[Kaitlyn2004]

So I have a HTPC setup

MI-008 case
E5700 CPU
120mm exhaust fan on the side

After having it running for ~1 hr it ends up heating up where the internal fan(s) become much more audible.

I just opened Core Temp and it has the cores jumping around 40-45 degrees right now (mostly on the lower end). This seems quite high...

I did put thermal paste between heatsink/fan which I believe was applied quite well. One main issue I think is that the case's PSU basically sits right on top of the CPU heatsink... I think hot air is getting trapped. There may be other issues too... I don't know

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions about what I could do to help address the heating issue?

[clayfree]

Are you using a stock cooler? I am not very fond of them as they can be loud. You might be able find a larger cooler that has a bigger(quieter) fan.

I've owned that case and it is can be tight but I've only run Atom/M350 low power chips in it. I'm sure an E5700 generates more heat.

[MidnightWatcher]

Make sure the heatsink is making good contact with the CPU. And definitely toss the stock HSF like clayfree suggested.

[Kaitlyn2004]

Any recommendations on an alternative heatsink? It can't be even 1mm taller than the stock one... (and ideally quieter! )

I thought stock heatsink fans actually got better lately?

[numb7rs]

Core temperatures of 45°C is perfectly healthy.

Instead of drastic changes like the CPU heat sink, you could add a fan to pull air into the case, like in this review of it.

Another problem that may be causing high noise levels, as you hinted at, is that the PSU vent fan is right above the CPU fan. There may be some sort of battle going on between the fans. You can test this by running the PC with the PSU moved out of the way, to see if temperatures improve. I suggest that you unplug all the PSU cables, remove it, then plug the cables back in through the hole where it normally sits. This way you can replace the shell of the case, to avoid changing two variables in your experiment

If you find that this helps, I would consider two options:
- Replace the PSU with a PicoPSU, and fit a fan that sucks air in where the PSU used to be.
- Replace the stock heat sink with a larger model, and use the PSU fan to pull air over it.

If you go for the second option, I would suggest that you orient the heat sink so that the fins lie side to side in the case, and fit a case fan, as described in the review I linked to.

[PatrickVogeli]

45 degree high 45 is a perfectly safe and fine CPU temp. I'd worry when you get past 80.

[DavidT99]

Core temperatures of 45°C is perfectly healthy.

Instead of drastic changes like the CPU heat sink, you could add a fan to pull air into the case, like in this review of it.............

Isn't that fan sucking air out rather than pulling air in?

I never know which is better.....so tend to orientate the fans to suck air out of my HTPC's.

David

[Kirky99]

I've heard blowing into the case helps increase pressure which keeps dust down.

[DavidT99]

I've heard blowing into the case helps increase pressure which keeps dust down.

But aren't you sucking dust into the case this way and hence making it worse?

David

[numb7rs]

But aren't you sucking dust into the case this way and hence making it worse?

If you have a fan blowing air in or out of the case, dust is going to get in, regardless of direction. There's still the same amount of air moving through the case.

If you have the fan as an outlet, air moves into the case through all the little holes, building up dust in hard to reach places.
If you have an intake fan instead, air only enters the case through the fan. This means that, if you're worried about dust, you can put a filter over the fan to catch it all. You can't (easily) put filters over all the other little holes in the case.

In small cases, I have a single intake fan. This also makes it easier to direct airflow to where I want.

In large cases, I have a mixture, with one or two extra intakes, to ensure, as Kirky99 said, that the pressure inside is slightly higher than that outside.

[outatouch0]

So, based on the discussion above, are you actually having an overheating issue or simply a fan noise issue?
What other evidence besides fan noise indicates overheating?
This could simply be a bad fan bearing or somesuch?

[uncola]

I had that same case with an e5200 and a 3.5" hard drive. It also ran about 40-45C. That's a healthy temp. The case WAS a little noisy.. I eventually replaced the PSU with a picopsu and the 3.5" drive with a 2.5" drive. It got slightly quieter but it wasn't the drastic difference I expected. I suggest if you want something quieter get a mac mini. Or if you're ok with a slow psu, build a fanless dual atom/ion 2 build