PC Cooling, how important, how much, how cold, too cold?

[TheGreatWarMage]

I haven't had pc cooling problems until I got my current pc, with an AMD product and even then, it wasn't until I bought my Video Card and PSU. Though to it's defense, this is my first "gaming" pc. From what I could tell, my problem being that my case is so small, that the air can't circulate, along with only having 1 fan, outside of the gpu and cpu fans.

I have noticed that when most people on this site suggest set ups for computers, fixes or how to's, they never mention anything about cooling, or they might just suggest a cpu water cooling solution. My only other pc that I have is an intel I5 laptop, and personally I think it runs hot with just basic functions.

I have had 2 other desktops prior to this, one back in 96, and another in 2003, both intel's and using the gpu that came embedded.

Is the reasoning behind this being they are suggesting Intel processors? This is my most likely next choice for a CPU, unless AMD introduces something that can beat out an LGA2011 processor in the next 4-6 months.


I am going with a H100 liquid cooling for the processor, and an ultra M950 case (6 fans), and am even looking at buying "FREE" or extremely cheap fans for the liquid cooling/few other open holes within my rig. I plan to OC anything I can, so keeping things cool, for survival purposes (6+years for all but GPU and maybe CPU) is my end game.

I know I could always buy fans later on if I feel the need to, but I am trying to get cheaper items together along the way while they are on sale.



So my first questions are; is cooling for intel not that big of a deal? How does temp affect life of parts? What is a good temp to aim for to have my gear live for 6+ years? How many fans are to many?



Thanks for any advise or personal experiences shared in advance.


Edit: Removed video. I...feel bad now for thinking something like that. Now that I have put some thought into it, their would be no way to decrease the temperature to near freezing states with several fans in an 26 (79) degree C area, unless it were winter perhaps. Though, I would like to speculate about having my computer in a different, colder part of my home, I can ask that another time. I have reduced my thread to the above questions.

 

[Saberus]

The basic answer is don't let the parts go over their specified max operating temps and they will last for years. Your new case sounds like it will have adequate space for the task of cooling everybody.

Lower temps can improve lifespan, and at no time should you let a system drop below ambient temp, unless you've properly insulated the components from possible condensation. But this is unnecessary unless you have a heavy-duty refrigerant system.

Also, that video is a parody, and completely fake. No liquid or air cooled system will ever drop below or even to ambient, for the simple reason is that both are releasing the heat into the air, and you can't remove heat below what's already present. Adding fans like in that video is a waste, beyond the first pair of push-pull fans, the returns drop so sharply that the second pair is doing no good, just sitting there as an active spare.

Refrigerant-based cooling can drop the temps further, because they apply extra energy to do so. this includes closed loop Freon systems and liquified gasses like nitrogen, helium, and hydrogen. These present the danger of condensation to nearby components, which can cause shorts, and when extremely low temperatures (Below 0C) you run the risk of electrolytic capacitors failing because the electrolyte solution freezes and no longer functions properly.

 

[TheGreatWarMage]

So 2 sets of fans, 1 on each side, offers the greatest amount of cooling. I was contemplating if a one sided or twin sided system would be best.
So temps of near freezing should be avoided. Will have to keep that in mind during the winter.


So if you keep the temps below the max, the components should survive for a good 6 years perhaps. I was speculative of this since I noticed people saying fans tend to die out quicker at higher temps, much below their given hour life time and live longer at lower temps. But, I don't know what is given as a life expectancy for most parts. I suppose fans are the lowest, with everything else being roughly 10+ years if kept below max temps?

You brought up a thought with the capacitors. What is the weakest link in a computer. What has the lowest of the max TDPs in a system?

Thanks Saberus.

 

[Saberus]

I would say no more than one pair doing push-pull on the processor, and case fans pulling air in the front and shoving it out the back in roughly equal proportions, though a slight negative pressure is fine (more air pushed out than pulled in).

Almost everything will be affected by heat, even line traces on the board. Manufacturers take it all into account when listing a part's max operating temp, and as a whole you should review your parts setup and use the lowest max temp of any of the parts as the max temp for the whole.

I've had a PC that ran stock for ten years, fans an all, in less than idea conditions. The BIOS ROM failing is what finally killed it.

What is the weakest link in a computer? This doesn't have a simple answer. Part wise, drives and memory are the parts I replace most frequently on machines I have serviced. After those it's power supplies, motherboards, and expansion cards.

The components that are the most fragile are the small surface caps and resistors on the board, with so little material holding them down, they can be scraped off a board with careless handling. As long as you have good capacitors, they will last as long as the rest of the board. As long as you have a good name-brand board, you have good caps. Usually.

The ICs themselves are very vulnerable to ESD. You can feel a static discharge at around 30,000 volts, but even 1% of that, 300 volts will be undetectable to you, but will fry a chip.

And I wouldn't worry about the computer if the ambient temps drop in winter. as long as your room doesn't get too far below 10C (50F) you won't have issues, the parts themselves will be making enough heat to keep things from getting too cold and stay above the dew point.