Cooling Help with Obsidian 650d

[xeromynd]

Hello all, really looking for some cooling help here, as I am getting sub-optimal temps in my case.

Spec:
MOBO:Rampage III Formula
CPU: Intel i7-960 Bloomfield
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i
RAM: 24gb 1800 GSkill Ripjaw
PSU: Seasonic X750
Drives: 3x HDD 1x SSD
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 760

I idle at temps of 41-43°C (110°F) and my computer is the hottest thing in my room. Checked through Speccy and my BIOS.

My computer is placed underneath a desk, with about .75 ft between the top of the case and the underside of the desk. Nothing blocking the front or rear. Wall is about 1ft from the rear of the case.

I have a friend with close to the same build and similar case tho is getting around 24°C. Also has the H100i and same amount of fans.

Questions are:
-Does the i7-960 run hot? Would a newer CPU generate less heat? (I know mine is coming up on being 4 years old) [1st gen I believe]
-I installed my H100i about a year ago, using its stock thermal paste after cleaning mine off the CPU, would reapplying even help? I've heard the H100i's paste is good.
-What is the optimal airflow with the 650d you've found? *Image below of my ideas*
I have the following cooling as of right now

• TOP EXHAUST: 2x Corsair SP120 on H100i Radiator
• REAR EXHAUST: 1x Corsair AF120
• FRONT INTAKE: 1x Stock 650d Case Fan

I'll be purchasing a 4-in-3 adapter which will add another 120mm intake fan to fit in 3 empty 5.25 bays. All drives will be in there, no stock 650d cages in the case. All comments are much appreciated.

I have come up with a diagram of what I think could improve airflow below, please advise me on this. Tell me it's stupid, tell me it'll work, share your experiences with the 650d, I'd really like to get my temps down.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

As it is drawn the only issue I see is that the PCI Exhaust could be fighting the GPU for air.

 

[EarthDog]

Ditch the PCIe exhaust... all those do is make noise.

AirFLOW seems right in your proposed drawing.

As far as comparing your system to others, dont. There are just way too many variables between them to make it a decent comparison. It seems you are idling warm... but idle temps do not matter. What are your LOAD temps when stress testing?

 

[xeromynd]

Ditch the PCIe exhaust... all those do is make noise.

AirFLOW seems right in your proposed drawing.

Will do, haven't bought it yet, was just an idea. Thinking about it now, that does make sense. Thanks

Ditch the PCIe exhaust... all those do is make noise.

AirFLOW seems right in your proposed drawing.

As far as comparing your system to others, dont. There are just way too many variables between them to make it a decent comparison. It seems you are idling warm... but idle temps do not matter. What are your LOAD temps when stress testing?

Will do a load test and post back here when I'm home after the weekend. Will use the most CPU intensive stuff I usually do and see where it's at.

 

[dtrunk]

cooler master megaflow fan is crap, upgrade to bitfenix spectre pro if you can. (just personal preference.)

 

[EarthDog]

Will use the most CPU intensive stuff I usually do and see where it's at.

Stress test it. Use Prime95, Torture test, Small FFT.

'daily driving' temps are not what I am looking for.

 

[xeromynd]

Stress test it. Use Prime95, Torture test, Small FFT.

'daily driving' temps are not what I am looking for.

Ah gotcha, never really done a stress test before then. Will try it out. Thanks