My case cooling

[progrip]

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forums. I need you guys that are experts with case air cooling to help me out. Here are my system specs:

Core 2 duo E6400 OC'd to 2.4Ghz.
Intel d975xbx2 mobo
2x1024mb Corsair xms2 ddr2-800 (4-4-4-12)
ATI radeon x1650 pro 512mb ram (PCI-E)
Antec p180 case
Antec earthwatts 500w psu
Seagate 300gb SATA2 hdd
pioneer dvd-rw
linksys b&g wireless pci card

It's no big problem, but I would like to get my processor and gfx card temps down. With TAT I see my cpu idling at ~50C and on full load 62C. I am using the stock heatsink - manually running at 2000rpms. My northbridge is at 37C and my southbridge at 36C, if that helps. The room temp is around 22C. Here is an image I made in paint of my case and the fans and airflow I have going in.

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/8056/casecoolinghg7.jpg

The black is my wires around my case, obviously darker colored arrows means cooler air, lighter arrows hotter air.

Can you guys help me out and possibly help me get my temps down?

 

[t53186]

I have a P180B. Intel 975xbx, E6600 O/C-3.0 and idle at 30C, Max load running TAT 48C. ATI FireGL 3400, 3GB kingston 667, 2 CD/DVD drives, 1 FD(yes too bad), 2 WD 250SE15 SATA II/Raid 0.

You diagram looks a bit incorrect in the power supply area. Try turning the arrows around. The PSU should exhaust with the mid fan before the PSU blowing at the PSU, sucking air in from the front with your hard drives in the lower bay. Keep the lower bay top cover closed. The upper air flow is correct. I have an ANTEC 120 at the front intake hooked up to the MB for speed control, and ANTEC 120 at the rear hooked up to the MB, and an ANTEC 120 on the top set to low speed at all times hooked up to a 4pin molex-same airflow direction. I also use a Zalman CPU cooler with AS5.

Try downloading IDCC from intel for setting your hign/low temp ranges and use the fan speed monitoring/control options available on your MB. It will keep it cool and reduce noise when fan speed can be reduced.

!EDIT-if you are using the original ANTEC 120 fans, leave the top one set at low, Get 2 new ANTEC 120's one for the rear, one for the front-mount it right behind the filter and get rid of the 80. The 120 w leds work, I cut the led wires to eliminate the color-too bright for me, or the 120 pro fans. I was too impatient to wait for newegg delivery and went to compusa for the fans- did not have the pro's I wanted, but it all works very well-cool, quiet, reliable

 

[bigsby]

One of the biggest factors in getting more airflow through my case and bringing down my temps was to put in a 120mm fan in the front intake. It almost doubled the airflow through the case,and brought the temps down 7 degrees in my system.

Another thing would be to get a larger cooler of your liking. The stock heatsink can only go so far before it becomes inadequate.

 

[progrip]

t53186: I don't know, the psu fan at the back of case feels like it's sucking air in but not out. You're probably right though. How did you hook up the included tricool fans to the mobo? my fans just came with a 4 pin power connector (to the psu) - I had to buy adapters from 4 pin psu power to female mobo fan connectors from frys electronics. I have all fans set on high (noise doesn't bother me - I play my music all the time). I would have bought a 120 mm instead of 80 if it was in the store. I don't understand, what do you mean mount a new 120 in the rear? Where at?

bigsby: I would buy a tuniq tower but I'm kind of leery of the price tag and weight exerted on cpu (c9700 and tuniq both weigh >650g - core 2's only rated for 450g).

 

[t53186]

I bought two new ANTEC tri cool fans which came with the three pin connectors to moniotr the speed. I set the fan switch to high so they would start running at low rpm and ramp up to high only when needed, such as running TAT. You would be amazed how quiet it is even though you don;t mind the noise.

I must have been unclear about mounting the additional 120. if you open the front filter cover and remove the filter you will see four holes for mounting a fan. Inside the case, when you pull out the drive cage with the parts box on it, you will also notice a black plastic louver/adapter that cones out of the case if you pull it towards you. It has to be removed because the screws for the fan are not long enough to go through it then into the fan frame. Also on one of my fans the blade just barely touched the metal frame of the case so I added a spaced at all four screw hole locatitions to shim the fan out aproximately .030" away from the case to avoid interference.

You could get another cpu fan/heatsink, but as bigsby pointed out weight is a concern. The Zalman 9500 and others do a great job of blowing air towards the rear case fan. Still, with the stock HSF, I think you are running too hot, maybe some new artic silver and a reseat would help that.

I will post a picture later today after work.

 

[progrip]

Okay. So you mounted the 120's on the upper hdd front intake in front of dust filter and one at the edge of the upper hdd bay with clips? Okay, just cleaned off cpu & heatsink, reapplied as5 and reseated. Temps dropped 1C. I will post some pictures now of my case setup. Wires are everywhere, nothing I can do about it due to the small hole from lower psu & hdd bay to main area.

progrip

Edit: Okay here are the photos. You may notice that I took that 80mm and mounted it on some wires hanging parallel to my x1650pro card (not the most stable, but I don't LAN, so it should be fine). Just doing this to blow air on my gfx card, northbridge and heatsink - brought temps down around 2-3C.

Here are the links.

http://members.cox.net/brentblkblt/DSC02110.JPG
http://members.cox.net/brentblkblt/DSC02111.JPG
http://members.cox.net/brentblkblt/DSC02112.JPG
http://members.cox.net/brentblkblt/DSC02114.JPG

 

[t53186]

My case

1. Top fan speed set to low at all times
2. Rear fan speed swith set to high, but connected to MB for variable speed control based on temp
3. Front fan speed switch set to high, but connected to MB for variable speed control based on temp.
4. Lower chamber fan set to med low at all times.

As I am typing TAT shows core 0=30 core 1=28, IDCC shows CPU zone = 34 zone a=31, zone b=29
Zalman rpm at 1400, fan 2 at 1200 fan 3 at 1200. barely any noise

CPU e6600 at 3.0ghs FSB=1333 mem at 666 EIST=disabled

http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/9005/dsc03365aex0.jpg

 

[progrip]

Thanks for helping me out. I've ordered a tuniq tower and 2 of the antec pro fans off of newegg.

Thanks again,

progrip

 

[t53186]

Your welcome. The excahnge of helpful information and stimulation of though are what forums need to be used for. We all want to have the best performance with what we have along with some fun. Sharing the success of others is part of that fun.

Good luck and enjoy that box of electronics and majic.

 

[snake_pliskin]

just a simple trick if you ever are confused with which way the air is blowing is bust out a lighter and watch which way it blows. Now I dont wanna be sued for burning down your house so be careful. :roll:

 

[meshugah]

You could easily, depending on the space available in you're case, put any number of cooling systems in. For example you have a weight limit of "450g"
so take a look at this.

http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/thulcpucofor.html

It suggests you use a fan with it a fan but if you have your airflow properly dispersing it should work wonders.

I currently use a Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX and that has the best cooling i have seen in person.

Thermaltake also has cheaper cpu watercooling units that are small and convenient if you are working with weigh worries.

 

[njvsav]

I admit I didn't read ALL the replys so someone may have caught this, but why do you have two 80MM fans in the graphics 'duct' cooling up front?

I have a P180 and it uses TWO optional 120MM fans there, I don't get it?
Using the two extra 120s makes all the difference in the world, my 8800GTS dropped about 20C once I installed them, and in turn, the CPU cooled off about 10C since the GFX card wasnt belching heat up towards the CPU.

The two 120s help the stock heatsink on the 8800GTS work MUCH better and they blow directly on it in the P180.

So again, are you really using two 80MM fans there, or was that a mistake? And if it isn't, did the P180 have a revision or something that I missed changing those from 80 to 120MM?

 

[progrip]

What?

I have the original three tricool fans in my case, and I just installed an additional 120 at the front intake (upper hdd bay). I also put in a 9700 led and i'm getting cpu temps of around 32C (38 on load) and gfx card core temps of around 42C, because I have the zalman mounted so it sucks in hot air from graphics card and northbridge, blowing it out of top of case.

 

[njvsav]

OK, well in your diagram you show ONE 80MM fan in the upper hard drive bay, that's why i asked.

Also, use two there, one goes behind the bay in the black plastic holder and one one the bay itself with the wire clips. Works like a charm, and having two there increses the airflow nicely across the card and northbridge. Set both on medium.