A couple of cooling / temp questions

[stuff72]

*disclaimer* if this belongs in a different part of the forum, I'll be more than happy to move it *end disclaimer*

 

Hello all,

 

Just got my wonderful new Opty 170. It's an absolute beast of a chip. I'm hoping to hit 3.0 Ghz when I get the time to play with some memory settings. First things first though. I think that my temps are a little high to start to push the chip more. I've been using MBM to check my temps (thanks soundx98). Currently at 2.6 Ghz the chip idles at 40 deg and hits 50-51 deg at full load (2 x Prime95). I'm at 1.325v. I could be at stock voltage, but I wanted to add a little for stability.

 

Questions:

 

1) Are these temps too high or normal?

 

2) Could I put my GFX card in the lower PCIx slot and it will still operate at 16x? I think this will help create some better airflow to the CPU.

 

3) I've seen people use smoke to analyze air flow. What kind of smoke do they use? I've heard that certain kinds of smoke can damage your components.

 

I have a bad feeling that I have some dead spots in the case. I might have to bust out the Dremel to make some adjustments. I'll try to post a pic of my rig later for a visual.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Praz]

1. With a Thermalright SI-120 the temps are a little on the high side. Might consider removing the heatsink and reapplying the TIM.

 

2. In the lower slot the card is going to run at x8. You will see no difference in performance as your card is not capable of maxing the bandwidth an x8 slot provides.

 

3. The easiest way to check airflow is remove the side panel from the case. If the system runs cooler you have an airflow problem.

[mknwatt]

I think your temps are fine if you stay there but don't go over 50C.

 

IMO they should be lower at those volts. You could take the side off and see if the temps drop then it might be an airflow issue. Check your HS mount and use some AS5 thermal paste.

[stuff72]

Correction, I checked my BIOS last night and I'm running at 1.325V. (wrote the original post at work yesterday)

 

I'm currently using AS5. I've followed the tutorials for it's application. Maybe my AS5 has settled over time. The tube that I used has been sitting around for a year and a half. Does that stuff go bad? I'm going to try to re-apply it with a new tube when I get a chance to get to the store.

 

I'll try removing the side panel and see what happens. I guess I wanted to try the smoke to find some hot spots. I would get to use some of the Thermodynamics and Fluid Flow that I hated in college. They may finally end up being useful.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll let you know what I find.

[stuff72]

So I've been letting the box idle for about an hour now with the side off. MBM says 33-34 degrees.

 

Primed it for an hour 44-45 degrees.

[Praz]

So about 7 degrees lower with the side panel off. Definitely need to work on airflow and/or fan placement/addition.

[stuff72]

I plan to do some cutting and re arranging this weekend, as soon as vacation comes. I'll have a whole week to play.

 

I plan to cut some of the stamped air guards out of the case and replace them with wire guards for less resistance. I'll probably try some re arranging too.

 

Any general tips? I'm aware that flow should go front to back, bottom to top. And I should have more CFM blowing out the back than sucking in at the front. Would some pics help?

[mknwatt]

They say, CFM in = CFM out or close. Also try some cable management, place cables out of the airflow path (behind MB tray works good and "zip tie" cables together). With a little patience / practice you will be able to improve air flow and have a nice clean look. GL

[stuff72]

I'm actually going to the computer store today. I have the cables on my psu sleeved, but I did a pretty crappy job. I want to make it look a little cleaner. I have round cables for my floppy and optical drives. Things COULD be tucked away a little better though. We'll see. I have to grab some supplies today.

 

I actually found a lot of stuff at Home Depot last night. It's amazing what you can find ther for so much cheaper than MicroCenter for Frey's. Stuff like heat shrink tubing, zip ties and tie downs for your case.

 

This is going to turn into a DYI project for me. I'll try to post pictures and updates as I go.

 

Thank you everyone for your responses, they've really helped me find out what direction I need to go.

[lugie]

I actually found a lot of stuff at Home Depot last night. It's amazing what you can find ther for so much cheaper than MicroCenter for Frey's.

 

I assume you mean Fry's, where is one near Columbus? I'm visiting relatives in Gahanna, and could use a little trip.

[Flybye]

Airflow is EVERYTHING.

 

On my board, the EIDE connector is right in front of the PWMIC heatsinks. I had the cable at a 90degree angle but was still about 1inch tall coming out of the board. I didn't think much of it. Until my PWMIC started reaching 70c as I started overclocking more. :eek:

 

So I pushed down on the EIDE cable and made it almost flushed with the motherboard's height. I also cut this stupid little paper label at the end of the cable that read ATA133. My PWMIC temps now read mid 50s. Thus shows how 5 minutes of cable management reduced temps in one area.

[stuff72]

Sorry, no Fry's in Columbus. MicroCenter is off of 315 on Bethel Rd. though. They have a pretty good selection of stuff. Anything they have can all be had a lot cheaper online though.