Overheating... time to upgarde :-)

T

TheNamelessPoet

Member
Well I have been running my upgraded PC (about a year ago) with no hiccups to the point I stopped checking for problems. My pc does run 24/7 and only gets restarted maybe 1x a week. Often Minecaft is running for days at a time (quarry's or other things take lots of time to finish), and it is used for the TV as well. Hulu, Netflix, and MLB.tv are the BEST btw, way cheaper than cable!!!

Anyway, here is my dilemma. I restarted my PC today to update a program. When it restarted I got a Bios message that my CPU temp was too high! Oh boy, not a good sign. I have not overclocked anything, though I do plan on it in the future. I just have the standard heat sync and the fan that came with the case. I forgot all about getting 2 additional fans :eek: like I said I would.

Since I do want to overclock I was looking into the prospect of liquid cooled. My PC is not in a place where internal looks really matter at all, but it IS in the living room so I do not want it to be terribly ugly :p I have a Cougar case which already has the 2 "holes" in the back for hoses


Is there a relatively easy way to go to water cooling?
In the Liquid Cooling 101 there was mention of Standalone Kits which I think would be my best route since I am TERIFIED if the idea of water and a PC.
I am in a constant battle for more FPS with Heavily Modded Minecraft so I am curious if liquid cooling my GPU would help as well.
 
Have you taken a can of compressed air to the cpu cooling fan? If your system runs 24/7 then you have a very high probability that the fan/heatsink is filled with dust bunnies. Just hold the fan when spraying to stop the fan from over spinning.
 
I thought of that on the way into work this morning. I will def do that, as you are probably right on the dust bunnies. I do have 2 cats, so hair can get sucked into the PC. Hopefully I will be lucky and that will solve the current issue. Long term though I hope someone has some input on the liquid cooling.
 
If you haven't done it before, take pics of how dirty it is ;)

Most of the AIO type of closed loop water coolers are zero maintenance and easy to install. If you aren't overclocking then there's little point though. Also, higher end air coolers like the Noctua NH-D15 offer similar performance as all-in-one water setups.
 
Well.. upon inspection, the crappy thermal paste that came with it, is in fact crappy. The heat sync came right off when I disconnected the anchors that hold it onto the motherboard (which I didn't install right and broke one of the pins :oops:)

I guess I need to buy a new one. Thankfully I have a laptop I can use (I hope I didn't destroy the CPU :eek:)
 
OK, so here is my PC
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dJBKyc ( I plan on eventually getting 2 8GB ram instead of the 3 4gig I have, but there is no reason atm)
I have 2 open fan spots on the top currently. ATM I only have the 1 fan blowing out the back (which I am sure is part of the problem.)

How do I decide which AIO to get? I am going to go with Corsair because from what I have heard, they are pretty good and reliable. I might some day upgrade to a non AIO unit that I can include my GUI but we will see.

How do I decide which one. I know I need to know if the opening is for a 140mm or a 120mm fan but other than that what is better? It seems that there is decent room over the processor so a bigger radiator right? H90 for 140mm, H75 for 120mm? Or do I have no idea what I am doing lol
 
I checked last night. it IS 120mm. Any idea which one to get? I don't know which of the H55, H60, or H75 to get. (I assume those are the best 3 to choose from)
The H55 has more CFM (more water movement I think, drawing more heat off the processor) and the H60 has a faster Fan RPM.

WHAT DO I DO?!?!?! lol
decisions decision...
 
I'd just get an air cooler and be done with it. Lower end water cooling loops like what you're talking about perform about the same, if not worse, for nearly twice the money as something like a Cooler Master 212.
 
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