SecretMethod70

Frankly, there's not much to this thread other than a single question: Are they worth it?

I'm interested in improving the cooling in my system, but I don't want to spend too much on it (no fancy water cooling ). Right now, I have an Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 with the stock heatsink/fan, and a GeForce 7950GT OC. I also have two case fans, one in front and one in back. I will be replacing my CPU fan with the ZALMAN CNPS9500, but I'm wondering if it might not also be a good idea to get a PCI slot fan. I would probably place it below the video card. Using PC Wizard 2007, I see that my video card is idling at about 60 degrees celsius and I figure it would be a good idea to try and get that down.

So, does anyone else have experience with PCI slot fans? Are they effective?

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Le temps détruit tout

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Plaid13

nope not really worth it. the key to keeping things cool is airflow you need a clear path in one spot and out another and passing over the processor on the way. i have found one 80 or 120mm case fan mounted on the side of the case just over the processor to work very welll for cooling just as long as you have exhaust fans over it in the back of the case somewhere. might need to cut a hole in the side of the case but its well worth it.

Baraka_Guru

I say wait until you have the Zalman up and running. It might work wonders, you never know. There's no sense adding another fan and therefore more noise if you find the CPU fan upgrade doing enough work. I've heard stock CPU fans are pretty rudimentary. The Zalman should have an impact on CPU temp.

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MikeSty

I say no - usually they are super cheap and will crap out quickly. They really are not worth it. If you want to keep the card cool, you'd be better off using the stock fan and building your own duct for it if you're really that concerned. That is, if it doesn't already take up two slots.

SecretMethod70

I should mention, my case already has an air duct over the processor. I'm pretty confident that the Zalman will make the CPU run much cooler, so that's not too much of a worry. I was just thinking the PCI slot fan might help the video card. The case itself isn't terribly hot, idling around 35-37 degrees. I also found a different one that apparently moves 35CFM (the first one I posted moves 10CFM).

__________________
Le temps détruit tout

"Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling

Lasereth

I have an Enermax PCI slot fan and it works great. It's REALLY powerful yet quiet enough to not be annoying. It pumps out more air than anything in my system besides my CPU fan. I have 4 case fans, the CPU fan, 2 hard drive fans, and the PCI slot fan in my lian-li. It's shoved in a cabinet underneath my desk enclosed and my CPU idles at 38-40c with the system temp being around 35c. I think they're totally worth it, simply because for $4.00, who cares if you don't like it? This isn't a tuniq tower or something ha ha.

Oh, and my other one I had did die and was annoyingly loud, so I recommend the Enermax version over the offbrand version.

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