Can't cool box... need help (diag. inside)

[javertiz]

I have the following:

Athlon 1.4GHz @ 1.4
ASUS A7M266 MB
ASUS V7700 Nvidia GForce 2 Video Card (AGP)
256 Crucial DDR RAM
Global Win CAK-38 w/Delta Fan and Artic Silver II
3 80mm Case Fans
Antec 400W PSU
NIC/Sound Card (PCI)

I have 1 case fan in (bottom front) and 2 out (rear back and side panel).

I added the side fan because the CAK38 was "pumping" air out the top and the PSU fan wasn't clearing all of it so I put a fan next to the output from the HS.

I have tried reversing both the back and side fans (both, then only one, then only the other) to no avail !! :-(

My current temps are:
IDLE - CPU:52 MB:31
LOAD - CPU:57 MB:33

If I open the case and aim a fan at it I get:
IDLE - CPU:44 MB:28

I just can't cool the box enough. Any ideas? Below is a diagram of the setup (not to scale - pretty simplistic).

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
Alex

[Sonny]

In terms of airflow you generally want an equal amount of intake & exhaust. The key is to move huge CFM thru the case.

What are your ambient temps?
What thermal compound did you use & how was it applied?
Is the fan on the heatsink blowing into or sucking air out?

[javertiz]

Ambient are 24-26 deg C

Applied Artic Silver II. I think I might have put too much (covered die completely), I'll reaply tonight with very very thin layer... almost transparent. (Might drop 1 or 2 Cs but still not sure why its soo high !)

Fan on HS is blowing into it (as per Global Win directions). I put my hand on the top side (orientation based on diagram) and air is REALLY coming out and on the bottom side it is being sucked in... I guess the fins are made to move air from the lower side to the higher side when air is pumped into it.

Thanks

[Sonny]

Before I forget.....

WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!!!!!
.....and to the addiction:eek:

The last guy I talked to got more than a 5°c change when he reapplied ASII properly but that doesnt happen always. Since you ambient is relatively cool & the fan is blowing right then you just need more air going thru the case. The thermistor can also be giving you false readings.What are you using to monitor your temps? Did you check that the bottom of the HSF is indeed flat? Do you use any form of software cooling?

[javertiz]

Thanks for the Welcome !!! :)

Using Motherboard Monitor 5 and the sensors on the ASUS board. It reports exactly what the BIOS reports (BTW have latest bios also).

No software cooling. The bottom of the HSF is flat (didn't want to put a shimmy (sp?) on it - friends have had bad experiences with them).

I'm really not looking for 30s temps or anything like that. I'm not going to overclock (yet !!) so I just want my system to run under 50 (maybe 50-51 under load).... that's my goal !! :D

I'll try the ASII first. Then I'll play around reversing the fans and such.....

BTW Thanks for your help.... any other ideas are welcome !! :)

[Diggrr]

I'm thinking you may want to replace that 80mm in the lower front with a 120mm and a wire grill and filter. (mesh not foam)

I've seen alot of people on here that are big fans of equal in/out case airflow, but I'd disagree slightly. No flames please...just my opinion. If you had slight positive pressure in the case, the denser air would be more capable of absorbing heat, and thus transmit more out. And I said slight. I don't mean to put all your fans pointing in, just having maybe 100-200 cfm more going in. (filtered of course)
When I was working on an air-cooled box, this always brought the case temp to ambient temp. Maybe it was just the case I used, maybe I'm full of s**t. But that's what I've found.

Hope this helps. And by the way, I don't care if ya'll think I'm nuts, I AM.