Case fan question - Modern Warfare 2 Forum: Free Call of Duty MW2 Community

HBK · 08-30-2011, 12:43 PM

I'm thinking of installing another fan into my case. There's a top 200mm vent on top of the case that is empty, ready for the fan. Besides the vent there's another of exact same dimensions, already with a fan.

My question is: If I add that fan up there will it take away air for the CPU? (and possibly VGA's?)

I made a diagram of the air intake/outtake system - Viewer discretion advised, crude photoshopping:

Spoiler:

Thank you in advance.

oneinchwunda · 08-30-2011, 06:06 PM

Probably wouldn't make a lot of difference in temperatures for the amount of noise it would add. It would probably be more effective just to change what you have for some better fans.

**abc** · 08-31-2011, 07:50 AM

Less is more.

HBK · 08-31-2011, 04:29 PM

I'll keep the fans as they are then!

Thanks <3

Also, should I overclock my CPU when I set my 6950's in crossfire?

**abc** · 08-31-2011, 05:12 PM

You should use rivatuner to plot a CPU utilisation & GPU utilisation against time graph. Run the graph, play a game, quit the game.

If it's CPU limited then the CPU line will be at near 100% utilisation, whereas the GPU line will only be at say 60%. There is no point the GPUs "going quicker" as it would be wasted on the CPU. If you OC the CPU then the limit is raised and the GPUs can be used "more."

If the GPU line is at 100% and the CPU line is only at 70% then you should crossfire or OC the GFX cards. It'll be different for every game and every system.

E.g. for me COD games are all CPU limited, around 98% CPU and 60% GPU. Games like Far Cry 2 and BF:BC2 are majorly GPU limited so the CPU has lots of spare capacity whilst the GPU is going 100%.

I would argue, based on this (& furthermore that you're running a lower res), that a second 6950 is not at all needed atm. Get one when BF3 comes out if you must?

OzballO · 08-31-2011, 05:20 PM

Is this average fps max or min? What Cpu was being used? Reason I'm asking is because my 570 is running avg around 60 fps @ 1920x1080

**abc** · 09-01-2011, 08:08 AM

Claims to be average FPS & we can see that the CPU isn't a bottleneck from the fact that the fastest GFX card is significantly faster than the next fastest. However I 100% agree that techpowerup usually gives higher results than, say, guru3d.

P.S. the constant use of 1920x1200 as opposed to 1920*1080 in benchmarks really annoys me. I don't care if 1200 is the "standard" if everyone actually uses 1080.

Infact to backup my point I've just looked on newegg. They sell 201 different 1920*1080 monitors and only 22 in the 1920*1200 res.

OzballO · 09-01-2011, 08:27 AM

I was basing my FPS from Fraps while Playing BC2. I suppose there could be some difference but I wouldn't know. What would cause the CPU to be a bottleneck exactly? Mines running at 3.5 ghz @ 68% usage during gameplay so I would guess that it isn't bottlenecking the system.

Quote:

Originally Posted by abc

P.S. the constant use of 1920x1200 as opposed to 1920*1080 in benchmarks really annoys me. I don't care if 1200 is the "standard" if everyone actually uses 1080.

Infact to backup my point I've just looked on newegg. They sell 201 different 1920*1080 monitors and only 22 in the 1920*1200 res.

I was wondering myself why they do this. Glad I'm not the only one.

**abc** · 09-01-2011, 09:37 AM

Oh one other point on the benchmarks, one website will FRAPs 30 seconds of the first mission, another might FRAPs a 5 minute time demo of mission 6 = varying results.

Why a CPU bottlenecks, I dunno. Different games like different things though. Some games like more cores, some like more cache, some like clockspeed and generally most like a high FSB/HT-link/whatever-it's-called-these-days. I also wouldn't be suprised if those "utilisation" graphs don't paint the full picture more of a guide.

OzballO · 09-01-2011, 09:53 AM

Ah ok, so these numbers don't necessarily represent MP.

**abc** · 09-01-2011, 10:59 AM

Correct. Infact this raises the innacuracy of benching a game such as MOH 2010: SP uses a COD-style engine with high FPS low visuals, whilst MP uses the BC2 high visuals low FPS engine...

GTX570 must be nice.

OzballO · 09-01-2011, 11:08 AM

It's big.

HBK · 09-02-2011, 08:42 AM

Sorry guys, my internet was down for the last couple of days - stuttering a lot actually, so I'm posting from my mobile.

I'll download Rivatuner when my internet comes back online, VM said it should be back by 15:00 today.

Thank you again <3

**abc** · 09-02-2011, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OzballO

It's big.

At least it wasn't one of the ridiculous ones which come in a gun-shaped case...

HBK · 09-03-2011, 06:03 AM

Rivatuner only half-works for me, when I installed it, a pop up told me that my VGA wasn't supported fully :/

It doesn't give me any monitoring utilities - all of which that should be there by default. Maybe I'll find a plugin or something.

EDIT: I ran GPU-Z and task manager while playing the game and took this screenshot:
(I monitored the readings for a while too)

Spoiler:

SO I assume the CPU should handle another 6950 pretty well?

OzballO · 09-03-2011, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abc

At least it wasn't one of the ridiculous ones which come in a gun-shaped case...

Putting this in a shotgun case wouldn't have been a stretch.

**abc** · 09-03-2011, 02:41 PM

Good thing you went for the i7 HBK, the hyper threading is being utilised reeeeaaaallllyyyy well in that screenshot... :/

CPU looks like it's coping well

That's odd, Rivatuner are usually well, well, well ahead of the market. Make sure you've got the latest rivatuner and latest GFX card drivers. The people who wrote/own rivatuner are usually well ahead of the game (they're the people you go to when you want beta drivers etc...?!?!) The standard monitoring options are only really basic. You have to click the plug in tab, then enable the plug ins which are capable of reading different sensors. You then have to add those sensors to the graph. Not exactly quick.

oneinchwunda · 09-04-2011, 08:01 AM

@abc, notsureifserious.jpg

Rivatuner hasn't been updated for A LONG TIME. Don't you remember the developer going on to work for MSI on Afterburner?

I also remember now that I could never use Rivatuner's monitoring utilities on my HD6850; the options just weren't there.

**abc** · 09-04-2011, 02:19 PM

I r was serious. From left to right it's core 0 thread 0, core 0 thread 1, core 1 thread 0, etc. Every other graph appears to be at 0% from what i can see in the pic.

Nope, never heard of that happening. Nevermind then, I r wrong.

HBK · 09-04-2011, 03:01 PM

I'll get paid this coming Tuesday, so my new crossfire set up should be complete soon

I'll order a new modular PSU and some extensions to cope, so I'll update with some pretty case pictures this week

Mounting the VGA/support/fan extension and an airduct should FINALLY conclude my rig - WOOT.

Thanks for all the input on both of my threads, guys <3

Now, I'll task myself with measuring how loud the case is, I never thought I would find any use for the dB meter app on my iPod.

**abc** · 09-04-2011, 03:10 PM

"VGA/support/fan extension and an airduct"

Curious. From where to where? Looking like what? And how big? And to do what? Haven't seen an airduct since the first incarnation of HT!

HBK · 09-04-2011, 06:16 PM

Found some cool images of my case dissected

The VGA bracket can hold a 80mm fan:

Spoiler:

And the VGA air duct holds a 120mm fan:

Spoiler:

I'll see how it all fits in my case, might not be able to use the holder and duct simultaneously.

EDIT: I didn't know what you called that VGA holder thing, it's just called a bracket after all -__-;

EDIT 2: Pictures working.

**abc** · 09-04-2011, 07:04 PM

picture no worky.

oneinchwunda · 09-05-2011, 11:24 AM

Picture still no worky.

:sadface:

OzballO · 09-05-2011, 12:12 PM

pics work fo me =/

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