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Poll: Does your computer generate heat that bugs you?

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  1. Member
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    Hi.

    I have an AMD Athlon PC that has been generating a lot of heat in the past year or so. I stuck my head in the box one time, and it seems to be from all over (RAM/Hard Drive/CPU/Power Box/etc). I concluded that the heat must be from aging parts.

    Now the heat made from the box is really irritating. It is almost summer here in Canada, and the computer plus the outside heat is way too hot. I can play games and ignore this heat, but when I do any kind of work or brainy thing (reading), the heat bugs me. There is even more heat when the computer encodes. The box is clean and has no dust and I even placed my computer on top of phone books to help reduce the heat; I have carpet floor.

    I don't want to spend too much money, if any. Any suggestions?
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  2. Member Number Six's Avatar
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    If the air coming out of the power supply is hot - like a hair dryer - then it is defective and should be replaced immediately. Does the CPU fan work properly? Does the computer ever shut down for no apparent reason? You may want to add a fan to the case to help with airflow. Do you leave the computer on 24/7 - if so, then it does not have time to cool off - you should shut it down when it is not in use.
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    Originally Posted by Number Six
    If the air coming out of the power supply is hot - like a hair dryer - then it is defective and should be replaced immediately.
    Yes, most of the heat is coming out of the power supply. It is very hot but I thought it was from the heat in other parts of the computer. I had another fan, but it sucked air in. It made the PC insides hotter in the end.

    Also, somebody please explain this power box thing more detailed for me - I like to know how stuff works.

    Originally Posted by Number Six
    Does the CPU fan work properly?
    Yes.

    Originally Posted by Number Six
    Does the computer ever shut down for no apparent reason?
    No.

    Originally Posted by Number Six
    You may want to add a fan to the case to help with airflow. Do you leave the computer on 24/7 - if so, then it does not have time to cool off - you should shut it down when it is not in use.
    There are no other fan spots in the box, but I read that you can make one. There already is a fan though... I don't leave the computer on a lot, only for about 4 hours a day.
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  4. Member Number Six's Avatar
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    The power supply is running very hot either because it is defective, or it is too small for the computer. Either way, it is putting too much stress on the other components, making them fight for the power that they need.

    Since the computer does not shut down unexpectedly, then the CPU is not overheating. Also, running the computer for 4 hours per day is not excessive at all.

    You should replace the power supply, and get a higher wattage unit. Look at the power supply to see how many watts it is rated for - post that info here so that we can give you a recommendation as to what will be sufficient.
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  5. What's the ambient air temp in the room the computer is in?
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    Originally Posted by Number Six
    You should replace the power supply...
    My computer is from the Windows 98/NT ages. No new upgrades except for a 128MB graphics card. Is it worth it to get a new power box or should I replace the box altogther? I don't know how long the rest of it will last.

    Originally Posted by stiltman
    What's the ambient air temp in the room the computer is in?
    Fairly warm, now that it is summer. I estimate about 18 - 22C without the computer. Fairly acceptable considering there is wind, but the computer really acts like a fireplace at times.
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  7. Member Number Six's Avatar
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    A new power supply for this computer should be about $35 - you could even get a used one for less. If this computer serves your purpose, and is otherwise working properly, then it is a very cheap investment.
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    I was considering building a cabinet for the two towers + server in front of me. I'd like to put the cable box in there too. Then I'd filter the air going in and exhaust the hot air to the outside so it doesn't add to the air conditioner load.

    An added benefit would be noise reduction.
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  9. Member yoda313's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by number six
    you could even get a used one for less.
    I don't know if that is a wise thing to do. Isn't that kind of like buying a used airbag??? I mean that is something that is pretty essential to a computer. I don't think you have to buy top notch but certainly buying a newly manufactured powersupply would be a wise investment.
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  10. I'm a Super Moderator johns0's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by number six
    you could even get a used one for less.
    That's kinda like buying used underwear.
    I think,therefore i am a hamster.
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  11. Member Number Six's Avatar
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    yoda - I agree, but adalect doesn't really want to spend any money on this computer. It definitely looks like the power supply needs to be replaced, and you can get good used power supplies - and it most likely would be better than the unit in the computer now - you just have to be a careful shopper when buying used parts.

    I'm not sure that the airbag analogy really applies though

    Same thing goes for the used underwear analogy - ewwwwww


    OK - you guys are ganging up on me - I get a lot of used parts for free, or almost free - very rarely do I get a dud unless that is what I know that I am getting.


    PS:

    I have known more people that have gotten grief from buying used car parts to save a little money - and these would definitely be considered essential parts for the cars to operate safely.
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    Thanks for the help so far. I will think about the power supply - my lust for NEW NEW NEW PC BOX! is starting to win despite my intention on trying to save money. I am imagining the games I could play with that kind of new power .

    Originally Posted by Number Six
    I get a lot of used parts for free...
    Can you lead me to the source of your treasure? Free is good for me too!
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  13. Member Number Six's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by adalect
    Can you lead me to the source of your treasure? Free is good for me too!

    Since I am a technician, my friends and relatives give me almost all their old junk. I also find things that are thrown away that I cannibalize for parts. Craigslist is a good place that I get a lot of things for free, or dirt cheap. And then there is eBay - I am a pretty savvy shopper, most of the time.

    You might want to try a local computer repair place - sometimes they are friendly and will give you an old part from a unit that they are going to junk. Most of these places will not sell their customers used parts - unless they are dishonest - because it does not pay for them to warranty it.
    "I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered! My life is my own" - the Prisoner
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  14. Member yoda313's Avatar
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    @numbersix - I am not against buying used. It's just somethings I'm more willing to buy new for reliability and assurance of long lasting performance.
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  15. Mod Neophyte Super Moderator redwudz's Avatar
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    Free computer parts? Drive around on trash collection day if your local authorities let people put out electronic devices for disposal. You may find a whole PC with a power supply. Or check yard sales for a cheap PC that has a good PS. If your power needs aren't great, there are a lot of 300 - 350W PS's lying around that are left over from people upgrading their PSs. Just find out where the computer people hang out at and ask around.

    I'm wondering about your fan setup. Do you have both a intake and a exhaust fan? Your power supply may be being used for case heat exhaust. Not a good idea and that could be why the PS exhaust is hot. If not, I would replace that PS before it dies and takes the PC with it. You need to have airflow through the case, a fan blowing in and a second for exhaust if you want decent cooling.

    The next question is how hot is it running, CPU and case temps? There will always be some heat generated. Have you tried a program like HWMonitor to see if you can read the internal temps? http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php

    Last, if you pull the side cover off and direct a desk fan in there, do the temps drop considerably? If so, you likely need better cooling and a fan upgrade may help.
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    Originally Posted by yoda313
    @numbersix - I am not against buying used. It's just somethings I'm more willing to buy new for reliability and assurance of long lasting performance.
    No argument there - but new isn't always reliable . I always use new parts whenever I repair something for someone else. I was just giving an option that fits the OPer's parameters.
    "I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered! My life is my own" - the Prisoner
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  17. Renegade gll99's Avatar
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    I don't know where you are in Canada but in many cities in Ontario we have http://www.factorydirect.ca/static/index.htm with fairly inexpensive parts.

    In the past year or so I've bought 1 400 watt ($15) and 2 450 watt ps ($20 each) to repair friends computers and 2 cases ($30 each) which included the 500 watt ps) for myself. The cases I bought now sell for $35 but it's still a good price for a new one. All of the the ps are dual 20 / 24 pin, have the P4 4 pin connector if needed and have one sata power adapter with the rest ide type. The sata adapters are cheap so if you need more it's simple to add one. Just to show that you don't have to spend a lot.

    There are no doubt other PS calculators but I like to refer to the one on the Asus site which gives you some idea of your needs based on your system configuration.

    http://support.asus.com/PowerSupplyCalculator/PSCalculator.aspx?SLanguage=en-us
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    Originally Posted by redwudz
    I'm wondering about your fan setup. Do you have both a intake and a exhaust fan? Your power supply may be being used for case heat exhaust. Not a good idea and that could be why the PS exhaust is hot. If not, I would replace that PS before it dies and takes the PC with it. You need to have airflow through the case, a fan blowing in and a second for exhaust if you want decent cooling.
    OK... so the Power Supply is one exhaust fan, and the exhaust fan (regular ones) is another. There is no intake fan, I believe those things weren't a norm during the Win98 Days that my box was made during. However, I read that you don't really need an intake fan if you already have an exhaust fan.

    Originally Posted by redwudz
    The next question is how hot is it running, CPU and case temps? There will always be some heat generated.
    I pulled some numbers off the BIOS after 3 hours of simple computing, word processors and web surfing is all. Nothing heavy like games or encoding.
    Code:
    Current CPU Temp: 48C
    Current System Temp: 36C
    Is this normal? I really don't think so but I will ask anyway.
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  19. I'm a Super Moderator johns0's Avatar
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    Those are normal temps,nothing to worry about.
    I think,therefore i am a hamster.
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    Originally Posted by johns0
    Those are normal temps,nothing to worry about.
    So my Power Supply doesn't need replacing? It works fine? I'm confused...

    So then, does that mean my room needs A/C? The 36C is getting pumped into the room after all. I have another computer (even less powerful: think Pentium 3) that doesn't pump nearly as much heat... it doesn't even do anything to the room.
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  21. I'm a Super Moderator johns0's Avatar
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    Best to have a fan at the front of the case pointed so the airflow goes to the back and another fan at the back with the airflow going outside.
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  22. DVD Ninja budz's Avatar
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    buy a new computer or build one yourself. you can get a Antec 350 watt power supply from amazon.com that has free shipping for $36.12.

    http://www.amazon.com/Antec-BP350-Basiq-Power-Supply/dp/B000H9J3ZC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&...4005315&sr=1-4
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  23. Mod Neophyte Super Moderator redwudz's Avatar
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    Those temps seem OK, but I would still be concerned if the PS exhaust is very hot. PS's don't last long when they run very warm. Usually when they run warm, you can smell hot plastic or hot metal from the exhaust. The reason to use a front intake fan is to increase air speed though the case. Pressure is much more effective than vacuum to remove heat. A combination of air pressure from a front fan and vacuum from a rear fan gives good airspeed through the case and removes heat a lot more efficiently.
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    Thanks guys.

    I will take in what you said. However, saying that, this PC does have a broken CD Burner, slow USB 1.1 ports, and only about 60GB in Hard Drive space.
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  25. DVD Ninja budz's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by adalect
    Thanks guys.

    I will take in what you said. However, saying that, this PC does have a broken CD Burner, slow USB 1.1 ports, and only about 60GB in Hard Drive space.
    Dude, time to buy a new computer!!!!! You don't have to a super duper fast computer but man you're running W98.
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  26. Member Ozzyjim's Avatar
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    Hey don't rip on the bloke for running W98, I too run Win98, Win2k, WinXP and if I have too I have a HDD (210MB) with Dos 6.22 on it!. In relation to the Power supply, if you have to replace it make sure you get the right one. Some motherboards of that age used a AT PSU with a single line of connectors not a dual line plug used in the ATX power supply and motherboards.

    James.
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  27. Renegade gll99's Avatar
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    Ozzyjim wrote
    Some motherboards of that age used a AT PSU with a single line of connectors not a dual line plug used in the ATX power supply and motherboards.
    The op says it's an Athlon. I have an older Athlon 1.1 ghz sitting on the shelf and I'm waiting for a few parts so I can put it together for a friend's youngster. It uses an atx power supply.

    I also have win98se as a dual boot option on my browsing pc. It saved my bacon a few times when I first installed and got used to XP. I agree that it's nothing to laugh about but the increasing lack of support is starting to limit its use and makes it more vulnerable. I haven't booted to it for a while so the drivers are probably woefully out of sync with my current hardware which may or may not be fully supported.
    There's not much to do but then I can't do much anyway.
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  28. Member
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    Originally Posted by budz
    ...but man you're running W98...
    Originally Posted by adalect
    My computer is from the Windows 98/NT ages...
    I meant the box itself with most parts is from that time. I actually upgraded to WinXP some time ago. It runs okay.
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  29. Mod Neophyte Super Moderator redwudz's Avatar
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    It wasn't that long ago that I used a 400Mhz Celeron to encode to SVCD overnight. That same PC could encode to MKV or DVD now, it would just take a long, long time.

    If you are on a budget, you can stick with what you have until you can afford a worthwhile upgrade, probably MB, CPU, RAM, drives and case. No problem there. But adding a couple of decent case fans would be my first move for the present, along with deciding if your power supply may be a problem and need replacement.
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    A P4-class Celeron or Sempron with 4x that Mhz takes about 12-24 hours to encode H.264.

    Fun!
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