I have been trying to figure out how to deal with the high temperature in the man cave for some time now. The room is pretty well insulated with concrete on three sides, so when my equipment generates heat it seems to stay in here.

I have made a thermostat for my extraction fan, so I at least can keep it below 75 F. Even when all the lights are off and I am not in the room the fan runs periodically with the thermostat set for 73 F. Running an AC or duct-less ventilation system seems a bit overkill, so I've been trying other things. So far I have replaced all lights with LEDs and florescent, and bought new low power LED computer screens.

Today my computer got a major overhaul:

* Replaced high-end gaming graphics card with a cheaper fan-less one, hey; I don't game anyways. And it's less noise. Saves up to 100 W.
* Replaced my 11 year old power supply unit with a new and more efficient model, also reduced the noise a lot.
* Replaced the CPU heat sink with a bigger one with also less fan noise.

The change is drastic, the noise is heavily reduced and the temperature is much lower. So far, with everything on I got 71 F.   Now to see how it behaves over time.

I've attached an image of my 11 year old power supply unit, this might have contributed to it getting warm...

Also last weeks temperature graph, the sawtooth shape is caused by the thermostat controlled fan. The really big trailing edge is when I left the fan running all night. Sensor #1 is in the middle of the room and #2 is located on the computer rack.

Now; a cigar to celebrate today's achievements  

those are some big dust bunnies! :)

Glad you figured it out

Quotetoby2 - 2/2/2015  6:40 PM  those are some big dust bunnies! :)

Bunnies?  That's a dust empire!

It's really cool that you've figured it out, Thomas.  

Be careful those bunnies might bite.

#firstworldproblems

Thinking a ductless system would have been cheaper... but not as interesting for an engineer!

Maybe try something like this if it works then I would go buy a ac unit for it the kind that dose not have to be hooked up in a window.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxSLbpAwibg

QuoteLonghorn - 2/3/2015  4:46 AM

Thinking a ductless system would have been cheaper... but not as interesting for an engineer!

Not so sure, a ductless system costs about 10 times what I have spent so far. And it would not have improved my computer

Quotebigjohn20081983 - 2/3/2015  7:52 AM

Maybe try something like this if it works then I would go buy a ac unit for it the kind that dose not have to be hooked up in a window.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxSLbpAwibg

It's a cool idea, but I am looking for something more permanent. I do have an A/C, but as you say it needs to be connected to a window or otherwise let the heat out. And that is true for all A/Cs, they need to get rid of the heat somehow.

So I am attaching the source of the heat :)

Quotehebron - 2/3/2015  3:01 AM  

Quotebigjohn20081983 - 2/3/2015  7:52 AM  Maybe try something like this if it works then I would go buy a ac unit for it the kind that dose not have to be hooked up in a window.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxSLbpAwibg

It's a cool idea, but I am looking for something more permanent. I do have an A/C, but as you say it needs to be connected to a window or otherwise let the heat out. And that is true for all A/Cs, they need to get rid of the heat somehow.  So I am attaching the source of the heat :)

 

I was thinking this and used the term ac. here is what it really is http://www.sears.com/honeywell-125-pt-commercial-indoor-outdoor-portable-evaporative-air/p-04205159000P?prdNo=6&blockNo=6&blockType=G6    but after reading it again I am not sure it would work. 

Pretty ingenious Thomas!   As long as you are below 75 F you will be fine

Any A/C will lower the RH drastically as well as lower temps so it's not necessarily the best solution.

I really like Thomas' approach and will do the same thing to my gaming computer (I don't use it much anymore either) that graphic card is simply overkill. I do have a few switches, routers and 3 computers running 365 /24 /7 in that room so I might attack the power supplies as well. Overall I really like the idea of attacking the source of the heat.

Glad you are getting close to a definite solution Thomas.

Quotebmac7754 - 2/2/2015  5:07 PM

Be careful those bunnies might bite.

Makes me think of Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail and the Killer rabbit.

QuoteMojo66 - 2/3/2015  3:13 PM

Any A/C will lower the RH drastically as well as lower temps so it's not necessarily the best solution.

I really like Thomas' approach and will do the same thing to my gaming computer (I don't use it much anymore either) that graphic card is simply overkill. I do have a few switches, routers and 3 computers running 365 /24 /7 in that room so I might attack the power supplies as well. Overall I really like the idea of attacking the source of the heat.

Glad you are getting close to a definite solution Thomas.

Hm, that is true and it is dry enough as it is in here.

The difference with the power supply is enormous, the old one blew out really hot air. The new is above ambient, but not really hot. I did a number of things actually; I just didn't write them all in this post. But here they are :)

• New CPU cooler, more efficient cooling so I could lower the fan RPM. Really made a big difference on the noise levels. The idle temperature dropped about 10'C, cooler CPU means less power being used :)
• Removed a couple of "decorative" LEDs.
• Removed the DVD-ROM, bought a USB one instead. I use it just about every time I re-install Windows and since I have a lot of disks I had to have an additional controller card to run it, which I've also removed.
• Thoroughly cleaned all the fans and activated the motherboard fan controller, set it to silent. (Man this thing is quiet now...!)
• Activated speed-step on the CPU so the voltage and frequency is lowered when not needed.
• All disks turn off after 30 minutes of inactivity.

And that is about it I think. I need to get myself a power meter to measure the real power usage.

The effect is noticeable, 24 hours later. It's 70 F! With me working. Awesome!

Thanks Sébastien, let me know how your project is going :)

It's good to see it is still working.

Why not go water cooled for the CPU, prove that this 20th century tech is still cool

I'll steal a few more ideas from you. I'll post up when all or some of it is implemented.

Thanks Thomas, very happy I'm not the only CigarGeek to also be somewhat of a ComputerGeek. Of course I'm also a Geek with plenty of brothers here when it comes to Wine, Food, Music and other things I'd probably get banned for writing (so I won't), but Computer Geekeenes is a rarer form on CG or they all are hiding behind their screens

 

QuoteMojo66 - 2/3/2015  10:55 PM

Why not go water cooled for the CPU, prove that this 20th century tech is still cool

I'll steal a few more ideas from you. I'll post up when all or some of it is implemented.

Thanks Thomas, very happy I'm not the only CigarGeek to also be somewhat of a ComputerGeek. Of course I'm also a Geek with plenty of brothers here when it comes to Wine, Food, Music and other things I'd probably get banned for writing (so I won't), but Computer Geekeenes is a rarer form on CG or they all are hiding behind their screens

 

The thought did cross my mind, but it felt too much; too many moving parts and I am not looking to overclock. Maybe next time :)

Same to you brother, it's great to have someone to pitch ideas to :) I am hard at work getting my project web site up and running, let you know when it's done. Yeah, I'd love to see some images. Even though I have a lot of friends who are interested in computers, I tend to find that we still are interested in different things. And use the computers very differently.