BF2S Forums I want YOU! To cool your computer. (© Uncle Sam)

Including gfx card(3), ram(2 45mm?), hdd(2 on each) and power supply(1) I have 18 fans running in my machine (8 of them 120mm)

It's chilly.

Last edited by CommieChipmunk (2007-05-13 11:21:29)

Wanted to add a couple of points to the cooling discussion:

Case Airflow

Adequate and properly configured airflow inside a case is very important. The basic  rule of thumb is to have the front fans and side panel fans pulling cool air in, and the rear, PSU and top(blowhole) as exhaust, blowing warm air out. There are three generally used types of airflow that can be set up:

Negative Pressure - Basically this means having more exhaust than intake. Probably about the worst case scenario. Having more exhaust can starve components for cool air and tends to pull more dust into your rig, which is not good.

Neutral Pressure - Balance between exhaust and intake. Usually the most common and beneficial type of setup, with an equal amount of fans blowing cool air in and sucking warm air out of your case.

Positive Pressure - Having more air intake than exhaust. Supposedly this method limits the amount of dust that accumulates in your case due to an increased pressure inside the case. I've tried this and saw no appreciable difference. Neutral pressure FTW!

Cable management can be a help or hindrance to effective airflow. A jumbled mess of wires inside your case can inhibit airflow enough to cause a noticeable difference in temps. Taking the time to route cables around, under and behind components will not only help cooling, but looks much nicer too. A cheap package of zip-ties can go a long way towards helping bundle and tidy up cables. If you want to go whole-hog there are sleeving kits you can by to give a more finished "professional" look.


Lapping

All too often heatsinks aren't as flat as they could be. A convex or concave heatsink will limit the amount of surface contact made and diminish cooling results. Lapping can flatten a heatsink's surface, creating greater surface contact and allowing for better cooling results.

Lapping is done with progressively higher grit sandpaper. Generally starting at 400, then moving to 600, 800 1000, 1200, 1500 and finishing off with 2000 grit. Though many lapping guides will include a final step using Brasso or other metal polish, this isn't entirely necessary. The desired result is overall flatness, not a mirror finish. You can buy high-grit sandpaper at most automotive stores in the painting section, or there are many sites on the Intertubes that sell kits with all the supplies you'll need.

Here's an excellent guide on lapping:

http://www.overclock.net/amd-air-coolin … ping+guide

Lapping is fairly complicated, and as a warning I suggest doing as the author of the guide did and practicing on something that you can afford to ruin before you try it out on your main heatsink.

nice information you got there.  Sticky?

sidenote: i have one of those really loud delta fans lol, on max it shakes the table and blow away all the dust behind the computer.  ITs CRAZY!

Last edited by Maj.Do (2007-05-13 13:20:55)

how loud is a delta? i was thinking of getting 1...... or 3

;/ a small plane taking off was NOT an exxaguration there.

I never exaggerate, well maybe sometimes

http://www.silenx.com/ixtremaprofans.asp?sku=ixp-76-18 <---- pure win in a can, cannot be beaten on performance to noise ratio.

EDIT:



Managed to find the Delta fan currently being sold on overclockers.co.uk, same noise level (60db) I just didnt realise how horribly high pitched it was.

Last edited by TheEternalPessimist (2007-05-13 13:43:22)

Nah, water cooling is overrated, good heatsinks with good fans will usually win if you get your rig set up for perfect air flow.

+1 thanks for the info

This could be a helpful sticky!!

TheEternalPessimist wrote:

Antec P180 case yeh? I have to admit water cooling does look nicer


Actually lookin at it again that don't look like a P180 what is it?

Silverstone TJ07

Yeesh expensive stuff, looks pretty huge though takes that lot without trying, design looks a bit iffy for air cooling, ideal for water cooled rigs though, neatest rig i've seen for a while.

EDIT: This ammused me

Last edited by TheEternalPessimist (2007-05-14 07:57:07)

this is sticky worthy

Cooling computers will extend their live span, and allow you to do more demanding tasks for longer, and this is an excellent guide on it.

You have 3 video card fans?! WTF?!

And I thought I was crazy with fans....

My X1950XT fan probably gets about as loud as one of those delta's on full bore. Scared the crap out of me one night. It goes to like 5000RPM's.

Mine has 3 120mm Fans, and one 200m fans, as well as one 80m Fan..