I had to do this with a PC once. I upgraded the GPU in an old HP, and then it would overheat playing Modern Warfare 2. Finally just took off the side of the case and pointed a box fan at it. Never overheated again.
But people actually do do this, if for some reason a PC is overheating or the built-in fans are making too much noise. A big fan running slowly moves more air more quietly than a bunch of little fans. I even wired an external DC fan into the PC's power supply once so that I wouldn't have to plug them in separately.
It can and has been done, but this doesn't work as well as people think in most cases. You need high static pressure fans for some of the good, dense fin heat sinks. There used to be some decent large, more open heat sinks that this worked well with.
Lol, I just found the pic online. I basically just used canned air every 2 months and gave it a quick pass on the heat sinks and any possible dust bunnies. Nothing near as bad as the pic.
And then there's me with a 9800x3d with a low profile cooler in a fractal ridge. It only throttles under synthetic tests so I just say fuck it and let it run at whatever temp it wants to run at.
This doesnt work with dense fin stacks though, because there is not enough pressure to push the air in between the fins. This would only work with very low power systems or heatsinks specifically designed for this kind of fan.
I have to disagree, i have worked around overheating pc components in gaming machines with taking off the case wall and pointing a room fan at it more times than i went to admit. This works fine, even if it's an ugly solution and literally a "hotfix"
Oh yeah for sure it improves things over a closed case, but its not gonna replace your CPU fan is what i meant. The big fan just removes the hot ambient air and allows the cpu/gpu fans to get access to cooler air.
I can't say I haven't ever used a desk fan blowing into an open case, but it was during a heatwave and I was being overly cautious with the internal temperatures. It would probably have been fine without it. Probably.
As a bonus I was able to get some of the blowback from the case, which wasn't too warm and meant that I didn't completely sacrifice my own cooling.
Apples cooling solution has always been to let the device overheat and avoid trying to cool it. All their laptops before the arm series had major thermal issues.
44 Comments
brucethemoose@lemmy.world · 53 pts · 154d
Also, as a bonus, put a cheap 4-inch AC filter on that box fan.
Now you have:
Zero dust in your PC
Noise dampening
A high CFM air purifier, right in your room.
tburkhol@lemmy.world · 33 pts · 154d
Get a 20x20x4" filter, and the fan will suck it right to itself. Don't even need mounting materials.
fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 7 pts · 154d
I do that with my tower fan and it’s incredible. Just zip tied the filter on and let er blast.
Ep1cFac3pa1m@lemmy.world · 39 pts · 154d
I had to do this with a PC once. I upgraded the GPU in an old HP, and then it would overheat playing Modern Warfare 2. Finally just took off the side of the case and pointed a box fan at it. Never overheated again.
IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 154d
Damn, came to comment the same thing, and it also was an HP.
ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works · 30 pts · 154d
But people actually do do this, if for some reason a PC is overheating or the built-in fans are making too much noise. A big fan running slowly moves more air more quietly than a bunch of little fans. I even wired an external DC fan into the PC's power supply once so that I wouldn't have to plug them in separately.
JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social · 18 pts · 154d
My experience is that this also builds up a pretty spectacular amount of dust inside the case, so regular vacuum cleaning is called for.
lime@feddit.nu · 17 pts · 154d
that's why you use a custom water cooling loop connected to a car radiator outside.
SalamenceFury@piefed.social · 4 pts · 153d
Or better, connected straight into your pool!
Wait.
Tikiporch@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 154d
Whole home hepa hvac filter on the intake side?
JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social · 2 pts · 154d
Yes, something like that!
krashmo@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 154d
Point the fan outwards and pull heat out instead of pushing cool air in. Problem solved.
JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social · 6 pts · 154d
Problem not solved. You'll still collect dust wherever there's intake.
The filter is probably the best solution IME.
zod000@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 21 pts · 153d
It can and has been done, but this doesn't work as well as people think in most cases. You need high static pressure fans for some of the good, dense fin heat sinks. There used to be some decent large, more open heat sinks that this worked well with.
IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 154d
I did that once in one build.
It was a shitty PC that I kept upgrading, but for some reason kept the case. so when it kept overheating,I just put a box fan just like that
Someonelol@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 9 pts · 154d
How well did it work?
IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 153d
100%
of course it did.
it looked like shit, but it worked.
YellowParenti@lemmy.wtf · 4 pts · 153d
Did you put an air filter or did you clean all the dust every month or two like I did?
IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 153d
lol, were do you live? it got a wee dusty after a year but not even close to that,
YellowParenti@lemmy.wtf · 2 pts · 152d
Lol, I just found the pic online. I basically just used canned air every 2 months and gave it a quick pass on the heat sinks and any possible dust bunnies. Nothing near as bad as the pic.
real_squids@sopuli.xyz · 16 pts · 154d
Hook an industrial chiller to that mf
HyonoKo@lemmy.ml · 15 pts · 154d
I did this before discovering one could change the CPU’s thermal paste.
ceenote@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 154d
For $700, that little fan better be able to blow, if you know what I mean...
Davel23@fedia.io · 7 pts · 154d
Relevant Bringus Studios video.
BakedCatboy@lemmy.ml · 6 pts · 154d
And then there's me with a 9800x3d with a low profile cooler in a fractal ridge. It only throttles under synthetic tests so I just say fuck it and let it run at whatever temp it wants to run at.
Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 153d
I'll stick with my $700 pc fan, thanks.
unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de · 5 pts · 154d
This doesnt work with dense fin stacks though, because there is not enough pressure to push the air in between the fins. This would only work with very low power systems or heatsinks specifically designed for this kind of fan.
Wildmimic@anarchist.nexus · 8 pts · 154d
I have to disagree, i have worked around overheating pc components in gaming machines with taking off the case wall and pointing a room fan at it more times than i went to admit. This works fine, even if it's an ugly solution and literally a "hotfix"
unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de · 6 pts · 154d
Oh yeah for sure it improves things over a closed case, but its not gonna replace your CPU fan is what i meant. The big fan just removes the hot ambient air and allows the cpu/gpu fans to get access to cooler air.
mushroommunk@lemmy.today · 5 pts · 154d
This isn't meant to replace internal fans, just case fans like in the picture
unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de · 2 pts · 154d
Not really clear as you cant see inside case but fair enough.
Thedogdrinkscoffee@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 154d
Sure its a joke, but have you not seen the lengths people have gone to cool machines?
Submerged in mineral oil baths, liquid cooling from diy to expensitivo pro systems, fanless 100lbs copper heatsinks.
Stupid? Almost certainly, but not because of our innability to use big fans.
slazer2au@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 154d
I have done this. Heat in Australian summer and high end games requires more cooling then the stock Intel fan.
palordrolap@fedia.io · 3 pts · 153d
I can't say I haven't ever used a desk fan blowing into an open case, but it was during a heatwave and I was being overly cautious with the internal temperatures. It would probably have been fine without it. Probably.
As a bonus I was able to get some of the blowback from the case, which wasn't too warm and meant that I didn't completely sacrifice my own cooling.
Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 154d
Yeah I did this in university.
purrtastic@lemmy.nz · 3 pts · 153d
Laughs in Mac Studio
Fizz@lemmy.nz · 4 pts · 153d
Apples cooling solution has always been to let the device overheat and avoid trying to cool it. All their laptops before the arm series had major thermal issues.
purrtastic@lemmy.nz · 1 pts · 148d
I ran hackintosh builds for 15 years and finally took the plunge to Apple hardware with an M1 Studio. It’s an incredible daily driver.
brucethemoose@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 154d
Or better yet: ducts.
I have zero case fans in my PC.
Klear@quokk.au · 5 pts · 154d
I have only fans in my PC.
DarkCloud@lemmy.world · -5 pts · 154d
A single picture isn't really a comic strip.
IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 154d
what if the artist strips while drawing it?
edgemaster72@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 153d
Emphasis mine
DarkCloud@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 153d
Still not really a comic strip.