Case cooling questions.

setter · 18 Jul 2012 at 12:20

Looking for some advice on helping with cooling in my case. When playing games im seeing pretty high cpu temps, 74c on highest core, (i7 920 DO @4ghz). Previously in my lian li a70f i was maxing at 65c in gaming. Gpu temp of 67c max on a highly clocked gtx 670 wf. Which im happy enough with. Case is a bitfenix shinobi xl, not great for air intake tbh.

Current fan set up is as follows.

1x 120mm intake fan in case floor
2x 120mm intake fans in the front
1x 120mm exhaust at top rear, (a 140mm fan can fit here as well)
1x 230mm exhaust in case roof panel
cpu cooler is an Alpenfohn k2 with it's stock fans.

The 230mm bitfenix fans dont shift an awful amount of air, hence i swapped the one in front for 2x 120mm silverstone air penetrators. Would replacing the 230mm fan in the roof with a pair of 120's be a better choice to help with extraction. And maybe swapping the top rear 120 to a 140mm fan.

CinderzFTW · 18 Jul 2012 at 16:59

add another exhaust

setter · 18 Jul 2012 at 17:06

Ive since replaced the top 230mm fan for a pair of 1500 rpm 120mm xilence redwings, rear fan replaced by a 140mm 1400 rpm yate loon. Temps now down to 68c max in game. Gonna add another 120 in the front once i can source something like a scythe kama bay.

doyll · 18 Jul 2012 at 17:39

I suggest taking out your PCI slot covers on unused slots. Might need to stop your top fans so intakes can push air past the GPU and on out.

setter · 18 Jul 2012 at 18:08

Remaining slot covers are already removed. Temps are a lot better, but i reckon with a kama bay i could improve them a lot more. Very hard item to find though, ill probably have to bite the bullet and get one of theese instead.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-464-LL&groupid=2362&catid=1770&subcat=

doyll · 18 Jul 2012 at 18:13

Maybe try removing bottom 3x 5.25" covers and set a 140mm intake fan in the opening and see what happens.

Edit: and turn off top fan. Hoping it will stop bottom to top air movement and promote front to back movement

setter · 18 Jul 2012 at 18:18

Id thought about that doyll, but i was a bit concerned about dust. Had a similair setup in my previous case, a 120mm fan bungie tied into the bays with 3x filtered lian li mesh drive bay bezels. Unfortunately they dont fit in this case due to their push in nature.

doyll · 18 Jul 2012 at 18:25

Stretch a nylon over the fan before you set it in the opening

Real Ghetto I know. but will keep dust out.

how do XL cover attach?
Could you use a thin plywood or composite material cut to fit with fan hole in it?

setter · 18 Jul 2012 at 18:29

They fit with the little spring notched plastic tabs, theese seem to be the common fitting on plastic fascia cases. My old eclipse 62 used a similair method. Ive found the Lian Li drive bezel elsewhere and ordered it. Will save the embarrasment of getting some nylons.

Cheers for your advice/input though.

doyll · 18 Jul 2012 at 18:30

really wanted to see you in tights.... NOT!

setter · 21 Jul 2012 at 14:05

Unfortunately the lian li unit doesnt fit, so i had to go ghetto style.

Found my lian li 5.25 mesh bezels and bodge mounted a fan in the bays with sewing elastic. Bezels are a perfect fit, even better than how they fitted in my lian li.

doyll · 21 Jul 2012 at 14:09

If you can't see it, it's not bodged... and I can't see any bodging. Looks very nice mate.

Does it improve your temps?

setter · 21 Jul 2012 at 14:26

lol, the bodging is well hidden. Temp wise, i just ran LinX. 76c max compared to 80c previously. Four intake fans now and three exhausts in the case, not counting the two on the cooler and three on the gpu. Noise is up a bit but still not loud enough so as to be distracting/annoying.

doyll · 21 Jul 2012 at 14:42

Don't understand why it's running so much hotter in this case than in Lain Li.

Have you tried it with the 230mm top fan unplugged?

setter · 21 Jul 2012 at 14:49

The Lian Li has an open mesh front design with dual 140mm intake fans. The xl only has the thin mesh strips, (approx 0.5" wide). Ive replaced the top 230 with 2x 120mm fans. As theese are above the cooler, theyre not really effecting front to back airflow now. Pretty pleased with the changes/results so far. Now seeing temps in game similair to what i got in the Lian Li. Though once funds permit, ill be getting the LL powdercoated internally and modded for cable management, and ill move the system back into it. The xl will then be used to house my second i7 930 based rig.

doyll · 21 Jul 2012 at 14:55

i was thinking the top fans may be drawing air from bottom to top while top front fan is trying to blow directly at HSF intake. Unplugging top fans may allow new front intake to supply HSF intake better... and other air to flow out back PCI slots instead of being pulled toward top by top fans. That's the theory anyway.

setter · 21 Jul 2012 at 15:11

May give that a try. In the previous case i had a straight front to back setup, 3x intake, 2x exhaust. Top panel on it was solid. Though im now using a gtx 670 wf that dumps heat into the case, previously had reference gtx 470's in sli.