Best solution to cool the PCI slots?!

filete · Post by **filete** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 5:09 am

Hi,

What are the best options to make the PCI area cooler?
But quiet of course!

Zyzzyx · Post by **Zyzzyx** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 7:55 am

To me, a better question would be: What are you running in the PCI area that is hot enough to require more airflow?

Also, what is your current setup for intake and exhaust fans in the case? How many, what size, where are they? What cooler are you currently running on the video card? How many PCI slots do you have, how many are occupied, and with what?

rtsai · Post by **rtsai** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 2:18 pm

Zyzzyx wrote:To me, a better question would be: What are you running in the PCI area that is hot enough to require more airflow?

Well, the question was a good question (at least, to me).

I have a PCI HDTV tuner card that is very warm to the touch (warmer than my hard drives). Of course, I don't quite know how hot is too hot (maybe it's just fine running that warm), but if I stick another of the same tuner card in there, things will get pretty hot.

Otherwise, I have no other PCI devices. The video card is a passively-cooled FX5200, so that's not a high-heat-output card, either.

So I am looking at something like a Zalman Fan Bracket solution, because the front intake fan is not blowing fast enough to move the air at the back near the PCI slots.

Tibors · Post by **Tibors** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 6:47 pm

I think the bird-house mod would be a good solution if you need airflow in that part of the case.
The linked thread is the first implementation of it, but certainly not the only one you can find in these forums. Just search for "bird-house".

toNka · Post by **toNka** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 12:41 am

This is a lot easier than a birdhouse:

If you have the room, slap in a 120mm or 92mm!

ultraboy · Post by **ultraboy** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 2:28 am

This pci rack could be another option.

rtsai · Post by **rtsai** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 6:39 am

Thanks.

The "pci rack" looks the same as the FB-123 and a few other cheaper things available (at least in US). I dunno if I'd really want to hang a hard drive from it though ...

toNka's idea is nice and easy. But this is a case (heh) where the sideways HDD bays work in his favor. I have the straight-through HDD cage (SLK3000B), so there would be a bunch of cabling to interfere with similar fan placement, as well as no good place to anchor the fan (nice!).

rei · Post by **rei** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 2:18 am

anyone know how quiet this is?

http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=75060

joikd · Post by **joikd** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 7:07 am

rei wrote:anyone know how quiet this is?

http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=75060

Oh, man! Thank you for the link! This is exactly what I've been looking for. I'm going to rig up some kind of duct between this and my ATI Silencer to make a closed system. The video card will get cool outside air, and the hot air will go straight out of the case.

I'll let you know if it's quiet.

Thanks again!

rei · Post by **rei** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 11:34 am

did some more digging
the antec super cyclone (black version of this) sucks air out
this one sucks air in

and suppsoedly the cyclone is rated lower at lowest noise setting

jldet5 · Post by **jldet5** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:04 pm

For the PCI area I use a Zalman Fan Bracket and a Nexus 120 fan. I also cut the top half of the bracket off but you don't have to.

Sgt_Strider · Post by **Sgt_Strider** » Sat May 07, 2005 8:49 pm

toNka wrote:This is a lot easier than a birdhouse:

If you have the room, slap in a 120mm or 92mm!

Just wondering, what case are you using?

Sgt_Strider · Post by **Sgt_Strider** » Sat May 07, 2005 8:59 pm

Just wondering if the Zalman FB123 can be used with any 92mm fan or I have to use the stock fan?

StarfishChris · Post by **StarfishChris** » Sun May 08, 2005 2:21 am

It's an Antec Sonata.

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Sun May 08, 2005 7:22 am

Sgt_Strider wrote:Just wondering if the Zalman FB123 can be used with any 92mm fan or I have to use the stock fan?

It can be used with any 92mm (or 80mm, 120mm, 60mm etc) fan. Depending on the width of the area where the mounting spacer goes, you may have to add some shims.

rei · Post by **rei** » Tue May 10, 2005 11:09 pm

do you have a pic of how you've used it with the shims?

i'm thinking of cutting the top of mine out since it might obstruct cpu hsf.

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Wed May 11, 2005 6:18 am

rei wrote:do you have a pic of how you've used it with the shims?

Nope.

The reason to use the shims is in case the replacement fan has a different spacing between the flanges that the bolt clamps onto. If there's too much space, you'll bend and potentially snap off the flange. If you use some washers to shim up the bolt, you can keep from breaking the plastic flanges as you tighten up the mounting bolt.

rei · Post by **rei** » Wed May 11, 2005 9:15 am

ah, right, i misread what you meant by shims. now i get it.

i thought you were talking about -standoffs- which is what i'm going to try to move the fan away from contacting with the heatsink