some questions about cooling

[skollieguns]

I have a few cooling questions regarding my current setup. There is no immediate threat regarding the well being of my rig. But temps have raised slightly ever since I installed my new GPU (Sapphire Dual X R9 280x OC).

My CPU (i5, 3.1ghz) is still running under the stock cooler. I have never had any problems but since I noticed a slight increase in temperatures I plan to install a decent aftermarket cooler soon. I kinda like this one

http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php...oducts_id=1986

My question is. Will the better CPU cooling affect the running temperatures of my GPU?

I assume that the better CPU cooling would bring down the average temps within my case?

I have 4 large chassis fans installed. 1 intake fan in the front and 3 exhaust, top, side and back. Is this the most efficient setup or is it counter productive?

The other thing is my case resides within a box like shelf inside a custom built desk.
Would it run cooler if it were on top of the desk or on the floor?
The shelf is completely open at the back though so its not closed up or anything.

The worst temps I've had on my new GPU was about 80 degrees under furmark stress. I suppose it would get higher if I let it run longer. I played Battlefield 3 on Ultra 1080p for around 3 hours the other nite and everything was fine except for the slight increase in temps I noticed. (high 70's to low 80's) compared to when my PC had its previous GPU. My CPU temps were more or less the same.

I haven't overclocked anything and don't plan to anytime soon.

My setup
Case - Cooler Master Elite 370 (but with a window side Panel)
PSU - Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 700W
CPU - i5-2400 (3.1ghz) stock heatsink and fan.
GPU - Sapphire Dual X R9 280x OC
MB - Intel DP67DE
8 gigs ram (no idea what brand)

below is a pic of the desk and my idle temps





Any answers would be appreciated

[Ike_009]

The side fan is kinda pointless if its exhausting into a wall. I would have 2 running in flow from the front and then depending on the gap up top outflow 2 up top and one at the back.

The CPU cooler won't really affect the GPU since the 2 aren't really connected but if you get your airflow good then you should be good.

[B1nary]

I would take it out from inside that desk, and then you can try changing the side fan to suck air into the chassis since hot air rises putting cooler air onto your gpu/cpu from the side and letting it pump out the top and back.

I have this cooler http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php...ducts_id=10370 , but you might want to check the dimensions on coolermasters site to see if what your getting will fit you chassis

fyi:I like your wallpaper

[Ike_009]

Is this guy still here?

[B1nary]

Is this guy still here?

mmm I would give it till the end of the week and then say no.

[MetalSoup]

mmm I would give it till the end of the week and then say no.

I'll say no right now, because I'm a cynical SOB

[dampi256]

I use my pc for music recording and find that I will have to investigate water cooling to minimize fan noise. I am also struggling with cooling but I find that my pc stays happy when there's no obstructions like walls or desk holes blocking air intake.

[Wesley]

I have five suggestions here:

1) Change the side fan into an intake (your case now has positive pressure, most Elite chassis are set up for positive pressure)
2) Look at getting the Cooler Master Hyper T4 instead of the Gemini to optimise airflow
3) Using the Sapphire software, tweak your fan profile to run at a slightly higher speed under load to prevent the GPU reaching 70 degrees. With positive pressure in the case, it shouldn't reach higher than 70 anyway
4) Move the chassis to the right to stop blocking the side fan
5) Install a fan to the bottom of the chassis if you have enough space and clearance for it.

I use my pc for music recording and find that I will have to investigate water cooling to minimize fan noise.

Even if you invest in a water-cooling setup, look at getting a fan controller and a bunch of fans that move reasonable amounts of air at low speeds or voltages. Bitfenix sells some nice PWM-controlled ones. Some fan controllers are also expensive - this one from Deepcool should do the trick until you can find a better replacement.

[rootworm41]

Remember if silence is all you want look into Noctua heatsinks.