Anybody here use anything other than the stock cooling sollutions?
I've always had this ongoing problem with my PC where on hot days I can't play games too long without the PC beeping at me. It's not even that hardcore in terms of hardware, well, it was back in the day but not anymore.
I have:
ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe Motherboard
Intel P4C 3Ghz
Thermalright Heatsink with a Zalman fan
Asus Radeon 9800XT
1Gb Corsair XMS Pro
120Gb Western Digital
80Gb Maxtor
80Gb Maxtor
Coolermaster Praetorian Case
Coolermaster CoolDrive 4
Now, the CPU, GPU, HDD and Case are all connected to the Cooldrive so I can see temperatures and control fan speeds from the front of the PC.
The idle temperature of the CPU ranges from 35-45 degrees, depending on the weather.
When I book up a game, it ranges from 45-55. However, on a hot day like today, playing a game for half hour will soon see the temperature hit 60. The Cooldrive is set to alarm at 58+ degrees, and gawd the beeping is annoying!
The fans on CPU, Graphics Card, Case etc are all on full speed.
The Case has two in takes at the front, which blow over the two Maxtor drives and pull air into the case. Theres an outtake on the top of the case, and one on the rear. Plus the outtake from the Enermax PSU at the rear.
One of the biggest problems at the moment is the PC's location, I had a new desk fitted in my bedroom and therefore the case is in like a ...box. It has wood below it, on both sides and at the rear. So, it can pull air in from the front, but the air coming out the top and the rear is just being blown into this box area.
What could I add to the PC to reduce the temperature keeping in mind the following:
*Got to be very cheap
*Got to be very quiet, I sleep in here
Any suggestions?
Parm