allenkane

Hi everyone,

When I first built my system in early 2008 I never had any problems cooling it. After I added a new GTX 260 I started getting problems with my components overheating. For the record, I don't have my CPU overclocked, and if I ever do it won't be anything major.

The CFM ratings on the included 120mm fans seem to be very low. I tried replacing the side 120mm fan with a 90cfm fan from Cooler Master and did as much cable management as this case would possibly allow me to do (which isn't much). My GPU temps weren't as bad but I would still some bad spikes during full load. Sorry I can't provide any actual data right now because I'm in the process of RMA'ing my motherboard which shorted out.

Would taking out the hard drive cage at the bottom, adding a better 120mm intake fan there, and replacing the existing rear exhaust with a better 120mm fan considerably help with my temperatures?

Or should I look into buying a new case altogether? From what I've seen I like the Cooler Master Sniper because of the airflow and cable management, but I don't want to spend $150+ when I could just replace a couple fans in my current case for $20.

Any thoughts on my issue?

I AM TEH LAW GIVAH

what are your ambient temps?
if you want your gpu to run cooler then get an aftermarket cooler which will be way more quieter and cooler

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n1helix

i loved my apollo, i did too take out the hard drive cage as i only had one hdd
if you put a nice fan for the front intake and replace the exhaust you will see a nice drop in temps

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allenkane

I live in Southeastern Arizona so ambient can be pretty high at times. If I'm running my AC it's normally 82-85 degrees F.

allenkane

any other thoughts on this?

dkev

You need a case with alot of passive cooling in addition to your fans. I would recommend the nzxt panzerbox or the Coolermaster 690. Their cooling ability blows the doors off what you have now. Also I second the advise of you getting an after market gpu cooler. If you can't lower your ambient, then you need to get the heat out of your case quickly. And what you have now wont cut it.

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allenkane

Is cable management a huge deal when it comes to whether you hide your cases behind your mobo tray or run them on the sides of the case? My PSU is non modular so I'm not sure if not having cable management holes is a good idea.

n1helix

yea cable management is not great in that case, what i did is i put the dvd drive 2nd from top and stuffed all the cables in the topmost slot

and yes, cable management is very important

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