Silence VS Excess Heat

monomaniac

I know this type of topic is discussed all the time but I'm looking for someone to help make this clear for me please.

I have an MSI KT6 Delta and an Ahtlon 2400 XP.

I have the Zalman Flower CPU heatsink and fan, a Be-quiet 350W PSU and 3 system fans. I also have a Radeon 9700 Pro with a Zalman heat sink (which generates a lot of heat)

As I'm striving for a silent PC I use Zalman fan-mates to run all the fans at the lowest speed.

My Idle CPU temp varies from 55C to 65C and the highest temp I have seen it rise to is around 72C on max load. System temp is generally between 50C and 55C.

My question really is.. should I be worried? And should I forget the notions of a silent PC if it is compromising the system health.

Anyone else run a silent PC with similar temps?

Thanks

mm

OfflerCrocGod

How often do you hit max load?, if it's not very often then dont worry 72C for one hour a day is OK 55C is fine for idle, all high temps do is shorten the life span of your computer - the silicon is not what I'd be worried about though it's the HDD and anything mechanical that would be more prone to failure in higher temps. It should be OK though.

monomaniac

Good to know - I panic when I see everyone posting their temps of >50C.

The Be-quiet PSU seems to generate a lot of heat - a lot more than my previous PSU (which sounded like a hoover). The heat is dispensed from the bottom fan into the system.

Also it uses temp sensors and therefore sometimes seems to be spinning at one rotation per second.

Anyone know if this is normal?

logistic

Im thinking of getting a be-quiet psu, which one do you have a colourline or blackline.

You say that the heat is dispensed into the case, that doesnt sound to good. So the cool air is coming in from the back and i blown into the case thus providing more heat inside the case?

monomaniac

The blackline one.

You say that the heat is dispensed into the case

Thats the way mine seems to work - since upgrading to it my temps have risen by around 10C.

The reason it's so quiet is that the fans hardly spin.

Col_Loki

the silicon is not what I'd be worried about though it's the HDD and anything mechanical that would be more prone to failure

Yea exactly, the CPU is less prone to failure due to excess heat. It generally degrades over time. CPU's last around 10years, a 50% degrade in its life span still leaves you with 5 years........... personally i cant see myself using this CPU in 1 year never mind 5.

The Be-quiet PSU seems to generate a lot of heat - a lot more than my previous PSU

The be-quiet's have huge heatsinks in them so require a lower fan speed to cool the vital area. It also means hotter air comming out....... nothing to worry about, in general the better quality PSU's will have hotter air comming out.

Ryaner

I've the same kind of setup as you do with the heatsinks.
My cpu idles around the same temp and higher at night. It maxs at 70/72 during video conversions/editing that I sometimes do which would be running for fews hours at that temp. I've noticed no drop in performance nor has the system become unstable at any time.
Still some of the people have water cooling with silent systems. That will really drop temps inside if you get one.

logistic

Originally posted by monomaniac
The blackline one.

Does your psu have a 3min cooling off period, were the fans stay running for an extra 3 min after you have turned off your pc? Do you find this annoying if you plug out your computer, having to wait the extra 3min?

monomaniac

Cheers for all the info.

The system runs very stable and thats what counts I guess. The idea of setting up a water-cooling system still scares me... one day perhaps!

Does your psu have a 3min cooling off period, were the fans stay running for an extra 3 min after you have turned off your pc?

Yeah it does, though I hardly notice it all. Also, when the system is on standby it is virtually silent (without the HDs running).
Does anyone use/recommend HD enclosures?

OfflerCrocGod

Originally posted by monomaniac
Does anyone use/recommend HD enclosures?

Ohh it depends on how much power your HDD uses (manufac web site should say) and how much heat they make/how hot they are personally I would suggest againts, why?, because the extra heat of an enclosure dramatically shortens lifespan - if there is one thing you don't want to lose it's all your data.