My poor, poor Shuttle SK41G

[primesuspect]

My little pooky..... :(

He runs a little hot... So hot that sometimes it just shuts off, and I have to literally pull the power plug to "reset" the power supply before it will turn back on.

Also, he's loud as hell. He's even louder than my dumb dog, who constantly snorts and grunts.

It's got that heatpipe setup in there, and my house is dusty as hell, and it just can't take it any more. He's too hot.

So, any suggestions? I want something that will cool it down (runs at about 58 right now... :eek: ) and make it quieter. Should I go standard HSF? Is that even possible in these things?

Help me geeky1 kenobi... You're my only hope.

[madmat]

I've got one word for you...Exos

[primesuspect]

Riiiight... I'm looking for a simple solution. I'm not a modder/overclocker/nutjob enthusiast (like, say, Geeky1 for example ;D )

DEFINITELY overkill... but thanks for the suggestion :D

If I could spend under, say, $40, I'd be a happy camper. $200 is a bit much for me.

[madmat]

Try replacing the stocker fan with a Tt SmartFan2, I did it on my shuttle and it really helped when I was gaming.
Just split the monitor wire off with it's own plug housing to keep the bios monitoring for mbm and run the power off of a 4-3 adaptor and run the trim-pot for speed adjusting out the back by the pci covers.

[Geeky1]

You tried cleaning it out yet? (I assume so)
How about replacing the stock fan with a SmartFan2 and cutting the fan grill out of the back of the case?

[madmat]

Yeah, what he said...

[pseudonym]

Do you have your fan running at full?? I know my Shuttle had adjustments in the bios to tell the fan when to go to full, and full was only for temps above 60 or something insane like that.

[Shorty]

Change the fan. Get one a low noise fan. I changed mine for a noiseblocker fan and it was way better than the standard fan :)

If you aren't gonna mod, then that's the best plan. I remember Citrix pimped his out with a tornado or something similar ;D Yeah, it ran cool :D

[Jimborae]

Hmmm well I know you said you wanted cheap & simple but this is just too cool (no pun intended) not to mention.

Watercooled Shuttle (http://www.over-clock.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=20;t=993)

[Enverex]

Change the fan. Get one a low noise fan. I changed mine for a noiseblocker fan and it was way better than the standard fan :)

If you aren't gonna mod, then that's the best plan. I remember Citrix pimped his out with a tornado or something similar ;D Yeah, it ran cool :D

Problem is, he said it is already running really hot, and chances are that that fan will push a bit less air, and make the heat problem even worse.

[Straight_Man]

primesuspect, question for you....

Can you install better PSU fans???? Qty 2? Push-pull arrangement??? Then PSU would would be helping to cool your small form factor case. Also, AS5 or Ceramique on CPU might improve transfer off the core.....

Also, an intake fan in a bay, like a HD cooling fan front set, or two small fans mounted in a floppy bay if you can afford to use NO floppy in the box, IF you have a real powerful exhaust fan, might help. Are all bays filled\occupied????

John.

[edcentric]

Which CPU are you running??
you might want to look for an "M" cpu, it would run cooler.

[muddocktor]

Prime, I know that Ed at Overclockers.com ran a couple of articles on cooling down his Shuttle minibox on the cheap, but I haven't been able to find the articles yet. It will entail some modding, but not too much money. I'll see if I can find the articles for you today. I know for sure he modded the psu in his Shuttle box for better airflow and it helped temps a lot.

EDIT: I found the link (http://www.overclockers.com/tips1063/) to the article on his mods, prime. It's an Intel rig instaed of the AMD rig you have, but the principles will be the same.

[primesuspect]

Can't believe I forgot this bit: It's an Athlon XP 2400+

I think the AS5 might be a good idea, and the PSU probably could stand another fan. The PSU is a tiny little thing though. It'll present some challenges.

I DO have the floppy bay available, but the nature of the case is such that there really isn't any front grille. The intake airholes are on the sides.

[pseudonym]

Where do you have your Shuttle at?? I know I would have major heatproblems depending on where it was located on my desk. I found mine worked best when I cut a hole in the backing of my desk, and hung the exhaust out the back. That dropped temps significantly. It essentially isolated the exhaust air, and never allowed it near the intakes.

[primesuspect]

On top of my TV. It's my HTPC.

[Geeky1]

How much of a difference does running it without the cover on make?

[primesuspect]

It's louder. I haven't checked temps with the cover off. I will report back soon, sir.

[Mt_Goat]

On top of my TV. It's my HTPC.
I think it would help a lot if you just got it off the top of the TV. TV's make an awfull lot of heat themselves and don't forget taht heat rises. :doh:

[mmonnin]

Ever try a filter prime to block some of that dust? Once you get it cool it can help keep the CPU cool. It will block some airflow tho which is most likely what the mini needs.

[primesuspect]

Let me correct myself: It's technically not on top of the TV - it's on top of the entertainment center. There are two wooden shelves between it and the TV, and there is a vent behind the TV, so heat from the TV really doesn't play a factor, I'm positive.

[muddocktor]

Prime, in that article I linked to, Ed got some heat relief by cutting out that stock grating on the back of the case and installing a wire type fan guard and he also changed the stock fan on the hs out to a Vantec temp controled fan. You could probably do the same with a Smart Fan 2 also. If you don't mind doing a little simple modding, you can also mount a 50 X 10 mm fan on the psu like he did too. Cutting out the fan guard is a super simple and easy mod to do and will definitely improve the cooling.

[primesuspect]

time to bust out the tinsnips. :D

Watch out modders ... Here comes the n00b

[madmat]

Don't you have a Dremel? I hate to ask but tinsnips leave a pretty ragged edge.
If you don't have one you might try prowling the pawn shops, I picked my variable speed Dremel with 2 packs of cutting disks and stones, mandrels and sanding drum for $30 at a local pawn shop.
I know they might be a wee bit used but new brushes are cheap and easy to replace.

[primesuspect]

I do not have this "dremel" that you speak of. I've always thought about getting one, but I never had any reason to buy one....

[muddocktor]

Hell, treat yourself to 1 then prime.:) They are a lot of fun and actually come in handy for other uses besides modding cases. If you buy 1, then I recommend the Black and Decker models over the Dremel brand; they hold up better than Dremel's rotary tools.

[mmonnin]

I got one for Christmas that does 35k RPM. Battery Operated as well.

[madmat]

Muddocktor, my dad's got a Dremel that's 25 years old if it's a day and it works as good as a new one.
To me the Wizzard by B&D looks as cheesy as an extra large pizza.
If you'll not cover the vents on your roto-tool as you use it they'll live a long time, just don't bog it down and let it do the work.

[Geeky1]

I killed my dad's dremel :D

I'd get the craftsman one, actually. It's identical to the dremel in every way (I'm 100% certain that Dremel OEM's them for Sears) but it has a lifetime warranty...

And they're fairly inexpensive now, too. I'd get a kit that includes a flexible driveshaft, if you can find one. If not, buy it separately. It comes in very handy for working in tight spaces.

Also, I'm thinking an 80mm fan in the top might help... I'm not @ home, so I don't have PS to do a diagram, but if you were to cut a hole above the CPU in the top of the case, and mount an intake fan on it, it should help a lot.

By the way, the Vantec thermal control fans are awful; they have the same problem most other thermal fans do- the thermistor is in the fan frame, so they don't work very well as CPU fans.

Get a SmartFan2 if you upgrade the fan.

[primesuspect]

I have looked at newegg, SVC, ZipZoomFly, and directly on thermaltake's website, and I can't find a link to actually buy a smartfan2..... Am I stupid?

[madmat]

Here you go man... http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-999-111&catalog=62&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1

[primesuspect]

Here you go man... http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-999-111&catalog=62&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1

Thanks brothaman!

[madmat]

It's my pleasure...I hope it works good for you.
I think you'll come up with a few colorful adjectives trying to fit it into that silly housing because the added wires and connector terminals make it a bit of a chinese puzzle to fit in there but it can be done. (albeit with a considerable ammount of inventive language!)
The fan's a wee bit noisey at full spin but it will do the job quite nicely.
I might suggest pulling the PSU loose and blasting in out thoroughly with canned air to get any built up dust out of it because I have a feeling that the least ammount of dust will compromise it's marginal thermal ability.

[mmonnin]

Hey how is the little beast running now??

I was looking for this thread cause Aran and I are trying to cool his down a bit.

[FormFactor]

I just got mine and it overheated a couple times and shut itself off.


I turned smart fan off and enabled the fan to run at full speed all the time in BIOS.

That fixed my overheating issues. Of course the noise will still be an issue. But I have found that the shuttle is pretty quiet. Mine doesnt have any dust in it yet though.

I would say putting a filter over the fan is probably a bad idea due to the nature of how that heatsync works.

[primesuspect]

Mine runs at medium speed, and so is a LOT quieter, and no more shutdowns....

Dust is an issue - I gotta clean this thing every couple of weeks. The radiator fins are very sensitive to dust.