Out-of-alignment strip of video (x264 colour issues)

[jagabo]

All fans blowing air into the case should be filtered to minimize the amount of dust being blown in. Then the idea is to have more air blowing into the case than being sucked out of the case. The result is positive pressure inside the case so any other opening in the case (there are many small openings in most cases, around drive bays, USB ports, etc.) will have air blowing out, not sucking air and dust into the case.

Fans usually have the direction they blow marked on the side. Or you can just plug it in and see which way the air is blowing.

[ackboo]

You need air filters for every air intake hole, fan or no fan, in your case there are already filters at the front so you only need one on the side. You have 2 exhaust fans, one at the back, one at the top. Active exhaust fans do not need air filters. If you put a fan on the side it needs to be an intake fan, most fans have an arrow indicating the airflow direction. Just put your hand near them and feel if it's blowing air out or in.

Basic airflow recommendation for atx cases is to have fresh air coming in from the front and hot air coming out at the back.

The cpu cooler I linked to is easy to install and better than what you have, it would actually help a lot. Combined with 2 intake fans at the front it would solve the overheating.

As to the positive pressure thing, if you get the noctua fans I linked to it probably won't be enough to reach it, but it will improve the situation anyway and not add much noise. I missed the top fan earlier, but I believe that keeping the top fan and disconnecting the rear fan would be enough to achieve positive pressure after installing the front fans.

[koberulz]

Why would you keep the top and disable the rear, rather than keeping the rear and disabling the top? If nothing else, I know where the top one plugs in and can just unplug it (I have no idea how else to disable it), which is not true of the rear fan. If I do that, do I need an air filter for the one I've disabled?

Will that cooler fit in with everything else on the motherboard? It seems pretty big.

So...that, a side fan, a side air filter, and two front fans? And then I assume I'm going to have to redo the thermal compound thing?

[ackboo]

The top fan is piloted by the motherboard, also it is a 140mm fan, it can move more air at full speed and remain silent when the pc is idle. But this is just a suggestion, this needs to be tested. I think the rear fan is connected to the power supply cable, just follow the cables from the fan to the connector.

As for the air filter it depends on the positive pressure thing, if it is achieved air would be blowing out of the disabled fan's hole. Again this needs to be tested.

This cooler is not that big compared to what can be found these days, I believe it would fit, you can get an idea of its size here :
http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/cooler_master_hyper_tx3_evo_cpu_cooler_review,7.html
You are right though, check that nothing is in the way. And yes you would need to clean and reapply the paste.

I would start with a new cpu cooler, a filter on the side and 2 front fans, and work from here.

edit : I'll try to find some data on cooler compatibility

[ackboo]

So after some research :
The stock intel lga 1366 cooler is 100 mm x 100 mm and weights 510 g
The hyper tx3 is 90 mm x 79 mm and weights 379 g

So it should fit on the motherboard, however it is 136 mm tall, you need to check that there is enough room in the case (most likely yes).

In the meantime, to optimize your current setup read this guide :
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-air-pressure-heatsink,3058-5.html
Apparently for a downward facing cpu fan negative pressure is preferred. So close your case if it is still open. And whatever you decide put an air filter on the side. To add a side fan + filter you might need longer fan screws.

[koberulz]

I closed the case. The room got cooler, the CPU got warmer. It's up 5-10 degrees.

Is it downward/upward facing? It seems to me more like you'd describe it as side-facing?

[ackboo]

Downward towards the CPU/heatsink.
You could try setting the rear fan to M or H, see if that helps.
Also, in the bios in advanced/boot config :
try to set "Lowest fan speed" to medium or fast
if that doesn't help set "cpu fan control" and "system fan control" to "disable". that should have all the fans run at full speed.

Is the motherboard temp up as well?

FYI :
The Intel Core i7-920 stock heatsink has the ability to run fairly quiet at lower fan speeds, and with proper PWM control and an enclosure muffling it, should only be noticed by the most nimble-eared. On load however, it cannot sustain reasonable temperatures without ramping up to close to full speed. In our case, we had to stop testing once the fan was undervolted below 10V (21~22 dBA@1m) as the CPU came close to failing due to heat. It performs terribly and with undesirable levels of noise, making it a fitting example of the "just good enough" stock cooler.
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1050-page8.html

In the end the better option is to upgrade your heatsink, the hyper tx3 should fit but it is up to you to do your homework. You know how to deal with thermal paste and you know how to install an heatsink.

[koberulz]

Downward towards the CPU/heatsink.

The CPU/heatsink aren't below the fan, they're behind it.

[ackboo]

It refers to a kind of cpu cooler, there are 2 main types :
Regular ones, like yours, where the fan blows air towards the cpu, aka downward facing fans
New ones, like the hyper tx3, tower cpu cooler, where the fan blows air towards the back of the case

edit : http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-airflow-heatsink,3053-8.html

[koberulz]

So what I do with the rest of the case is going to depend on whether or not I upgrade the cooler?

[ackboo]

You need more airflow,
If you keep your stock cooler I would add a 120 mm fan + filter on the side and a 120 mm fan on the front.
like this : http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-airflow-heatsink,3053-8.html

If you upgrade your cooler for a tower cooler I would add a 120 mm filter on the side and two 120 mm fans on the front.
like this : http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-airflow-heatsink,3053-5.html