Hello. I'm having a problem when I try to run 2 video cards in SLI, the motherboard as well as the video cards eventually overheat within around 30 mins (mobo hits 60+ degrees celcius) when trying to play Guild Wars and I cant fit in the Turbo-Cool 850 SSI power supply I bought.

The Following is Currently in Use:
*AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Dual-Core Processor
*ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI X16 ATX AMD Motherboard
*Corsair TWINX2048-3200PRO (2 memory modules)
*BFG Tech Geforce 7800GTX OC (2 with 256 memory each)
*Audigy 2 Sound Card
*Western Digital Raptor 74GB, 10000 RPM 3.5" Serial ATA150 Hard Drive
*Western Digital Caviar SE SATA 3.0 GB/s 250 GB Hard Drive
*ASUS CD-S520 52X CD-ROM (Black)
*NEC Black IDE DVD Burner (ND-3540A Black)
*PC Power & Cooling 510 SLI-PFC 510W
*Thermaltake Armor VA8000SWA Silver Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case (with factory default fans that come with chassis)
*Dell UltraSharp 2405FPW

Any suggestions for a better chassis that would still remain about as quiet without too many (or too inconvenient) problems to put up with while remaining air cooled?

vents?

I dunno- looking at your case, I can't think of one that's gonna have much more sheer room. You might consider figuring out a way to get some venting/fan mounts in that side door to pull in some more air.

Also, I don't know about these, but maybe ?? http://www.xoxide.com/misccasefans.html. The three-fan kit, or PCI dual fans might help? Or something like this? http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=633874&CatId=805

Short of liquid, I don't know. Plus, liquid won't cool the entire inside, anyway, will it? Good Luck! :chef:

that is quite the computer! So what are the fans that come with the case? where are they located?

I would try one of those pci slot blowers to try and get rid of the heat from the graphics cards.

Click here for details on the chassis

ZALMAN CNPS9500 LED 92mm 2 Ball Blue LED Light Cooling Fan with Heatsink ($59.99)

Put ont of these on your Chip

PCI slot fan

I would think that a PCI slot fan ( maybe that dual type) near your video cards might be the only help. I dont think you're gonna find a better case for air flow. The "Crazy PC" website has some window kits with fan holes pre-cut that could go in the case side, but's that entails some cutting. Good luck- :knock:

PS- Welcome to The TechSpot!! :wave:

ThermalTake Tai-Chi VB5000SNA ($319.92)

This is the case that I am using, I have the same set up as you excpet I have dual EvGA 7800GTX-Ko 512 MB's and an FX-60 CPU. The case above is basically one big heat sink. Search New egg for VB5000SNA.

I'm sure not what you mean when you said "mobo hits 60+ degrees celcius." Which component of the motherboard - specifically, CPU, PWMIC, or chipset?

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For CPU overheating, try something simple like XP-90 + a 90/92mm fan that will push at least 40cfm of air. Shouldn't be over 40 bucks total.

For PWMIC, it's the same as CPU overheating since PWM IC is usually around the CPU socket. A good CPU heatsink + fan should cool it fairly well.

For chipset overheating, look into Evercool. They sell customized fans to cool chipsets.
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Do realize that both PWMIC and Chipset are expected to hit a higher temperature than the CPU. 40's and 50's are not uncommon.

As well, video cards are also expected to hit high 50's and mid 60's during gaming (high-end games like Quake 4, COD2, etc.). Unless you go with water cooling, I don't see you decrease the temperature to normal idle temps (should be around 40ish).

Lastly, I might try to replace the Thermaltake fans with other brands. Thermaltake is infamous for exaggerating how "good" their fans are. I mean, 78cfm at 21dB? They shoot missiles for you too? Try some better fans: Yate-Loon, Nexus, Panaflos, Akasha are all good. I think your trouble might be a poor air flow to a greater degree, and less-than-high quality fans to a lesser degree. I know I've said a lot, but see which of the above most resembles your situation and try that route to fix your high temps. Good luck.

Do like me, get a cheap 15$ 8" fan, open the cover, and let it blow on your GFX card and CPU.

You problem is that there is not enough air circulation at the bootm of the case where the video cards are. The mobo chipset is sandwiched between the 2 sli'ed cards which is where your problems set in. Placing an additional fan inside the case will usually not be enough. You need a 2nd cool air source for that area of your case.

You can solve this with your existing case by cutting hole in the side door and mounting a 1000-1500RPM, 120mm fan (big, slow fan = less noise). Leave off some of your PCI bracket covers to give the hot air room to escape

Putting a faster fan at the front intake of your case will help but without some dedicated circulation you may still have problems as I have experienced a similar problem.

If you just want to buy a whole new case: TT Tai Chi or CM Stacker 830

Maybe an Antec with port could do too. The Antec Sonata II has a port taking air from outside of the case to the CPU(With some place to install an optional 80mm fan in the port output) and the same port has a plate that you can remove to place an 80mm fan going in front of the graphic cards. It has a 120mm fan on the back.

I have the exact same problem, with the same game as well... my computer is far less powerful than yours though... several things i tried to get rid of the overheating...

> House Fan
> Reapply Thermal Paste
> Clean pc of dust
> Underclocked CPU temperarly

Although all the above helped (from 75C to 60C) it still kept the CPU at 60C when playing guildwars and ONLY guildwars it over heats? it must be a guild wars problem?