Problems w/ Thermaltake Volcano 7+

[jookz]

I just picked up a Thermaltake Volcano 7+ today, along with an 80mm case fan to suck the heat out the back of the case. I'm running an Athlon XP 2100+, and so far, the temperatures arent what they have been in the reviews. When im sitting here just using comming windows apps (like msie) , my CPU gets down to only 45 degrees C, and when under high load (like in games) it gets well into the high 50s.. am I doing something wrong? Any suggestions?

 

[wtfOO]

did u put a good layer of thermal paste? if so, what kind? AS3?

 

[amdskip]

what case and you only have one case fan? A good case flow has positive pressure so that there is more air going in and one way or another it will find it's way out of there.

 

[jookz]

What's a good layer? (I'm new to this scene) I used the paste that comes w/ the heat sink.. its white, and comes in a little packet w/ blue writing on it.. it says Heat Sink Silicone Compound, and SilMore Taiwan.... Im not sure if I put a good layer on or not, how much is good?

 

[jookz]

I have 2 case fans, one on the front and one on the back... the front is blowing inward, and the back is blowing outward... the back is a more powerful one. I have the Enlight EN-7250/340 Middle Tower.

 

[amdskip]

Have the front being the more powerful fan and get some real artic silver instead of that stuff and you will notice a little change.

 

[cheapgoose]

good layer is a paper thin layer, and maybe you can try it with the side panel off? just to see.

and yes, you gotta have more air coming in then out, so switch the 2 fans and also you got a fan on ps, that's also taking air out

 

[jarsoffart]

I think for the "good layer" of thermal paste you should put just enough to fill the microscopic valleys in the metal. Metal-to-metal contact conducts heat faster. In additioning sanding it with exceedingly fine sandpaper (1500 grit) may also do some to help, but make sure you put the sand paper on a flat surface and sand or else the bottom of your heatsink will be curved. Also you might want to check if you put it on backwards. There is a thread about putting heatsinks on backwards somewhere that I just posted to because I thought me in my stupidity might have put mine on backwards. Your ambient temperature also matters, such as if you live in Panama you should expect your computer to be a lot hotter, unless you are lucky and have A/C.

 

[jookz]

I live in Arizona, which is a hot place, but we keep the temps inside down pretty low. Also, the ceiling fan in my room sucks, and i've been noticing higher temps since I put the new one in. I have new information about my temps though. My CPU temps seem to stay 44-45 when doing idle-minor work, and on heavy work, it never goes above 51.. ever. This still isnt what the reviewers claimed to get, but I am running a higher speed CPU than them.. I'm still going to maybe add another case fan and get my ceiling fan to improve circulation. Any other suggestions?

 

[bozo1]

There are nothing wrong with the temps you are getting.

If you go by what the reviewers state, you are comparing apples and oranges. To do a comparison, you'd have to have the same ambient temps, the same case cooling setup, the same processor, the same motherboard, etc. Different motherboards read temperatures differently. Asus is one that is known to up the temperature readings a good bit to try and compensate for the motherboard mounted sensor inaccuracy.

 

[beverage]

don't complain..right at the moment, my 2100+ idles at about 56C