Bill Anderson wrote:
I've described my problem before on this newsgroup, and I've received
some helpful advice which I considered carefully and ... didn't act
upon. But this time, I promise, I'm about to solve my problem one way
or another.
Back in September, 2012, I built my current computer around an Asus
P9X79 mbo with an Intel i7-3930K 3.2G processor, 32gib Corsair Vengeance
DDR3 memory, an nVidia GTX570 graphics card, a horizontal Lian Li PC-C32
case, and a Dynatron processor fan which was the only fan I saw that was
short enough to fit in that nice and quiet Lian Li case. (Thanks, Paul,
for finding the cooler for me.)
It's actually a terrific build and I'm satisfied with it except for the
one thing that has been problematic since the beginning: the thing runs
hot when I'm processing video with the Adobe suite (Premiere, Encore,
Audition, etc. and even some other non-Adobe software). Everything is
fine when I'm doing normal stuff like Word, Excel, web and the like. But
when I start rendering video, every core in that processor shoots up to
100% and the overheating begins.
Here's what things look like normally in my study. See the computer
down there in the lower right on a sliding shelf? It's not overheating
at all.
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/sh...hare_link_copy
Short URL: https://goo.gl/AbRjKh
But let me start processing video, and the jury-rigging begins. Out
slides the shelf and off comes the case lid, and on goes my trusty
electric fan which usually keeps the processor just barely under 80c
which is when the temperature warning beeps commence.
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/sh...hare_link_copy
Short URL: https://goo.gl/58oHPD
Pretty much nearly every time mostly, this works for me. But I've
recently installed some video processing software I really need, and
when I run it on video files even the little fan can't keep the
temperature down. Last night when the computer was beeping its
temperature warnings like a smoke alarm in a house fire, I had to go
into Win10 task manager and click "affinity" check boxes to turn off
half the cores. That almost totally stopped the beeping (and slowed the
processing) until the job was done. But I'm tired of this. I want a
new case big enough to accommodate a new cooler that will let me do what
I want without a bunch of fuss and bother. And I'm willing to pay what
it takes, within reason.
I figure I can get a mid-tower case wide enough to accommodate either a
big processor cooler with fan, or one of those liquid cooling setups
with a radiator/fan unit that attaches to the case. And I'm thinking
I'll either set the new case where my printer is now and move my printer
to the sliding shelf, or leave the printer where it is and put the new
computer on the floor to the right of my cabinet. It would be nice to
have everything contained in the big cabinet, but in the past I've
learned that putting the computer up in front of me increases noise and
even worse, keeps a flow of hot air in my face. I guess we'll see where
it ends up.
So, I want a new case and a new cooler. And I want the case to keep my
processor nice and chilly while remaining quiet, quiet, just as silent
as possible. And I've Googled Tom's Hardware and I've Googled here and
there and my head is spinning and I'm not finding anything that says:
"Here's the coolest, quietest plan for your build." But I have found
all sorts of nifty cases with big plexiglas windows and flashy lights
and glowing blue fans and dual exhaust tail fins too, I think. Don't
want that. Plain and simple will do just fine.
What I want:
Nice, quiet, efficient cooling solution for a hot i7 processor
Spacious mid-tower that will accommodate that cooling solution
Internal bays for a minimum four internal HDDs, plus an SSD
External bays for an optical drive, and a card reader.
Front USB 3.0 ports as well as 2.0 ports. (As the P9X79 doesn't have
internal sockets for USB 3.0, I'll get a PCI-e card to which I can
attach the front USB 3.0 ports).
External front audio sockets
That oughta do it. Ideas, anyone? Maybe point me to the website I want
but haven't yet found? Thanks.
The problem is likely to be the default BIOS setting.
And the question would be, can you afford to lose about
14% of your peak performance ?
Set Turbo Mode to Disable.
For testing, you can use a P3 International Kill-A-Watt,
which provides as easy a way as I can think of, of monitoring
the power. You can then modify settings, and see how
much power is saved.
When mine runs 7ZIP, the computer draws 182W at the moment.
I don't have a good video card in mine. Just a HD6450.
*******
When I first did my build, I tested on the kitchen table.
Everything appeared to be working. One of my test cases is
Prime95 (torture test). So I fire that up, and it's
running for a few minutes, and... I put my hand on the
VCore regulator heatsink. I burn myself... That means
the surface temperature was around 65C.
So when assembling the computer (with Turbo still enabled),
I place a "blower" in an optical drive bay, which blows air
over that too-small heatsink on VCore.
Later, after the build is in the case, I decide to try
Turbo disabled. I can no longer access the ATX12V cable,
to stick my clamp-on ammeter around the cable, but much
later (just a few weeks ago), I picked up a Kill-A-Watt.
With the clamp-on ammeter, running Prime95, I was getting
156W (12V @ 13A) flowing on ATX12V. Allowing for some
inefficiency in the VCore regulator (burning myself is
worth at least 12W of waste heat), that means the processor
is running around 144W (when I had Turbo enabled). Turbo
is really only supposed to operate when few of the cores
are occupied.
The whole computer now draws 182W at peak. So the
CPU power has dropped somewhat (obviously the two measurements
cannot be compared, as the 156W was just ATX12V with turbo,
the 182W is the whole computer non-turbo). Too bad all of this
"tuning" couldn't have been figured out on day one.
I suffer a loss in performance, but my guess would
be the motherboard tends to a slight overclock
set of settings, if allowed to choose its own
settings. It could be, that it's using a voltage
offset or something, to ensure stability.
*******
Now, that being said, you can't "stuff a 182W computer
in a breadbox". The laws of physics have not been
repealed.
You could try fitting a liquid cooling
loop for CPU and GPU, and fit the cooler outside
the furniture area. That might help a bit. In
terms of the "case cooling equation", that would
move most of the heat dissipation into the
pumped liquid, outside the furniture area.
Many people keep their loops inside the case,
but some have mounted the radiators outside.
http://www.coolercases.co.uk/gesher/x79_13.jpg
There really aren't any good pictures, but my guess
is that example are two loops. Two pumps in the
optical drive bays. A rad in the roof of the
case. A rad in the bottom of the case. Video card
on one loop. CPU on the other loop. Notice no provision
at all for VCore cooling. Just the Intel heatsink,
and whatever amount of coincidental cooling. There
is no room in that build for 5.25" drives,
as the pumps take up most of the bays. But the
inside of the case is pretty clean.
*******
For air cooling 182W, allowing a 14F degree internal
case temperature rise...
CFM = 3.16 * Watts / Delta_T_degrees_F
= 3.16 * 182 / 14F = 28CFM
The fan I've got, moves a lot more air than that,
purely by coincidence. You can only occasionally
feel heat in the screws that hold the PSU to the
casing. And the fan on the PSU is cranked to 100
percent, so it can't go any faster.
And my CPU doesn't get that warm, because
it has a massive air cooler on it. NH-D15.
I removed the front fan on mine, and just
run it with the middle fan. When the computer
case is upright, I have some supports to
take the weight off the motherboard (the
supports are adjustable, and you adjust the
tension by feel).
http://www.modders-inc.com/wp-conten...5d-500x333.jpg
You can switch to an 80+ power supply if you
aren't using one already. My PSU isn't 80+
and is an older design. So that 182W figure
must be de-rated by the inefficiency of the supply,
to get some idea of the motherboard power.
I'd make measurements, only there is zero
room to work inside the case. I can't even
add or remove PCI Express cards all that
easily. So in terms of my build being a
good one, no, it sucks. It's not
neat and tidy like that liquid cooled one.
*******
They make open concept cases for bench work. The dimensions
are unlikely to be small enough to suit your usage.
http://www.hitechreview.com/uploads/...ir-PC-case.jpg
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/skelet...w-31683-3.html
Paul