SLK3000B Cooling advice

Snow · Post by **Snow** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 9:13 am

Hi guys,

I need your expertise on this because I'm almost out of ideas.
First system spec and pics:

- Antec SLK3000B:

Front bottom Papst 4412 120mm @ 7v
Front top Sharkoon Silent 80mm @ 12v
Rear Stock Tri-Cool 120mm @ low (sounds higher then 5v)
Fan grills front/back cut out

- Seasonic S12-430W (with 120mm silent fan of course, bout 800rpm constant)

- Gigabyte P35-DS3P rev.2 passive cooled

- Intel Q6600 G0 @ 3Ghz undervolted to 1.232v with Scythe Ninja Rev.B @ 7v

- Corsair TwinXMS2 DHX C4 @ 2.1v

- MSI 8800GT factory OC with Zalman VF700cu @ around 7v (2000 rpm with fanmate)

- SB Audigy 2 ZS

- Seagate and Maxtor 250GB drives (top suspended)

- Samsung F1 640GB (bottom stringed)

- Pioneer SATA DVD

That's about it I guess, on to the pics:

The front frame is built from wood and it holds the fan firmly without the need for screws. The frame itself also fits tightly into the case which is exaclty 2 drive bays tall.

The heatspreaders on the RAM are huge and therefore cannot be positioned properly but it does align perfectly with the rear case fan.

On to the 2 suspended drives on top. The Sharkoon 80mm blows directly at them. The new Samsung F1 drive I bought recently runs +10Â° cooler then these drives.

Temps:

Idling and tracking with Everest I get:

Room temp: 24Â°

suspended HD's: 34/33
Bottom Samsung HD: 25
GPU memory/GPU enviroment/GPU: 40/34/48
CPU: 38/38/39/40/35
MOBO: 39

Load temps for CPU easely go into the 60's when gaming, for the other components the temps are still fine. If you guys want exact load temps for all components I will stress with 4 instances of HDR demo.

I have tried:

- disabling and covering the top front fan which actualy made the CPU run a few degrees hotter.
- putting the any of the fans on full throtle with fanmate, no change!
- Covering the side panel ventialtion holes seems to have no real effect but I'm leaving it covered anyway, for now.
- disabling the CPU fan makes things hotter of course.

Things I would like to try:

- Use two of those iextrema 120mm fans on the CPU HSF and case front or rear.
- Use Thermaltake screw bolt mounting system for Scythe Ninja HSF.
- Lapping the HSF and CPU.

Few questions:

- should I use ducts to get a better airflow?
- position the Ninja fan in another direction, like on top?
- remove the front filter from case?
- check for a top/bottom cooling solution for the 8800GT?

I'm forgetting stuff but this will do for now lads.

Thx in advance!

Update: I just removed the side panel covers again and my overal temps seem to go down 1 or 2 degrees. I thought it would improve the airflow but there ya go.

Temps with side vents open:

GPU: 36/32/45
CPU: 38/37/39/40/35

After a 30 min session with Mass Effect (logged in Everest)

CPU: 59/57/55/56 / 50
GPU: 68/43/60

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 10:27 am

Hi, cheapest way to get your 8800 GT's temps down is to buy Accelero S1 rev 2. Also using scythe slipstreams would increase airflow while be very quiet.

I wonder if you can mod slightly your top fan thing to fit 120mm fan? You could use scythe Kamabay with Slipstream on it.

sandman7777 · Post by **sandman7777** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 10:32 am

I have the same case with a P-5 945 at 3.4 MHz and I opened up the side fan to a 120mm tricool for some added cooling I love this case and I also have a P-180B and the P-182 GMB case both with C2D CPU and P5K motherboard , you did a nice mod.

Matija · Post by **Matija** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 10:39 am

What are you using to measure CPU temperature?

Snow · Post by **Snow** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 12:40 pm

Hi guys,

@ thejamppa: I'm actualy only worried about my CPU temps, GPU is in the safe zone. I think the GPU would run much cooler if I used heatpipes that go around the card so the heat doesnt go up into the CPU. But other then that I'm ok with the temps since they are slightly better then with my 7800GT and the 8800GT is supposed to run much hotter.

I will def look into using a bigger fan in top front, I never heard of the Kamabay, don't think they sell that around here bud.

@Sandman7777: Side Fan? You mean the extra vent holes in the side panel? I think I did place a 60 or 80mm fan once in the CPU area but I don't think it had much effect. Does it make a noticable difference in temps in your case m8?

@Matija: Everest, but I tried Coretemp too and it seems to list a degree or 2 cooler then Everest.

I think I'm going to lap the HSF next week. And maybe get a bolt screw mounting system for the Ninja, it just feels like I can move it too much.
CPU still goes mid 60's on load and I don't like that one bit since my other gear is running at safe temps.

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 12:48 pm

Ninja is not perhaps best choice for the LGA unfortunately... Maybe you should get Thermalright HR-01 Plus?

Snow · Post by **Snow** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 1:26 pm

Hah, they stole my idea

http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/acc/0 ... etail.html

I had no idea something like this existed. I will probably order one of those. They sell them over here but I have to order the black version.
The fan isn't on par with the iextrema airflow wise but it'll be better then the sharkoon.
Now where to put the Sharkoon then, hmm, this fan runs 12v, very silent and moves enough air. Would be a shame to let it collect dust.

Maybe use it as an exhaust for VGA? With the Kama-Bay the air will be moved above the VGA area right?

Matija · Post by **Matija** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 9:31 pm

How are the temps immediately turn the computer on?

Snow · Post by **Snow** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 11:59 pm

Without letting the rig idle?

I'll tell you in a minute.

Ok guys, I'm going to order:

- Scythe Kama Bay (120mm front bay which takes 3 drive bays)
- Thermalright LGA775 Bolt-Thru Kit (to replace the push pin mounting of HSF)
- Silenx iXtrema 120 (14dba with 74 CFM would be best for my HSF)

I'm going to move the Scythe fan that came with the Ninja to the rear (exhaust) to replace the stock Tri-Cool fan.
Also I'm going to move the top front Sharkoon 80mm fan to the side panel VGA area.
My question is should I use it as intake or exhaust?
Another question is will the airflow be affected in a negative way if the CPU fan moves 74 CFM and the rear case exhaust fan moves 50 or less CFM?
Also, since the RAM heatspreaders are simply too large to get the fan properly fitted to the heatsink should I cut off the fins or even remove the heatspreaders?
Will moving the fan towards the cpu/mobo result in better cooling?
Or will mounting the fan on top of the heatsink, so it blows directly at the CPU improve cooling?

Update: I just noticed this inst possible, too bad cause I would have tried it now.

Some say lapping improved their temps about 10Â° which is amazing and I need every bit so I'm still thinking about lapping. Don't know what's holding me back, maybe affraid to mess it up, the CPU that is.

Also, I have always spread the Artic Silver 5 paste manualy with a piece of carbon or plastic but this seems a bad idea. Next time I will just put a spot of grain on it and let it spread out by pressure.

Thx again for your input lads and I'm all ears for suggestions.

Snow · Post by **Snow** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 1:27 am

I think I might cut the fins on the module:

You reckon the heatspreader will loose its effect by doing this?

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:46 am

Silenx 74 CFM at 14 dB/A's is practically impossible. I think might want to triple that dB/A value and then get ckise the actual noise.

Snow · Post by **Snow** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:55 am

Ouch, I was thinking about that, how could they make it possible to move so much air at such db compared to other quiet fans.

So do you have any suggestions m8? besides the HSF.

Move the 80mm front to the side panel vga area?
Move the CPU HSF to the bottom maybe and move the air through the PSU?
My main problem now is the heatspreaders on the RAMs. I can't even move the RAM to the other dual channel slots. I figure the only two options are cutting the fins on the heatspreaders or move the CPU fan to bottom of Ninja.

sandman7777 · Post by **sandman7777** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 5:04 pm

I made the 80mm fan hole big enough to fit a 120mm fan with a dust filter on it and my case MB temps stay around 32c with a 25c to 26c ambient room temp and put a filter on the lower side panel vent also this way I keep the dust out of case. I have a Zalman 9700 for cooling.

Snow · Post by **Snow** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 12:25 pm

No matter what I do, I just can't get these bloody temps down.
I tried lapping CPU+Fan and VF700 today but failed at getting the surface flat.
My temps idling in a room temperature of 27Â° are:

CPU: 40/39/42/43//37
GPU: 41/35//49

I bet its the bloody case thats getting too small. Hot components like Q6600 and 8800GT, 3 HD's and DVD.
Maybe I'm still doing something wrong though. Any help on this lads?
I now have 2 HD's at the top behind the kama bay (suspended)
I placed the samsung drive below it in the floppy tray to get the bottom intake free but it's all no use.
No matter what I do I keep reading the same temps, even with a 80mm fan in sidepanel.
Should I stick the 3 drives in the cage again and try to suspend that behind the bottom intake? Then use the top intake for proper airflow?

Any help greatly appreciated lads.

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 12:53 pm

Snow wrote:CPU: 40/39/42/43//37
GPU: 41/35//49

I don't know what you expect for idle temps. Those seem pretty darn reasonable to me. My e6550 idles at ~40C with a Ninja Mini in my SLK3000B. I have no idea what my GPU is at but I would be happy with something in the 40's.

Load temps would be more telling. I know what you had before, and 60C is a bit high for me. My e6550 doesn't get above 56C as far as I've seen, and I'm OC'd to 368MHz FSB. The 6550 is the same processor running lower multiplier, but faster bus than the e6600.

Snow · Post by **Snow** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 1:00 pm

Load for CPU is around 60 now and GPU 65-70

I keep reading about slipstream fans but what exactly does that mean? a fan mounted with a zip tie?

I might use the kama bay intake scythe fan for cooling VGA. I'm totaly out of ideas to improve airflow.

Snow · Post by **Snow** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 10:59 pm

One user asked for startup temps so here goes:

Kama Bay HD's: 32/29

GPU: 37/31(45)
CPU: 35/34/36/37(33)
MOBO: 37

This is idling after boot. I don't know how you guys manage to keep everything cool on load with fans running at 5v. I'm talking those with Quads and high end GFX cards though although I had the same issues with my AMD X2 and 7800GT.

Laters

AVT · Post by **AVT** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 11:09 pm

Don't buy SilenX. Not only do they list plain wrong specifications, but look at this:
viewtopic.php?t=4551&highlight=silenx

Snow · Post by **Snow** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 3:17 am

Do you have any input on my case airflow? Does the Kama Bay (front top intake 120mm) have a negative effect on airflow pressure?

Am I using too much fans? Should I consider mounting a 120mm fan on the VF700 (VGA cooling)

Should I consider creating a top exhaust system?

Anything that could lower the temps a bit would be great. My mbobo idles at 41Â° now with a room temp of 25Â°.

When I remove the side panel the overall temps drop by 1 or 2Â° so there's something not right inside the case.

Thx

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 7:22 am

Slipstream fans are made by Scythe, but they may not be available near you. Read this to get a general overview of them.

I would recommend getting the accelero for the 8800GT, I have the VF700 and while it's capable, I just don't think it's totally up to the task of cooling it. My 8800GT is from Asus and has the "Glaciator" cooler on it, which is like a poor-man's VF700. I ziptied a 800rpm Slipstream to it and it cools like a champ. However, the VF700 isn't as sturdy as the current HS, so I don't know if I'd tie that fan to it.

You can suspend all your hard drives in the HDD area if you want to try it. Just put them all in the removable HDD cage and suspend the whole cage. You get better, unobstructed airflow to the CPU that way (though a duct wouldn't hurt). Cleaning up your wiring is very critical, so run as much behind the motherboard as you can to keep it out of the airpath.

What do you mean you failed at getting the surface flat? Did you lap the heatsink or the CPU or both? You'll probably have to lap the CPU as well as Intel is known for it's concave heatspreaders.

Snow · Post by **Snow** » Sat Aug 02, 2008 1:04 am

Hi jhhoffma, thx for the detailed reply m8

I've just read about those slipstream fans, I didn't know they were type of fans, I thought it was a method called slipstreaming (stupid foreigners ey)

You are spot on with the VF700. Now I'm thinking about either ziptie a 120mm fan to the VF700 like you mentioned or use the stock cooler with the same fan cause the area looks larger. 2 problems, the fins are bend on the stock cooler so its not a perfect match and the stock cooler is aluminium as far as I can tell (weight)

I've actualy thought about remounting all the drives in the cage and suspending it but for now I'll leave them on top until I got this VGA area cooled properly.

As for the wiring I just can't seem to get it done with this case. I don't have a PCI xpress power connector on my PSU so I have to use a twin molex to pci which gets in the way of the airflow.

I treid to lap the Q6600, Ninja and VF700cu but none came out fine, I gave up. The space between the razor blade and the surfaces weren't as drastic as I've seen from other users but still, no matter if I treid circle or straight movements I could not get it perfectly flat. Maybe I gave up too quick.

I think I will mount an accelero s1 with a 120mm fan on the 8800GT in the future.

Temps now running 2 instances of HDR demo for about 30 mins are:

HD's: 34/30/32
GPU: 61/43/69
CPU: 55/54/55/57/49
MOBO: 45 (getting hot)

It's the area just above the 8800GT that worries me cause the card feels very hot. I already fitted the heatsinks but I think I need a better airflow around there. Maybe I should move the 80mm side intake fan and mount it to the floppy cage which should direct the fan at that area. Won't it obstruct the airflow to CPU/MOBO though?

Thx again for the advice, those were my thoughts exactly so I muist be going in the right direction.
Do you think a case like the P180 (not mini) would make a big difference in silent cooling?

Thx

Snow · Post by **Snow** » Sat Aug 02, 2008 1:28 am

I might already get the Accelero S1 since it's very cheap and has great reviews.

Would it be better to go with the turbo module or a slipstream 800rpm?

Thx

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Sat Aug 02, 2008 12:11 pm

Snow wrote:I might already get the Accelero S1 since it's very cheap and has great reviews.

Would it be better to go with the turbo module or a slipstream 800rpm?

Thx

Slipstream...all the way. Quieter with more airflow.

If you're having a hard time digging away at the material of your H/S, try going to a bigger grit (lower number) sandpaper, then you can finish with the smaller grit to get a cleaner finish. You need to make sure you're lapping surface is perfectly flat, which is why most recommend using plate glass.

A 800rpm Slipstream will move more air than a Tri-Cool on low and be quieter doing it. A 1200rpm can do better if you undervolt slightly to around 900-1000rpm.

As for the wiring, I always keep extra wires and adapters that come with my equipment and trim the cables off bad PSUs. I splice/solder them together if I need extra length to route the way I want. Or in the case of your PCIe adapter, just add an extra molex connector off one feed line.

A P180 (or Mini) is a vast departure from the SLK3000B as far as airflow pattern. I don't think it's worth the cost, plus you'll learn more on working with this case. It's certainly easier to build a quiet rig with (along with choosing better components) as the separate PSU/HDD chamber means you won't have a fan ramping up if your system heat gets too high. You'll still have to evacuate the heat from the CPU/GPU, but you'll have more airflow to work with.

Snow · Post by **Snow** » Sat Aug 02, 2008 2:00 pm

So I should replace the exhaust tri-cool fan with a slipstream 800rpm. With a slightly undervolted fan do you mean 7v or with a fan controller (fanmate)
I have 5v plugs as well as homemade 7v plugs.
Do you think the 800rpm slipstreams will move more air then the Papst and Ninja Scythe fans?

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 7:21 pm

You don't need to undervolt the 800rpm. The 1200rpm is a little too loud at 12v, so that one you'll need to undervolt (maybe to 9V). Either will definitely put out more airflow than a TriCool on Low. Can't say for the Papst or the Scythe fan.

Snow · Post by **Snow** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 12:04 am

Yeah I knew that bud, even this Kama Bay fan is silent (also runs at 800 rpm I think)
You answered my question though, 9V, how do you manage that? I know how to get 12, 7 and 5v out of an adapter but 9v, no idea.
I will get 2 slipstreams, one to replace the rear and one in front maybe, then use the papst on the accelero at 7v.
That should fix my VGA temps.
I have no idea what to do with the CPU though, it still reaches 60 degrees easely on load. Re-lap or just look for a better heatsink which is a bit more expensive :/
I tried running the Scythe Ninja fan at 12v but it didnt matter much to the temps, maybe a few degrees better so I'm running it silent at 7v.
Also, I'm still using the side cpu area intake fan which is the Sharkoon 80mm at 1000rpm. I must say these Sharkoons are the best I have tried as of yet, this 80mm is dead silent at 12v. It also differs a few degrees (like 1 or 2)

http://www.sharkoon.de/html/produkte/lu ... ex_en.html

Snow · Post by **Snow** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 4:11 am

Another question.

I've been looking at this Antec 300 case which has the PSU in the bottom and a 140mm top exhaust fan.

How much would a top fan affect temps with my case? This would be a center top fan 120mm.

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 7:00 am

Well, the P180/182 has a top-mounted fan, and most people here just close that off as it's a direct sound path to your ears. But, then again, so is a fan in the drivebays. However, if I were going to spend the money on a new case right now, I'd probably go for the 'Three Hundred', it's cheap and easy to work with. You'd have to go the extra mile when trying to find a way to suspend the HDDs (like sideways), but it's doable.

9v can be achieved by using a fan controller (Fanmate2 or the like), using motherboard fan header control (Speedfan or BIOS), or by soldering in a resistor or zener diode to drop the voltage (you can use this webpage to do the math). Unfortunately there's no way to get 9v from a Molex connector without adding something to the line.

If you're using the Ninja, I don't think that the CAG (Cold Air Guide) from the SLK3000B is really going to help you at all. In fact, it's probably creating some cross-flow and inhibiting the natural front-to-back airflow pattern that you want to use.

I've blocked all my side vents, as they aren't really needed. The front intake area provides enough airflow to account for the exhaust I need. Besides, that's less dust I have to keep out of my case.

Snow · Post by **Snow** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 10:45 pm

m8, what do you suggest I try?

I'm going to keep the case but am willing to do any mods you recommend. I'm getting the Accelero S1 rev2 with 800rpm slipstream soon but I doubt it will affect my CPU temp.
Is the Ninja just not good enough to cool a quad?
Is my airflow interrupted by some fans or even cables?

Thx for all the info bud

Snow · Post by **Snow** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 1:39 am

I'm ashamed to say this but I haven't checked the temps with VF700 fan @ 12v until now. Running 2x HDR demo with 16xAA.

Here goes, 5v vs 12v:

HD load/idle => no change

GPU load => 60/42/68 vs 55/39/63 (5Â°)

CPU load => 51/52/52/53//47 vs 50/51/54/51//45 (2Â°)

MOBO load => 41 vs 43 (2Â°)

--------------------------------------------------------------------

GPU idle => 38/32/46 vs 36/31/44 (2Â°)

CPU idle => 36/34/37/37//33 vs 34/34/36/36//32 (1Â°)

MOBO idle => 39 vs 36 (3Â°)

I really need to get that Accelero with 120mm fan, it might just solve the CPU temp probs too. I'm guessing it will take another 3Â° or more from overall temps.