Passivly Cooled PC

[tjl30]

So I build my first PC last summer (I have built many servers, but thats something quite different). Anyways I just purchased a HDT-S1283 heatsink, and installed it.

The stock CPU was running very cool, so though that maybe with this bigger heat sink I would not need a fan attached. Right now the core temperatures are running at about 71 F, and some other temperatures in the case which I am not sure about are registering at about 100 F.

This is what SpeedFan tells me:
Temp 1: 100 F
Temp 2: 79 F
Temp 3: 28 F
Core 0: 73 F
Core 1: 71 F

Now I should be having a Thermalright HR-03 PLUS arriving tomorrow, and what I was thinking is passivly cooling my GPU as well. Is this a bad idea? Should I also have a fan on my CPU?

I don't really know anything about temperatures for computers but from what I have read 100 F isn't a dangerous level for a CPU. If it's at all important my junk is in a P180B case which has 3 120mm fans running.

 

[tjl30]

Well I installed my GPU heat sink today, it was a little more involved but everything seems to have worked out ok. I decided to install another 120mm case fan in the front of my case to up the air flow. I also did not put the 92mm fan on the GPU.

The effect? Well my temperature has dropped 3 degrees, but its a little cooler out today so we shall see. I also cleaned the dust trapping cloth things which had about 2mm of dust build up on them so that might have helped.

 

[tjl30]

So the computer has been running the entire day and this is the temperatures SpeedFan is reporting:

Temp 1: 100 F
Temp 2: 86 F
Temp 3: 28 F
Core 0: 82 F
Core 1: 82 F

So I guess my fear is that when playing a game like Crysis the GPU will overheat. Is this a valid concern? How much would a GPU spike under a very heavy load? Can anyone help or point me in the right direction? Is over 100 F safe for a 8800GTS?

 

[jaibot18]

ha ha, yes those fins are quite sharp. Just for future reference most people use Celsius to describe computer temps but its fine. Yes those temps are quite good but if you weren't doing intensive tasks then hey could get a lot higher. My general rule of thumb is never let the cpu get above 60c and graphics 75c (correct me if i am wrong). If i were you i would run stress tests on the gpu and cpu to see how hot they get.

 

[tjl30]

Do you know of a any stress testing software for Vista?

 

[quaduser]

Wow! I had the EXACT same idea -- a Xigmatek S1283 and that ASUS (if I remember right) passively cooled video card!

In the end, I did get the Xigmatek S1283 for my Q6600 but have the fan on as well.. my temperatures are at 33 - 35 most of the time (almost idling).. but I am thinking of doing what you are doing. Really interested in your results!

I do have 4 case fans -- all are Scythe S-Flex fans, really quiet. 2 suck in air, 2 blow out the back.. so that's a lot of cooling. The computer is reasonably quiet.. just the sound of air but most people call it a quiet computer. I think the Xigmatek fan is the loudest of them all.

 

[iluvgillgill]

more slower spinning fan wont make much of a noise but have airflow is much much better then no air movement at all. but for the graphics card i recommend a fan or some good airflow inside the case. because the memory will overheat and crap out easily when compare to the GPU.

but of course if you stress the whole system for 24hours and its staying fine i guess you got nothing to worry about.