Hot case

w00dy85

w00dy85

w00dy85

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I was playing BF4 and max setting over the weekend and the side panel on my case was quite warm, even the laminate flooring around my case was toastie :D

This got me thinking about how to get more hot air out of my case. I currenty have 3 fans sucking air in to the case, 120mm on the front, 120mm on the bottom and another 120mm on the side. Sucking air out i have 1 120mm at the top of the case, their use to be 2 but when I fitted my silverarrow cooler their was no room for it. So I was thinking of either getting a PCI slot exhaust fan or 2 slim fans for the top of the case.

Has anyone here had any experience with a PCI slot exhaust fans and are they any good? I can't find any on OC's website but found one some where else called Evercool SB-F2 that looks ok.

The slim fans I am looking at are Akasa Slim Fan or Scythe Slip Stream SLIM

So basically I can't make my mind up on what to do, go the exhaust fan route which will be a lot cheaper or get 2 slim fans.
 
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You got a pic of inside the case? Sounds like not enough exhaust to me. Is the exhaust fan definitely blowing out (always worth a check!) and do you have scope to install a rear exhaust?
 
If your Silver Arrow is positioned normally i.e. the fans throw air towards the back of the case, then installing an exhaust fan would immediately remove the warm air from the cooler straight out the case. In fact, that may be the only additional fan you would need in order to stop a build up of heat in the case.

Another possible option would be if you could turn the Silver Arrow 90 degrees (if you haven't already, if it's even possible) so that the fans throw the warm air up. That top mounted exhaust fan would then remove the warm air from the case.

I'd try removing one of the intake fans and positioning it so that you have two exhaust fans; one at the top, and one at the rear.
 
abbotsmike said:
You got a pic of inside the case? Sounds like not enough exhaust to me. Is the exhaust fan definitely blowing out (always worth a check!) and do you have scope to install a rear exhaust?
Click to expand...

Yes I thought it was an exhaust problem to, so I bought a Evercool SB-F1 FOX-1 exhaust fan to sit right below the graphics card. I also got some Silverstone SST-Aeroslots-BP PCI Slot Covers and replaced the front fan with a Prolimatech Blue Vortex Blue Wings from the stock coolmaster fan.

riskyfrisky said:
If your Silver Arrow is positioned normally i.e. the fans throw air towards the back of the case, then installing an exhaust fan would immediately remove the warm air from the cooler straight out the case. In fact, that may be the only additional fan you would need in order to stop a build up of heat in the case.

Another possible option would be if you could turn the Silver Arrow 90 degrees (if you haven't already, if it's even possible) so that the fans throw the warm air up. That top mounted exhaust fan would then remove the warm air from the case.

I'd try removing one of the intake fans and positioning it so that you have two exhaust fans; one at the top, and one at the rear.
Click to expand...

I forgot to mention the rear fan, I have another Prolimatech Blue Vortex Blue Wing there. I don’t seem to have a problem with the top of the case being hot, It’s the bottom near may graphics card and PSU. Had to move the graphics card to the second PCI express slot as it was nearly touching the CPU cooler.

The only thing I'm not sure about now, is if the new FOX-1 exhaust fan is close to the graphics card. I was not sure to move it above the graphics card and put one of the new vented PCI slot cover there.

what do you think?

CameraZOOM-20140315154305468_zpsndpobbq2.jpg
 
Shouldn't bottom fan be the exhaust then?
You basically have half of your gpu cooler blowing air down and a fan blowing air up, then it mixes up and goes nowhere. Exhaust on the bottom would be much better idea imho.
 
The GPU cooler does not blow air down, it blows towards the card (up), and then sideways as it cannot go anywhere else. Hot air rises.

A side exhaust or more top exhausts could fix the problem in my opinion.

That PCI-slot cooler is useless in this case.
 
Can you move the GPU to the top PCI slot? That would give a lot more space for cool air to get in underneath it. The bottom case fan should be drawing air in. The PCI extractor would probably do better if it were above the GPU, if it helps at all.

Can you give a pic of the whole inside of the case? I still can't quite picture where you have fans and where the airflow is!
 
Wont that pci cooler thing be challenging the GPU cooler for air?
I tested turning the cpu cooler to exhaust through the roof fan on my r4, strangely it got worse results than the normal exhausting towards the back; possible it was just TOO close to it.
 
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Make said:
A side exhaust or more top exhausts could fix the problem in my opinion.

That PCI-slot cooler is useless in this case.
Click to expand...

I agree after testing it, it just makes a lot of noise :D

abbotsmike said:
Can you move the GPU to the top PCI slot?
Click to expand...

I don't want to do that as the GPU would be very very close to the CPU cooler.

smilertoo said:
Wont that pci cooler thing be challenging the GPU cooler for air?
I tested turning the cpu cooler to exhaust through the roof fan on my r4, strangely it got worse results than the normal exhausting towards the back; possible it was just TOO close to it.
Click to expand...

I did think that, so have taken it out.

What I have done which really seems to have made a big difference is moved the Prolimatech Blue Vortex fan to the bottom of the case and that seems to have made a real difference. I can really feel the difference in the air flow being sucked in from the bottom of the case.

Here's a picture of my case setup
CameraZOOM-20140317200649898_zpsroxxmtgn.jpg
 
have any room for a fan in the side panel?

the 7990 is the biggest heat source,you want more fans sucking air in than exhausting= positive pressure
 
Jeebus that cooler's a beast! Assuming the bottom and front fans are sucking in, and the top and back are blowing out, I'm not sure there's much scope for improvement. Clean out what looks like a dust filter in the top though, that will be seriously compromising airflow. I'd actually be inclined to remove it, as air should only be going out the top!

The only issue I can see is the the CPU cooler fans and the top exhaust are sucking on the same air. This either means that the exhaust will be ineffective, or the CPU won't get enough flow, or some combination of both.

Could you potentially move the CPU cooler fan to the RAM side, then move the top exhaust to the rear slot? I suspect not as it will probably collide with the RAM...
 
wazza300 said:
have any room for a fan in the side panel?
Click to expand...

Yes I have one installed and it's sucking air in to the case.

CameraZOOM-20140317232722405_zpsh1wwuztq.jpg



abbotsmike said:
Could you potentially move the CPU cooler fan to the RAM side, then move the top exhaust to the rear slot? I suspect not as it will probably collide with the RAM...
Click to expand...

Yes your right, ram is in the way. So fans have to go that way, though I have turned them so they blow out the back of the case.

I have been playing theif tonight for 2 hours on max settings and have to say the PC dose seem cooler. I think since installing the vented PCI slots in the back and moving the Vortex fan to the bottom, it has really made a difference.
 
lol. you have a 7990 and you wonder why your rig's innards are baking!?
i'd make the side panel fan an exhaust cuz the 7990 is cooled by axial fans so the hot air is being blown towards the side of the case
 
tamzzy said:
lol. you have a 7990 and you wonder why your rig's innards are baking!?
i'd make the side panel fan an exhaust cuz the 7990 is cooled by axial fans so the hot air is being blown towards the side of the case
Click to expand...

It could work, and will probably reduce the GPU temps, but it might well scupper the airflow a bit in the rest of the case. Worth a try though.
 
tamzzy said:
lol. you have a 7990 and you wonder why your rig's innards are baking!?
Click to expand...

I never said that, always knew it was the 7990 ;)

I am happy with how it worked tonight, so will leave it for now. I may change the side fan to exhaust if I feel it's not working. But the way it worked tonight, I was really happy and no toastie floor and the side panel was cool :)
 
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petertr2000 said:
Isn't that the only fan that is supplying cool air for the CPU? The other 2 intakes are blocked by the GPU card
Click to expand...

Kind of, but air also goes from the sides etc.

The CPU might get a few C's hotter, or not. It might even use ambient air it gets from other holes in the case, as every case has holes.

Point is, theory says "Intake from front/bottom, out from back/top". The real result can only be found with testing :)

No room for a 2nd front intake in the case?
 
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