CPU Temp Help (With Pictures!)

[Arcuivie]

I just got my new SLK-800 with Vantec 80mm 84cfm fan, and I LOVE it! When I turned it on and let it run for a bit it was idle at 35C, which gives me high hopes for overclocking, but, once I put the PC in its place (a little nook in my desk) the idle temps jumped to 38-40C, which is discouraging me from overclocking , I was wondering if you guys could help with the placement of the PC or maybe do something with the desk or what not. Current I have 1 39cfm fan blowing air into the comp from the front, and a 39cfm fan blowing air out of the back, I am running an AMD Athlon XP "Barton" 2500+. Here are some pics of my setup (there are pretty old):

Lower Desk

Upper Desk

Sorry these pics aren't very good angle wise, but I planned on taking pics for this thread but realized my Digital camera was at my dad's house :P. Oh, and that printer is not there anymore.

[Gait_Keeper]

hot air rises so closer to the floor is logical, also you need at least 5 inches or more from the back of your machine so the hot air can escape, some room on the sides is a good thing also
basicly ventilation all around, room temp is a factor too.

[Arcuivie]

Room temp is 75 degrees, and the size of this new case gives almost no room on the side, I will try to move this desk away from the wall some, but its 500 freakin pounds, lol.

[Gait_Keeper]

I moved one of my machines into the bedroom for the summer months it was hitting 60C room temp some days in the high 80's
without doing a thing to my machine temps are now in the mid to low 40C's room temp 65-70F

[JPMiller]

cut out the back of that "nook " the case is sitting in, and remove the door if that is what Im seeing correctly...that may help airflow...unless you have side fans to worry about you dont have to bring it out of there completely...
Me personally...I would set it out in open if possible to give it best access to airflow.

[Xtreeme]

That an those little cubbies in pc desks hold heat. And more important to me creates noise. It acts like a speaker box in essence, makes the fans sound 2x as loud.

[Arcuivie]

I know what you mean, with my new tornado fan it sounds like I'm running a vaccume :S. Anyway, I experimented with the fans, I reversed the front and back ones and the CPU (inside the cube) was idle at 35C, but the motherboard jumped to 30C, so I switched back. Anyway, I plan on cutting a whole in the top and let air flow out of there, get that little kit with the air duct and connect it from the back fan to the top of the fan over the CPU, have the front fan blow in also and have the hot air come out of the top blow hole.

[jmichna]

That desk cubby hole is creating it's own little computer room, and -- unless you do like other have suggested above -- you can cut all the holes you want in your PC case until it resembles Swiss cheese but the "cubby hole room" it sits in will be hot -- and your PC will stay hot -- unless you get airflow to pull that heat away out of that cubby hole container.

Your CPU is pushing out probably 70 watts or more (if overclocked) of thermal energy, and you need to find a way to push that heat energy some place else.

[JPMiller]

What you suggest will only recirculate the hot air...as was said previously it will have no effect on your temps...the problem is where and how enclosed it is...
Remove the desk door altogether...cut out the back of the desk wall in back... ( it is usually just hard compressed cardboard stuff)...use Dremel or tin snips to remove metal fan guards on case and Power supply, the holes they punch in the case and the round slots over the PSU lower airflow and create noise. (If need be replace them with the round wire style fanguards like these )
some good reference material for cooling....
http://www.kpod.co.uk/ars/
http://www.jsihardware.com/articles.php?ID=5
http://www.tweak3d.net/tweak/airflowtweak/2.shtml

[agathodaimon]

i noticed you said you were going to add a blowhole to the top of the case... If you're going to be adding any holes to it, one on the SIDE of the case that blows in right over the processor is what really helps... I have a fan in the front, back, side and top of my case and found out that I really didn't even need the TOP fan AT ALL. It only made a 1 degree difference... But when I took out the side fan, the temps jumped by about 6 degrees!