Cardboard wind chute/tunnel - Edit: Final Prototype Complete.

[Madmaximus01]

In my continual journey to improve my pc I thought hey why dont I try making a wind chute/tunnel for my cpu air cooler just for a laugh, it'll take 10mins and then it will fail and I can laugh at myself for even trying. Turns out just using some roughly cut cardboard and some tape works extremely well. Not only is my cpu getting direct fresh air from the outside, it's seperated from the gpu's hot air. I now get idle temps of about 32-33 degrees. I knew this would have a positive effect of some kind. But an overall temp drop of 10 degrees+ is absolutely  insane. My cpu barely touches 60 degrees now. Cinebench r23 it sticks around 70-74 degrees. Why on earth this form factor/idea fell away from popularity several decades ago in the pc enthusiast market I have no idea. This has severely improved my cooling by a level I didnt even think possible. 

 

Yes there is a screwgun drill bit holding up my gpu fight me

[jaslion]

4 minutes ago, Madmaximus01 said:

popularity several decades ago in the pc enthusiast market I have no idea. This has severely improved my cooling by a level I didnt even think possible.

So basically ducting fell off because not everything fit with it and force airflow through a case was fine because the 2 biggest heat output components barely shared hot air between them.

 

Now you have a gpu that has a passthrough cooler design spewing hot air into the cpu cooler and ducting once again makes a big difference there.

[Dedayog]

15 minutes ago, Madmaximus01 said:

In my continual journey to improve my pc I thought hey why dont I try making a wind chute/tunnel for my cpu air cooler just for a laugh, it'll take 10mins and then it will fail and I can laugh at myself for even trying. Turns out just using some roughly cut cardboard and some tape works extremely well. Not only is my cpu getting direct fresh air from the outside, it's seperated from the gpu's hot air. I now get idle temps of about 32-33 degrees. I knew this would have a positive effect of some kind. But an overall temp drop of 10 degrees+ is absolutely  insane. My cpu barely touches 60 degrees now. Cinebench r23 it sticks around 70-74 degrees. Why on earth this form factor/idea fell away from popularity several decades ago in the pc enthusiast market I have no idea. This has severely improved my cooling by a level I didnt even think possible. 

 

Yes there is a screwgun drill bit holding up my gpu fight me

Well, you didn't improve your PC at all.  Temps maybe, but you lost more than you gained by the jury rigging.

 

Drill bit is fine. No one is going to fight you /smh

[freeagent]

Looks mint 

[freeagent]

Ducts work very well. Just ask Dell.

[NorKris]

we need RGB-Ducts  

[RevGAM]

1 hour ago, Madmaximus01 said:

In my continual journey to improve my pc I thought hey why dont I try making a wind chute/tunnel for my cpu air cooler just for a laugh, it'll take 10mins and then it will fail and I can laugh at myself for even trying. Turns out just using some roughly cut cardboard and some tape works extremely well. Not only is my cpu getting direct fresh air from the outside, it's seperated from the gpu's hot air. I now get idle temps of about 32-33 degrees. I knew this would have a positive effect of some kind. But an overall temp drop of 10 degrees+ is absolutely  insane. My cpu barely touches 60 degrees now. Cinebench r23 it sticks around 70-74 degrees. Why on earth this form factor/idea fell away from popularity several decades ago in the pc enthusiast market I have no idea. This has severely improved my cooling by a level I didnt even think possible. 

 

Yes there is a screwgun drill bit holding up my gpu fight me

It's because too many people prioritize appearance over performance. 

[RevGAM]

1 hour ago, Dedayog said:

Well, you didn't improve your PC at all.  Temps maybe, but you lost more than you gained by the jury rigging.

I'd like to know what the heck you mean by that. 

[Dedayog]

4 minutes ago, RevGAM said:

I'd like to know what the heck you mean by that. 

To put it bluntly, the temps were an improvement but it looks like shit.

 

I would not have done that.  

 

The improvement isn't worth the jankiness.

 

Tho I do like the drill bit.

[RevGAM]

4 minutes ago, Dedayog said:

To put it bluntly, the temps were an improvement but it looks like shit.

 

I would not have done that.  

 

The improvement isn't worth the jankiness.

 

Tho I do like the drill bit.

You and I are on opposite ends of the spectrum, then. If much rather have a decrease of 10 degrees and have to see that than take the performance hit for something I'll rarely look at. It's a computer, not a piece of art, to me. Don't get me wrong - I find the lack of visual creativity in cases to be frustrating at times - but I'm not going to pay more to get those things. I'd rather hire my niece or daughter to paint something cool on my case. 

[freeagent]

Props for building and posting. You found out how well a duct can work, even with a bunch of iPPC fans.

[Madmaximus01]

On 12/12/2023 at 1:27 AM, Dedayog said:

To put it bluntly, the temps were an improvement but it looks like shit.

 

I would not have done that.  

 

The improvement isn't worth the jankiness.

 

Tho I do like the drill bit.

I do not care for asthetics to the point of it being the end goal or wether or not my pc is the ultimate eye catching room centrepiece. Sure I care somewhat, as u can tell by the rgb strips in the locations I've put them aswell as the all noctua fan build. I have the front glass panel facing away from my desk so I have my exhaust on the wall and intake at front of desk. Desk is pulled a fair distance away from wall so as to be careful of my A/C dripping aswell as to get the optimal angle from the a/c blowing directly over it. 18 degrees celcius always. I am a man of practicality. Hell, I'm going to a HVAC supplier when I can to get some 120mm silver ducting, to make a snorkle of sorts up to my A/C and tape the other end to the front panel fan intake for my cpu. See how far I can actually cool my setup. I spent a few months in my spare time, researching airflow, tinkering with fan settings to find which fan speeds gave the best results at which temps, in 5 degree increments. 

[Madmaximus01]

On 12/12/2023 at 12:46 AM, Schnoz said:

I'd argue the opposite. There's a significant numerical improvement in temperatures, and it's just a hasty prototype that the owner can certainly iterate on to make an improved version.

 

@Madmaximus01 Congrats on the results! I'd certainly recommend a more solid duct that'll stay on. Cardboard will still work, but tape both sides of it and make sure it's well-secured. If you want to make it fancy, do some measuring and 3D-print one.

 

Ducts are a good idea, but unfortunately they aren't present on many modern-day cases because the wide range of components you can put in a case and have it fit the ATX specification is just too much for a rigid duct. Arguably, you could use a flexible Mylar duct seen in HVAC installations, but it's generally not aesthetically pleasing which would be a pretty big turn-off to some poeple.

 

Maybe there'll be a commercially-available thing in the future though. Perhaps a folding accordion-style thing that looks sleek and which you can cut to variable lengths? That would be pretty cool.

When I have some free time I'll go to a HVAC supplier or my local hardware store. Get some 120mm silver ducting, make a snorkle up to to my a/c and tape it to the front panel intake fan for my cpu. Ive thought about the silver ducting for my wind chute thing aswell. Unsure tbh. Itll be either the 120mm silver ducting instead of the cardboard or I need to find a friend with a 3d printer willing to help first haha. I would prefer the 3d printed chute, solid walls, no turbulent wind from the edges of the silver ducting, better static pressure.

[RevGAM]

I suggest that you look at low- friction material for the duct to get the best results, and put a phase-changing TIM on your CPU. Honeywell PTM7950 pad or paste is one such choice. 

[Madmaximus01]

1 minute ago, RevGAM said:

I suggest that you look at low- friction material for the duct to get the best results, and put a phase-changing TIM on your CPU. Honeywell PTM7950 pad or paste is one such choice. 

I've seen those. I agree they're great, and overall technically are better, by a degree or two or three. They're an extremely long-term solution, never have to replace it basically....i cbf. Can't remember what the thermal paste was i used initially but i remember thinking it was the bees knees. When my current paste starts losing its performance by an obvious margin, I'll probably look at it and consider my options, which will probably be in a few years im hoping.

[alyen]

You could have just used a single piece of cardboard and folded in the direction where the corrugated fiber bends easier to use less tape . Some cardboard from a monitor or motherboard box might make it look a little nicer if you find something with a picture or logo in the right place.

[Blue4130]

17 hours ago, Madmaximus01 said:

When I have some free time I'll go to a HVAC supplier or my local hardware store. Get some 120mm silver ducting, make a snorkle up to to my a/c and tape it to the front panel intake fan for my cpu. Ive thought about the silver ducting for my wind chute thing aswell. Unsure tbh. Itll be either the 120mm silver ducting instead of the cardboard or I need to find a friend with a 3d printer willing to help first haha. I would prefer the 3d printed chute, solid walls, no turbulent wind from the edges of the silver ducting, better static pressure.

Just be careful with that, ducting cold AC air long term can cause condensation if you are not careful. Also, make sure that you leave some airflow for your VRMs. Nice job though. Proof of concept done, now make it look a little more presentable.

[Madmaximus01]

11 hours ago, Blue4130 said:

Just be careful with that, ducting cold AC air long term can cause condensation if you are not careful. Also, make sure that you leave some airflow for your VRMs. Nice job though. Proof of concept done, now make it look a little more presentable.

It shouldn't cause condensation, it's only 18 degrees celcius? When I'm home my pc is on, I have no periods of time where my pc is off & my a/c is on, apart from when I'm asleep. I'll probably make something to hang off the a/c that can hold the tubing so I can remove it when im not using it. My VRM's have cooling. Thats why i have those noctua 40mm 5000 rpm fans. i have them secured right above the VRM with those noctua anti vibration mounts. I assure you I have accounted for everything in my case lol. I have 10 fans, 13 if u count my gpu. My 3 intake fans, cpu fan & 2 exhaust fans are all connected to a hub which is connected to the CPU fan header. All same speed, all same airflow. 3 intake 2 exhaust ensures I have positive pressure. Those 2 little 5000rpm fans (both connected to a different but same header) don't contribute enough airflow to give me negative pressure.

Edited December 14, 2023 by Madmaximus01

[Madmaximus01]

On 12/12/2023 at 1:49 AM, freeagent said:

Props for building and posting. You found out how well a duct can work, even with a bunch of iPPC fans.

What do u mean by even with a bunch of iPPC fans? I expected improvement with my jank duct system with these fans considering they're arguably noctuas best 120mm fans, topping out at 3000rpm with decent static pressure. Genuinely asking here. Not being sarcastic or facetious.

Edited December 14, 2023 by Madmaximus01

[Madmaximus01]

20 hours ago, alyen said:

You could have just used a single piece of cardboard and folded in the direction where the corrugated fiber bends easier to use less tape . Some cardboard from a monitor or motherboard box might make it look a little nicer if you find something with a picture or logo in the right place.

I thought about that, I pictured myself having to bend & fold over & over trying to find the exact right bend points so everything was snug as hell. So much so I'd probably destroy the cardboard. My intake fan & the fan on my cpu are also not quite level with each other. Requiring slightly different lengths of cardboard at bottom and top to make sure theyre snug and will stay put. The logo thing, I honestly dont care, I'm happy with my cooking pot cardboard box wind chute. Swisstech wind chute, now that sounds fancy dont u think haha.

[freeagent]

25 minutes ago, Madmaximus01 said:

What do u mean by even with a bunch of iPPC fans? 

I was just saying that even with iPPC you would be able to notice a difference. I have a bunch of iPPC 140s and a 120.

[Madmaximus01]

12 minutes ago, freeagent said:

I was just saying that even with iPPC you would be able to notice a difference. I have a bunch of iPPC 140s and a 120.

So your saying, they're already amazing fans & the fact I found more improvement with them is suprising? Because they're already so good? I apologise, I think I'm not fully understanding the context of your answer.

Edited December 14, 2023 by Madmaximus01

[freeagent]

I wouldn’t call them amazing. I was just trying to compliment you man.

 

I hate iPPC fans if I am honest.

[Madmaximus01]

Picked this up at my local hardware store. The Jank aircooling setup continues. Will update

[Madmaximus01]

i have finished the Jank as hell A/C cooling setup. the 3m tape is the main VIP here haha. I am now getting a solid sub 30 degrees idle. Sub 40 degrees using web browsers and general applications of varying types. It is quite typical for me to get a spike to 45-50-60 when opening any app, which will then drop down to somewhere around 40-50 degrees depending on the app. Getting sub 60 degrees gaming on average. Games such as God of War and others like it ie: Graphically intensive games flirt with the 60-degree mark. I think I've smashed this one out of the park. Pushed it as far as i can go without going to complete bonkers extremes. My masterpiece is complete!

Edited December 20, 2023 by Madmaximus01