Cooling recommendations

[brianthekiller]

Nothing fun to post about here. I'm not overclocking or doing anything the least bit interesting to my PC. My system is a modified Emachines T6520. I've added an Antec SmartPower2.0 400W PSU and a 6600GT. My problem is just that about 30 minutes after bootup, the CPU fan kicks in to overdrive and is pretty loud. I know it's an airflow problem because if I remove the side panel, it cools down. I opened it up and made sure that the wires were dealt with cleanly. I have all the extras stuffed into the drive bay that my 9-in-1 media reader uses. My hard drive line is routed around the case using electrical tape so that it doesn't hang down into anything. So I think I'm okay on that front. I rebooted once, and checked my temps in the BIOS. I haven't found a Windows program yet that will allow me to monitor temps on this machine. My CPU was right around 55C and my System was around 33C. I'd like to get that CPU down to about 35-40. How can I do it for the least amount of money?

P.S.

Until I get this properly fixed, is it very dangerous to run it with the side panel off?

 

[PZEROFGH]

1 get some fans

2 no it wont be dangerous for your sidepanel off

3 download Motherboard monitor 5

4 try to get a different heatsink.

 

[FghtinIrshNvrDi]

I agree with the CPU cooling. It sounds like it's not transferring heat very well. It might not need a new HSF, but maybe take off your stock thermal grease/pad, and replace it with the proper silver-based grease.

Case fans are an absolute essential. Sounds like you need more.

Ryan

 

[brianthekiller]

What I've done so far: $0 spent

I moved the case into a more open area to improve air flow. I removed the side panel for the time being and I'll buy a can of duster as Wal-Mart to account for any extra dust that accumulates. I downloaded SmartFan, and at idle, I've seen about a 5 degree Celcius improvement in idle temperature. On my previous setup, I ran BF2 to stress test my system and it peaked at 65 degrees. Ouch. So I'm about to run another stress test, and I'll report back with the results.

Edit: During BF2, my CPU temp was down to 56 degrees. So definately an improvement. If you guys could direct me to the best cooling supplies for the money that will fit my needs, I'd appreciate it very much.

 

[PZEROFGH]

are we talking about the one in your sig? whats your mobo? try to get a new hs/f and get some AS5 that makes a huge difference, try to spend a couple of dollars on a case fan.

 

[brianthekiller]

Yeah, it's the same system. The mobo is a MSI 7145 ATI X300 chipset. So I'll need a new hs/f, some AS5, and a case fan? Could you possibly select some on newegg for me? Will I need a totally new case fan to go along with stock, or can I just replace stock with a heavier duty unit? If I add another case fan to the stock configuration, how do I properly mount it to the case?

 

[PZEROFGH]

do you konw your case? cause most likely you will have a exahust mount fan. but i dont know if its 80mm or 120mm. either one just buy that size and stick it on the back of your case. you can pick up a nice zalman cooler or a thermaltake one. i have the thermaltake venus 12, keeps my venice OCed at 2.5 at 26-30C idle. most ppl will recommend the zalman one though, im not sure if its compatible with your mobo.

 

[brianthekiller]

I'll need to buy some thermal paste remover along with the arctic silver 5, right? Should I be able to all of this while leaving the mobo inside the case, or will I need to take it out? Thanks for all the help, guys. Next time, I'll be sure to do a self-build.

 

[PZEROFGH]

you can take it out if you want, i did, or you can leave it in. you can buy thermal paste remover, i did, i bought the artic silver thermal remover, other people just use other stuff. you can ask them.

 

[brianthekiller]

Okay, I think I have a good idea of what I need to do. Remove HS/F from CPU. Remove existing thermal paste. Apply new thermal paste. Install new HS/F. Replace case fan with better one. That about covers it for now, right?