Cooling Challenge

[Galant]

Welcome to...Tucson! A desert town in the western USA. In the winter, it gets cool, in the summer, high temps get above 46C, occasionally it approaches 50C.

I live here. It's hot. Way too hot.

Last winter, with the help of some of you fine gentlemen, I built my first PC, which has been running wonderfully. However, I've noticed that as room temps increase so does my CPU temp, and right now it's running load at around 53-56C. The temp outside today is about 29C, though being at work I usually access the machine later in the evening when it's a little cooler.

I'm using only two intake fans and one outlet, and the CPU cooling is a Volcano 9. It's not at full speed right now, and I'd rather not put it there because it gets very loud at full speed.

So the question is, how do I cool my PC (for not too many $) when we really hit summer and the temps threaten to fry all electronic life?!

G.

[unrealrocks]

I would recommend watercooling. 50C is in the sun yeah? only that is insainely high and humans can't really survive more than about 42 for much lenth of time.

[Applecrusher]

get a vapochill!
....or a peltier!

[Lexeus]

A peltier probably would be the best solution, a peltiered watercooling system.
A basic watercooling system may not be that effect with such high ambient temps

[Korky]

omg 50oC thats f**kin deadly. dont ppl just melt when they sit down in their cars and stuff

[Falcon2004]

give up, move to alaska!

[bledd]

having your pc on the floor rather than on a desk will lower temps by a few degrees, might wanna try this?

a non perfect solution is to leave the side of the case off when you are going to be using it at full load. not ideal, but its free!

[tiggerai]

More fans, cut holes.

I used to have 3 80mm intakes (front and sides), and 120mm outtake in the top (heat rises) and one on the back (draws away heat from cpu.). Gave me some good temps, especially int he summer when it got hot... (not tuscan hot though.)

But if you're a silence freak, that won't work.

[steve threlfall]

How much cash do you have to spend. A decent yet reasonably priced watercooling kit seems to be a good bet.

[Proplus]

Buy a freezer, and put the PC inside it!

Seriously though, even with watercooling, at 50C you're gonna need a pretty good setup to keep the system cool. 50C is mighty hot, is that the air temp? Cos if it is, then you're in for some serious problems. Not only will your CPU heat up, so will the rest of your components like GFX, NB and the mobo temp. GFX, NB and CPU can be cooled by watercooling, but then you got the mobo to worry about.

IMHO, the best option for you is to get an air conditioning system in your PC room.

[Galant]

50C is the max outdoors, in the sun temp, in room temps can vary, because while you have shade, you also have windows and reduced air-flow. We have A/C, but I've noticed that since moving to this new location, CPU temps have risen, I used to run load at 48 or so, now it's up around 54, and I know the ambient temp is going to get worse.

How much can I expect to spend on Peltier and/or Watercooling? Also, are they tricky to set-up or maintain?

I have thought about some kind of refridgeration system - only speculating though!

[Spud1]

ok first htings first, 50°C aint too bad under load. hell i ran my 2800+ at 60°C for months with zero problems.

but as for your qn about pelitiers, they are very effective at cooling, and fairly cheap compared to phase change(vapochill) - a full system costs about £200 total (pelitiers require watercooling, a peltier PSU and the actaul peltier block). The biggest issue is installing the damn thing. You have to make your whole mobo and PC condenstation proof - thats a big job, if you miss anything out you will fry your PC. That said it will give you negative temps on your CPU =) check out www.over-clock.co.uk, in the pelitier section of their shop theres a link with LOTS of info on it

[SilentDeath]

Get watercooling (not a kit!!!). Use a heatercore for the res, or make a passive one form opper piping. then get an old freezer and use that to chill the water. You can set the thermostat so that it doesnt drop below ambient and you get no condensation problems. also the heatercore would help cool down the room (if you left it connected with the freezer there). Leaving the heatercore would be pointless if you had the freezer's condensor heating up your room, a second w/c loop for that would be good and stick the heatercore from that outside where the niose wont annoy you