Personal computing discussed

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ALEX1974
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Aluminium cases

Wed Feb 19, 2003 6:53 pm

Do they offer any advantage concerning heat dissipation comparedto the convetnional ones?
 
God in Training
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Wed Feb 19, 2003 7:05 pm

I've heard guesstimates of up to three times better heat dissipation than a traditional steel case. I can't say from practical experience since I've only gotten aluminum cases.

More important to consider is the layout inside the case -- how well the position of the drives, boards, fans and vents allows for circulation of air through the case.
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Starfalcon
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Thu Feb 20, 2003 12:39 am

As long as you have air moving through the case, the heat dissipation does not really matter that much. If you have good fan placement with quality fans, both cases should work about the same. Aluminum is more of a style factor than anything else.
 
Freon
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Thu Feb 20, 2003 1:03 am

I would tend to think aluminum is going to help. Even though the flat panels of the case aren't the best for exchanging heat, aluminum is one of the best materials for heat exchange to air.

Most aluminum cases are brushed, too, as opposed to most steel cases are painted.

I doubt it is a huge deal, but I would guess it is a measurable difference.
 
Starfalcon
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Thu Feb 20, 2003 1:10 am

That would only come into play if you had no air flow with heat building up in the case. As long as you have air flow, heat dissapation does not matter.
 
mattsteg
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Thu Feb 20, 2003 2:54 am

When aluminum's dissipative qualities matter, you have too little air flow.
...
 
LJ
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Thu Feb 20, 2003 3:42 am

mattsteg wrote:
When aluminum's dissipative qualities matter, you have too little air flow.

This much should be fairly obvious

Then again, perhaps you want a fanless system in which case dissipation would be pretty important. You could be like apple and wrap it all in plastic, or you could put it in a snazzy small aluminum case.
 
ALEX1974
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Thu Feb 20, 2003 8:12 am

Thanks for your responses!The thing is I have no case ventilation plus I have an overclocked system which means that aluminum may play some role in keeping the temps down.

I think I will get this case http://www.overclock.hu/cgi-bin/overclo ... d=fXqIHjhw

and I will indorm you what effect it had on temps.
Right now I have
KG7 L Abit
ThB 1700+@2002Ghz (43 C idle,49 C load, 37 C System )
Volcano 9@2000rpm
Enermax 365VE (intake fan removed,excaust fan @2200 rpm).

The system is quite stable but I would be glad If it run 1-2 C lower plus this case looks nice and costs only 30 Euro....

How can I cover the side if I remove the side fan?Or should I just disconnect it?
 
Alex
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Thu Feb 20, 2003 10:44 am

I had the option of course to go with aluminum, but I chose a steel case. Reasons beeing, I liked the layout, the sturdiness, and I made sure I had good airflow.
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ALEX1974
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Thu Feb 20, 2003 12:31 pm

What do you need the airflow for :P
How much overclocked is your system?
 
Starfalcon
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Thu Feb 20, 2003 11:41 pm

Heat has an effect on all your computer components, if they get too hot, their lifespan will be shortened. It all comes down to how important your system is to you. If it is not that important, beat the heck out of it. If it is very important take better care of it and keep it cool.
 
Alex
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Fri Feb 21, 2003 12:48 am

ALEX1974 wrote:
What do you need the airflow for :P
How much overclocked is your system?


I for one need all my airflow...
Twitter: @xmunos
 
ALEX1974
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Fri Feb 21, 2003 6:02 am

i BELIEVE THIS AIRFLOW THING IS A MYTH! 8)
Anyhow the power supply fan produces some airflow which is effective enough(It is a real airflow).The intake fans for example produce more turbulence than airflow...and don't forget the noise!
For example either I have my case open or closed I cannot take my processor higher....or maybe 2-3% higher.Is it worth to become deaf just for slightly higher overclocking?It is a personal choise of course but I think the companies just want us to spend as much as possible on unnecessary gadgets such as fans.... :cry:

With only one fan@2000 rpm I have overclocked my processor 1700PR@2002 Mhz (48-49 full load) and it is nearly silent.What would some extra fans offer me?And believe me there is airflow created by the other 2000 rpm fan of the power supply.Imagine that it can easily suck a light piece of paper from the intake slit.
In my opinion it is all a matter of bad and mainly rushed technology.Instead of placing heat issues as apriority they mainly consider speed.If they invested a bit more they could produce fanless systems.I mean what the hell!My stereo gets so hot on the back side, I could fry an omelette on :P I can imagine the temps inside...but they didn't add 4 intake and 4 excaust fans to keep it cool! My monitor also gets extremely hot,so what.My washing machine too :lol:
 
SpotTheCat
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Sun Mar 02, 2003 1:32 am

well. I have a smaller midtower, it's a thin build. steel.

I am running my ram @ 2.7 V and overclocking my graphics card 12% so I get a lot more heat build up. if I let my 120 turn off, my north bridge temp skyrockets, and I need to shut down.

when you actually get some heat being produced, airflow will help you infinatly more than aluminum cases would.
 
eckslax
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Sun Mar 02, 2003 2:20 am

Don't forget that your HSF will not be very affective with little or no case airflow. The cooler the air temperature inside of your case, the quicker the heat can dissapate from your heatsink and the cooler the air blown onto your processor. Don't forget things like hard drives and video cards. They rely heavily on case airflow to keep their temperatures down. Don't even get me started on chipsets, especially passive cooled ones. You are asking for trouble if you don't have decent case airflow with a passive cooled chipset. Disconnecting a few fans may not fry your system, but I would definately be careful if I were you, especially with overclocking.
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