cooling suggestions..
 

Hi all.

I have the following rig:

xp2500 barton @ 2.156ghz (at the moment, temps are too high for my liking hence the speed.. vcore set to 1.65v, cpu set to 10x215, memory set to 3/3)
nf7-s rev 2 with 2.45nforce 2 drivers installed
maxtor 120gig ata133 hard drive
pioneer dvd-rom and pioneer dvd-rw drive
standard 350W psu (that came with the case, its a chenbro gaming box)
geforce 3 ti 200 using 43.45 drivers

the only problem im having is keeping the cpu and the case to a good low temp. now i have a 92mm fan at the front of the case and a 80mm fan at the back (it can hold a 120mm fan which i have, but my psu dont like it as it shuts down the pc) and i have an uprated 80mm fan on my falcon rock 2 heatsink which pushes 45CFM of air onto the heatsink rather than the 27CFM.

now i know my heatsink choice isnt great, although before its been keeping my girl friends xp1700 @ 2.2ghz rather cool, but not this barton for some reason.. but anyway.
im would like to buy the following but i wanted peoples opinions on them as i prefer hearing what people have to say about them before i buy..

Vantec Nexus NXP-201 fan controller (for upto 4 fans using a maximum of 18W per fan)
Thermalright SLK-900U or 900A whichever is better
Vantec Tornado 92mm fan for the above heatsink. (hence why i need to get a fan controller!!!)
Antec True Power 480W psu

i have got 2 120mm YS Tech fans (38mm depth type as well) and when they are both in use (for a limited time) the pc shuts itself down, so i gather i need a better psu to cope with the amount of power being drawn off of it hence the antec true power 480w psu, would this be enough?
Im really not sure about a controller, so if anyone has any ideas or suggestions, please let me know. and really the same goes for the heatsink and fan combo, but i gathered the more the air that can go on it, the better. anyone got any preferences?

please can someone let me know whether or not this above combo would be the best bet for my rig as the cpu temps under full load are about 50c to 52c and the system temps are around 26c to 28c. im wanting the cpu around or below 40c and as for the system temp, as low as possible. like i said, i have 2 120mm case fans, one to go on the back and then one to go on the side by or around the graphics card area (hopefully its not to wide!!) when i can find something to cut out a hole for it.

i look forward to the replies :) thanks for the help guys :)

Check out Overclocker's HSF rankings.

where might i find that too?

i've got an all-copper zalman flower on my 2400@2.13. runs around 37deg C at idle (and seems to stay there through most of my workage). gaming i don't think i've seen it over 45. something to check out, but you do have to be careful. it's considerably more heavy than the amd max weight spec.

they make an aluminum and part copper one that's lighter, have no idea how it performs.

oh yeah, i did have some really nice temps for a while with the side cover off and a nidec 120mm fan on it, but that little bitch was TOO LOUD. i couldn't stand it. but it kept things cool :)

well i have 2 x 120mm fans to use!! 1 was two loud but having 2 installed the psu just died :( (but worked when i took out the fans and booted again.. i havent put either or them back in yet :( )

im aiming to get a controller to slow the fans down and keep the fans installed. i want to keep the temps as low as possible, so this is why i will have 2 of the 120mm fans.. they are too loud but they shift so much air its unreal!! my girl friend said she could feel it the other side of the room whilst it was on!! thats nearly 6 feet at least!!!

i cant wait to try it out.. i just need a good heatsink and fan controller, i might phone up about it tomorrow and see what the guys say...

heh... you can have that.

but if you don't mind the noise, why spend the dough on a fan controller? go spend $20 on a bigger psu, slap the fans in and call it good.

those fans move a lot of air. but i could hear that thing OUTSIDE of my apartment. **** that.

well i do mind the noise, so this is why i want a fan controller to controll the noise and the level of cooling.. i dont want to go to mad over the top, but i do want it as cool as possible. :)

i just hope when i get my 9800 pro card, my fan wont be in the way of the card! im getting the other 120mm fan put on the side of the case so it has more air going in rather than just through the front through a 92mm fan..

im told a 350w to a 400w psu is more than enough, i was hoping to get a 480W antec true power model, am i going over the top or should i get less?

dunno how much power you need. i run a 425w l&c, for 2 optical drives, a 9700 pro, 3 hdd's. works fine.

depending on the fan... is it mounted on the side of the case? i had mine mounted on the zalman fan bracket. the nidec is a pretty thick fan, i had plenty of clearance. there's not much difference between the 9700 and 9800, i don't think (physically).

i got my psu for like $20. i know a lot of people on here won't agree with what i'm using, but it works, and it's reliable. power numbers seem pretty well on target.

although i'm sure the nicer ones would be a littel quieter. i'll probably eventually upgrade while moving hardware around, but for now it works.

well, all i have at the moment, is 1 hard drive, 2 dvd drives (1 rom and 1 writer), a geforce 3 ti 200 andthe nf7-s rev 2 with a barton 2500xp @ 2.1ghz (vcore in the bios is set to 1.625v) and one 92mm fan at the front and 1 80mm fan at the back.

the 120mm fans i have take nearly 8.6w each, but i havent got either or them in as they make a little to much noise, so until i have a fan controller, they wont be used :(

im just not sure what to get, because i dont want to buy twice sort of thing, i would just rather pay out for a 550w if its needed rather than buying a 480w and it not being enough... :cry:

i doubt you'll use 480w. i was running that nidec at full tilt, whilst also running 5 80mm case fans (in aforementioned setup). but, you can never buy too big of a power supply, so if a 550w makes you comfortable, buy a 550w :)

i think i may as well get a 550W then, at least i know i will have more power than i ever might need.. plus id rather pay out £100 for the psu, rather than £81 and need the £100 one..

what you think? over the top? :shrug: or just getting into the spirit of things??? :drool:

i like over the top. just think, even when you buy a new computer next, that psu will be more than adequate. i still have my 350 that i got a few years back, and it's powering my backup comp, which sits in the corner, silent as death.(the psu fan is the only fan in it) but the point of this is that getting top-grade equipment is worth it, because when you do decide to move on, you'll have something you can move on WITH, rather than just starting from scratch. saves you a lot of money in the long run.

just my .02

and you'll be able to say you have a 550w psu :)

well thats sorted that little problem out then.. im getting a big bad 550W psu and im hoping that should be more than enough to help along with all my power needs! im thinking of getting a 9800 pro to, so i figure a big psu isnt going to be wasted, plus i might want another hard drive in there as well at some point...

it'll be great until you have to switch to btx :(

i was planning on picking up a pc-6070, but i think i'm going to wait and use my inwin q500 until i see what the market looks like. i'd hate to buy a $200 aluminum case to only be able to use it for a year :(

but that's a total side note. yes, buy the 550w.

well, i look forward to firing it all up and saying,

"It's alive!! It's alive!!!" like jim carrey does in Ace Ventura... thanks for the help :) muchly appreaited :D

glad i could help, and the best of luck. don't oc her too far :)

im going to set the vcore to 1.85v and then let nature do its thing!!

id like to see 2.4ghz, if i get more, ideal! if not nevermind!!