CPU Temp

Robert M Wright · February 25th, 2006, 04:31 PM

Sounds like you do have the chassis fans set up correctly.

Look for CPU cooling fan/heatsinks at newegg, and read the feedback comments from people that have purchased them. I generally want to see at least 50 feedbacks, with the vast majority being very positive, for a fan/heatsink.

Here's an example of a listing at newegg for something that might be suitable:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835106035

Robert M Wright · February 25th, 2006, 04:37 PM

If your chassis is designed for fan placement at the lower front of the chassis (assuming it is a tower), you should put a fan there also, blowing air in (towards the back of the chassis). If you cannot put a fan there, you might consider replacing the rear fan with a higher capacity fan (higher CFM rating).

Carlos E. Martinez · February 26th, 2006, 05:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert M Wright

If your chassis is designed for fan placement at the lower front of the chassis (assuming it is a tower), you should put a fan there also, blowing air in (towards the back of the chassis). If you cannot put a fan there, you might consider replacing the rear fan with a higher capacity fan (higher CFM rating).

The fan I have up-front, lower side, blows through the HDs to the back of the chassis, just like you say.

The CFM rating is a term I just recently learned. But it's close to impossible to find such data on the products you can find here where I live (Brazil).

Though looking for a more powerful fan to put on the back is certainly an interesting option. I will try that.

But I think my main concerns should be looking for a larger case, perhaps a server type (if there's such a thing), which would not stuff hot air in a small area. Also a more effective heatsink/fan for the CPU.

Carlos

Carlos E. Martinez · February 26th, 2006, 05:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert M Wright

Look for CPU cooling fan/heatsinks at newegg, and read the feedback comments from people that have purchased them. I generally want to see at least 50 feedbacks, with the vast majority being very positive, for a fan/heatsink.

Here's an example of a listing at newegg for something that might be suitable:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835106035

I had followed your previous advice and understood what you said on "Newegg feedbacks". And I had done exactly what you seemed to do, finding that same "Volcano" type, which had the highest CFM.

But the most powerful seem to have one thing in common: they are noisy. The Volcano seems to have a fan control, which you can put up front to regulate it, which might be fine.

One that seems to have best of both worlds (high CFM and low noise) is this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835106072

Noise is a problem in an NLE computer if you are going to edit audio, and I am already doing so. Even if the computer will be placed in a corner, better deal with those concerns before they become a problem.

Carlos

Robert M Wright · February 26th, 2006, 11:50 PM

Yes, audible noise and cooling will go hand in hand (generally).

You could go to liquid cooling (or other more costly options) if need be, but you might consider using headphones to edit, as a possible, effective solution (might even be an improvement, even before increasing computer noise levels, if need be).

Glenn Chan · February 27th, 2006, 01:35 AM

I don't see why you would want to waste time to fix something that's not broken. Seriously people, you could be spending time working on your projects instead of working on your computer.

If you really wanted to see if your computer is too hot, the practical test would be to run Prime95's torture test to see if the CPU is making calculation errors. If your CPU is not making calculation errors, then it is working perfectly. The retail CPU heatsink/fan is generally designed well enough that there is a lot of headroom before the CPU is overheating and generating errors. You can overclock your CPU around 20% on the stock heatsink/fan (not that you should do this).

Anyways, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Putting in a very high cfm fan will just give you a noise problem... and then using headphones can give you ergonomics and mixing problems (don't use headphones to mix audio... you hear things the audience won't hear, and you don't get stereo). Of course you can get a good cfm fan that isn't noisy (check out silentpcreview.com, and fans like the Zalman 7700alcu)... but that's money and time you could've better spend elsewhere. And re-installing the heatsink/fan has a small risk of damage / causing other problems.

Dionyssios Chalkias · February 27th, 2006, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlos E. Martinez

One that seems to have best of both worlds (high CFM and low noise) is this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835106072

This a small fan. The smaller the fan the faster it has to spin, and high speed means high frequency noise (the worst kind).

Rendering is nothing compared to some games for putting your CPU on fire. I have the 120mm Zalman 7700 CU (all coper heatsink) always at full speed and all I hear is a waft. It's a big (and heavy) boy though, doesn't fit all motherboards. Arctic silver is a must and a technician to mount the thing is a good idea.

Robert M Wright · February 27th, 2006, 06:21 PM

This is another heatsink/fan that you might take a look at:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118119

It has a 92mm fan (should be able to push air more quietly than smaller fans). Zalman has a pretty good reputation, and this one has many positive reviews.

Carlos E. Martinez · February 28th, 2006, 06:27 AM

Let's heat down!

Glenn: I did try the Prime95 test some time ago (with another memory block unfortunately) for several days and it did went through fine. In spite of that I kept having problems with a strategic game I use to play to relax: the program copes out by itself, saying the reason for that I might be having heat problems. The minimum CPU temp I have (62 degrees C cruising, easily going up to 70, when the alarm starts to ring) I do think it's a bit high, don't you? What will it do if I need more demanding rendering? Coping out on a game is not as bad as coping out on the middle of a render. This is not fixing something which ain't broke, because that game behaviour seems like an early alarm for other problems.

Robert: headphones are certainly not an option. They are the worst way to do a mix, even when I am a professional sound recordist myself that might know how to judge that. Speakers are the way to do serious audio mix, particularly equalizing. The Zalman fan you suggest looks better than the option I found, as it's all copper and with adjustable fan speed.

Dionyssios: your fan looks very good. But it doesn't seem to attend Socket A type CPUs like mine.

The option is now between these two Zalmans.

Dionyssios Chalkias · February 28th, 2006, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlos E. Martinez

Dionyssios: your fan looks very good. But it doesn't seem to attend Socket A type CPUs like mine.

The fan supports Pentium 4 (sockets 775 and 478) and AMD Sempron/AMD64 (socket 754/939/940).

Carlos E. Martinez · February 28th, 2006, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dionyssios Chalkias

The fan supports Pentium 4 (sockets 775 and 478) and AMD Sempron/AMD64 (socket 754/939/940).

Mine is socket A. It may be more difficult to fit on my mobo.

Robert M Wright · February 28th, 2006, 11:16 AM

I don't know that much about working with audio, but I have been under the hood of more computers than I can count. Since you need to use speakers, and headphones aren't a viable option, you need to get the CPU cooled, while minimizing noise levels coming from the computer. Despite counsel given by another member here, I would never wait until a computer is actually displaying performance symptoms to address cooling. By the time you are experiencing performance problems, due to heat, the CPU is, more than likely, being damaged to some degree. I don't want to ever see my CPUs go over 60C. You can probably find a conventional type fan/heatsink that will provide adequate performance (enough cooling, within acceptable noise limits), but if not, you could look at liquid cooling options. You mentioned getting another, larger chassis. Looking at getting a new chassis could be a good idea in your situation. Some are designed much better for airflow than others. You might look at some of the cases from Cooler Master. Generally, cases that allow for the use of 120mm chassis fans can give you better airflow/noise level performance.

February 25th, 2006, 04:31 PM	#16
Robert M Wright Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Minnesota (USA) Posts: 2,171	Sounds like you do have the chassis fans set up correctly. Look for CPU cooling fan/heatsinks at newegg, and read the feedback comments from people that have purchased them. I generally want to see at least 50 feedbacks, with the vast majority being very positive, for a fan/heatsink. Here's an example of a listing at newegg for something that might be suitable: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835106035

February 25th, 2006, 04:37 PM	#17
Robert M Wright Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Minnesota (USA) Posts: 2,171	If your chassis is designed for fan placement at the lower front of the chassis (assuming it is a tower), you should put a fan there also, blowing air in (towards the back of the chassis). If you cannot put a fan there, you might consider replacing the rear fan with a higher capacity fan (higher CFM rating).

February 26th, 2006, 11:50 PM	#20
Robert M Wright Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Minnesota (USA) Posts: 2,171	Yes, audible noise and cooling will go hand in hand (generally). You could go to liquid cooling (or other more costly options) if need be, but you might consider using headphones to edit, as a possible, effective solution (might even be an improvement, even before increasing computer noise levels, if need be).

February 27th, 2006, 01:35 AM	#21
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	I don't see why you would want to waste time to fix something that's not broken. Seriously people, you could be spending time working on your projects instead of working on your computer. If you really wanted to see if your computer is too hot, the practical test would be to run Prime95's torture test to see if the CPU is making calculation errors. If your CPU is not making calculation errors, then it is working perfectly. The retail CPU heatsink/fan is generally designed well enough that there is a lot of headroom before the CPU is overheating and generating errors. You can overclock your CPU around 20% on the stock heatsink/fan (not that you should do this). Anyways, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Putting in a very high cfm fan will just give you a noise problem... and then using headphones can give you ergonomics and mixing problems (don't use headphones to mix audio... you hear things the audience won't hear, and you don't get stereo). Of course you can get a good cfm fan that isn't noisy (check out silentpcreview.com, and fans like the Zalman 7700alcu)... but that's money and time you could've better spend elsewhere. And re-installing the heatsink/fan has a small risk of damage / causing other problems.

February 27th, 2006, 06:21 PM	#23
Robert M Wright Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Minnesota (USA) Posts: 2,171	This is another heatsink/fan that you might take a look at: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118119 It has a 92mm fan (should be able to push air more quietly than smaller fans). Zalman has a pretty good reputation, and this one has many positive reviews.

February 28th, 2006, 06:27 AM	#24
Carlos E. Martinez Trustee Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brasil Posts: 1,138	Let's heat down! Glenn: I did try the Prime95 test some time ago (with another memory block unfortunately) for several days and it did went through fine. In spite of that I kept having problems with a strategic game I use to play to relax: the program copes out by itself, saying the reason for that I might be having heat problems. The minimum CPU temp I have (62 degrees C cruising, easily going up to 70, when the alarm starts to ring) I do think it's a bit high, don't you? What will it do if I need more demanding rendering? Coping out on a game is not as bad as coping out on the middle of a render. This is not fixing something which ain't broke, because that game behaviour seems like an early alarm for other problems. Robert: headphones are certainly not an option. They are the worst way to do a mix, even when I am a professional sound recordist myself that might know how to judge that. Speakers are the way to do serious audio mix, particularly equalizing. The Zalman fan you suggest looks better than the option I found, as it's all copper and with adjustable fan speed. Dionyssios: your fan looks very good. But it doesn't seem to attend Socket A type CPUs like mine. The option is now between these two Zalmans.

February 28th, 2006, 11:16 AM	#27
Robert M Wright Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Minnesota (USA) Posts: 2,171	I don't know that much about working with audio, but I have been under the hood of more computers than I can count. Since you need to use speakers, and headphones aren't a viable option, you need to get the CPU cooled, while minimizing noise levels coming from the computer. Despite counsel given by another member here, I would never wait until a computer is actually displaying performance symptoms to address cooling. By the time you are experiencing performance problems, due to heat, the CPU is, more than likely, being damaged to some degree. I don't want to ever see my CPUs go over 60C. You can probably find a conventional type fan/heatsink that will provide adequate performance (enough cooling, within acceptable noise limits), but if not, you could look at liquid cooling options. You mentioned getting another, larger chassis. Looking at getting a new chassis could be a good idea in your situation. Some are designed much better for airflow than others. You might look at some of the cases from Cooler Master. Generally, cases that allow for the use of 120mm chassis fans can give you better airflow/noise level performance.