Making a CPU duct to draw outside air onto CPU!

No CPU cooler will remove the original issue. ( I like Scythe btw)

Get a pci slot cooler. It sits next to your card. They're about a fiver in maplins for a slim one. Better ones are wider, but you lose two slots. It will make your video card "quasi-active".
Like these:
http://www.xoxide.com/slotcooler2.html

I had a passive cooled 6600 and screwed an 80mm fan to the heatsink job done again

[keithwalton]

Originally Posted by zinglebarb

I had a passive cooled 6600 and screwed an 80mm fan to the heatsink job done again

I have a watercooled x1900xt with a slow spinning 92mm fan blowing over it to keep the vrm's cool (part of the water cooler) my cpu is also water cooled.

I have two x 80mm case fans ticking over at 1200rpm, and the 3 x 120 mm fans on the water cooling are ticking over at 1300rpm i believe. no idea what speed the psu fan is going at but its a 120mm jobby just ticking over

The loudest part of my computer atm is my older wd hard drive, i can hear that one spining up / down.

So

I have 3 120 mm fans (1 in front 1 out back and 1 on noctua)and a zalman on my gfx its a lot quieter than it was lol

dont you hear the pump?

[cmatt]

ahh water cooling - never tried it - but i beleive zalman do a fanless one which sits away from the case and its passively cooled...

anyone had much joy's with these?

[Web-Junkie]

I see this has turned into a 'heated' discussion

Well, i've bodg..., damn, carefully crafted a CPU duct out of thick printer paper and sellotape and it seems to be OK so far! The fan on the CPU is actually 70mm so I put the duct over the fan so it's enclosed and can only draw air from the within the duct that's being blown in from outside. Also stuck a bit of filter material over the inlet so it doesn't suck dust in! I also had to remove one of the fans from the side as it was in the way of the duct!

Ran 3DMark06 with the case lid off and then case lid on and the CPU Fan never went above 4,000 RPM, it did hit 5,600 previously, and CPU went between 55°C - 60°C Was running ANUS Probe II so not sure how accurate the fan speeds/temps are being reported.

Currently it's idling at 3,600, CPU temp 43°C and I never thought to record the temps without the duct in place

So it 'appears' to work for keeping the CPU cooler than without a duct, but as people will point out, not as good as a breeze block sized heatsink with a fan nailed to it bolted onto your CPU and mobo

Anyway, I've achieved what I wanted, made a CPU duct and luckily it's working to keep the CPU cool enough to stop the Fan going into turbo mode! How long it will stay like this is dependant on the room temperature and not pulling in warmer air that will increase the CPU temp. Think I'll load Oblivion and see what happens!

I'll have to raid the piggy bank to afford that Noctua though, sell a kidney, maybe an arm or leg and possibly a lung or even rob the shoolkids of their dinner money

the noctua maybe overkill there is the artic freezer 64 (these ar eless than half the price)on the cpu and a fan screwed to your gfx (if the HS will allow)

Originally Posted by Web-Junkie

Well, i've bodg..., damn, carefully crafted a CPU duct out of thick printer paper and sellotape and it seems to be OK so far!

Pic please.

Originally Posted by web junkie

Was running ANUS Probe II

[Web-Junkie]

I ain't got nowt to take a picture wiv, got a pencil and sum paper, but they won't let me sharpun du pencil in case I urt meself, besides, it's ard tu use yer hands when dey put dat funny jacket on ya

It's getting late, I need my tablets

Looked at the Arctic Freezer 64 Pro, read a review on Frosty Tech and they had some concerns about it regarding the retention clip, overall not bad but could do better!

Also read a few reports of that Noctua NH-U12F not being compatable with some AM2 sockets namely MSI, I have an ANUS Board (sic), snigger, so not sure of the compatability as they don't give out a board compatability chart, unlike Zalman do for their CNPS9500.

Still, they are BLOODY EXPENSIVE!!! Who's got a second hand NH-U12F or a Zalman CNPS9500-AM2 to sell me?

[popper]

in all this you never mentioned you had cleaned off your HS and CPU and re-applyed new silver paste, i assume you have done that basic step every time you re-fit the ducting etc?...

some people have been known to re-lap (polish surfaces for max contact)both CPU and heatsink surfaces to be sure to maximise the contact and so increase heat transfer, did you also try that with super fine grain paper/pastes? and get a decrease in over all temps yet?.

also if your real tight on cash and have the tools, you can take an old copper plate off an old CPU cooler and tap and die it onto your biggest heatsink and that to will help that moveing of CPU heat a lot, it did for me way back in the day when i tryed it for fun.

quiet is my bug bare, and power supply fans are my werse offenders of noise, but it hard modding them to take 2+ slower fans and keep them quiet but its tricky getting the right balance, and you risk them going pop if you get it to low an airflow.

[Web-Junkie]

The duct just slides over the fan on the CPU Heatsink, don't have to remove the whole HSF each time! I used to be an engineer so I know how to drill and tap a hole, but don't have any taps anymore, nor a spare HSF! Seeing as it's just an experiment I don't forsee it being a permanent solution, rather a 'proof of concept'.

The PSU doesn't make any noise, it's a PC Power & Cooling SILENCER and is, well, silent

Also grafted a 120mm fan onto the VGA card as that uses passive cooling!

Just waiting for the finances to level out before buying a 'proper' solution

[Alien]

Originally Posted by Web-Junkie

Can't do pics, no camera and I don't do 'mobile phones'!!

I didn't say photos, though that would be simplest. For such things I make use of a cheapo webcam that I've had for a few years.
An alternative you could use, which might help you to plan things out as well, is Sketchup:
http://sketchup.google.com/

Originally Posted by Data

The pre-made ones are a little unweildy, unless you shorten the pipe. They are also not the best flowing thing you could use.
Have a lokk at this article:
http://www.overclockers.com/tips1187/

Funny thing about that article is my temps are the same or better than his, & I don't have any ducting: CPU [XP 3200+, just like his] is currently 1-2°C cooler than his was with the ducting, & my system temp is 28-29°C. In the interests of full disclosure I should mention that I have my air conditioner keeping my room pleasantly cool. Also, whilst I'm using a different heatsink on the CPU, I have the same fan [YS Tech TMD fan] on it [except mine's black].

The above paragraph was written the other day, & saved in a text file until I got round to writing the rest of my reply, & since then I've upgraded my system. I'm now running an AM2 X2 6000 with the heatsink that came with it, & both cores hovering around the 38-40°C mark. Admittedly that's just normal temp, not full load. The highest I've seen it go is 58°C [had Orthos running for a while to see how hot it would get]. That's a bit warmer than I'd ideally like, & if/when I find myself maxing out my CPU more regularly I might get round to putting on the Freezer 64 Pro I have. Speaking of the Freezer, you were concerned about weight - according to the box it's 524g. That's a bit over the recommended limit, but not that much.

I must confess I was rather spoiled by the heatsink I had on my XP3200 [Zalman 5100Cu], as load temps rarely went more than 5-10°C higher than idle temps.

Originally Posted by Data

Mine :
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...al/CPUDuct.jpg

Wow, a slotted CPU, haven't seen 1 of those in a while!

Originally Posted by cmatt

make your own ducting sir...

however just to point out... in custom pc - i saw a UUUUUBER cool (badoom tsh) heatsink - that was huge, ontop of it went 2 80mm case fans, i think it was zalman...

anyway - this one is very similar to what im trying to describe (and screwing said description up in the process):

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...=57&subcat=821

Sure it wasn't this 1?

Originally Posted by Web-Junkie

Ran 3DMark06 with the case lid off and then case lid on and the CPU Fan never went above 4,000 RPM, it did hit 5,600 previously, and CPU went between 55°C - 60°C

I know you said you have an AM2 CPU, but which 1? I'm running an X2 6000 with the stock heatsink [I don't know if lower model AM2s come with a different HSF or not], & as I mentioned before get about 38-40°C idle/not doing much, & 58°C full load. If yours is more than 1 or 2 models below mine then the airflow [or lack of] in your case might be the source of your problems, & not the CPU cooler.

I have 2 120mm fans, 1 back & 1 front - the front is a more powerful 1 as it has to compensate for the dust filter infront of it. My Ultra PSU does have an 80mm fan underneath it. How tidy is your case in terms of cable management? The more you can keep cables out of the way, the less they'll affect airflow & therefore temperature.

Another thing to consider is where the intake & exhast fans are mounted.
This:

...is a good example of bad case design. Seriously, how are you supposed to get decent airflow through that? [not my current case, that's from an old 1] If your intake/exhast fan mounting points are anywhere near that bad then you would get a noticeable improvement in both temperature & reduction of noise by cutting out 1 nice big hole. If you have a holesaw suitable for cutting metal [or can borrow 1], then that would provide the neatest looking hole. For an 80mm fan you'll want a 76mm hole, I forget what size you'd need for a 120mm, but you can just measure your fan. other alternatives are using a Dremel, or if you're a masochist you could just drill way more holes, then try joining them up with a file/tin-snips/whatever. The way I did my last fan hole was to drill some holes & then join them with a nibbler [didn't get mine from there, can't remember where I got it from]. It's not too hard to get a nice clean edge with a nibbler either, though I'd advise wearing some sort of padded gloves or whatever unless you're used to doing a lot of work with your hands, otherwise you'll end up with blisters.

Originally Posted by Web-Junkie

Was running ANUS Probe II so not sure how accurate the fan speeds/temps are being reported.

I get the strangest feeling you don't like Asus' software. Have you tried SpeedFan? I remember seeing someone post elsewhere on this forum that SpeedFan doesn't read core temps. I can't comment on the Intel side of things [that's Zingle's department ], but it reads the core temps on my X2 6000 okay [compared its readings to those I get from the prog Core Temp - they're not identical, but close enough].

Originally Posted by Web-Junkie

Currently it's idling at 3,600, CPU temp 43°C and I never thought to record the temps without the duct in place

Idling at 43°C? Even after adding the duct? If you have the same heatsink as me:

then either your room's warmer than mine, you're not getting decent airflow through the case, or you're using the goo that came pre-applied to the heatsink instead of something like Arctic Silver.

Originally Posted by Web-Junkie

The PSU doesn't make any noise, it's a PC Power & Cooling SILENCER and is, well, silent

Did you order it direct, or did you get it from a UK stockist? & if so, who?

[Web-Junkie]

The CPU is an X2 5600+, 2.8GHz with stock cooler and goo! Didn't go for the 6000+ due to the mem controller/ram frequency issue that runs the RAM at lower than spec with certain CPU speeds and dividers.

Case is a Songcheer wide case, 9" wide x 17" high x 17" long and looks a bit like your piccy of 'bad case' design I have already cut two 80mm holes in the side of the case and have 2 fans blowing out, although I had to remove 1 fan due to the duct. 2 x 80mm fans at rear, 1 blowing down the duct and 1 exhausting, 1 x 80mm inlet and 1 x 120mm hung under HDD bay blowing into case and 1 x 120mm fan strapped onto the heatsink of my GPU.
Speed fan is reporting core as 40°C idle.

Power supply ordered from Aria.co.uk, although they are out of stock again but www.overclockers.co.uk have them in stock for £130 inc vat!

Still not sure which way to jump for a CPU Cooler then I saw the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme and thought 'Nice', then I saw the price and thought 'F**K OFF'!!

[Alien]

Originally Posted by Web-Junkie

The CPU is an X2 5600+, 2.8GHz with stock cooler and goo!

Get rid of the goo & get yourself some Arctic Silver. You don't have to worry about getting the latest 1 if it's more expensive [I haven't looked at AS prices in ages], as I'm still on my original tube of AS2, & it still works fine.
<edit>
looks to be around the £7-8 mark for some AS5, & it should last you ages.
</edit>

Originally Posted by Web-Junkie

Didn't go for the 6000+ due to the mem controller/ram frequency issue that runs the RAM at lower than spec with certain CPU speeds and dividers.

Ah, yes well, about that... It's possible that with some very memory-intensive app, & at stock settings, the 6000 might be at a disadvantage to the 5600, but that can be avoided by running it at 14x215 instead of 15x200.
Have a look at this thread:
linkage
I rendered the same scene with various different CPU & RAM settings.

tS7.11 rings benchmark, 1000 x 1000, save as bmp, no AA
XP3200 [2.2Ghz], 2GB RAM = 0:03:04.46 [3 mins 4.46 seconds]

X2 6000 [@ 3Ghz - 15x200], 4GB RAM = 0:01:47.06 [multi-threading option disabled]
X2 6000 [@ 3Ghz - 15x200], 4GB RAM = 0:00:59.10
X2 6000 [@ 3Ghz - 14x215], 4GB RAM = 0:00:59.34
X2 6000 [@ 3.2Ghz - 15x215], 4GB RAM = 0:00:55.89
X2 6000 [@ 3.3Ghz - 15x220], 4GB RAM = 0:00:53.90
The above results for the X2 were done on a fresh install of windows that I had to make on a spare partition as my existing install was partly borked & wouldn't go into Windows, but I was able to sort it from the fresh install, & then go back to the old 1 with all my old settings & stuff installed. On the old install, with X2 running at stock it was a couple of seconds slower, but I put that down to having a load of other stuff running. As you can see, the 14x215 option makes virtually no difference, & it can even handle the overclock to 3.2 with no probs even with the stock cooler, so I don't think the memory issue is that big a deal.

Originally Posted by Web-Junkie

Case is a Songcheer wide case, 9" wide x 17" high x 17" long

Hmm... it's a bit smaller than mine. Mine weighs in at about 8x19x22.5". I think having a greater air volume inside helps with temperature as well [more volume = more heat energy required to raise air to same temperature].

Originally Posted by Web-Junkie

and looks a bit like your piccy of 'bad case' design I have already cut two 80mm holes in the side of the case and have 2 fans blowing out, although I had to remove 1 fan due to the duct. 2 x 80mm fans at rear, 1 blowing down the duct and 1 exhausting, 1 x 80mm inlet and 1 x 120mm hung under HDD bay blowing into case and 1 x 120mm fan strapped onto the heatsink of my GPU.
Speed fan is reporting core as 40°C idle.

As someone else pointed out earlier in the thread, you ideally want to have your intake & exhaust fairly well balanced, which you haven't really got at the moment, as well as having the air flow from front to back.

As I understand it, your setup works out as follows:
Intake:
front 80mm [reduced flow due to case]
side 80mm [CPU fan connected to duct]

Exhaust:
2 x rear 80mm
side 80mm

At present you've got more fans trying to remove air from the case than you have trying to bring cool air in. The front fan being hindered by the case tilts the balance further in favour of the exhaust fans. This creates negative air pressure - great for vacuum cleaners, not so great for PCs.

Of course, if you want to turn your PC into a hoover, a few of these would do the job.

IIWY, I'd see if there's room to get a bigger fan in the front. You've probably got room for a 92mm, & if you're lucky you might have room for a 120mm. Cut out the necessary hole for it as well & that should improve the front intake situation considerably. Depending on the design of the back of the case, you may be able to fit either a pair of 92s or a 120mm fan back there, then you could cover up the side holes.

Originally Posted by Web-Junkie

Power supply ordered from Aria.co.uk, although they are out of stock again but www.overclockers.co.uk have them in stock for £130 inc vat!

Not too bad, cheers for that. I may get 1 if I get another PSU. The only downside is no fan underneath & the cables aren't modular.

Originally Posted by Web-Junkie

Still not sure which way to jump for a CPU Cooler then I saw the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme and thought 'Nice', then I saw the price and thought 'F**K OFF'!!

I may be trying the Freezer sooner than I expected, as I just paid for a rather intersting add-on to my 3D prog, so my CPU may be getting a bit more useage in the near future. BTW, no I didn't pay that much, I was eligible for an extra discount, so only paid $119 [about £58].

But both the 5600 and the 6000 are at a disadvantage to pretty much all the c2d's