Hi all,

I have the specs listed at bottom.

The problem i have got is that I want a quiet as possible system but not super high temps. (I know this is the usual problem)

My CPU temps seem fine.

The problem I have got is my graphic card - at idle in Vista its at 72oC.

Anyway I can cool this down more quieter?






--------------------------------------------------------------
Q6600 G0
Noctua NH-U12F
2x1GB Corsair Twinx XMS2 PC6400
Gigabyte P3C-DS3R rev 1.1 Bios F2
P182 case | 500w Seasonic S12-500
X-fi Fatal1ty
WD7500AAKS
SH-S203 DVDRW

What graphics card do you have? I would strongly recommend getting a HR-03 ( or HR-03+, depending on what card you have). I have one cooling my eVGA 7950gt passively and temps are ~45 idle and ~70 at full load.

Also, since you don't mention anything otherwise, I assume you're using the tri-cools that come with the P182. Replacing those with Nexus/Noctua fans (deoending on where you put them) will make a big difference. It would help to know where you have the fans.

I bet you have an 8800 series graphics card. I have similar problems.

What are you load temps like with ATITool and looped 3DMark?

If you have an 8800, the HR-03 might not be right for you. The problem is it does not exhaust heat from the case like the stock cooler does.

Do you have a central 120mm fan? If so, try removing the filter and opening both doors (the small door and the main front door) to see if that helps reduce temps.

Since he only has one 5.25" drive, he could add a duct from the mid fan to cool the Hr-03 and use the extra space in the 5.25" drive area as intake for the upper chamber. Removing the covers for the empty PCI slots helps airflow past the video card.

graphic card seems to get around 83oC / 84oC when playing a game.

I have the x-fi front panel and a cdrom so it would be hard to put something in the top.

I just have the standard 120mm fan on the noctua.

8800s do get up to those temps in ordinary operation, it's nothing to worry about.

well over the weekend been keeping an eye on my pc.

It is idling at 79oC now and is going up to 88oC under full load.

Are these temperatures still okay?

Let's see......water boils at 100C, and you're running 88C? (shakes head) Perhaps it's time to rethink your graphic card solution. Just how necessary is this particular card? Trying to fit a hot card into a quiet computer is asking for trouble, increased fan noise, expensive after-market coolers, high temperatures......maybe all of the above.

Depending on your situation, you might consider a quiet computer for everyday use........and a hotter, more noisy computer for gaming. Just a thought....

well im not totally after silent and the fans in the P182 are at the minimum - increasing them to the medium doesnt seem to affect things.

The graphic card is on auto.......

I am fine if the temps are okay....... just dont wanna fry anything

well im not totally after silent and the fans in the P182 are at the minimum - increasing them to the medium doesnt seem to affect things.

The graphic card is on auto.......

I am fine if the temps are okay....... just dont wanna fry anything

79C at idle is not okay for your graphics card. It should idle at about 65 in your case.

If increasing the fans speeds does not help, ensure there is nothing blocking airflow. Otherwise, consider RMAing the card because it could be the heatsink is not working properly.

my graphic card fan is on auto (which is around 60% fan speed)

I can manually increase it to a higher value which will then decrease temperatures to around 70oC but it gets very loud.

Have you tried a duct so that you do not exhaust as much heat back into your case?

Here is the one I made.... I am actually getting rid of my 8800 GTS (640MB) for an 8800 GT SSC. It works well... Lots of heat comes out of the case.

That looks like a great idea. What did you use to construct that duct?

I picked up some sheet metal at home depot and used some tin snips to cut it. After bending into place, I used foil tape to seal it all up and hold it together.

Here's the only pic I have or it out of the computer.



And a shot from the back...

Nice! I'll have to give that a go. Thanks for the info.

yamahaSHO, what is the piece of metal holding up up Ultra-120 for? To even out pressure or just re-enforce it?

I really wasn't feeling good about having a top-heavy 2 lbs HS stressing my mother board, but I really want a good cooler. I made that bracket to support the weight of the HS. I fit it with the computer on its side so that I knew there would be very little extra stress on the motherboard.

I know a lot of people do not worry about this when they mount these, but I keep my computers for awhile, so better safe that sorry. Hell, it might even transfer heat to the aluminum bracket.

It's nice, I like the idea. I wonder if it would even out the temperatures over a quad core a bit more evenly too...

Did you have plans for your shroud or did you just do it by eye? Now I have seen your professional work I want to upgrade my paper one.

No, I didn't have any plans. I made a few quick measurements and sketched a template on a piece of paper, cut it out, folded it up and tested it. Once I was comfortable with the fit, it traced it on the metal and cut it.