Coolermaster RC330 - Worth adding a roof fan?

[gcwebbyuk]

Just run a batch of OCCT PSU tests in varying forms to see how good the air flow is for CPU and GPU - this is without my little mod above.

All tests were run for one hour:
My standard fan config
CPU: 28.5c - 59.5c
GPU: 34c - 67c

All fans at 100%
CPU: 27.6c - 56.5c
GPU: 22c - 45c

My standard fan config with side panel off
CPU: 27.4c - 54.5c
GPU: 31c - 69c

All fans at 100% with side panel off
CPU: 24.5c - 53.5c
GPU: 22c - 42c

 

[Dooms101]

Well the bottom fan is only going to be blowing air around that might not be cool since it has no outside air to draw from. You might want to consider modifying your side panel to help aid airflow with an extra intake near the CPU and GPU.

 

[gcwebbyuk]

There is definately no real room near the CPU, it nearly touches the side panel, and there is plenty of air-flow going to the cooler, especially with the new fan there.

Do those temps listed sound high then?

Am not sure what I should really be aiming for.

Maybe it is time to consider a bigger case?

 

[gcwebbyuk]

Actually just re-reading the results, the GPU is 2c cooler with the side on at load with my fans at their normal speed - 67c - and only 3c higher at idle.

Also CPU is only 1c higher at idle and 4c higher at load with side on.

I might re-run the tests with the extra GPU cooler in there tomorrow with the side on and see what happens. It certainly didn't add any extra noise. The idea was that if it was succesful, I could cut a hole in the bottom of the case rather than the top to allow air to be drawn up. Keeping the top looking tidy.

 

[gcwebbyuk]

Right I think this is the last mod I do now before buying a bigger case.

I have replaced the Nexus mesh PCI slot covers with the dust filter from the 5,25" bays that are now in use:
Inside

Outside


After a test last night (insomnia again - didn't sleep till 5.30am ) I found that the most noise was actually coming from the hard disks - its more the standard hard disk fan type noise rather than the tick.

I am unable to suspend my hard disks as there is no space in the 5.25" bays, so I have tried this idea - wrap a thick elastic band around the drive to act as some sort of vibration resistance between the drive and the drive cage:


I then took some of the foam packing material from my Corsair PSU and wedged it in next to the drives to try and seperate them from the actual side panels - worth a try:


After promising myself I wouldnt take the right side panel off again, I went for it! Here it is (note this photo was taken before screwing back in the hard disk screws on this side):


And with more foam padding in place:


During my insomnia I took my old original xbox to bits. This involved removing the rubber feet to get to the screws. I then thought maybe supergluing these to the bottom of the hard plastic case feet might be a similar idea to swapping them for rubber feet (cheap and simple to do, but I had these available, so worth a try):


They have also raised the case up off the desk slightly too, so maybe more airflow up under the front panel (very little I expect, but every little helps!)

I removed my attempt at a second GPU fan, it didn't seem to do much use.

The only real thing I could do is to tidy up the cuttings around the fans as they are still messy from doing it with snips rather than a dremel. But I think that can wait!

I need to rest now and get over my surgery - oh and for a pic of my neck mod - (2 level Anterior Cervical Discectomy):

 

[gcwebbyuk]

Just run a batch of OCCT PSU tests in varying forms to see how good the air flow is for CPU and GPU - this is without my little mod above.

All tests were run for one hour:
My standard fan config
CPU: 28.5c - 59.5c
GPU: 34c - 67c

All fans at 100%
CPU: 27.6c - 56.5c
GPU: 22c - 45c

My standard fan config with side panel off
CPU: 27.4c - 54.5c
GPU: 31c - 69c

All fans at 100% with side panel off
CPU: 24.5c - 53.5c
GPU: 22c - 42c

Well running OCCT with my new setup, side panel on, and fans in the normal operating mode, I now get these results:
CPU: 29.4c - 59.5c (up 1c at idle - same load temp)
GPU: 33c - 64c (down 1c at idle - down 3c at load)

The GPU changes may be to do with me using the semi-auto setting on my Scythe Kaze Server, I have the GPU fan set with a temp probe just in front of the card. If it's temp rises above 38c (usual temp is around 34c) then it will increase the fan's speed to bring it back down again. Previously I had all fans on manual apart from CPU which is controlled by SpeedFan.

While I was meddling earlier I took off the heatsink at the end of the 4870 (think it's the FET heatsink). I removed the TIM and applied AS5 and put the heatsink back on. Since then my MEMIO temps in GPU-Z have come down by 1-2c - this could be conicidence, as I am not sure what that heatsink covers, and which sensor in GPU-Z it relates to

Well I think I am now sorted for a while

 

[gcwebbyuk]

I have added a couple of temp probes from the Scythe Kaze Server, one out of the case, so I can monitor room temp, and the other controlling the rear exhaust fan, mounted between it and the CPU cooler. I have set it on semi-auto, so that standard speed is the same as I had before, but if the temp rises by 5c, then it will increase in speed.

Unfortunately the previous temps posted, I wasn't sure of the room temp, but am guessing it was about the same.

The room temp during the following results was 22-23c
CPU: 30C - 59.5C (+1.5 C on idle - guessing this can only be that room temp was higher as no other changes had been made to the case, and minimum fan speed was the same as before)

GPU: 32c - 63c (down 1c at idle and load)

So the two don't quite match up - CPU up, GPU down, I will leave the TIM to set for a further week and then try running the same test again.

Edit: possible reason for increased CPU is I could have maybe knocked the CPU cooler while fitting the temp probe...

 

[Dooms101]

Hmm... yeah I can relate with the insomnia, sure does make life interesting huh? Always living in perpetual withdrawn state-of-mind from lack of sleep. I do most of my work at night too lol, maybe I am just nocturnal? Hope you're recovering from your surgery a-okay.

Really weird that your CPU load temp jumped that high out of nowhere... is that temp read off your fan controller or speed fan? Or... maybe your CPU HS fan dying?

 

[gcwebbyuk]

Nah CPU fan should be fine, it's only 1.5c - must have knocked it, and reveresed the setting of the TIM. Will see if it goes back down over time...

 

[gcwebbyuk]

Well out with that third fan and in with suspended drives:


Believe it or not, but my idle temp dropped as low as 25c!

Time will tell as to how quiet suspending the drives will make the pc, but I think maybe removing the drives from in front of the lower case fan may have opened up the airflow as the case was designed to be used - possibly.

I will run OCCT test tomorrow, now my hands and back ache from working on the pc - so off to bed!

 

[gcwebbyuk]

Ordered the Coolermaster 690-II Advanced today - should be here tomorrow

Not sure if I will be modding a case costing nearly 4x what I paid for the RC330 though, but it has all the mods I would want anyway - and more!

 

[gcwebbyuk]

New case should be arriving in the next hour or so..., so stripped down my old case ready!








Fired it all up on the desk: