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Cooling-The Definitive FAQ

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Maximus Nickus

Senior Shaman
Joined
Oct 4, 2001
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Milton Keynes, U.K.
Cooling-The Definitive FAQ



I have compiled this thread to enable all the informative information of various posts to be listed here in an easy to read fashion.
This guide will be written as simply as possible to avoid any confusion, if you have any questions or the Technical Jargon seems a bit daunting please don’t hesitate to contact me.



Previously Stickied Posts

Note: The decision to remove the 'Sticky' status on these posts was due to the sheer mass of superb posts, simply put its a lot easier to access all the information you need in a Simple FAQ. Hence this Post, the Stickys were not removed for any other reason.

  • Suppliers List
    All credit goes to Caffinehog for this comprehensive list of suppliers.
  • Components Breakdown
    All credit goes to Neomoses for this awesome breakdown of what each component does in a Water-Cooled system.
  • Shroud Assembly
    All credit goes to WetWilly for this guide as to how to assemble a low cost Shroud for a Chevette Heatercore.
  • Cooling PDF and Links
    All credit goes to HighFlowRod for this great post.
    For quick reference here are all the links contained:
    HighFlowRod’s favourite links 1 2
    Cooling Conversions
    Heat Sink Calculation 1 2 3 4

[color=sky blue]Must Read Articles & Information

If you are unsure about any aspect of general cooling it would be worthwhile to take a look at my Cooling Guide, it will answer pretty much all of your questions, it also has a comprehensive Lapping Guide included.
Cooling-The Definitive Guide

I also recommend you take a look at Yodums great post, again it will answer most of your questions.
High temps? Look here for cooling solutions

I would also take a look at our Homepage Cooling section, there is a lot of valuable information here.
Overclockers.com Cooling

All credit goes to Hoot for this next link, an awesome look at Cooling principles.
Click Here Hoot's original thread 'An Interesting Read!' is Here

Lastly the first thing you should do if you have a question is to Search our Forum Database, there is a wealth of information stored here.
Now lets have a look at the most common FAQ's shall we?[/color]


Common FAQ’s

Q. My CPU Temperature is too hot, what can I do?
A. There are a manner of things that can be done, the first and foremost is to check your system temperature. If your CPU is significantly higher than your system temperature then we can eliminate this from the equation.
The first things to check are:

Heatsink make and model,
Application of the Heatsink - important,
Orientation of Cables,

Quite usually one of these will be the problem, in the event that it is not, I would refer back to the Stickys and Search sections of this Forum. Your answer WILL most probably be there.



Q. My System Temperature is too hot, what can I do?
A. Again this is the same as the above but with a few subtle changes.
Check your:

Positioning of your Case,
Room ambient temperature,
Orientation of Cables and Fans,
Total airflow (CFM) going through your system,

Quite usually one of these will be the problem, in the event that it is not, I would refer back to the Stickys and Search sections of this Forum. You answer WILL most probably be there.



Q. Which Heatsink is better?
A. Although there is no definitive answer I can give you (due to the fact that Heatsinks are being released every other day) I can give you a general idea of how to find out which Heatsink will suit your system configuration better.

First off you have a few decisions to make, the Price you wish to Pay, and Noise you are willing to put up with, and your Motherboard compatibility issues.
First off you need to decide about the Price you need to pay, and make your choice accordingly. Next you will need to assess your tolerance of noise, if you are wanting little noise but you don't wish to compromise Cooling Performance much then an 80mm Heatsink design may be of option. This brings me onto the last choice, as you will need a capable motherboard to take an 80mm Heatsink and they are dearer too.
The Best tool available for comparing the top Heatsinks and Water-Cooling systems is available on our Front Page Here, its well worth a look.



Q. How do I monitor Temperatures?
A. Nearly all modern Motherboard have onboard temperature probes, you can access the temperature in the BIOS or by using a Hardware monitoring program within Windows. The most popular program is Motherboard Monitor, this is because of the great array of features and options available.
If you do not have an onboard temperature probe, then monitoring of temperatures will require use of an external probe.



Q. How can I get accurate temperatures?
A. Some of the newest Motherboards make use of the CPU's internal diode to monitor temperatures, these are very accurate and are great for monitoring your CPU temperatures. However not all Motherboards or CPU's have this facility, thusly the purchase of an external temperature probe will be of use. It may be of good use to purchase a Multiple Hardware Monitoring Device such as a Digidoc, this will provide you with Safety Alarms, multiple Temperatures, a Drive Mountable Front Panel and a whole host of other nifty features.



Q. What is a good temperature for my CPU?
A. Now although there is no definitive answer to this I can give a 'rough' guideline for safe temperatures.
A Preferred operating temperature for any CPU is below the 50C mark, this ensure stability at non-overclocked speeds. However for overclocked systems this can differ, you see the tolerance of a CPU towards temperature will decrease the higher the CPU is overclocked, hence it will be preferable to maintain a temperature below 40C. This is not necessary, but it will generally increase your CPU's stability at a higher speed. (Hence why Sub-Zero systems run at very HIGH speeds)
At the other end of the scale is the maximum temperature the CPU is designed to withstand, if the temperature exceeds 85C there will be no guarantee that the CPU will ever work again. (This differs slightly form CPU to CPU, with some having a tolerance of 90C.)



Q. Does it matter which way my CPU fan faces?
A. Whatever yields the lowest temperature is the way to go, this varies from system to system due to the large degree to variables that affect the airflow in every different case.


General Information

A general diagram of airflow courtesy of AMD:

AMD Cooling Info2.JPG


Optimal Power Supply Cooling courtesy of AMD:

AMD Cooling Info3.JPG


Original AMD Document
This diagram shows AMD recommendations for optimal cooling, this is the general layout that achieves the best results.

As you can see it is simple to select the Fans for your Cooling system, simple put you are limited to your case and what Fan apertures you have, (or will cut out). Factors to consider are noise and the power drawn from the fans. Usually fans will not put to greater stress on your Power Supply if it a capable one. However in a suprisingly high amount of systems the Power Supply will fail to keep to its Voltage Lines if too many fans are hooked up.


Useful Links

Overclockers Forum Search
Overclockers Homepage
The Most Informative Posts of the Cooling Forum
Awesome List of Component Suppliers
Waterblock Gallery
Poll: CFM through your Radiator
DIY Waterblock Testing Sponsorship
Detailed Lapping Process - Credit to Whitehawk.

Hopefully this guide will have answered many peoples FAQ's about Cooling, if anyone wishes to add to this guide then please do.

Good Luck with your future cooling endeavours!


Nick Cade-Westcombe
'Maximus Nickus'
 
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