i did something great, i recommend it to all

[Gator]

Hey guys, I bought something recently that REALLY improved my case cooling. I only have a midtower, but it's packed to the bone. And ever since I went GF4 the card was so long that it interfered with my air flow from the bottom fan to the CPU. I was running on average 44C, 47C in gaming (not bad, but still warmer than before the GF4)

So I bought this one of these triple-fan 5 1/4 coolers from newegg for $8us, only I didn't bother using the mounting brackets, just simply put it in my lower 5 1/4 inch bay... and long behold the CPU temp as we speak is 36C !!! It improved my air flow to the CPU big time! I recommend this move for anyone looking for a few extra degree drops :)

http://65.119.30.151/productimage/35-888-104-01.JPG

[Fluke]

sweet! :D

[FastM]

Been using those in my systems for a while now, Give that extra little airflow over your Memory and CPU, also push the heat coming off your HD's towards the back of the case.

[thcdru2k]

wow that looks cool i want one. hows the noise? i have like two fans in the back, and two slot coolers, and a closed case. how much louder would it get.

[SnakeEyes]

Make sure whenever you get one that it's the same as the one Gator has. I bought (a while ago) a hard drive cooler that appears the same from the front, but the fans are nowhere near as effective as those jobbies (they're half the depth of the fans shown in your pic, Gator), and barely produce airflow past the drive bay itself. I did eventually reverse the fans in mine, for use in a mini-tower case (my daughter's) to help exhaust heat from the top of the case. In this instance, there's no hard drives, but the small case lacks adequate exhaust at the top, so heat was pooling there, resulting in the case getting mucho hot after too much use. Reversing the fans and installing even the wimpy model I got in the top 5 1/4" bay to blow air out the top of the case serves two purposes:

1) It exhausts heat trapped up high in the small case, allowing the intake fan(s) to draw more cool air in than otherwise (since the positive air pressure in the case was limiting the amount of cool air drawn in prior to the hdd cooler), and
2) With the tower on the floor, on cold winter days it doubles as an area heater. :D

Edit: to, too, two, tu-tu. What a difference one lil letter can make. :p

[Gator]

Originally posted by thcdru2k
wow that looks cool i want one. hows the noise? i have like two fans in the back, and two slot coolers, and a closed case. how much louder would it get.

the one i got is from Newegg, and it's very quiet too. I noticed no audio difference before and after i installed it.

[PsychoSy]

I've got something simular to that but it also came with a two-port USB header! :p :D

[saturnotaku]

Gator, can you hook us up with some linkage to the exact product on Newegg's page so those of us who are interested in getting one will order the right part?

[Gator]

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=128&manufactory=1281&DEPA=1&sortby=14&order=1

[saturnotaku]

Coolio. Thanks. :)

[zack]

Originally posted by Gator


the one i got is from Newegg, and it's very quiet too. I noticed no audio difference before and after i installed it.

Was your computer already quiet in the first place? My pc is virtually silent, but the CPU runs at about 52 degrees

[Chiles4]

Thanks for the recommendation, Gator. I ordered one from Newegg. Feels like a quality product...and only $8. Heck, the shipping was almost that much.

Haven't got a chance to install it yet. I'll either put it in as intake on the lowest 5 1/4 bay or on exhaust on the highest 5 1/4 bay - I'm not sure at the moment.

[thcdru2k]

just got mine in the mail, and i gotta say, good find fluke, it isn't very noisy at all, only subtle difference, i dont' have a temp reader so i can't tell if its a major improvment, but its gotta be doin something

[CainSyris]

I am pretty sure I saw one of these at a local (East Coast, USA) CompUSA the other day for 9.99. Looked like the same fans, definitely the same frontplate.

I may go for it to help bring in some more cool air. ;)