HTPC Case - Getting too hot

[austinbike]

I built up an Antec NSK-1300 system to use as an HTPC.

When I boot up, for the first 3-4 minutes the system is in the low 30's, then, it settles in at ~45-47c. When I start video decoding (files are on my NAS, shown on a 1080p 47" LCD, the temps get up in the the middle to upper 50's.

Not good.

I am concerned that the case, which sits in a cabinet, may either be too small (not enough airflow) or there may be something wrong with the system.

It has an Athlon X2 4800+, 2 1GB DDR2 (667), a DVD writer and an 80GB 2.5" hard drive. No additional cards (TV tuner was taken out for now).

I have the same board and setup in an Antec Sonata II downstairs and it runs in the upper 30's, lower 40's when decoding.

Here is the iside of the case:



Unfortunately, the heatsink is different than the sonata because there is no clearance:





Here is the full setup inside the cabinet:



The cabinet has a full front open and a 3" x ~30" vent in the back to keep airflow going.

This weekend I had to pull everything apart for an unrelated task. Before I put it back together I thought I would get a group opinion on:

A. Are these temps acceptable?
B. Do you think that moving to a larger case (like an antec nsk 2480) would be helpful
C. Would adding some fans to the cabinet help?

Ultimately I don't want to have to go with a new chassis unless there is no other option.

I am going to try to run it outside of the cabinet to see what the temps look like, but that won't help as much because the cabinet it brand new and will not be changing.

[bonestonne]

the temps aren't terrible, but could be better.

you say there's a 3x~30" vent in the rear of the cabinet, is that at the bottom, middle or top? if it's at the top, maybe you might try guiding the airflow.

it would take some trial and error, but you might try getting like a 12v power adapter (the type that comes with an external IDE to USB adapter) so that you can power a couple fans without the computer in order to circulate the air. its possible that the air just isn't leaving.

most homes don't really circulate air very well, even homes with central heating and air conditioning (my system is right near an exhaust vent, and its just beginning to cool off after being on 12+ hours). you need to have a very open and nonrestrictive vertical shaft for air to move. the heat wont want to go left or right, or forward or backward. it simply goes up.

having fans in the cabinet would create the circulation needed to force the heat out of the back of the cabinet.

what you might try doing is sticking your hand in the cabinet while the system is working on the 1080p, and if your hand feels warmth in there, you need better circulation in there. even a piece of paper can prevent air from rising which will cause a pocket which can cause the buildup of hot air.

if you don't want to change much, then you may as well try something.

[austinbike]

Thanks. The vent is on the top of the cabinet, behind the TV. There is no restriction on air from the back of the PC to the vent, but there is a GB wireless router in there, which does heat up more than most (DIR-655).

The other components are a stereo receiver (wasn't on when I was testing temps) and a HD Tivo (which is always on).

[jessekopelman]

A. Are these temps acceptable?

For CPU, sure. What about other temps: HDD and any other MB readings like Aux or NB?

[austinbike]

Here is a comparison of the temps from speedfan (inside and outside of the cabinet):

Outside Inside

IDLE
Fan 1: 1403 1439
Fan 2: 1276 1301

Temp1: 44C 44C
Temp2: 40C 40C
Temp3: 30C 30C
HD0: 36C 37C
Core: 30C 32C

HD Decoding
Fan 1: 1615 1790
Fan 2: 1424 1517

Temp1: 46C 48C
Temp2: 49C 52C
Temp3: 39C 42C
HD0: 37C 39C
Core: 40C 43C

The only caveat is that the cabinet no longer has the stereo and other components (only the tivo) because the contractors are doing some work. The in cabinet temps can only get worse.

[jessekopelman]

Those temps look fine. It seems that you have two temperature controlled fans and they are barely even spooling up. I don't know if this is because they are already idling fairly high or if the ramp up algorithm just isn't very aggressive. What are you using for fan control, BIOS? Maybe try playing around with those settings a bit . . . Or not. After all your temps are fine.

[PASware]

Drop the Vcore (CPU Voltage) with 0,1v. It will help quite alot.

[austinbike]

Actually bit the bullet and bought a gigabyte 780G-based board.

It is running ~4-5 degrees cooler (42c in idle) and when it is decoding video it barely raises temperature at all.

However, it does have one reading that is 84C all the time. I need to figure out what that is.

[shalom]

Actually bit the bullet and bought a gigabyte 780G-based board.

It is running ~4-5 degrees cooler (42c in idle) and when it is decoding video it barely raises temperature at all.

However, it does have one reading that is 84C all the time. I need to figure out what that is.

having same issue with the temp3.

[jhhoffma]

Actually bit the bullet and bought a gigabyte 780G-based board.

It is running ~4-5 degrees cooler (42c in idle) and when it is decoding video it barely raises temperature at all.

However, it does have one reading that is 84C all the time. I need to figure out what that is.

having same issue with the temp3.

As stated just about everywhere on the web, the TEMP3 is the northbridge and most agree that it doesn't really run ~80C, but that the reading is off. No one knows how much, but the reading is normal. 90C would not be...

[austinbike]

Well I went ahead and bought a new NB cooler. Newegg will have it here early next week.

In the mean time, here are the temps from this past weekend's efforts:

[mimwdv]

I've got the same case. I'm running mine with a PW-200-M PSU (bigger cousin of the PicoPSU), and a 120mm fan where the original power supply was. That means (a) the heat from the PSU isn't dumped inside the case, and (b) there's better heat exhaust (and room for a bigger CPU cooler if you need one).

Have you tested how low you can run the CPU voltage? You might be able to lower it a bit more which would save some heat (and power).

[austinbike]

At 1.0v the system will not boot, which is why I have it at 1.1v.

What are your temps looking like?

[Matzon]

I have a NSK1380:
fan1: 617 RPM (min = 0 RPM)
temp1: +41.0°C (low = +127.0°C, high = +127.0°C) sensor = transistor
temp2: +29.0°C (low = +127.0°C, high = +60.0°C) sensor = thermal diode
/dev/sda: WDC WD1200BEVS-22UST0: 38°C

SPECS

[mimwdv]

What are your temps looking like?

When I'm testing with Orthos nothing's over 35C - that's with my living room at approx 17C, CPU and case fans at approx 600 rpm. But mine is a C2Duo and different mobo and I'm running it monitor-less so not stressing the video component at all.

From looking at your readings again, and what people have said above re that 80C+ reading, I think you're fine.

The differences in and out of the cabinet are pretty small, so that indicates that the cabinet isn't restricting your airflow much.

Your northbridge temp is high, but it's not increasing much under load, so it's not like you're over-stressing it.

You could try a better cooler on the northbridge, but as long as it's stable, I wouldn't worry about it.