases featuring a vertical motherboard mount and a vertical cooling concept.

I would also like to know more about direct exhaust video cards versus 3rd party cooling solutions like the MSI Twin Frozr product line for multi GPU setups and as well as the effect of a side fan cooling these 2 different types of GPU cooling solutions.
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November 8, 2011 8:00:56 PM

What do you do to mitigate problems if you only have the "wrong" (gpu-03-EN.png) configuration available?
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November 8, 2011 8:03:03 PM

dual gpu on a mATX pcb, that is.
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November 8, 2011 8:56:53 PM

ctbaars said:
dnpearl said:
What do you do to mitigate problems if you only have the "wrong" (gpu-03-EN.png) configuration available?
dual gpu on a mATX pcb, that is.

Hope you have a fan strong enough to force air to both GPUs. :sweat:  A side fan or a front fan directly blowing towards the GPUs' intake fan might be your best bet.
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a b U Graphics card
November 8, 2011 9:21:23 PM

This was an interesting article. What I would like to know is that I have everything running on my X58 fine yet my system temps hover around 50'C and my CPU temps at IDLE are around 38'C - 42'C at full load with a dual heat-sink / fan operation I have (Silver Arrow).

Now my SB build - with a Cooler Master Hyper 212 puts out temps at 19'C idle for CPU, and 26'C with CPU at full use, system temps hover anywhere from 35'C - 45'C when in full use. What I don't get is that on my X58 system do I have something installed incorrectly? Is my fan pointing in the right direction? Am I using too much or not enough thermal paste? Am I using the wrong kind of thermal paste? What could be causing this?
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November 8, 2011 10:02:39 PM

There is an element of common sense:

-Hot air rises, put fans at the top of your case.
-Run positive pressure in your case to avoid dust getting sucked in from every random hole.
-Push hot air out as soon as it's generated. Don't wait for it to sit around and eventually get drawn out by a fan 6" away.

And invest in a PCI slot cooler. Works great for drawing cool air towards a GPU fan or exhausting hot air from the top of your case, if the PCI slots are at the top.
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