Cool it, man
Recently, my computer suffered full PSU failure and was in sore need of other resolutions to heat-related stress.
The 300W PSU in my system blew some overheat/overvoltage fuse and refused to power up even after waiting overnight. This prompted a visit to compUSA to get a good replacement (600W) with a dual-fan flow-through air design which thus far is working well, but far short of the "superquiet" rating IMHO.
The sound of my Intel-factory-standard CPU fan running at full bore (obviously making no headway) finally got to me yesterday, and I borrowed against forthcoming benefits to buy a Zalman copper fan. The one Intel supplies in their retail box is an aluminum heat sink with 60mm (approx) fan, and some alloy bracket spreading the heat to the fins. For something they charge so much to buy, you'd think Intel would supply an ADEQUATE heat dissipater.
The CPU now runs lots cooler and quieter with the Zalman fan, which mounts at a right angle (air flow wise) opposed to the original. I had to remove the heat tunnel from my case, and had to remove the power supply, RAM, and graphics adapter in order to get enough room to bolt the Zalman down into place. Just figuring how to get its mounting bracket positioned correctly in between its copper heat pipes took me about 30 minutes.
The final mounting took a lot of time, because that bracket is so firm, pressing down on a screw placed in it down to its mating hole caused a lot of struggle. Probably another 30 minutes re-arranging innards and changing screwdrivers and approach strategy until I accidented upon something that would work. Applying force that is not aligned with the shank of a bolt, both to press it into service and to screw it down without stripping threads is a major challenge.
The CPU is staying under 110 degrees F (27 C as I type this, 80 F), and the 2600 RPM of the cooler indistinguishable (the power supply and case fans drown it out).
My hard drive gets up to 110 F also, but it only has a large aluminum sink/enclosure and tiny fan running 3000 RPM to keep it cool.
The CPU cabinet itself tends to stay 85-95 F. The sensor is taped to the side of the PSU, so it does have a bit higher reading than if I had attached to case ceiling.
How do I know all this data? I chose to install a central fan control/ hard drive cooler/ temperature monitor in my system. It occupies a standard drive bay, and since my case uses spring-loaded facades, it was a bit of trouble removing the hatch in question and breaking off the plastic bits that protruded too far into where the monitor had to travel. I still have a "tang" that obscures part of the controller that I'll have to saw off (or use a heat knife).
I have to bitch about the sensors, too. They provided kapton (sp) tape to stick the sensors over their hot-spots, but this tape does not adhere well to varnished (solder masked) circuit boards. I found maybe one surface it likes - painted surface of a power supply - and no other. The tape itself does not adhere at all well to the sensor, which is some Mylar or flexible circuit-board material, very thin and smooth. It slides out from beneath this tape really easily.
This gave me issues with all but the case sensor. The major problems being the hard drive (I couldn't wedge it between hard drive and aluminum heat sink enclosure), and the PCBs of the graphics card and motherboard. I tried several adhesives, and caulk (no, there isn't a taste to the caulk). All these adhesives needed the product clamped in place from 10 to 45 minutes, and I could only fit my finger there. What resulted was a sensor nicely glued to a digit.
In my final fit of frustration, I turned to the adhesive tool that serves as the wrong fix for the right job - DUCT TAPE. This holds the sensors really well, adheres to solder masks perfectly, doesn't seem to interfere with surface mounted components or exposed traces, withstands heat, and is easy to get slender pieces without even needing scissors.
In short, I used The Force. Duct Tape and The Force both have a light side, a dark side, and both of them bind the Universe together. Beware my 1337 J3|>1 skillz!
The graphics card is a nightmare, however. It gets close to 150F when its Zalman fan (all copper heat sink) is working full bore. I have a replacement on order, and I believe it will or with the Zalman attached will perform better.
My plans for the future PC now are along the lines of being happy with the desktop all modded up, and consider a much cheaper Ultra Mobile PC (Origami).
The 300W PSU in my system blew some overheat/overvoltage fuse and refused to power up even after waiting overnight. This prompted a visit to compUSA to get a good replacement (600W) with a dual-fan flow-through air design which thus far is working well, but far short of the "superquiet" rating IMHO.
The sound of my Intel-factory-standard CPU fan running at full bore (obviously making no headway) finally got to me yesterday, and I borrowed against forthcoming benefits to buy a Zalman copper fan. The one Intel supplies in their retail box is an aluminum heat sink with 60mm (approx) fan, and some alloy bracket spreading the heat to the fins. For something they charge so much to buy, you'd think Intel would supply an ADEQUATE heat dissipater.
The CPU now runs lots cooler and quieter with the Zalman fan, which mounts at a right angle (air flow wise) opposed to the original. I had to remove the heat tunnel from my case, and had to remove the power supply, RAM, and graphics adapter in order to get enough room to bolt the Zalman down into place. Just figuring how to get its mounting bracket positioned correctly in between its copper heat pipes took me about 30 minutes.
The final mounting took a lot of time, because that bracket is so firm, pressing down on a screw placed in it down to its mating hole caused a lot of struggle. Probably another 30 minutes re-arranging innards and changing screwdrivers and approach strategy until I accidented upon something that would work. Applying force that is not aligned with the shank of a bolt, both to press it into service and to screw it down without stripping threads is a major challenge.
The CPU is staying under 110 degrees F (27 C as I type this, 80 F), and the 2600 RPM of the cooler indistinguishable (the power supply and case fans drown it out).
My hard drive gets up to 110 F also, but it only has a large aluminum sink/enclosure and tiny fan running 3000 RPM to keep it cool.
The CPU cabinet itself tends to stay 85-95 F. The sensor is taped to the side of the PSU, so it does have a bit higher reading than if I had attached to case ceiling.
How do I know all this data? I chose to install a central fan control/ hard drive cooler/ temperature monitor in my system. It occupies a standard drive bay, and since my case uses spring-loaded facades, it was a bit of trouble removing the hatch in question and breaking off the plastic bits that protruded too far into where the monitor had to travel. I still have a "tang" that obscures part of the controller that I'll have to saw off (or use a heat knife).
I have to bitch about the sensors, too. They provided kapton (sp) tape to stick the sensors over their hot-spots, but this tape does not adhere well to varnished (solder masked) circuit boards. I found maybe one surface it likes - painted surface of a power supply - and no other. The tape itself does not adhere at all well to the sensor, which is some Mylar or flexible circuit-board material, very thin and smooth. It slides out from beneath this tape really easily.
This gave me issues with all but the case sensor. The major problems being the hard drive (I couldn't wedge it between hard drive and aluminum heat sink enclosure), and the PCBs of the graphics card and motherboard. I tried several adhesives, and caulk (no, there isn't a taste to the caulk). All these adhesives needed the product clamped in place from 10 to 45 minutes, and I could only fit my finger there. What resulted was a sensor nicely glued to a digit.
In my final fit of frustration, I turned to the adhesive tool that serves as the wrong fix for the right job - DUCT TAPE. This holds the sensors really well, adheres to solder masks perfectly, doesn't seem to interfere with surface mounted components or exposed traces, withstands heat, and is easy to get slender pieces without even needing scissors.
In short, I used The Force. Duct Tape and The Force both have a light side, a dark side, and both of them bind the Universe together. Beware my 1337 J3|>1 skillz!
The graphics card is a nightmare, however. It gets close to 150F when its Zalman fan (all copper heat sink) is working full bore. I have a replacement on order, and I believe it will or with the Zalman attached will perform better.
My plans for the future PC now are along the lines of being happy with the desktop all modded up, and consider a much cheaper Ultra Mobile PC (Origami).