Whats the best way to get my computer to shut up and cool down

explicit4u · 29 Jun 2009 at 00:11

Ok,

Its the summer now and for some unforeseen reason we seem to be getting warm weather in London, we are set to hit as high 31C and i cant wait. Now my computer is running quite warm and the room im in is heating up to (29.5C now), i keep the doors and windows all open to the max. My CPU is running at around 58 and the GPU at around 53. Another thing thats really annoying me is the noise, i know i cant do too much about the hard drive noise unless i get some SSD's which is out of the question, but what can i do about the noisy 4870 and the Intel stock fan. So, whats the best way to keep my computer cool and quiet, and how much will it cost me.

PS, Would water help and if so, what would be a good option, i don't care to much about the best quality things, more the products that will cool down my hardware and stay quiet too.

Specs in sig.

Thanks

Mattus · 29 Jun 2009 at 00:14

Replacing the awful stock cooler with one of these should help a lot. Water is probably overkill.

Helios1234 · 29 Jun 2009 at 00:29

Mattus said:
Replacing the awful stock cooler with one of these should help a lot. Water is probably overkill.

That won't really help on the noise side of things. What you need is a TRUE with a noctua fan or the Noctua heatsink. You could maybe try an aftermarket cooler for the graphics card but I'm not too sure which one.

JonJ678 · 29 Jun 2009 at 00:32

Water would solve the problem of noise but introduce a variety of new ones, especially if you attempted it on a budget.

Suspend the hard drives, i.e. hang them off elastic and remember this when you move the case around violently. This will significantly reduce their noise. For web browing and the like I'm running off a cheap 4gb usb stick at the moment, which is fast enough and completely silent.

Your case is meant to be fairly good at cooling, have you got fans where it expects them to be? Aftermarket coolers for cpu and gpu are pretty obvious answers to noise, bit surprised you hadn't already thought of replacing the very loud fans with quieter solutions

edit: had to be said: Silence, Temperatures, Price. Pick two.

explicit4u · 29 Jun 2009 at 00:33

Mattus said:
Replacing the awful stock cooler with one of these should help a lot. Water is probably overkill.

Why would water be overkill?

im not a big fan of massive heatsinks like the TRUE or the Noctua.

JonJ678 said:
Water would solve the problem of noise but introduce a variety of new ones, especially if you attempted it on a budget.

Suspend the hard drives, i.e. hang them off elastic and remember this when you move the case around violently. This will significantly reduce their noise. For web browing and the like I'm running off a cheap 4gb usb stick at the moment, which is fast enough and completely silent.

Your case is meant to be fairly good at cooling, have you got fans where it expects them to be? Aftermarket coolers for cpu and gpu are pretty obvious answers to noise, bit surprised you hadn't already thought of replacing the very loud fans with quieter solutions

edit: had to be said: Silence, Temperatures, Price. Pick two.

What kind of problems would i face with water and what would it cost me (estimation). I have 5x 120mm fans as well as the big one at the top. for the GPU i was thinking at either a Accellero twin turbo or something else.

MikeHunt79 · 29 Jun 2009 at 00:34

underclock it

JonJ678 · 29 Jun 2009 at 00:35

It'll cost a lot more than the TRUE, and takes a lot of effort. Not liking massive heatsinks means you'll need a small heatsink with a loud fan, or to drop a couple of hundred quid on water cooling.

If you go down the latter route, research it a lot before you start.

^ actually quite a good answer, I like having an overclocked and an underclocked profile in the bios to choose between when you want speed or quiet

explicit4u · 29 Jun 2009 at 00:48

MikeHunt79 said:
underclock it

What kind of temperature and performance loss would i see by underclocking my Graphics Card?

JonJ678 said:
It'll cost a lot more than the TRUE, and takes a lot of effort. Not liking massive heatsinks means you'll need a small heatsink with a loud fan, or to drop a couple of hundred quid on water cooling.

If you go down the latter route, research it a lot before you start.

Im very tempted to just drop the ball on some WC, the main goal im trying to achieve is less noise and lower temps from the exhausted heat, would air or water be best in that scenario.

JonJ678 · 29 Jun 2009 at 00:56

Underclocking the graphics card won't make that much difference unless you manage to undervolt it. Undervolting the processor will make a very large difference but in no way justifies keeping the terrible stock fan.

Water will be quieter, and cooler, but only if you do it right. If you do it wrong you'll kill most of your computer. That you're even asking which out of air and water will achieve that screams inadequate research, which will indeed lead to dropping the ball.

Have a look through pages of the water cooled gallery, and if you're logically minded you'll get the general idea from that. Next you get to work out where in your case / near your case you can fit radiators. At least a 240 (means two 120mm fans side by side), but the more the better within reason. Base this on which fit. Then a long debate over which pump leading to getting the laing ddc, after which pick your blocks and you're basically done shopping.

Beyond that, it rather depends on you. I'm taking enormous amounts of time over my system because I want it done right, so I'm repeatedly assembling and taking things apart. I'm still trying to work out where to put radiators. However were I inclined to rush things I could put it together within half an hour and be done. Were it to then leak I'd have no one to blame but myself. I don't like rushing electronics with water

explicit4u · 29 Jun 2009 at 01:08

I've looked through some galaries of antec 1200s and how some people have gone about watercooling. I'm no expert but I do know a bit about WC, I've taken a look around and seen the frequent names such a swiftech, XSPC (can't remeber the order of letters) and danger den.

Also, I've seen a rookie watercooling set-up by corsair, it costs around £55 and is a pre sealed wAter cooling unit just for the CPU, it's better then a TRUE and IMO an ok step into WC.

JonJ678 · 29 Jun 2009 at 01:18

explicit4u said:
rookie watercooling set-up by corsair, it costs around £55 and is a pre sealed wAter cooling unit just for the CPU, it's better then a TRUE and IMO an ok step into WC.

And in my opinion this is an inferior solution to using the TRUE, and an unwise step tangental to wc.

If you wish to take your own council on this then go ahead, it's your dime after all. I have absolute faith that you will regret getting the self-contained unit, and that if you get the TRUE you'll decide that water is unnecessary after all.

I've written and edited so many responses to this that I'm giving up, I sound like a **** however I phrase 'my opinion is more valid because I've learnt more'. Do as you please, I'll look forward to the results and hope it all goes well.

Mattus · 29 Jun 2009 at 07:38

explicit4u said:
Why would water be overkill?

im not a big fan of massive heatsinks like the TRUE or the Noctua.

In my opinion, introducing water cooling to a PC, especially if it's a pre-made kit, is a big step that just isn't necessary for the majority of people who could get good results with a decent HSF. WC is only worth it if you have decent gear which greatly improves on the best air coolers. You're not going to get that for £55. A £55 WC kit is unlikely to be substantially better than a TRUE with a nice fan. It's adding extra complication for little real-world benefit. You can't go far wrong with a big lump of metal with a fan on it.

cmndr_andi · 29 Jun 2009 at 07:45

Megahalems + Noctua - job done.

Btw, the Megahalems (or any decent air cooler) is big, live with it.