Okay...

MeresinMeresin
edited October 2003 in Hardware
It's freezing in my house and my 3200+ (2500+ w/ 400MHz FSB) is still roasting at around 50C at idle. I'm running one of the original steel chieftec monsters with four Thermaltake SmartFans (try not to laugh), three of which are pointed inward and one outward in the rear for exhaust. My PSU is a 420W PurePower, so it's not exactly high flow, but I've always had high temps on my CPU. It's not dusty - the HSF is brand new. I figured I'd give Tt another shot and picked up a Silent Boost, which really is rather quiet, but seems to pull about even in temps to the retail HSF and my old Volcano 7+.

What could be causing my temp troubles? I've tried binding cables out of the way and it makes no difference. This processor is faster than the last, so it naturally runs a bit hotter, but 50C? Any thoughts/suggestions would be appreciated. I don't think it's an HSF issue, as I've read very positive reviews for the Silent Boost, and I always seem to get very similar temps regardless of the HSF. Too much thermal compound? Need more (heaven forbid) case fans? Need water cooling? :P

Comments

  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited October 2003
    Perhaps the retail HS is the culprit, but those temps are a bit too high for even the stock HS. Maybe you have a loose clamp to the processor? Not too loose, but just not a good tight contact between the core and the HS?
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited October 2003
    Well, I've got a couple issues I can see that would explain it...

    1. The Silent Boost, V7, and AMD retail HSFs aren't exactly real high performance units. You want a high performance S370/A HSF? Get a Thermalright SK-7 or SLK-800 with a Sunon KD1208PTB2-6 (39cfm) or better fan, or a SLK-900 with a Sunon KD1209PTB2-6 (44cfm) or better fan.

    2. I'm assuming since you said SmartFan, you mean the original ones, not the SmartFan2s. The original Tt SmartFans cannot be used as intake fans. The thermistor is mounted in the fan frame, so the fan will never speed up because it will always be reading the air temperature right next to the front of the case, which will always be very near room temperature (unless something is very, very wrong).
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited October 2003
    What kind of thermal compound are you using....and how much? A very small amount is enough :)
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited October 2003
    Well, that all depends. If the base of the Silent Boost is as crap-tastic as the base of the V6s I've used is, he'll need a fairly substantial amount of thermal compound (relatively speaking)...
  • MeresinMeresin
    edited October 2003
    Huh. Didn't know that the SmartFans couldn't be used effectively as intake fans. Guess they're not good for a whole hell of a lot after all, unless you want a noise maker to scare the kids on Halloween.

    I figured the Silent Boost would work for my purposes since it is rated for up to a 3400+ and I'm running an effective 3200+. The bottom on the Silent Boost wasn't exactly a mirror, but it wasn't as rough as some HSFs I've seen. I used Arctic Silver for thermal compound, but I'm not sure what version it is.

    How distant should my chipset temp be from my CPU temp, in an ideal world? They're about 7C distant, which makes me wonder if the problem's not the intake fans. I wish I'd been aware when I bought these things that they'd be so useless. Any recommendations for replacement fans that won't sound like turbines? :)
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited October 2003
    The SmartFan2s can. The original ones, like most thermally controlled fans, cannot (be used as intake fans, that is)

    If they're orange, they're smartfan2s, btw.

    Chipset vs. CPU temp is going to depend; if they're that close, it probably means it IS the intake fans. Open up the case and see how hot it is in there... I'll bet it's pretty warm.

    As for replacements:
    SmartFan2s are my first choice for 80x25mm fans.
  • MeresinMeresin
    edited October 2003
    Thanks. Now, the question is, do I replace all four fans, or...*shrugs*

    I think I read somewhere about a way to trick the fans into operating at their maximum speed despite the thermistor. Might have to see if I can find that article again.
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited October 2003
    Yeah, cut the thermistor off. If that doesn't work, just solder the two bare leads where the thermistor was together. One or the other WILL work.
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited October 2003
    Also, re-arrange the fans and wiring in the case.

    All of the front fans should be intake, all of the rear fans should be exhaust.

    Route the wiring so that as much of it as possible is as far out of the way as possible.
  • MeresinMeresin
    edited October 2003
    I'm going to put off getting the cables out of the way until I get a new HDD. Can't decide if RAID 0 is worth the price, especially when I don't need 160 GB, let alone 320. ;)

    I hope that lopping off the thermistor will get it to run at it's maximum. I don't feel like spending another $40 on case fans.
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited October 2003
    If cutting it off doesn't, shorting it out will. Depending on how the thermistor is set up, the resistance either gets higher or lower as it gets hotter (probably lower...). If you cut it off, you'll have infinite resistance, which means it will probably actually not run at all, or run very slowly (unless they use a unique thermistor). BUT, shorting out the leads left over from cutting off the thermistor should make it run at full speed.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited October 2003
    Best thing I ever did for my (admittedly old) system was cut a hole in the side of my case and put a big ol' fan blowing right on the CPU area.

    I tried fans galore (at one time I had 19 fans in my case!), but that did more for me than all the rest put together.

    :cool:
  • MeresinMeresin
    edited October 2003
    I've been giving thought to punching a 120mm hole near my socket, but the handles on the side panels of these cases are positioned too close to the sockets for it to do much good. That's the only serious design flaw I can find in these. I'm also considering putting in a 80 or 120mm blowhole at the top to help vent exhaust, although I think that'd be a waste if I've got the fans at the back of my case blowing exhaust too.

    I'm going to give the least expensive solution a try first, and that's messing with the fans I've already got. I'll see what my father has to say about shorting out the thermistor. If he thinks it'll work, I'll give it a shot. I love being related to an electrical engineer. ;)
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited October 2003
    Meresin said
    ...I'm also considering putting in a 80 or 120mm blowhole at the top to help vent exhaust, although I think that'd be a waste if I've got the fans at the back of my case blowing exhaust too...
    It certainly won't hurt to work with what you've got, before you start cutting holes.

    Something I've always considered in a "case" :vimp: like this, is making a blow-hole, but have it pump cool air in. I know heat rises, and all that, but the purpose of having fans to begin with is to generate custom airflow. (We're not depending on convection here). Pumping cool air down, across the CPU, then out the back should work fairly well. Or, you could experiment and have the fans at the back of the case pushing the cool air in, and have the blow-hole function as a traditional exhaust.
    :wave:
  • MeresinMeresin
    edited October 2003
    Good thinking. That'd also generate turbulence, which is always good in cooling airflow. More food for thought. :)
  • edcentricedcentric near Milwaukee, Wisconsin Icrontian
    edited October 2003
    I am with the prof on this one. An intake in the side directly over the CPU works wonders, better than no side on the case.
    I got around the handle issue by mounting the fan on standoffs. I used a piece of cardboard tube (easy to cut) to fill the gap between the fan and the case.
  • MeresinMeresin
    edited October 2003
    I could always hijack some plastic ducting stuff and set that up. Should work well enough. Didn't think of that, thanks.
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