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Author Topic: Pre-built computers - Installing a graphics card.  (Read 8262 times)

Aqizzar

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Re: Pre-built computers - Installing a graphics card.
« Reply #45 on: March 28, 2011, 05:06:12 pm »

Acer AM3910-U4012 - Not many reviews on it, but it seems reasonable enough, and I'm not noticing any mentions of heating issues.  I wouldn't be surprised if it was mostly the graphic card's own doing.
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Nadaka

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Re: Pre-built computers - Installing a graphics card.
« Reply #46 on: March 28, 2011, 05:14:11 pm »

One reason that you will notice more heat is that not only did you add a fairly hefty graphics card, but also a PSU with double the intended wattage. The case probably wasn't designed to handle much more than what the original PSU was rated for.

My desktop is in a large deep wooden case that dampers vibration, provides headroom for hot air to rise, a large rear facing fan and filtered air slots on either side across from the PSU and graphics card to keep fresh cool air always coming in without getting everything clogged with dust.
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Darkone

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Re: Pre-built computers - Installing a graphics card.
« Reply #47 on: March 28, 2011, 05:17:28 pm »

Technically, an overly open case is not very well cooled. You need airflow, not dissipation. Depending on how many fans you have, and their position, it might be a good idea to block off useless vent holes. Nevermind, saw the picture. You don't have a lot of airflow on that at all, from what I can see. AFAIK, a card will generally run as fast as it can if you don't have something limiting it. There's software out there to stresstest a card, and look at temperatures. IIRC, rivatuner does it for Nvidia. It may have a temp monitor built into the nvidia software: ATI's CCC has overclocking, temperature, fan control.

If you add any fans, make sure they point the right way. try and keep them relatively balanced between intake and exhaust. In the worst case, if you're willing to put up with cleaning more, a tablefan can keep it cool if you open the side, until you get a new case or different fans.

fakedit: He has a top mounted PSU, which won't interfere with card. Having one with a moderate headroom over intended output will make it cooler as it doesn't have to run close to its peak. You might want to list off where the fans are on it, as there's only one picture there.

realedit: oooh nice, you got one with an i3 instead of the Athlon II.

As an example of airflow, I'm using a Coolermaster Centurion 590, which has a 120mm fan on the front, two on the side over the card and processor, 1 on the top back, and 2 on the top, with the PSU on the bottom and isolated. The air is drawn in from the side and front, passed over the hot crap, and ejected out the top and rear. Hot air rises, so generally top-mounted fans are damn nice for exhaust.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2011, 05:19:15 pm by Darkone »
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Aqizzar

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Re: Pre-built computers - Installing a graphics card.
« Reply #48 on: March 28, 2011, 05:38:47 pm »



Left is the back, right is the front.  It's a perfectly ordinary desktop layout - the PSU is top-left, the drives are top-right.  The processor is in the center, with a big funnel pointed at a square grate on the removable sidewall (the black circle) - I can't actually tell which way the air is flowing.  The graphics card is down under that, with the fan on the bottom - it's either blowing down, or sucking from down and blowing sideways.  The gray on the left is an open grill for a fan, but there's no fan there; I could add one, but I'd have to buy it.  The red area was hot to the touch, and there's no components there, except for the harddrive being above it.

Blowing a desk fan into the box is an option, but not a very good one.  Putting some holes in the sidewall at that hot area couldn't hurt it, but I'm not sure the warranty covers case-modding (not that I really care, but it's a consideration).
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Darkone

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Re: Pre-built computers - Installing a graphics card.
« Reply #49 on: March 28, 2011, 06:15:31 pm »

No clue why the red area is hot. Could be a dead zone of some kind- heat from the hard-drive, no airflow. Really though, with a 460, you need airflow. A couple of fans would probably help a lot.
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white_darkness

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Re: Pre-built computers - Installing a graphics card.
« Reply #50 on: March 28, 2011, 08:08:25 pm »

Possibly heat from the hard drive, some manufacturers have had to put in hard drive fans since the hard drives have been generating too much heat, particularly in smaller models.  not the case here though.

So at a guesstimate from your rough diagram, air would be flowing through the vent on the rear, going over the proc, where some is getting blown out by the fan and the rest is heated and rising upward to go shooting out via the PSU fan.

Meanwhile, the graphics card is blowing on the bottom of the case and the 1TB most likely 10k RPM HDD is making it's own heat.  If you could slot another fan under the hard drive and have it blowing towards the rear, maybe?  Though you'd want an intake vent near there.

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Nadaka

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Re: Pre-built computers - Installing a graphics card.
« Reply #51 on: March 29, 2011, 09:46:59 am »

I think the hot spot is where the air blown out of your graphics card gets caught in a cycle where it doesn't get out quickly combined with your hard drives also putting out a lot of heat. My suggestion is that you need to vent that area at the least. An out blowing fan there may be better than than one blowing into the case or an out blowing fan at the rear where it may not be strong enough to pull the hot air out of that partially cut off hotspot.

In the long term you should also really consider putting dust filters on your air intakes, it really saves a lot of hassle if you keep the inside of the machine dust free.
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