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Becoming the coolmaster!

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AliasXNeo

Registered
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
^^ Hope the title caught your attention ^_^

I'll start by giving the specs of what I'm using right now:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo e800 wolfdale
GPU: 2 X Asus EN9600GT GeForce (512mb)
Mobo: Asus Rampage Formula LGA 775
PSU: Seasonic SS-550HT
RAM: 2 X 2GB G.Skill DDR2
Tower: Alienware EATX Server Workstation Chassis Case Logo (Grabbed this off ebay)

And some pictures of my current tower:

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7740/dsc2093.jpg

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/5323/dsc2094.jpg

Let me start off by saying that this is the FIRST computer I've ever built. Thus, I'm not exactly "pro" when it comes to building them :) I'm the type of guy that learns from experimenting, and this computer is a result of my experimenting. Obviously not every experiment goes right the first time, and my first revision is implementing a new cooling system.

Right now, on a fresh Windows 7 installation, with a load of about 5% (aka idle), both cores are sitting at about 64 degree celsius. Obviously not a great idle temperature.

If the pictures are not clear, the tower has one 120mm fan in the front pulling air in, and another 120mm on the back pushing it out. Besides that, there's a fan on top of the heat sink.

I've had people tell me that all I need is to upgrade to an aftermarket heatsink (I'm using the one that came with the processor) and make sure I'm good on contact, and that's probably true, but I'm not just looking at the problem now, but also problems in the future as I continue to revise the tower. (Not to mention I'm looking to OC with this awesome mobo. The poor thing isn't doing much right now).

Now, the first question I have is this: Would my money be better spent investing into a better tower, specifically one that focuses on cooling (and hopefully more aesthetics!)? Be honest. I could keep the one I have right now, invest in a nice cooling system, but not get the full benefit of the system because the tower simply prohibits it from doing it's best. Thus, a new tower would be a lot smarter. Then again, I'm still a beginner at these things, and my thinking might be flawed ;)

So, what do you guys think? If I aim for a new tower, where should I begin my search, and what exactly should I be looking for?

One more note: My budget isn't infinite, but I'm looking to probably put in about $500-$1,000 on the cooling system alone. Keep in mind that's everything, so if you decide to suggest a tower, keep that figure in mind :)

Cheers,
Josh
 
welcome :welcome: to O/C forums.

$500-$1000 is a big budget for cooling/case. Are you looking into water cooling with that sort of buget? Two of the best cases for cooling are the Coolermaster HAF 932 and the Andtec 1200. You really can't go wrong with either case. If your going to water cool then I would go for the HAF932. If your wanting to stay with air cooling my priority would be getting that useless stock cooler off your CPU before even thinking about a new case. Since your budget is high I would recommend the TRUE copper 2nd to none.

http://www.a-power.com/product-8780-0-1
 
welcome :welcome: to O/C forums.

$500-$1000 is a big budget for cooling/case. Are you looking into water cooling with that sort of buget? Two of the best cases for cooling are the Coolermaster HAF 932 and the Andtec 1200. You really can't go wrong with either case. If your going to water cool then I would go for the HAF932. If your wanting to stay with air cooling my priority would be getting that useless stock cooler off your CPU before even thinking about a new case. Since your budget is high I would recommend the TRUE copper 2nd to none.

http://www.a-power.com/product-8780-0-1

I've actually been looking into water cooling purely because it sounds like a lot of fun building/putting together and in the end something I would really benefit from. Obviously the only turn off is the risk, but with quality parts I don't expect the risk factor to be very high.

As I progress with this computer I am expecting to replace the GPU's to something more hardcore and possibly upgrading to a quad core. This is why I set my budget rather high on the cooling system because a year down the road I don't want to run into the same problem (yes, with technology, replacement is inevitable, but I like to prolong it :)).

The only major issue I have concerning water cooling is the size of the systems. I've seen people running double radiators both stacked with two 120mm fans, and I think to myself how the heck they got all that stuff to fit? I don't really mind remote setups, but I would prefer it everything was attached to the tower.

I'll take a look at the cases you suggested, thanks.
 
Ack just noticed. Once you decide water move to the water cooling forum. but keep your options open, air is a much cheaper way, especialy with your rig you have now. Just plan for WC if you want to. No big rush if you get the right case for future use.
 
So if I was looking to go into air, the Antec tower is a good candidate?
 
Antec 900 2 or even the 900 is a good candidate for air cooling, nearly all the antecs have more than enough fan slots to keep it as cold as your fridge. If you did want to overclock, i strongly urge you to get an aftermarket cooler, 65degrees on idle is not good at all. Especially if you are at stock speed. try at TRUE or a V8 if your daring :santa:
 
current best aftermarket coolers:
HDTS1283(cheap 'n chearfull)
TRUE 120 ( expensive, personally i think its not worth the price )
Coolermaster v8 ( huge)

good cases for cooling:
antec 900
antec 902
antec 1200
Thermaltake full tower series ( armor, kandalf, etc...)
HAF 932....hmmmm sexynesss

anyway that my opinion
 
It's not like water cooling is that difficult... but he obviusly likes to tinker with it so i would say go ahead and do it!
 
With air cooling, what do you do about keeping hot spots cool? For instance while I was doing research into water cooling, I found that you can rig it so that hot spots like your CPU, GPU, and even your RAM can all have sinks on them that are connected to your loop. Is this where water excels over air, or am I misunderstanding?
 
You are misunderstanding slightely

water conducts heat much more than air...

just like when your really hot in the summer you feel like jumping in the pool...then when you jump in the pool you almost instantly feel colder where as the air wont do this for you

Air has a thermal conductivity of 0.024
Where water has 0.58

so therefor water conducts heat 20x better than air... that is why it is a better cooler
 
With air cooling, what do you do about keeping hot spots cool? For instance while I was doing research into water cooling, I found that you can rig it so that hot spots like your CPU, GPU, and even your RAM can all have sinks on them that are connected to your loop. Is this where water excels over air, or am I misunderstanding?

Hotspots in your case are generally considered to be 'dead air' spaces where there is little/ no circulation and therefore an accumuation of heat. Negated by having intake and exhaust case fans, good wire management, and an overall good 'case flow'.

For your budget, a nice case like Antec 900/ 1200 series or Coolermaster HAF would be great. Get aftermarket fans and a good quality fan controller so you can crank 'em up when you need it or keep 'em quiet when your not under heavy load.

Aftermarket heatsink for that e8400 is essential. TRUE (top tier cooler) or Xigmatek Dark Knight/ Scythe Mugen 2/ OCZ Vendetta 2/ Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer (slightly less performance, better bang for buck) are all worthy of consideration. Of major importance is having a bolt-thru kit with a backplate to get a solid mount and optimal contact/ thermal transfer from the cpu to the cooler itself.

Having a high quality thermal paste between the cooler and the cpu is not to be overlooked. AS5/ MX-2/ Shin Itsu are just a few of the 'standard' choices.

Oh, and :welcome: to OCForums.
 
To fix your problem check your push-pins. Even with box cooler in idle it's impossible to have 64°C (in fact it's possible if you live in a stove or something :D).
For other questions do a wire-management (you don't need something spectacular, just decent to let the airflow flow :D), change your case (you don't need big cases with big and countless fans) and buy a decent aftermarket heatsink (HDT coolers are best-buy, but top dogs like TRUE lapped/modded, Prolimatech Megahalems or Noctua NH-U12P are best performers).
Your budget limit is very generous so you can end with a top air cooler and a very good case.
 
Yeah, I'd say work on what you have first. Your CPU mount is obviously FUBAR'd. Remove the HS, clean the CPU and HS well w/ 91% isopropyl and then re-apply a BB-sized drop of Arctic Cooling MX-2 or Arctic Silver 5 in the center of the CPU's IHS. Make sure the push-pins are turned in the opposite direction of the arrows, and firmly press in 2 diagonal pins at the same time until it clicks on both. Then do the other 2 in the same way.

This will be good practice to better understand how to get a good mount. B/c even if you go H2O, if you mount the block incorrectly, your temps won't be any better.

I'd suggest you stick w/ air since this is your first time. Air also allows you to tinker a bit better. Once you get very comfortable w/ air then decide if H2O is something that you want to pursue.

The cases suggested above are excellent. Any of them will do, but you could even modify what you have for better airflow if you're creative.

Look at the Prolimatech Megahalems CPU cooler or 1 of the others mentioned above and some good fans once you figure out the stock cooler and get your current temps back in line.
 
I don't know if it was just the photo or not, but, it looked to me like there is a build-up of dust on the heatsink just below the fan. I could be totally wrong and the pic is just playing games with me. And like others have said, check the mounting(push pins), you should NOT have that high of idle temps. My Q6600 gets to that temp under full load so there is something not right, unless you are in an oven or something like that.:soda:
 
yes i feel you ..it sucks whne you dont have wiremanagement places to hide things ..you end up ballin them up how u can..i know the feeling all too well with acrylic cases always like that..
 
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