PC Silencing

You can buy ducting from overclocking type places or buy a bass port, maplin probably sell them. Made a big difference on my computer, cut a hole in the side panel over the cpu and knock the duct in.

 

A big difference in terms cooling your processor down?

 

Yep AT, even some cheap ducting from B&Q for extractor type fans, fit over proc fan secure with quick ties and place other end at bottom front of case, this doesn't have to be completely sealed or anything, but bear in mind you may need to clean fan more often due to dirt ingress means your proc is cooled with air at room temp rather than case temp, peeps have been known to duct fan right through to outside wall, and pull in air from outside, works extremely well in the winter, as good as peltier cooling.

 

AT: Yes. Mine just sits directly over the cpu in straight line from the side panel though rather than drawing from the front like analoguekid suggested as the duct isn't flexible

 

I only suggested drawing from front as the holes are already there and would save hacking into case, I was also thinking about the kind of flexible ducting like the kind used for extractor fans and tumble dryers, either will do.

 

AT

http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/Kustom_PCs_Shop_Ducting___Fan_Brackets_27.html

 

I am going to get some of that ducting when I get chance, the CPU reached 71c a minute ago, I have turned the fan up and its cooling down but that defeats the object of my new fan.

 

My parents computer does this. I never managed to figure out why...

Also my computers CPU consistently runs at 60+ celcius, and its never missed a beat.

 

What motherboard do they have? I am using an ederly ECS K75SA but with a 2003 BIOS flash.

 

Its a Gigabyte GA7IX, quite a bit older than yours I'd guess considering its the original Athlon Slot A motherboard.

 

JEEZUS!!! HOW HOT!? Is that average? I have a Nexus Breeze quiet PC case (full internal foam wadding etc), with a "silent" intake fan and a "silent" PSU/exhaust fan. I'm not sure how quiet it is (seems noisy as hell now, but that's probably as I'm used to it - certainly at night it's no noisier than a CD spinning at medium-ish revs) but my CPU (when caning it in GTA Vice City for 2 hours plus) is still no hotter than 41 degrees (Athlon 64 3200 XP IIRC). My case is stuck on 25 degrees, so I think it's lying, but the other thing (LM-something?) is usually around 34 degrees. Yesterday it was effing cold in my room and the thing was running at 37 degrees after 2 hours of GTA!

Mind you, I use round IDE cables, and there's a fair bit of room in that case. The graphics card is a crappy one with very old GPU, so that might also help. I will NOT overclock a PC either - specs are there to adhere to, not push!

Oh - also, I think my PC's intake fan was the wrong way round (though that might be me going nuts) - when I bunged a floppy drive back in it I checked it all and reseated everything. BTW, the intake fan has a filter on it and it gets VERY dirty!

PS - my soundcard's now working properly - stupid 3.5 mm speaker leads!!!

 

Why do you say that?

 

I think too many people are paranoid about temperatures in PC's. 60 celcius is perfectly acceptable for a processor, and if it does not go much above that, it will last far longer than most people will want to keep it.

Not only that, but the vast majority of motherboards under / over read the temperature. Mine is rumoured to over-read by anywhere up to 30 celcius - but in reality probably not that much... but still, given the methods by which various motherboards get their temperature readings, as long as the machine is running stable there is nothing to worry about.

Mine always runs about 60, and I have a Thermalright SLK-800 heatsink (huge) with an 80 mm fan on top and am using Arctic Silver thermal compound. However, its never missed a beat. I used to worry about it, but I dont anymore - especially when you see how hot some processors run with their stock HSF.

 

Its more likely to keep going longer if it doesn't have to run so hot all its life

 

Because if something's only designed to work at speed x, if it blows up at speed y (and takes half the rest of the computer with it, perhaps?) you get no comeback. Not worth the risk. If you need more speed, get a faster chip

 

I suppose but AMD with the Barton chips sold identical processors with pins missing, the pins indicated the speed they run it, this was a cynical move to stop people over clocking it, you had to some how short the pins if you wanted to over clock it. Once you have done this its identical the more expensive processors.

I don't have mine over clocked simply because there is no point, its fast enough as it is.

 

LOL who told you that, Intel? They don't 'blow up'. If you clock them too hard they won't start, if they're running too hot, they switch off. Your very unlikely to damamge anything and it gives your old machines a new lease of life. Most of the cores are perfectly capable of running at higher speeds, once my machines get a bit long in the tooth I just stick a bigger heatsink on and see what I can get out of them. I want a ditributed copy of audition, that would be nice.

 

I *know* they don't "blow up", but unstable machines corrupting my data is not an option I'm interested in. XP is flakey enough as it is without some hotrodded CPU pissing it up!

 

They don't have to be unstable though, I used an overclocked machine as my main computer for about 2 years, its still running now 3 years on. But I agree with AT that newer machines probably aren't worth overclocking, the P4s are rediculously hot anyway.

 

Which is why I also said:-

it will last far longer than most people will want to keep it.

The machine downstairs, which also boasts 60 celcius temperatures, is still going strong after more than 5 years.