Is This Solution To Easy?

[sstruckguy]

Since I am an older p.c enthusiast,(49 and counting) I have tried to work on the work smarter not harder premise. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it does not.

 

I have stuck with what works, when it comes to a p.c build. I am still using my last build from 2003. An Asus 850E based, RDRAM having, Quake slaying, rock steady build. Letting my conscious get the best of me, I decided I needed to unlock my rigs full potential. I have been pleased with the performance of my overclocked 1.6A(upped to a 2.1) but not completely. I left the H/T technology unused and turned off because of the processor pricing at the time.

 

Fast forward to the present. Now that I have some extra time on my hands, thanks to an ungrateful employer, I am going to let this system spread its wings. I acquired a 3.06 hyper-thread enabled P4 processor on a 478 platform. I upgraded all the case fans for extra flow and freshness and thought that was all that was needed.

 

I replaced old faithful, booted up, enabled H/T, and presto!! Noticeable increases in browsing speed, page loads, video rendering and gaming. All good projects are fed by a steady supply of cold frosty beverages, so I walked away from my pride and joy for a refill. When I got back, my system had restarted and was at the log in screen. Mmmkk, log in and go, right? Off I went again, or so I thought. After about 30 minutes, the same thing. A quick check of my processor and mobo temps seemed to tell the tale. A quick search of Intel's site revealed additional cooling concerns on this particular processor. Rather than replacing it again, I tried disabling H/T and it has been running for a week without heat concerns.(no o.s restart)

 

My case is a Chieftec/Antec/Enermax mid-tower, with 2 front 80mm fans, 2 rear 80mm fans, and a dual fanned psu. Intels fix is a side mounted fresh air intake, with a 80mm helper fan, to supply more cool air directly to the heat sink/processor. Easy enough, right? After thinking it out, I found some flaws. If the fan is mounted to the side panel/door, there would be wiring issues. If those issues were addressed with a hard mount contact switch, there is still the thought of "is it enough?"

 

After some research on what some of the case manufacturer's have mass produced, I came up with an easier and better,(in my mind) solution. I-Star makes a side vented case,(Nitro AX) that uses a simple piece of plastic that mounts to the psu rail, is adjustable, and stays IN the case, rather than on a movable panel.

 

The piece:

installed:

 

Is it me, or is this solution a modders dream? $5-$10 piece of plastic that could and would save numerous headaches. The only problem is, I can't find anyone that sells it separate. I have contacted a few I-Star dealers and they replied: "if you can supply a part number..."

 

Has anyone tried this or a similar solution? Any suggestions or guidance would be appreciated.

 

Oh yeah, it seems the reason for I-Star making this piece was for "Intel Prescott CPU TA38 requirements"