Alternative Xeon Cooling (AKA Cheap)

foolkillerfoolkiller Ontario
edited May 2009 in Hardware
I wrote this article for my own site quite some time ago, and I thought I'd share it here.

I've done a modification on my Xeon which I thought I'd share. While not benchmark related, I figured anyone who comes by with a dual Xeon system that's making that infamous buzz sound from the CPU fans (Those stock Intel coolers that run at 5500 RPM.)

Here is a pic:
fkxeoninsideduct.jpg


Basically, I bought some 3" Plastic dryer ducting from Home Hardware, A roll of duct tape and a couple 3" to 4" duct adapters. With a little cutting using tin snips, I mounted standard 80mm case fans (3") into the adapters, mounted em on my case, and ran a duct to each cpu, dealer with duct tape. Total cost of this mod, $15 Canadian.

This mod works great in my Cooler Master CM-Stacker full tower. I imagine you could run the ducts anywhere you have a spot to mount the fans in a case, although I wouldn't try this in a mid tower case, as you will severely restrict the airflow. As for temperature differences, I've noticed this actually keeps my CPUs cooler than the stock cooling, and its a hell of a lot quieter than those stock Intel fans. You might wanna try this if you can't source any after market Xeon coolers for less than an arm and a leg.

Comments

  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited February 2009
    Hey, you got my attention. I used to experiment a lot with ducts and dryer hose. Hey, I still have some hose in my parts bin, I wonder...
  • DonutDonut Maine New
    edited February 2009
    Cool, my old PC-DL setup had the arm and a leg coolers. They were much more effective with cardboard ducting to an exhaust fan. Kind of a ghetto push pull. I never did try the wind-tunnels.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited February 2009
    Donut, for ducting, save the clear plastic that electronics come packaged in. It can make excellent gates and ducts and is see-through. Also, unlike cardboard, the plastic is much less flammable.
  • DonutDonut Maine New
    edited February 2009
    Very true, safety first.
    I used the cardboard as a temporary setup, just to see if it would work. If it worked, a more permanent solution was rigged up. (a fire extinguisher is within arms reach when I'm doing this stuff.)
  • miles_n_birdmiles_n_bird
    edited April 2009
    I've found it good to do plastic mockups before commiting to anything... irons out those little gremlins..

    miles_n_bird@hotmail.com
  • DonutDonut Maine New
    edited May 2009
    I'm cheap and ghetto, plastic and duct tape would have been permanent.

    mnb, you might want to remove your e-mail addy before spammers find it amusing.
Sign In or Register to comment.