PC fan cooling question

[derdeb]

Hi there,

I will be building a new computer soon and recently purchased a GAZelle case for it (found here):

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=861844&CatId=1509

I was wondering if I need additional fans. It comes with a one 80mm fan, but has room for one more as well as a 120mm on the bottom. My specs will be:

AMD64 3000+ 939
6800 GT PCI-e
2GB RAM
80BG SATA

Do you think I need additional cooling?

 

[BitFuzzy]

You shouldn't "Need" another, but personaly I'd add atleast another 1 or 2 (the cooler the better)

 

[Sympology]

I personally like a push / pull. Cold air in the bottom, hot out the top, but thats my personal likes, they'll be others who do it different.

Only the truly stupid believe they know everything.
Stu.. 2004

 

[derdeb]

Thanks for the replies,

I think I'll add an additional 80mm fan on the bottom.

 

[kmcferrin]

I agree, I like to have a two-fan setup. One pulling in cool air from the bottom of the front, blowing directly over the CPU. The second fan should be at the top on the back (usually just below the PSU) and blowing out. Be careful to route your cables in such a way that they do not restrict airflow.

I just looked at the case, and it looks like the fan in the bottom front actually faces down to the floor, is that correct? If so, I'd try to find a different way to position it, otherwise not only will inbound airflow be poor, but you'll probably suck up a lot of lint and dust (like a vaccuum cleaner).

 

[derdeb]

The case supports 3 fans. The bottom fan I think you're talking about is the 120mm which blows up in the case. The front bottom 80mm draws air in while the rear 80mm blows air out.

Just wondering if the 120mm is needed.

 

[derdeb]

Oh, I see what you mean now.

I don't really think dust would be a huge factor with the 120mm drawing air from below. If the case is stationary on carpet, I don't see how much dust could possibly get in there.

 

[BaudKarma]

The dust will come from the same place that the air is coming from. If that fan is sucking air up directly off the floor, then all the dust that settles in that vicinity is going to be pulled in with it.

One factor that hasn't been mentioned yet in this cooling discussion is the importance of the environment the computer will be operating it. If it's going to be in a nice cool place with good airflow, you might be able to skip a fan or two. If it's in a warm place or stuck between a desk and a wall or something similar, you'll need all the cooling you can get.



I try not to let my ignorance prevent me from offering a strong opinion.

 

[kmcferrin]

Baudkarma has a valid point about the case location. My sister-in-law has a computer desk that has a separate cabinet on one side that the tower goes into, and all cables come out the back. Unfortunately, with the cabinet door closed there is very little airflow and multiple fans are necessary.

Derdeb, I definitely wouldn't want to put the case on carpet if it truly is drawing in from the underside of the case. Regardless of the dust/lint possibilities, your airflow will be seriously restricted by the carpeting. A nice flat, solid surface would be best.

 

[kmcferrin]

Err..preferably off of the floor by a couple of inches. I used to work in an office where all of the staff members except one kept their PCs on the floor. The one exception kept their PC sitting on a 4-inch high box. When it came time to upgrade, the PC that was on the box was usually pretty clean inside, while the ones that sat on the floor were so covered in dirt and dust that I was amazed they still worked. Ever since then I have always kept my PCs elevated off of the floor so that they'll stay cleaner.

 

[JimInKS]

Thought I would jump in with my opinions.

Dirt can be a real problem. The closer to the floor, the more dirt will be sucked in. Also, the more air flow thru the case the more dirt potentially will be sucked in, not to mention the noise generated. It's best to keep the computer at least a few inches off the floor. Even 2 inches can make a big difference.

My current preferred setup is a temp controlled low rpm fan exhausting out the top back of the cabinet and a second fan drawing air in from the bottom front. Normally, these two fans run pretty quietly. I try to position the hard drive so that the cool air drawn in the front of the cabinet also cools the hard drive. If you have multiple hard drives ,you might need additional fans so everyone gets his fair share of cool air. If you get eveything sized right you can have a pretty quiet pc that still has good cooling.

I like to monitor the cpu and hard drive temps with a resident utility. When I see the cpu temp starting to climb I know it's time to get some compressed air and clean the cpu fan.

 

[NorthsideIT]

Great posts guys and every one of them, sound advice. I live in the tropics where not only do we need to deal with the heat and humidity as the main problems BUT we have little lizards here that love a PC's nice warm enviorment. They pee on circuts and it eats away at the circuts. The one thing they love doing this to is the display card. To date, I think about 1 in every 20 that I have had to change has been as a direct result of that.
NOW, 2 questions I have for you....
1. With such a good setup, why have you chosen a 80gig drive
2. Have you considered filtering that air. I have a Thermaltake and 4 of the intakes have cleanable filters. Believe me, it makes a huge difference in the long run and doesn't inhibit the air flow.
Cheers

 

[derdeb]

Thanks for all the responses guys! This forum rocks.

I get my computer parts tomorrow (very excited) and am pretty sure of the setup I'm going to use. I bought an additional 80mm and 120mm fan for the case. The case is already lifted off the floor by about an inch as seen in this photo:

http://www.fulogichardware.com/reviews/cases/justpc/gazelle/images/casebottom.jpg

In total there will be 3 fans. You can see the layout here:

http://www.fulogichardware.com/reviews/cases/justpc/gazelle/images/insidecase.jpg

&

http://www.fulogichardware.com/reviews/cases/justpc/gazelle/images/casefanfront.jpg

It will be in a cool room on the carpet, but I'm thinking of maybe placing it on the desk beside by monitor. Is that a more wise choice? You don't think is overkill do you?

P.S - NorthsideIT My hard drive is a 160GB not an 80GB. Typo on my end.

Thanks guys

 

[paparazi]

derdeb
My opinion on this:
Latest 90nm Athlon64's especially at the lower end run extremely cool!!! I mean as much as 10C cooler than say an older XP3.0+
OK! so it's nice to run as cool as possible but the trade off will be unecessary noise, noise that your system can safely and stabley do without.
You do however have a 6800GT in there so
My advice:
Just fit the one quiet 120mm fan at the bottom blowing up around the graphics card and hard drive.
If you must fit a second fan then install it underneath the PSU "exhausting" out. I would recommend a thermally active 80mm fan so it only spins as fast as needed (again to reduce noise) something like a vantec stealth eg:

http://www.coolerguys.com/840556017028.html

Of course we don't know how loud the supplied PSU will be (often the noisiest component in a system)
Last point:
If you do have the case on the floor, stand it on a piece of plywood or similar as the pile from the carpet will not only actract dust but will interfere with air flow (depending on how deep the pile of the carpet is of course)
Cut out a piece exactly the footpint size of the case and you will hardly see it's there!
Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[derdeb]

That's the exact fan I bought yesterday (120mm stealth). I'll be hooking it up today, so I'll let you guys know it runs.

Derek