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I've had overheating problems since the day I got this computer. Too much hardware, not enough fans. In the summer however, it gets really bad, since after just an hour of playing a video game, the CPU temperature can go north of 65 C (Athlon XP). So I got a way that the CPU temperature will never go above 45 C. Anyone tried this before?

Mine is on the other side, and through the closed vents. Its a far bigger fan.

I'm getting the same problems.

I've fixed my heating problem by cleaning the cooler, replacing the thermoconductive paste and placing two case fans in the back to blow out the warm air. While the CPU temperature stays around 49-51 degrees, it never got over 55-56 since. And this is more than enough for me.

I've got a 12cm case fan in the front and the back, 4cm fans on each processor (I have two in my system) as well as their heat sinks, 8cm intakes/exhausts in the power supply, two 6cm fans in the back, and a 6cm fan on one of the HDD banks.

With a dedicated AC running at full cold (66° F) on low, I'm lucky to idle around 50° C. When under load, it can vary between 55° and 65° C. On particularly hot days (again, with the AC running, all the time), it can end up at 70° C.

I'm seriously considering investing in water cooling.

I just have a big ass box fan and both sides of the case open, since this room is one of the hottest in the house. Dust can be a tad of a problem, but a daily
cleaning keeps it from accumulating.

how can I tell how hot my shit is running? I tried MBM, but it's incompatible with my Dell MB.

Chardok wrote:how can I tell how hot my shit is running? I tried MBM, but it's incompatible with my Dell MB.

Google Everest; it's a very nifty tool. Tells you everything about your system, including temp, system voltage, etc.

There are several things you can do to get a better cooling setup (some of which you probably have already done).

- Make sure you box is clean. Check the fins on your cooler (each and every one) -- dust encrusted heat sinks perform horribly.

- Make sure your cables are tidy (they restrict air flow a lot -- yours don't look too tidy, but you can't really tell in that picture). If you have the $$$, go buy round cables instead of those ribbon cables.

- Make sure you have a good heat sink. If you have the stock/reference heat sink, throw it away. Get a Zalman 7000 or a Thermaltake XP-90 or XP-120. They are huge, but far better coolers (and far quieter) than anything stock -- usually ~10C less than the stock coolers at whisper quiet sound levels. My favorite is the XP-90 -- can be used in just about any machine, and has a replacable fan (I should mention that it doesn't come with a fan -- you have to buy your own). They can be had from $30-$50. Use a thermal paste (Arctic Silver is a good choice)!

- Make sure you case has (or acquire one with) good airflow. Cases with 120mm fans provide great airflow with little noise. I'd suggest Antec cases.

Miles Teg

Captain tycho wrote:

Chardok wrote:how can I tell how hot my shit is running? I tried MBM, but it's incompatible with my Dell MB.

Google Everest; it's a very nifty tool. Tells you everything about your system, including temp, system voltage, etc.

I second that. That's the thing I use too to get the temperature information.

Everest looks pretty damn sweet.. and a free version to boot. Nice!

SiSoft Sandra is also good, while its abit slower, I like all its features.

Had a fan just like that....

Fans like these

Are a much better choice for the "gehtto" cooling setups.

Also your cable setup looks bad, pull everything(After making sure you know what goes to were) then re-wire with as many as possible tucked behind the board.

Also get the fan on the other side and get it blow directly on the MB CPU.

Miles Teg wrote:There are several things you can do to get a better cooling setup (some of which you probably have already done).

- Make sure you box is clean. Check the fins on your cooler (each and every one) -- dust encrusted heat sinks perform horribly.

Yeah, I clean it once a week closed, twice a week when open.

- Make sure your cables are tidy (they restrict air flow a lot -- yours don't look too tidy, but you can't really tell in that picture). If you have the $$$, go buy round cables instead of those ribbon cables.

The round cables have had my attention for a while, but I'm pretty cash strapped, so they're a no-go. The cables are... okay as they are. I basically jammed everything up into the front, away from the CPU, since its the only part that ever overheats. So its a bit untidy in the front, but fine in the back.

- Make sure you have a good heat sink. If you have the stock/reference heat sink, throw it away. Get a Zalman 7000 or a Thermaltake XP-90 or XP-120. They are huge, but far better coolers (and far quieter) than anything stock -- usually ~10C less than the stock coolers at whisper quiet sound levels. My favorite is the XP-90 -- can be used in just about any machine, and has a replacable fan (I should mention that it doesn't come with a fan -- you have to buy your own). They can be had from $30-$50. Use a thermal paste (Arctic Silver is a good choice)!

- Make sure you case has (or acquire one with) good airflow. Cases with 120mm fans provide great airflow with little noise. I'd suggest Antec cases.

Both are the case. I have an Antec, and I'm not sure about the heatsink, but its supposed to take off ~8 C, and I keep it clean. Either way, the computer only ever overheats in the summer, and that's because it gets blisteringly hot over here, so I know my setup is adequate at the very least.

Mr Bean wrote:Fans like these
*snip*
Are a much better choice for the "gehtto" cooling setups.

Yeah, I know, but once again I lack the money.

Also get the fan on the other side and get it blow directly on the MB CPU.

Theres a shelving unit there that you can't see in the pic, and the fan won't fit, meaning the one time I tried it I had to turn the computer 90 degrees, a position I can't have it in while using it. Either way, it doesn't matter much since there are gaps in the inner case directly overtop the CPU, GPU and heatsink, and so, according to my BIOS, the difference is about 2 C depending on which side I put the fan on.

YT300000 wrote:

Miles Teg wrote: Make sure your cables are tidy (they restrict air flow a lot -- yours don't look too tidy, but you can't really tell in that picture). If you have the $$$, go buy round cables instead of those ribbon cables.

The round cables have had my attention for a while, but I'm pretty cash strapped, so they're a no-go. The cables are... okay as they are. I basically jammed everything up into the front, away from the CPU, since its the only part that ever overheats. So its a bit untidy in the front, but fine in the back.

Make sure you are not blocking the air intake up front.


Miles Teg

Hm, I could've swore that the Athlon XP had a higher temperature tolerance than other CPUs... I have an Athlon XP 3000+ myself, and the CPU temperature never goes above 40 celcius (Regular fans, case is closed)

YT300000 wrote:I've had overheating problems since the day I got this computer. Too much hardware, not enough fans. In the summer however, it gets really bad, since after just an hour of playing a video game, the CPU temperature can go north of 65 C (Athlon XP). So I got a way that the CPU temperature will never go above 45 C. Anyone tried this before?

That was pretty much my setup throughout college after my 1st year (when I got my first overclocked cpu, an Athlon Thunderbird running at 1.1 ghz). That dang thing would overheat all the time without constant box fan blowing on it (I used a bigger fan than you've got).

I still have the case off in my air conditioned room. With the way it's been 90's and above though I may consider putting a small fan pointed at the thing again for extra cooling.

You do what you gotta do! Just be sure the fan isn't so powerful it tips the thing over (I've come dangerously close on some occasions with too high of power... so I stacked some heavy things on top of the tower to stabilize a bit more).

That just means your case is too light and you need to weigh it down with more hard drives.

So, Um, is 37C hot for sitting at semi-idle? (Just running mozilla and everest.)

Chardok wrote:So, Um, is 37C hot for sitting at semi-idle? (Just running mozilla and everest.)

For a case temp or a processor temp? For a processor temp, that's gorgeous. For a case temp, it's a wee bit on the warm side, I'd say, depending on the environment. My case temp is currently 35C, and that's with the A/C on, while playing a video game.

What is the standard operating temperatures you want to keep at? I've been doing some gaming the last couple of nights (Homeworld, The Sims with Livin' Large, Hot Date, and Unleashed, and Romancing SaGa III running on ZSNES at about 300 to 400 FPS with turbo) and I've been getting room temperature readings (it's never yet broken ninety in the week or so it's been running) typically resting around 85 Fahrenheit, though tonight it was down at 77.

Sharpshooter wrote:What is the standard operating temperatures you want to keep at? I've been doing some gaming the last couple of nights (Homeworld, The Sims with Livin' Large, Hot Date, and Unleashed, and Romancing SaGa III running on ZSNES at about 300 to 400 FPS with turbo) and I've been getting room temperature readings (it's never yet broken ninety in the week or so it's been running) typically resting around 85 Fahrenheit, though tonight it was down at 77.

That's fine.