High ambient temperature is the killer here. It's never below 30c. Ever... As for cooling, I keep the covers off so that the air-conditioned ambient air can easily circulate. Whilst airflow etc is important, if the air around the box is cooler than the air in the box, then let the air outside get inside. Over clocked systems are difficult to keep cool and stable, and this one has been stable for 3 years (over clocked by about 15%)
I use the best quality 80mm ball-bearing fans throughout the box. I also have an expensive aftermarket CPU fan which runs at insane RPM. All up, for the type of work I mainly do (GIS), the system runs much better than many other more expensive and supposedly better machines. I agree with your sentiments about the ridiculous premium we have to pay for dual-CPU MB. However, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon (other than 64-bit). Dual-core CPU's (which are essentially a dual CPU single CPU - make sense out of that!) are not that far away. And apparently, they will not require a proprietary MB, and will fit whatever PIP design that is current at the time... Cheer Shaun Dr. Shaun Canning Cultural Heritage Services 11 Lawrence Way Karratha, Western Australia, 6714 0414-967644 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.heritageservices.com.au -----Original Message----- From: Rob Studdert [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, 21 November 2004 10:49 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: Very OT: Upgrading computer for digital On 21 Nov 2004 at 9:22, Shaun Canning wrote: > Yeah, that'd fly. The biggest problem I have up here in the north-west > is keeping the damn things cool. Mine runs at 50c with no case covers > and 5 fans in an air-conditioned room. Doesn't get all that much > hotter than that though because of all the fans and good ventilation. > I have thought about water-cooling, but this seems like more trouble > than it's worth, with the added risk of a leak! Hmm, case covers and air flow are the key to good cooling, apart from causing an RF storm the cooling should be far worse with the lids off on a well designed system. Sounds like you need a decent tower with front and rear fans. You might also consider some Zalman ZM-2HC2 Heatpipe HDD Coolers, I use these on my W/S drives, they reduce the noise transmitted to the system chassis and promote better cooling (assuming good airflow along the drives). http://www.zalmanusa.com/usa/product/view.asp?idx=74&code=019 > Although, I would like a dual processor system one of these days... There is a heck of a premium to be paid for a good M/B, I'm not sure it's worth the bother any more. My server is still dual CPU but my W/S no longer is, it just wasn't cost effective. Cheers, Rob Studdert HURSTVILLE AUSTRALIA Tel +61-2-9554-4110 UTC(GMT) +10 Hours [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://members.ozemail.com.au/~distudio/publications/ Pentax user since 1986, PDMLer since 1998
