Would A different cooling system help?

Digidude

New Member
Hey! I'm a newbie and I was wondering how hot the computers exhaust should be. Because I got a Dell XPS 600 back in Winter and it was great because it heated my room to a nice temp., but now that it is starting into summer the computer is really running my room hot by at least 20 to 30 degrees fahrenheit despite the a/c. I checked my internal temps. and they seem to be within the manufacturers' standards. The XPS uses a five fan cooling system and I was wondering if a different cooling system would help keep both my computer and room cool.
 
What type of monitor do you have? CRT's put off a good bit of heat and an LCD would definetly help with heat. That made the biggest difference in my room. And of course, what are your system temps?
 
I have a Dell flat panel that does throw off more heat than I have normally seen from a flat panel, but it still does not get that hot.

System Temps.:

CPU: 56~57 C
GPU 1: 57~58 C
GPU 2: 46~48 C
 
Those temps are pretty hot! And two GPUs? I assume SLI, but why is one basically 10*C less? Well, I assume with it being dell you have a P4... Right? Maybe someone else will come in and have a suggestion for a better cooling method. You could posibly try a more efficient heatsync on your processor, but don't know what the stock one is actually like...
 
Actually I am running a Intel Pentium Extreme Edition and would a better heat sync help with the heat problem the computer is causing in my room?
 
The temperature of the air leaving the pc is dependent on the heat produced in the pc and the flow of air. Twice the throughput of air and the temperature rise of the air is approximately halved. Still contains the same amount of heat.

When it comes down to it, virtually all the power your pc uses ends up as heat in the room. That's going to be 500-600 watts depending on what you have installed. If you don't want the room to heat up, there's only one way to do it. Dump heat outside the room. That could be by an air conditioning/water cooled unit or ducting the exhaust air to the outside.

500-600 watts is not significant in a large room but can be in a small room that is already uncomfortably hot. Some heat is put into the room by radiation and natural convection from the case but most is in the fan exhaust air.

I'm surprised you could be having trouble with 5 fans. Standard pcs have one plus the power supply fan. Maybe you are confusing heat in the room as indicating overheating in the pc. You're stuck with the general heat as noted above. You just need to avoid high temperatures in the critical components. Your temps are warm but not critical. Make sure the internal fans (cpu, graphics) are kept clean.

Starman*
 
Starman* said:
If you don't want the room to heat up, there's only one way to do it. Dump heat outside the room. That could be by an air conditioning/water cooled unit or ducting the exhaust air to the outside.


Starman*


Could you explain a liitle more on how this could be done use a air conditioning/water cooled unit?
 
Digidude, I was talking hypotheticals rather than practical methods.

Re air conditioning I was thinking exactly of that, perhaps the type of unit that fits in a window or gap in the wall. Just for cooling the room.

If you already have a/c then it's not working properly. No way should you get 20-30 degF rise with a decent flow of cooled air into the room. If you have an incoming duct into the room, open the door a bit to get throughflow going. Dead-end the air flow and you have no a/c.

A poor man's a/c would be to open a window and put a fan at the window (one of those larger domestic ones, 18"), preferably opening a door to get throughput of air. Works for me! No windows or very hot outside, put fan in open doorway to get circulation.

Re water cooling, conventional pc water coolers still eject the waste heat into the room. You would have to mount the radiator outside the room so all the heat goes there. The cooling may not be so effective due to pressure losses in the long tubing. Fanless would be easier to install Zalman Reserator.

These systems are intended for cooling the cpu. You still have heat from the rest of the pc going into the room so it's not ideal for your situation.

Any reduction in room temperature will be reflected in cooler pc temps. If you don't have over-temps in the pc needing special attention, keeping the room cool helps you and the pc.

Starman*
 
I have the same problem in my room.. it gets really hot in here!

I'm planning on switch from a CRT to an LCD soon. I'll let you know if the switch helps any!
 
Beyond, don't get your hopes up. A 19" crt is only 100W - a light bulb. LCD about 35W.

To save same difference, change any tungsten light bulbs to energy saver fluorescents!

Starman*
 
Starman* said:
Beyond, don't get your hopes up. A 19" crt is only 100W - a light bulb. LCD about 35W.

To save same difference, change any tungsten light bulbs to energy saver fluorescents!

Starman*

I sit in the dark :P
 
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