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Desktop Cooling Techniques

I have a desktop that I have started to see a warming trend in. To stave off this invasion of heat, I have designed by own cooling system that is generic if not boring. I replaced the fan in back with a larger fan.

I now have dual smaller fans running in the front bringing air in the front between the four hard drives. My next implementation is a large fan on top of the case, but I am unsure whether it should be blowing in or out. There is a particular method to the madness, my processor is towards the tops, so I don't want to mess this up. If I do it right, I should chop a few degrees off my system and cpu temp.

As another add on, I am buying a new copper bottomed heat sink and a fan that is about twice the voltage now that I have found out my power supply is only being 50% utilized. That means I have more power to access then I thought which means more fans and more power! But with the added usage of energy means more heat, so my cooling scheme needs to be good.

Any one have any comments or suggestions on making a desktop cooler?

Perhaps you would like to share your cooling scheme?

If you have a really cool design, post a picture if you could, I especially like the radiator water cooling units, or the gel cooled units.

Techniques Cooling Desktop

This may or may not be helpful for you, but I thought I would share my views being that I am from a very humid climate. I have not implemented these things myself because of cost, but I have pondered it before:

1. System placed near aircondition.
2. Make your own tower using wood or glass (both handle heat well) and space out the parts as towers tend to be cramped
3. I use large standing fans pointing at my system.
4. if you have a CRT monitor make sure it is far from your system as they generate a lot of heat.
5. Place cooling fans with an external power cord on each drive. If you are good with wiring and basic electronics this should not be hard. You can make a hole in your computer using a drill so that you bypass your power supply.

Desktop Cooling Techniques Gaming Video & Issues Computer

As far as fan placement goes you do have the correct idea that should help obtain maximum coolness within the tower. Your two fans in the front blowing inward across your hard drives, you will also want the fan in the rear to also blow inward and let the single large fan blow outward from the top. This is all generally best as heat does rise even within the small spaces inside a computer case.

You mentioned going with a copper based heatsink for you processor also. This is a good idea as copper displaces heat much quicker than most any other heatsinks. I do have two suggestions as you prepare to do this. First being to search for either a fan by JetCool or a similar brand. These heatsinks are generally round in shape rather than square as well as the fans blow down towards the processor rather than away. This should also lower the heat on your CPU a few degrees. Secondly when you purchase your heatsink it will come with a white paste in the package, throw this away and purchase a package of metallic silver paste. This sells for around 5$ US but will also lower CPU temperature over the white paste.

As far as your hard drives putting off a lot of heat: I am not sure how many drive CD-Roms that you have in your tower but if there is an open 5 1/4 slot you may move one of your hard to the upper portion of the tower to keep the heat from each hard drive from collecting together. I find hard drives are the main source of cooling problems within a system. There is also a fan with duct work designed to mount in an open slot in the rear of the machine and stretch two small fans to the rear of the hard drives to suck the heat directly from the drives and direct it out of the tower without the hot air passing over all of the other components. These sell for around 12$ US.

My computer I have actually fought cooling problems for years and for my strange configurations I have learned to actually keep the side cover off of my machine and allow all of the cooling fans to blow outward. This isn't actually practical but it serves my needs.

*You may also want to look at some of the computer cases by APC. They have some very nice aluminum cases that are known to run very cool.