Keeping the PC cool

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EscCtrl

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Yeah I've looked at the guide in the overclocker forum and I know my CPU is too hot for long-term sustainability the problem is cooling it down.

I have an E6600, using CPUtemp I clock temperatures of 51ºC idle and around 60 under load.

I have an arctic cooling 7 CPU cooler, a 120mm and a 92mm Zalman fan, an aftermarket VGA fan and the only other fan is that of the PSU.

Here is a basic side-view diagram of the case and fan components and directions of airflow (the directions I think they are travelling in unless of course I'm mistaken, I've tested it a bit but I really don't know what the problem is)

_________________________
| PSU \/wwwwwwwwwwwwww|
|wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww|
| <120www<CPUwwwwwwww
|wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww|
|wwwwwwwwwwwwww<92ww|
| VGA \/wwwwwwwwwwwwww|
|________________________|


My CPU is at about 1.325V I think (I'll check) and 3.2GHz (overclocked myself using the guide on this forum)

If I leave the side of the case open there is no difference in reading (too slight for CPUtemp to read) it's been a windy day here too and have had my windows wide open.


Is there any particular arrnagement of fans I could use or anything I could buy (not too expensive please 20-30pounds most). The case is pretty dusty and cluttered with fans but I wouldn't have thought that would effect it this badly, I normally keep my PC under my desk which is tall and well ventilated but for today I left it in the middle of the room (shaded) to see if that would help - it didn't.



Thanks in advance, I know the CPU is fine at these temperatures but I have been told it will shorten it's life span (I haven't the money to buy a new PC every year or two) and plenty of people run far lower temperatures which is what got me thinking about the temperature.
 
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TheRodent

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It entirely depends on the software you use to measure the temps. if its reading from the motherboard bios then it is probably hot. On the other hand if its like intel TAT and reading from the sensor then its not hot at all. - im not sure which category CPU temp falls into.

Try using intel TAT and see what temperatures that gives.
 
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No it gives me almost identical results, thanks though that program is nice and detailed.


:( put load on both cores suing that progam (I never have load on both as no programs I have really use it so this was a first) and the PC started making some odd whirling noise and temperatures got to 67ºC before I stopped the program


Definitley need to sort out this computer.
 
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speed4life

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What are your system specs?


Motherboard: EVGA T1 680i
CPU: E6600 L646G494 @ 3.7Ghz. 1:1 Ratio Linked & Synced Voltage 1.44 Load Temp 45c
Idle Temp. 25c
SPP:1.45volts, MCP: 1.50volts
Memory: Mushkin PC2 8000 2gig's 4-5-4-11, 2T Voltage 2.1
Swiftech Water Cooling H20-220
Video: One EVGA 8800GTS 320MB
Power Supply: Silverstone 750W
OS: XP Pro
 
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You sure? I thought there was only one junction temperature? I'm given two readings (one for each core I will assume).

While 67 under 100% load on both cores isn't too bad surely it's not healthy for a CPU?

Tomorrow I'll get some pictures of the inside of my case to see if any of you can see something obvious that's blocking heatflow or something or if the fans are setup incorrectly - it shouldn't be hard to install them effectively but I'm stuck for ideas on what's causing the heat, and yes I still think it's far too hot from comparisons I've made with others.
 
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What are your system specs?


Motherboard: EVGA T1 680i
CPU: E6600 L646G494 @ 3.7Ghz. 1:1 Ratio Linked & Synced Voltage 1.44 Load Temp 45c
Idle Temp. 25c
SPP:1.45volts, MCP: 1.50volts
Memory: Mushkin PC2 8000 2gig's 4-5-4-11, 2T Voltage 2.1
Swiftech Water Cooling H20-220
Video: One EVGA 8800GTS 320MB
Power Supply: Silverstone 750W
OS: XP Pro
Click to expand...

MoBo: Gigabyte DS3 965P
CPU: E6600 @ 3.2Ghz
RAM: Crucial DDR2 6400 2gig's 800MHz
VGA: ATi x1900xt
PSU: Hiper 580W
OS: XP
 
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TheRodent

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core 2s have two junction temperatures. Its explained in the core 2 duo temperature guide.

about a page or so down in the inerpretation section, second paragraph.

http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/Core-Duo-Temperature-Guide-ftopict221745.html

Thermal Junction temperatures of 75c is hot, 70c is warm, and 65c is safe. The dual Thermal Junction sensors are how Tjunction is measured, and are the dual Core temperatures displayed in TAT, and SpeedFan: Core 0 / Core 1.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reassurance. The thing that gets me though is that many people run at 10-20ºC cooler then mine even after overclocking. Should have read that guide a bit more carefully though sorry :oops:
 
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speed4life

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Whats your ambient Temp?

Also If posible I would try and put a 120mm fan in the front, or if you can add a fan on the side. You need more air coming into your system. One other thing Get rid of the dust insid eyour pc. Too much can affect your temps. I clean mine about every 2-3 weeks.

Motherboard: EVGA T1 680i
CPU: E6600 L646G494 @ 3.7Ghz. 1:1 Ratio Linked & Synced Voltage 1.44 Load Temp 45c
Idle Temp. 25c
SPP:1.45volts, MCP: 1.50volts
Memory: Mushkin PC2 8000 2gig's 4-5-4-11, 2T Voltage 2.1
Swiftech Water Cooling H20-220
Video: One EVGA 8800GTS 320MB
Power Supply: Silverstone 750W
OS: XP Pro
 
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I don't know the ambient temp, could you reccomend a program for that? The case accepts two 92mms at the front (it'll be awkward fitting a 120mm in that space provided.

I'll clear out dust tomorrow, there's loads of that :S
 
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millwright

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With the side off your case, as I see you have done, place a window fan blowing into the case. This will absolutely make the inside of your case the same temp as your room temp. If the CPU temp doesn't go down then your case cooling is as good as it can get and a better CPU cooler is all you can do to lower the CPU temp any further.

Edit; Assuming your cooler is installed and working properly.
 
Mondoman

Mondoman

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Here is a basic side-view diagram of the case and fan components and directions of airflow (the directions I think they are travelling in unless of course I'm mistaken, I've tested it a bit but I really don't know what the problem is)

_________________________
| PSU \/wwwwwwwwwwwwww|
|wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww|
| <120www<CPUwwwwwwww
|wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww|
|wwwwwwwwwwwwww<92ww|
| VGA \/wwwwwwwwwwwwww|
|________________________|

...
Click to expand...
This looks wrong to me:
1) The PSU fan should be sucking air into the PSU and out the back.
2) The VGA coolers I've seen normally suck air into the fan and blow it toward the heatsink on the circuit card. Since the circuit cards face downwards, I would think your cooler should be blowing upwards. However, the VGA cooler shouldn't have a big effect on overall case airflow.

As others have said, get rid of the dust inside with a can of compressed air ("air duster"). Also, make sure your BIOS has the CPU fan set to max, not variable with temp.

However, I suspect your Artic Freezer 7 Pro is not quite completely installed. This is unfortunately very common due to the not-so-great Intel 4-pin design. Check out step 2.5 onward in this for details: http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=1184072#1184072
 
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Ambient temperature right now is 20ºC though it's morning so temperatures can get to 24ºC in this room in the day.

We don't have any fans in our house to my knowledge (only portable radiators) but I'll see if I can get one somewhere, the problem with an open case is the dust though, as I mentioned my case is already full of it so I'm not the best at clearing it.

Maybe I planned that diagram badly, after rechecking the PSU I'm pretty sure the airflow goes otu the case like you said, as for the VGA, the airflow it produces is so weak it's hard to tell where it's going, and the shape of the fan blades don't offer much assistance.

I'll look into reinstalling the fan then when I clear out the case this lunchtime.


Thanks again.
 
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To put it this way I'm never opening my PC again unless it's necessary, the fan was such a chore to install; broke some of the pins, got paste everywhere then caught my hand in a pair of pliers. No, no my temperatures haven't decreased either and right now I'm very pessimistic that as stated on the installation guide the paste will settle in and temperatures will drop. Temperatures have gone up 4ºC.

My advice to anyone interested in dropping temperatures is to leave it all alone unless you know for sure what needs doing.

Thanks anyway.
 
bhavv

bhavv

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You could get a better HSF if you really want to overclock that high!

The freezer 7 isnt bad, but there is a lot better you can get to shed 3-5 degrees more off your CPU. Also, a case with a side fan would work wonders, also try fitting a PCI can card.

My case has a 14cm fan intake at the front, 2x12cm fans on the side, 12cm fan exhaust and a powercolour PCI exhaust+fan card for the GFX card.

But my CPU is a few years behind yours.
 
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jackluo923

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Try opening spare 5"1/2 Drive Bays. It might improve your temp a lot because it seems that you have too little intake thus negative pressure inside the system. By opening a Drive bay or 2, fresh air gets drawn in.

Here's a diagram

___________________
|..................| DVD |
|...........................|
| CPU ~ ~ ~
| Fan ~ ~ ~ ~
|...........................|
| VGA...... 92mm |
|_________fan___|

ignore the periods,
 
easyg

easyg

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Try opening spare 5"1/2 Drive Bays. It might improve your temp a lot because it seems that you have too little intake thus negative pressure inside the system. By opening a Drive bay or 2, fresh air gets drawn in.

Here's a diagram

___________________
|..................| DVD |
|...........................|
| CPU ~ ~ ~
| Fan ~ ~ ~ ~
|...........................|
| VGA...... 92mm |
|_________fan___|

ignore the periods,
Click to expand...

Eh, since removing the side panel didn't help lower temps, the problem prolly isn't inadequate air intake. I'm more inclined to think the problem is an improperly mounted heatsink/fan.

The Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro uses the same mounting mechanism as the stock Intel cooler. Only this cooler is a lot taller and heavier. Gravity plus fan vibration -- over time, the push pins will get loose, resulting in poor contact with the CPU heatspreader.
 
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TheRodent

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I think that makes sense. Why bother with this extra case airflow when it will probably only result in a few degrees difference at most. You already have two fans i dont see how anything much will change. Its more serious if the heatsink is loose or the thermal compound is ineffective ( eg intels super thick layer ). See prev post.

I settle for temps up to 65C (using TAT) in order to get a near silent system. I dont think case cooling will be worth the effort.
 
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EscCtrl

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Thanks again but I've decided I'm going to leave it, I will remember this as a lesson to choose my HSF more carefully next time I get a PC instead of choosing the one with the coldest name (I've been near the Arctic and it is cold even if the HSF isn't).

If I have more problems with this fan coming loose I'll take off all the thermal paste and simply weld the HSF to the CPU! :roll:
 
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