Cubby for my tower under my desk

[jt713]

Ok I have 2 Athlon xp 2900 based computers. 1 runs great.

As for the other....

First I was a little skimpy on the jel, so I added about a 2 mm strip of jel down the center of the dye. Now my computer is not shutting down.

I have a different case, and yes it was $28 instead of $40 for the other one, but it had some features that were better for its location like side usb ports blah blah blah.

So I got this thing down to 50C when the processor is idle at 5% and below. When I run games it climbs towards 75C before I stop it.

I think the case sucks and I also got only 25cfm fans. It will also be in a desk inclosure with the door locked cracket 2 inches [I have kids!]. I have 2 weak fans in the front and one weak fan in the back.

Also there is not much breathing room in the back of the cubby. I punched out the backing, but it is still only 1-2 inches form the wall in the back. Tight squeeze. I am thinking of putting a regular fan in the cubby to blow hot air the computer makes out the back. Just a regular fan you would plug into an AC outlet. Is that an idea as long as I don't face the regular fan into any computer vents. Just gonna put it on top of the computer to circulate outside air outta the desk enclosure.

I plan on getting a pci fan to suck air in and 2 more powerful case fans. Where should I put the louder fans for best flow? Will this do the job? Our should I throwout the case and rip everything out and start over..... Not!

Thx for any info.

 

[StormBringer]

I once did something similar to that, I actually cut a hole in the inside of the cubby and mounted a fan there, inline with the side fan in my case, I backed the desk 6" away from the wall, and punched out the entire cutout area in the back of the cubby.

I also once created a similar setup for a client but instead of punching out the back, I put a duct running from the back case fan to the floor, where it blew out, like a dryer duct. It was a bit extreme but it was a small room and it helped lower the room temp by quite a bit, the comp temps also came down to below 50c after that.

 

[zephead]

i encountered a similar situation once, but with a *beefy* server. it was inside a wooden enclosure with about 2" clearence above the server case, and the business owners had noplace else to put it (and the attached switch for that matter). the enclosure had a back with minimal space behind, and the server kept overheating with the door shut (they wanted it shut for noise purposes). i installed a squirrel cage blower (long cylindrical type) in the top back, blowing into a flexible plastic duct. this duct ran towards the front, where i had mounted it's end in the door. i slapped on a plastic grate and fired up the blower. the server ran very cool thereafter and the duct eliminated most of the noise. you might be able to employ a similar blower to get some air circulation going.