NB Cooling - What would you do?

[biff]

Yeah I know it's unnecessary but like I said I'm not too excited about adding another fan. I'm going to give a 60mm fan a go and maybe undervolt it and see how I like it. I stopped by the local computer store today to pick one up and they didn't have any so I picked up a WD6400AAKS harddrive (the dual 320GB platter kind, should be a lot snappier than my aging 7200.8), and a 2x2GB pack of PC8000 RedLines instead so at least it wasn't a waste of a trip! gotta love those impulse aisle buys!

[Keir]

Adding a fan will help, but if its anything like the Thermalright HR-05 its only going to make a few degree's of difference. Where adding the waterblock to it will probably drop it 10 degrees and keep it there. My board with the stock NB heatsink idled at 67 deg ( yes thats correct ) with the HR-05 it would idle at ~57 deg. MCW30 = 42 deg There is no reason you couldnt add it to the system and keep it looking clean. to me that NB heatsink stands out like a sore thumb.

[magictorch]

Originally Posted by biff

Yeah I know it's unnecessary but like I said I'm not too excited about adding another fan. I'm going to give a 60mm fan a go and maybe undervolt it and see how I like it. I stopped by the local computer store today to pick one up and they didn't have any so I picked up a WD6400AAKS harddrive (the dual 320GB platter kind, should be a lot snappier than my aging 7200.8), and a 2x2GB pack of PC8000 RedLines instead so at least it wasn't a waste of a trip! gotta love those impulse aisle buys!

You better update your sig then to reflect those essential purchases

[3.0charlie]

Start by slapping a fan on that Noctua, and measure the delta T. As for wc, you do know that reaching that NB block from either the CPU or the GPU is a b*tch with 1/2" tubing.

[biff]

Keir, Charlie... I don't have a temp sensor in the NB, the only way I can get temps are using an IR gun. Relying on case air flow alone with no fans around the NB the temps at the base of the HS is 56° while Priming. Putting a fan at the back above the expansion slots blowing in gives the NB HS some airflow but not a whole lot as it is about 3" away and not directly in-line, further it is a lower RPM fan ~1200RPM IIRC. That little bit of flow drops the base of the HS to 33°. Not a bad deltaT! By that I can be fairly confident that a 60mm mounted right on the HS would do well.

I agree with Kier that the noctua does look a little out of place. As for getting to the NB from the GPU block if I did put a MCW30 there, you're right it would be a bit of a bugger. In the past I've trained tubing for tight bends like this be making a jig out of wood or whatever and heating the tube in hot water then shaping on the jig, it takes quite a few times back and forth but the results are good. I'm sure I'd want to do something like this to make that bend.

Lot's of good opinions both for and against both options. Thanks.

[biff]

Primu$, thanks for the compliments. You were asking about airflow. Here's a pic that shows that. The air coming out of the rads isn't that warm at all ~26°. The CPU rad stays about constant whether loaded or not. The GPU rad will get up to the low 30's when loaded for a long time. There is a little air flow out the front but very impeded when the drive bay door is closed.

[Primu$]

Your setup its very clean i dont see why not to add northbridge but thats up to you.
I want to suggest you try making your rear case fane and reversing so its blows in cooler air across the northbridge and blows out the top of your case, its may help but not significantly. LMK if it does =)
Also would you mind drawning me the flow of your loop. your using a small resovior there correct? sorry if u mention this wat kind is it? its very compact? homemade?

Primu$

[3.0charlie]

Originally Posted by Primu$

Your setup its very clean i dont see why not to add northbridge but thats up to you.
I want to suggest you try making your rear case fane and reversing so its blows in cooler air across the northbridge and blows out the top of your case, its may help but not significantly. LMK if it does =)
Also would you mind drawning me the flow of your loop. your using a small resovior there correct? sorry if u mention this wat kind is it? its very compact? homemade?

Primu$

biff managed to install a dual loop in there... 2 rads, 2 pumps, 2 res... look closely.

biff, looking at that airflow, I second Primu$' suggestion for the rear fan - you may have to rotate the NB block 90* for max. heatload transfer. And by the same token, cool off the CPU surrounding area too.

[biff]

I'm still undecided what to do with this. There are many options but none that seem a perfect fit.

Having the fan on the back up by the NB blowing in is a good solution for cooling the NB as well as surrounding components though I not really sure any of the other components are of any concern. However doing this creates too much positive pressure in the case since the fans on the rads are blowing into the case as well and all temps suffer. I could just add additional fans to exhaust more air and equalize the case pressure but I don't want to avoid that for noise sake.

If I turn the fans around on the rads to blow out the bottom then another couple issues come up. First, the rads will be getting warmer case air instead of nice cool air off the floor. Second, at present the fan from the rear most rad washes some cooling air over the video card and that would be gone possibly creating other heat issues. That fan also cools the SB nicely too but that is a minimal concern.

Adding a WB to the NB I think would eliminate the need for the fan at the back of the case and I would only need the two fans on the rads for case air flow. The RAM seems to be fine with minimal to no air flow but I don't know what good temps are, I'm presently getting ~40°C on the heat spreaders. Also with no airflow around the CPU a few of the power supply components are getting up to 60° but those are the FETs and that is peanuts for discrete FETs.

I still haven't tried the 60mm fan on the NC-U6 and maybe that will be silent enough not to require and further steps but it does (as mentioned) stand out like a sore thumb.

Primu$, here is a thread on my build, it should answer your questions on the flow. If not let me know.