Aftermarket Fan?

I just came out of a game of BF4 (playing commander no less) and got a CPU heat warning telling me my core was at 65*C (this has never happened before). Went into Bios and it was in the 50s and dropping (right after getting off bf4). I ran Prime95 with CPUID HWMonitor running and it got up to about 68*C under stress.

Running an FX-6300 (not overclocked) with stock fan. I think temps in the 60s under load is high (am i wrong here?). Should I buy a fan? Can anyone recommend one (somewhat affordable). Thanks guys.
 

Kenadian

Staff member
Site Admin
I personally would never use a stock fan nor would I use cheap thermalpaste. Aftermarket fans are reasonably priced and cool far more efficiently than the fans that come with the CPU.

You could probably get something like a cheap Zalman that will out perform what you have currently:

http://products.ncix.com/detail/zalman-cnps-5x-performa-purecopper-alu-92mm-fan-cpu-cooler-lga1156-1150-1155-775-am3-am2-fm1-37-67721-1051.htm

I'm sure that there will be many suggestions on what you can use. All you really need is something that transfers the heat to a radiator to be cooled by a fan away from the CPU.

I'm using a Noctua NH-C12P because I wanted the fan to blow down onto my RAM as well: http://products.ncix.com/detail/noctua-nh-c12p-se14-lga1150-1155-1156-1366-am3-fm1-fm2-heatpipe-cooler-w-nf-p14-140mm-fan-7a-47091.htm

It's a bit more pricey and a PITA when it comes to swapping RAM but it's silent and works exceptionally well.
 
Little P that thing looks like a beast but I'm not sure if it'll fit. Might have less than an half inch clearance.
 
I went and bought an air can and cleaned out the inside. I'm stress testing it again now and it's definitely running cooler. I might still pick up a cheap fan though.

I did how ever get a random (for the first time) +5 voltage warning. That's never happened before. Using CPUID HW it's telling me my +12V is running at a min of 12.158 and a max of 12.261 and my +5V is running at a min of 5.081 and a max of 5.103. Is that normal? (or normalish) or should I be buying a multimeter to check the voltage?
 

Kitlope

Hardcore
Number 1 is to keep your heatsink fins clean and all pc parts. Fan on the GPU should be cleaned too. I usually clean mine every 3 months but for most people every 6 months - 1 year is probably good.

Also, is your case properly ventilated? Is it cool enough using fans and such? Sometimes the case itself can be the problem.

I have a cheap Zalman CNPS10X cooler and it works great.

Not sure about your p/s issue, I never seen a problem like that before.
 

mondo

Hardcore
I had that with my current case, everything was running stupidly hot. The Antec 1200 is great until the front induction fans get clogged with dust and you find out that you have to disassemble the front of the case to get at them. A job for the air compressor!
 

Kitlope

Hardcore
Yeah, I have the 1200 and it's a pain in the ass to clean the 3 screens because you need to unscrew 24 thumb-screws (or whatever they're called)... but at least they're designed to be done by hand. I then wash the screens under the kitchen tap and let them dry, gets them real clean. Even though it's a pain (and usually takes about 20 minutes) because of the screens my case stays quite dust free. I've had this case now for almost 4 years and the fans themselves have a little fine dust on them but nothing to worry about.


Even though accessing the screens could have been simpler and less time consuming I love the fact with a little proper care the case remains relatively dust free.
 
Number 1 is to keep your heatsink fins clean and all pc parts. Fan on the GPU should be cleaned too. I usually clean mine every 3 months but for most people every 6 months - 1 year is probably good.

Also, is your case properly ventilated? Is it cool enough using fans and such? Sometimes the case itself can be the problem.

I have a cheap Zalman CNPS10X cooler and it works great.

Not sure about your p/s issue, I never seen a problem like that before.
Yeah it was the first time i cleaned it after 6 months. I'm going to do it regularly The case is properly ventilated. I have http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147161

Its got plenty of openings and dust filters. I bought the cheap rosewill fan I linked above for 15 bucks. Thanks for all the help guys. I haven't gotten another voltage warning so I'm just gonna leave things be unless I get another one.
 
The Rosewill fan I bought is keeping it 5-6 degrees cooler on the high setting while being stress tested. I can feel a significant difference in airflow even on the low settings. Woot Woot thanks guys. Not bad for 15 bucks.
 

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