Overheating PC

RichDRichD Essex, UK
edited September 2006 in Hardware
Hello Peeps,

About a year ago I did a fairly major overhaul on my PC and replaced...well everything but the case. I wanted to make it quiet and fast. I know the main cause of noise is the fans, so I bought an akasa fan controller, PSU with variable speed and some akasa sound proofing foam. I have an aluminium case and all my components are screwed in to aid in getting rid of heat. The case had a series of small holes on the sides. The case fans were situated, one at the top on the rear on the case, just below the psu and one on the front at the bottom. My assumption was that both case fan should blow air out of the case and this would draw cool air in through the side of the case.

When I fitted the sound proofing foam the holes on the side were covered over so I reversed the fan on the front so that there was a way of getting cool air in. This meant hot air out the top-back cool air in the bottom front.

However over the summer I have had real problems with my PC over-heating and I have cooked my HD. Can anyone see any thing wrong with my logic? or are my fans just not up to the job. They are bog standard case fans I have had for years (I think originally one was from a P75 and I cant remember where I got the other from).

Thanks for any suggestions.

Comments

  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    Your logic is correct - cool air in the bottom front, warm air out the top rear. What size and CFM rating are these fans? It sounds like they're just not up to the task.
  • edcentricedcentric near Milwaukee, Wisconsin Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    Is the hdd in a place where it does not see good air flow? Many hdds run a lot hotter than you expect.

    A nice big 120mm intake fan may be what you need.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    Maybe I didn't read your post correctly, but no, the front and back fans should not both be exhausting. Fresh should enter the front bottom and be exhausted in the upper back fan.
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited September 2006
    Since you used your old case from a previous computer build and just added updated components, your old case just might not give enough ventilation to handle the newer components and are overloading your present case ventilation. The newer processors and video cards draw much more power and output much more heat than machines built 3-5 years ago. So you might think about getting a new case or maybe modding your present case by adding bigger case fans for better ventilation without increasing noise appreciably. If you decide to go the new case route, look for a case that has 120mm fans front and back or at least has 2-80mm exhaust fans on the back combined with a 120mm fan in front for an intake.
  • RichDRichD Essex, UK
    edited September 2006
    I really dont know what the fans are I think they are 120mm but they are old cheap things. I think I need to upgrade them. What sort of temperatures are acceptable to have in a case?
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    If the fans are still spinning, more likely than not they are good working condition. Quite often if a fan slows down due to physical fatigue (wearing out), the change will be accompanied by strange sounds. If the fans are excessively dirty, they might slow down with no change in sound. Please measure the fans and tell us sizes. My bet is that they are 80mm, low RPM. Older computer cases, especially with off-the-shelf computers were rarely outfitted with 120mm fans.
  • vaiovaio England
    edited September 2006
    RichD wrote:
    I really dont know what the fans are I think they are 120mm but they are old cheap things. I think I need to upgrade them. What sort of temperatures are acceptable to have in a case?

    It would help if you could post full system specs and cooling configuration.
    BTW......nice derby result :celebrate
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