New Pc, cable management /cpu temp / fan cooling advice

encity5 · 09-05-2008, 11:21 PM

Hey guys, i just finished building my first rig (yay!)

Some things i wanted to do for my pc was sort the cables out more efficiently for best air circulation, fan placement etc. currently my q6600 runs around 38C on average (havent done any heavy yet, played games but not for a long amount of time)

I have the Antec 300 case and it came with 2 exhaust fans (one on the top and one right under it on the back running on medium speed) There are places for 3 more fans (2 on the front like the antec900 and one on the side panel all 120mm fans)
Also my PSU has a fan whcih i believe is an exhaust fan as well. (bottom of the case)
I plan to buy 2 more 120mm fans (money restricts me from spending more for a 3rd fan) So i was wondering what might be the best placements of the 2 additional fans.

I was thinking about placing a front intake fan on the bottom to blow directly on my harddrive.
But wasnt sure how to use my other fan. should i put it as a front intake fan too? blowing air into the case? or should i put it on the side of the case blowing directly down on the motherboard near the pci slots.? (or as an exhaust fan?)
Any ideas what might be the advisable usage?
Im hoping this will help cool my case temps and hopefully my CPU temp.
(a picture of my case is at the bottom)

Also was wondering if the cable management i sorted inside my case is good or not or still messy? Or if anyone has suggestions on how to better organize my cables.

And this is how my case looked before i tied some of the cables together/against the case

I was also thinking about overclocking (even though i said i wanst going too =/ ) but i was wondering if i would be able to overclock my CPU and/or my GPU with the stock cooling and my case fans. ( to decent temps ) ( i would only want moderate overclocks anyways)

Thanks guys!

Currently my Rig is
q6600 (stock heatsink)
Raidmax 630SS PSU
gigabyte EP-DS3L
PNY 8800GT
Gskill 4gm ddr2 800mhz ram
Lite-on dvd burner
WD 500 gb HD
Antec 300

jfenwick · 09-06-2008, 05:14 PM

I posted this question in another thread but you'd probably be able to answer quick....is there any room behind the motherboard tray for you to run wires?

stalin90 · 09-06-2008, 05:48 PM

there is but most cases cant because it doesnt have a whole in the mb tray by the psu, unless u cut one. alot of cooler master cases have the whole by the psu so you can stick the wires in it and run behind the tray. thats how i have it set up with my cm690.

jfenwick · 09-06-2008, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stalin90

there is but most cases cant because it doesnt have a whole in the mb tray by the psu, unless u cut one. alot of cooler master cases have the whole by the psu so you can stick the wires in it and run behind the tray. thats how i have it set up with my cm690.

yup, cutting is what i do....just wanted to know if there is room to string them.

CrazeD · 09-06-2008, 07:16 PM

Stuff the yellow SATA cable between the HDD cage and the motherboard-side panel.

Re-route front panel connectors so they run on the bottom of the case, coming out between the HDD cage and the side panel.

The CPU power cable (I think that's what it is, the one on the left ziptied to the ATX cable) looks like you should be able to route it between the PSU and the motherboard side panel, and then up the side, over the case fan, and into place.

Twist the CPU fan wire so that it's more braided, not all loose, and then try to stuff the excess under the motherboard or hide it close to the motherboard under the heatsink or something.

Run the ATX cable as close to the motherboard side panel as you can, and tuck part of if between the side panel and the HDD cage.

Get rid of the molex's ziptied to the HDD cage. Put them on the other side.

Try hiding all the wires I mentioned, and then see what you have left. The general idea is to just find a clever spot to stuff wires. If at all possible, avoid running wires directly over the motherboard, it looks bad. Try to visualize ways you can route wires into crevices, nooks, and away from the motherboard.

Depending how much room you have between the motherboard plate and the side panel, you may wish to clean out your case and cut some holes in the motherboard plate so that you can route wires behind it.

encity5 · 09-06-2008, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrazeD

Stuff the yellow SATA cable between the HDD cage and the motherboard-side panel.

Re-route front panel connectors so they run on the bottom of the case, coming out between the HDD cage and the side panel.

The CPU power cable (I think that's what it is, the one on the left ziptied to the ATX cable) looks like you should be able to route it between the PSU and the motherboard side panel, and then up the side, over the case fan, and into place.

Twist the CPU fan wire so that it's more braided, not all loose, and then try to stuff the excess under the motherboard or hide it close to the motherboard under the heatsink or something.

Run the ATX cable as close to the motherboard side panel as you can, and tuck part of if between the side panel and the HDD cage.

Get rid of the molex's ziptied to the HDD cage. Put them on the other side.

Try hiding all the wires I mentioned, and then see what you have left. The general idea is to just find a clever spot to stuff wires. If at all possible, avoid running wires directly over the motherboard, it looks bad. Try to visualize ways you can route wires into crevices, nooks, and away from the motherboard.

Depending how much room you have between the motherboard plate and the side panel, you may wish to clean out your case and cut some holes in the motherboard plate so that you can route wires behind it.

Just want to say thanks for that detailed analysis and suggestions!
i will try when i get back, and update pics when i can. Thanks again!

stalin90 · 09-06-2008, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfenwick

yup, cutting is what i do....just wanted to know if there is room to string them.

then u should be able to then if u do that, but there are some cases that dont have enough room, u should be able to take off your mb side pannel and see, i only have about a 3/4 inch space but i got most of my wired runnin through it.

jasonalwaysready · 01-21-2009, 03:46 PM

just me, but i would think that you would get a lot more bang for your buck by buying an aftermarket heatsink and fan, rather than just case fans.

CrazeD · 01-21-2009, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasonalwaysready

just me, but i would think that you would get a lot more bang for your buck by buying an aftermarket heatsink and fan, rather than just case fans.

A good heatsink isn't gonna do much if it has no airflow.

BongWizard · 01-21-2009, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrazeD

A good heatsink isn't gonna do much if it has no airflow.

yes it will... a system in which heat can be dissipated over a large surface area will perform (in terms of heat transfer) much better given the same airflow than a system with a smaller dissipation area

besides, a linear increase in airflow (that is, an increase in airflow through the case) doesn't help much with a stock HSF because of its radial nature

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