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geekhack Community => Other Geeky Stuff => Topic started by: EverythingIBM on Sat, 08 May 2010, 01:41:39

Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: EverythingIBM on Sat, 08 May 2010, 01:41:39
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=9795&stc=1&d=1273300609)
Alright, I thought I may as well take my desk fan and face it towards my computer for better cooling in starcraft 2. Interestingly enough, it dropped the NVIDIA quadro from 80 celsius to 50. Not bad. However, the CPU didn't change, if anything, it got a few degrees warmer.
Starcraft 2 worked for a bit, but crashed again as usual. I'm starting to think it's something else...

Did anyone else get good results with the "desk fan cooling"?

And the extra cooling didn't give any better performance on sc2 I should add. Just easier on the components.
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: Rajagra on Sat, 08 May 2010, 01:53:58
The Quadro isn't really a gaming card is it. Could it be a driver issue?

You could try something like a Prime95 test to see if there's a CPU/memory problem.
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: clickclack on Sat, 08 May 2010, 02:32:10
Well I'm not sure this counts but when I first started posting at geekhack I was making a transition between older dying computer equipment and new equipment. And I had to eventually hook up my vacuum cleaner to suck air through my psu or my computer would freeze. I had to do that for a couple of weeks until I could switch out files and finish off some jobs. Worked like a charm long enough to figure out what made it suck.  Haahaa, see what I did there? =P
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: Rajagra on Sat, 08 May 2010, 02:46:37
Quote from: clickclack;180098
I had to eventually hook up my vacuum cleaner to suck air through my psu or my computer would freeze.

LOL I've never heard of that before, but it would work great* if you could stand the noise. Just be sure not to turn it to blow instead of suck...
(http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Leia-R2-Vacuum-T-Shirt_2.jpg)

EDIT> * But did the PSU fan survive? Forcing it to spin so fast could damage it.
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 08 May 2010, 02:52:14
I've used that trick to keep racks under a desk cool, albeit pointing away so that the hot air is blown out into the rest of the room.
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: clickclack on Sat, 08 May 2010, 05:06:32
I probably should have mentioned this-

I DON'T RECOMEND IT!
Yes it did work but I would rather blow on it with a straw until I hyperventilate than do it again! It was so loud and stressfull that in the end I think I lost a year of my life  =P

IT SUCKED! heehee

btw, if you have a lame crappy vacuum does it suck? Or does it blow? Perhaps a deeper question that does not need to be answered here.

so... um... don't mind me, just carry on... =)
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 08 May 2010, 05:37:21
Surely IBM couldn't have designed a computer that had such bad cooling that it needs to be cooled by a desk fan?!
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: EverythingIBM on Sat, 08 May 2010, 11:45:46
Quote from: ch_123;180122
Surely IBM couldn't have designed a computer that had such bad cooling that it needs to be cooled by a desk fan?!

The cooling is actually very good in this computer (as for as OEM cooling goes): I just wanted to keep the GPU cool because that's the only thing that gets extremely hot.
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=9800&stc=1&d=1273337097)
The heatsink actually has copper inside it, and it's of a decent size.

And the PSU fan was fine, all of them were.
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 08 May 2010, 11:50:41
A single 80mm fan on the back of a Pentium 4 system does not make for good cooling...

How is the CPU cooled? Is there a front fan blowing air onto it?
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: EverythingIBM on Sat, 08 May 2010, 11:54:24
Quote from: ch_123;180186
A single 80mm fan on the back of a Pentium 4 system does not make for good cooling...

How is the CPU cooled? Is there a front fan blowing air onto it?


[strike]IBM is so good, that they were able to make a passive-cooling pentium 4.[/strike]

The CPU has a 92mm fan (4-pins) that sucks air into that black suction cup thing.
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 08 May 2010, 11:58:42
Oh, I see it now.

So, the front fan sucks in air, blows the air through a heatsink cooling a Pentium 4, expelling the hot air into the rest of the system that only has a single 80mm fan for extraction. Now, who else can see the problem here?

No wonder BTX never caught on...
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: kishy on Sat, 08 May 2010, 12:43:35
Erm, didn't BTX do it backwards? I thought front was exhaust on BTX...

Gotta go read more about extinct form factors.
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: vils on Sat, 08 May 2010, 12:56:18
Isnīt it possible that the zone 3 intake sucks up the hot exhaust fron zone 2?
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 08 May 2010, 12:59:56
If that's BTX, then that IBM must be using some crazy proprietary design.
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: InSanCen on Sat, 08 May 2010, 13:23:33
I'll second the Delta idea. Zip-tie it so it faces over the Graphics card. Delta model no FFB-1212-EHE is what you are after.
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: EverythingIBM on Sat, 08 May 2010, 14:01:37
Quote from: ch_123;180218
If that's BTX, then that IBM must be using some crazy proprietary design.

I don't see how it's proprietary? It looks normal to me, a raised back fan, a PSU that shoots out air as well, and a main front fan that sucks in air.

And BTX *is* the proper layout, in ATX, the cards are all upsidedown! And I don't like opening cases from the left side. BTX just makes sense.

Quote from: ripster;180221
With the IBM take a jigsaw, cut out a circle below the current back fan, line with door edging  from any auto parts store, and cable tie another 80mm fan in there (thread one cable tie through the fan hole and through hole in case, lock with ANOTHER cable tie,  snip, snip).   Make it a Delta fan and buy some earplugs.

I was thinking of adding another 80mm fan by cutting a hole, or adding a larger one altogether, but I think just getting a more powerful 80mm fan is the best solution.
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 08 May 2010, 14:09:16
Quote from: EverythingIBM;180231
I don't see how it's proprietary? It looks normal to me, a raised back fan, a PSU that shoots out air as well, and a main front fan that sucks in air.


Ripster's posts confused me, it looks like a normal BTX motherboard alright.

Quote
And BTX *is* the proper layout, in ATX, the cards are all upsidedown! And I don't like opening cases from the left side. BTX just makes sense.


Australians might think otherwise.

Quote
I was thinking of adding another 80mm fan by cutting a hole, or adding a larger one altogether, but I think just getting a more powerful 80mm fan is the best solution.


I somehow doubt you'd find a fan that's powerful enough to do the work of two fans. And that's before you consider noise.
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: InSanCen on Sat, 08 May 2010, 14:10:58
Quote from: EverythingIBM;180231
I was thinking of adding another 120mm fan by cutting a hole


There, plan perfected. That fan I recommended is plenty powerful.
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 08 May 2010, 14:22:11
Given the shape of the back of the case, is that even possible? (Unless you're suggesting that the fan only lies flush with the the shallow part of the case)
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: kishy on Sat, 08 May 2010, 14:31:25
get a giant hole saw, fit a 120mm exhaust on the side of the case. done.
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: EverythingIBM on Sat, 08 May 2010, 14:55:12
Quote from: InSanCen;180235
There, plan perfected. That fan I recommended is plenty powerful.

(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=9805&stc=1&d=1273348484)

I don't think it's possible to get a 120mm at the back, maybe a 92mm at the most.
The back of the case is actually really interesting; what's up with the VGA preforation above the back fan? And above that there's some weird slot thing, I have no clue what that does. Decoration maybe?
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: InSanCen on Sat, 08 May 2010, 14:55:53
Quote from: ripster;180242
Use a CD to make the outline for the fan hole. Perfect fit.

Yup, Jigsaw it roughly, and Dremel/Hand file to finish it off.

EIBM. Measure the available space. I think you can *just* squeeze a 120mm in there.
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 08 May 2010, 15:00:24
Btw, didn't you want to get a new PSU? Because I'm almost certain that BTX motherboards use BTX PSUs which are subtly different to ATX ones.
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: EverythingIBM on Sat, 08 May 2010, 15:55:33
Quote from: ch_123;180247
Btw, didn't you want to get a new PSU? Because I'm almost certain that BTX motherboards use BTX PSUs which are subtly different to ATX ones.


Yes I'm aware of that, I was just thinking of experimenting.

It's worthy to note that I actually used this intellistation for something like 3 years without the 80mm back fan.
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: microsoft windows on Sat, 08 May 2010, 18:15:45
This whole thread reminds me of the other week when the plastic cover on the cooling fan in one of my computers got loose or something and started to rattle. I could hear the computer from upstairs.

I ended up just taking some foam and making some pads that would quiet it down.
Title: The old-fashioned desk fan cooling
Post by: EverythingIBM on Sun, 09 May 2010, 23:38:26
Quote from: microsoft windows;180272
This whole thread reminds me of the other week when the plastic cover on the cooling fan in one of my computers got loose or something and started to rattle. I could hear the computer from upstairs.

I ended up just taking some foam and making some pads that would quiet it down.


You should stock up on old IBMs.

Anyways, on starcraft 2, it seems whenever I put ALL of the settings to medium, it will crash. When I put some of the settings to low, it'll work fine. So, it is something to do with the graphics card I'd assume.