Corsair Obsidian 550D...fan setup help

yannis76 · 4 Aug 2012 at 10:51

Hi

I have the Corsair Obisidian 550D for about a month. While its very nice, well built and quite silent (not super silent), I don't like the fact that the system produces a lot of heat!!!

The PC is under my desk and I feel a considerable amount of heat coming up especially while playing. I do live on a warm climate (30-40oC now during summer) and even if I turn on the air-condition, there is still heat coming up to me.

The configuration is a 7970 TOP, an i2400 and two fans blowing in and one blowing out. Do you have any idea how I would face the effect of heat coming up to me? Of course I don't want to change the 7970 or the i2400.

I was thinking of installing 2 fans on the side panel just to draw the heat to my left away from the desk, but then the noise would go higher...

[TW]Sponge · 4 Aug 2012 at 14:06

Can't you put the case on the desk or somewhere higher?

There will always be heat coming out when gaming no matter what fans you have.

yannis76 · 4 Aug 2012 at 19:42

[TW]Sponge;22491717 said:
Can't you put the case on the desk or somewhere higher?

There will always be heat coming out when gaming no matter what fans you have.

Of course there will be always some heat, but compared to my previous ATCS 840, I feel the heat is quite increased. Judging by the 2 cases, the fact that the 550D has less opens in front and side panels makes it hold the heat inside more and then radiate it further. If you touch the 550d case it is really warm especially on the back of it. I have the side panel open just to see how it will perform. I am also thinking these ideas:

1) Changing from my Noctua U12P cooler to Corsair H60 or Antec Kuhler 620. By this I will remove one fan from the CPU and transfer it the side panel.
2) Install a big 140mm intake fan on the side panel and stopping one of the 2 intake front fans.
3) Install a big 140mm outtake fan on the side panel

Any ideas?

Apem · 5 Aug 2012 at 12:58

I wouldnt put a intake and outtake on the side panel at the same time you need to pick just one intake or just outtake. I would stick with 2 fans at the front add 1 or 2 fans on the side as intake and add a fan or 2 at top for outtake.

MADMAN · 5 Aug 2012 at 15:10

interesting to know I was gonna go for a 550 case but yeah the ati card is surely causing all the heat issues.

may need to look at a 670 card

yannis76 · 5 Aug 2012 at 19:23

Well, I just added an intake fan on the bottom of the case in order to increase the intake flow. On the meantime I also lowered the idle temp fan speeds. The system now is super silent (idle), the CPU temp is 44oC (1600MHz) and the M/B temp is 41oC. Ambient temp is 34oC.
Running Furmark for 15 minutes (CPU: 3700MHz, GPU:1000MHz), would cause the temps to increase as following:
CPU: 61oC
M/B: 56oC
GPU: 82oC

At this point I increased to 100% one front intake and the bottom intake. In two minutes GPU temp and M/B temp were lowered by 2oC...

yannis76 · 5 Aug 2012 at 19:24

Yes, it is definitely hotter than the 680 and especially the 670 but don't by how much...

MADMAN · 6 Aug 2012 at 23:45

thx good to know.... sometimes adding a 3rd party heatsink on the gpu can help dissipate that heat....

but yeah u need to get that hot air out, some guys i know even created a funnel to expel that air oddly... but aint seen that in years ! I guess though it does direct the hot heat out nicely and it dont make other parts hot.