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  1. Hey my PC is putting out a lot of heat, and if I leave it on for a few hours and come back in my room the entire room is a few degrees warmer. Feeling the back of it, it feels specifically like it is my power supply, not the air coming from down below. If I replaced my power supply would that help, or is there anything I can do?

    Thanks
    Tim
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    No. Power supplies put out a lot of heat. If heat wasn't coming out of your PC then you'd have a problem. My computer room is usually about 2 degrees warmer than the other rooms and if I don't use the ceiling fan while using the PC, the temp is unbearable.

    Depending on your processor and location, your temps should range from 35* C to 80* C. I use an aftermarket heatsink and fan on my Q6600 and run around 40*C to 45*C living in the Arizona desert.

    Cleaning your PC with canned air occasionally helps against heat build up. Adding intake and exhaust fans also help.
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  3. Mod Neophyte Super Moderator redwudz's Avatar
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    I don't generally agree that power supplies put out a lot of heat. None of mine do. If the air output is like a hair blow dryer, then maybe it's overloaded or undersized, or just a cheap PS. I would check the heat output from the case, though. Some PS's suck hot air from inside the case. A rear case fan is a better way to exhaust it.

    You can try a program like HW Monitor that may tell you if the heat is from the CPU or inside from inside the case. http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php

    I would agree it's a good idea to pull off the side covers and see if there is dust clogging the fans and coolers. If it hasn't been cleaned in a while, it's probably past due.
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  4. Member ahhaa's Avatar
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    Also, many people entrap their computer cases in surrounding 'stuff' which insulates it.
    But... say your PS is actually drawing 500 watts- thats as much heat produced as 5 of the old 100W tungsten filament light bulbs would create.

    really- do as Red says and check it out- before your house burns down!
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  5. Aging Slowly Bodyslide's Avatar
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    I would also put a fan blowing on the PC to help out. Also open the side of the PC if possible to help cool it down some...
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  6. A cheap or overloaded PS can output an abnormal amount of heat.

    Any estimate on whether or not that is happening would require some accurate info on type of processor, wattage and brand of PS, drives and video cards in the PC, and fans in the case.

    With absolutely zero information even a wild guess is impossible. Are there perhaps any candles burning inside the PC?
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  7. Haha well it's not that much heat. It actually is pretty reasonable, I think it's mainly cause I just moved to Texas so I'm not used to the heat down here, but I was hoping for some magical answer and I guess there is none.

    Tim
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  8. Originally Posted by Bodyslide
    I would also put a fan blowing on the PC to help out. Also open the side of the PC if possible to help cool it down some...
    You mean this ?

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  9. Member zzyzzx's Avatar
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  10. Member zzyzzx's Avatar
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    Or just go naked when using your computer.

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  11. Member edDV's Avatar
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    If you put 500W in, then the same power exits as heat.

    This floor heater takes 400W in and generates 1,200 BTU of heat. In your case, a 500W computer probably adds about 1,500 BTU/hr. load to your A/C. That doesn't include the modem, router, monitor, printer, etc. Each idle person adds 400 BTU/hr. to the load over that.
    Recommends: Kiva.org - Loans that change lives.
    http://www.kiva.org/about
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    When you are not actively using your PC, put it in "Stand By".
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  13. Mod Neophyte Super Moderator redwudz's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by edDV
    If you put 500W in, then the same power exits as heat.
    True, but measuring the input power in watts to my video server on the AC line, I get about 140W average. This with a 450W power supply running nine hard drives, six fans, a DVD burner, and the motherboard. Spin up for the HDDs runs it up to about 350W momentarily. The PS blows out air at about 72F. It won't heat the room much. Of course the CPU is not running at 100% and the graphics card is minimal. Both can up the wattage used.

    I live in the Arizona desert, but I have very good airconditioning, set at 80F at present. Outside it's about 105F in the afternoons.
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  14. Member edDV's Avatar
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    True, that would be peak load. I was just extending ahhaa's example.

    When my CPU is running flat out, I'm sure the PS exhaust temp excedes 72F.
    Recommends: Kiva.org - Loans that change lives.
    http://www.kiva.org/about
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