controlling the computer case 'output' air.

My case with lots of goodies inside, like an AMD 1800+ and two 100+ gig harddrives and ram, and v-card, runs very smoothly. After about 12 hours of operation, my computer's fans output very hot air, and becomes very unstable, and loses video output "vga signal not detected"- says my monitor. Should i get another case with more case fans? Is this characteristic of an 'overheating' problem???
snuffleupagusnbigbird0@hotmail.com
Thanks.

[Jason425]

my comp gets very hot too and my room is some 10-20 degrees warmer than the rest of the house at all times it seems. Sounds like your video card is overclocked too high perhaps, or your case is cooling ineffectively.

more case fans are not necessarily the answer. You need to make sure you are creating an effective flow of air through your case. There are two basic ways to design your airflow. One is a positive pressure system where you pump lots of cool air in to the case, to cool it down. The other is a negative pressure system, where the emphasis is on removing the hot air. Most individuals build positive pressure systems, but cases professionally designed tend to use a negative pressure system. That's not to say that one is better than the other per se, but the latter is certainly cheaper in non-critical situations. Make sure when you design your airflow, to make it so that air is consistently replaced throughout the case, especially in critical areas (CPU, GPU, HD's).

however, it's not obvious that heat is your problem. Case/CPU temperatures tend to even themselves out long before 12 hours of consistent use. Not to say heat isn't your problem, but you might want to look for loose connections that might be corrupting data slowly over time or other small things like that. good luck.

[Jason425]

well said, but might i add that i've heard that ideally, an equal mix of positive and negative (cool input and warm output) fans are the best way to go, I have a rear input and a pci output, not the best, but it's enough for me, because the cool air goes right over the cpu

I have managed to have my computer run for over 48 hours without a problem. My video card is working well, I can continue to play games, and write e-mails, surf, and a lot of other things (simultaneously). I seem to have figured out a temporary solution: I took one of the case sides off and am using a regular fan to blow air into it. I think this will accelerate the dust accumulation process but as long as my computer is running, it is all good. Even thought it works, I still do not know the cause. I think that it is the CPU: 1800+, because the cpu fan blows very hot air from it, and from my large harddrives. I think with these hot computer parts running at the same time, my computer is becoming unstable due to the heat created. (and the elevated temperature inside the case). Unfortunately, my case does not have anymore fan options, that I have not used. so I guess it is time for a new case. Money,... Money,.... And more money,... Being put into this money hungry computer. )-:

[vee_ess]

As James said, more fans are not necessarily better. More effective airflow is better. This is true not only of the internal airflow, however, but of your external airflow. All your cooling solutions do is try to create a low enough equilibrium with the ambient air temperature. If you keep recycling the same heated air, you won't be able to lower your temmperature at all no matter how effective your cooling. Make sure you have adequate airflow surrounding your computer and also the room that it is in.

more fans are not necessarily better. More effective airflow is better.

True.

Over pressure or under pressure is not good for efficient cooling. The important thing is getting an equal amount of air going out that is coming in.

also your room temperature is a major factor
keeping computers in a cool place is a smart thing to do
but not a place with high moisture in the air or places where condensation would form

such as fridge

what kinda of case do you have..also your cable management might havea factor in dealing with adequte air cooling

So I have read all of your responses, and some of them are quite techincal, but easily understood. I have just bought a Thermaltake case with 7 fans and a termperature gauge with fan control. My case now sits at around 23.3celcius when the computer is idle (downloading), and when i am gaming, it is at 28.7celcius. So I hope those are respectable (ideal) temerature read-outs. My computer is very stable and i have left it on for more than 36 hours.
The fans are totally customizable since i can have them blowing in or out, buy physically flipping them in their cages. Otherwise, the fans are also very silent. The only other issue i suppose is that my out-blowing fans blow out hot air... is there anyway that i could cool this air down? before my room gets warmer?