Computer cooling

[Pubic_Warrior]

in the summer my comp has a problem with overheating, i usualy open the side door and point a fan in there but i cant get the bloody door open
so how do you keep your computers cool without modifiying them, it already has 4 fans, 2 extraction and 2 intake

 

[UArch]

get vantec tornados!

i just recently invested in some better cooling stuff, last summer my computer had major overheating problems so i moved it downstairs because it was cooler, now i prepared myself, i recently got a big typhoon cooler for my cpu and it works like a charm

tip: if your using an intel and using the stock fan....FOR THE LOVE OF YOUR BALLS/BOOBS GET RID OF IT

 

[Pubic_Warrior]

its AMD and that runs at a higher temperature that intel, we have replaced the CPU fan with some huge coolmaster one, its the big green one lol

 

[SgtSafety]

i have the same problem but i just open both sides of my computer and get a fan blowing threw it 24/7 and its seems to work okay but hey my computer can over heat in winter

 

[Pestcontrol]

You'll need to get that case open if you want it to cool better or replace a fan.

How old is your machine? Maybe the fan doesn't run as smooth as it used to. When it's open spin it with your finger and check if there is any significant resistance.
AMD does run somewhat cooler than Intel (at equal performance levels excluding mobile chips), this is about to change, but that's besides the point.

If you have an older Athlon XP without the headspreader it is very possible that your heatsink has moved or the thermal paste has dried up. I got a relatively heavy block and i've seen cpu temps magically rise after going to a lan, then go to normal after i've reseated the heatsink with some new paste.

You can buy some paste yourself at any local store (you can get all sorts but expensive ones have little added value for ordinary users and may be difficult to handle), and look up a guide on the internet on how to mount a heatsink with paste on an Athlon XP or a Pentium-III, as they are similar. If you like to play it safe, just bring it in and have your problem sorted, but you will need to pay the bill.

 

[Haven]

If by AMD you mean the seven series then yes they run hot. However the eight series (opterons, AMD64's et'al) do not run hot and will run cool in summer using the OEM heatsink as long as you have a case with a decent thermal capacity (I use coolermaster stackers for this atm).

 

[thatbloke]

heh... speaking of cooling issues... my computer randomly reset itself this morning... I then felt the graphics card and it was bloody hot!

Seems like I need to fill up the two spaces I have for case fans left up with case fans

 

[Pestcontrol]

One reset does not an unstable computer make.

Graphics cards are made to run hot, they have less space and weight available for cooling and as such have to depend on higher temperatures to transport the heat out. Overheating is also fairly easy to test for anyway, as it'll only display symptoms under full load.

 

[UArch]

lol how about some of that thermal compound which actually welds the parts together permanently =D

 

[Haven]

I've used thermal adhesive before - sure its a good idea if you actually need it but it doest not perform any better than a good quality silver compound so only need it if you have to.

 

[Pestcontrol]

I suppose the idea is that it prevents your heatsink from shifting, and the adhesive from creeping, also, Artic Silver II is a silver based thermal adhesive.

I'd say Athlon XP's are far too fragile for this, though. It's nice for northbridge/southbridges, GPU's, memory, anything where you have a relatively large surface area that you mount a relatively small sink on, and doesn't have mounting holes or brackets near.

Also high end silicones and various thermoplasts have superceded silver now. Not so much in thermal conductivity (it's as good as it can be), but certainly in being easier to handle and nonconductive. All modern CPU's have heatspreaders anyway which lower the thermal density to such a degree the paste is far less relevant.

 

[Gizmo-5]

does anybody have any info on water cooling? i have a high power dell 8200 but the kits look complicated and might not fit the machine.

I dont have any problems with the computer overheating, it just heats the room up no end and makes a really loud whiring noise (i think it has a jet engine)

 

[Pestcontrol]

Not necissary unless you're into the extremer regions of overclocking or own a particularly hot chip and absolutely need a silent system. Also you'd need to get rid of or silence all the other fans as well if you really want to benefit from the low noise of water cooling.

If your system is noisy, find the noisiest fan and replace it, or in the case of the CPU fan, get a bigger heatsink with a big, slow running fan.

Also, fitting WC in a Dell might be a nightmare, and OC features in such a system are limited.