Fractal Design Define C 144hz Heat

Milb

New member
Hi all

This is my first post on the forum so I am hoping that I don't get too much flack from everyone here as I am just looking for some opinions on what I may be able to do to solve this issue.

I have recently been fortunate enough to build myself a new machine which includes an i7 7700k and a gtx 1080ti I chose to use the fractal design define c case as I really liked that it was compact and the way that it looked in general.

Unfortunately I have a fitted desk under which I keep my computer to try and minimise any issues with dust I have a large chair mat that the machine sits on although I accept this is not perfect.

Anyway since having bought a 144hz monitor I have been experiencing some issues with heat levels. The temperatures within the machine are fine but the air expelled from the machine is causing the room to heat up a great deal and is uncomfortable for me.

The case currently has a h100iv2 in exhaust at the top along with two 120mm fans pulling in from the front and one for exhaust.

I was wondering on what people's thoughts were on some things i could try I have taken out the front dust filter and this seems to have helped slightly with more cool air being taken in. I am running the processor at stock 4.5ghz and have used offset mode to ensure that the voltage does not exceed around 2.2 volts But again this is not perfect. Also I have all windows doors open etc and this does help to relieve the situation obviously but I would like to see if there is anything I can do with the machine itself. I accept that in theory the machine will always put out the same level of heat but was wondering if the overall solution would be to rebuild in a bigger case with more interior space and perhaps room for even more fans and if this would help push more cold air in therefore reducing the heat of the air pushed out?

Any thoughts would be appreciated
 
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The way heat works the way you cool the pc does not affect the overall heat output.
(i hope you mean 1.2volts :D)

7700k has a tdp of 91w + the oc
If you use an Air cooler and the CPU gets 80c or h100i and it gets 50c, the heat output is still 91w + the ekstra for oc.
The h100 is just better at removing the heat from the core.
 
Hi

Yes sorry of course the voltage is just over 1.2volts. Thanks for that that pretty much confirms what I had thought as I guess the only solution is to increase the ventilation in the room and building into a larger case would not help! I guess at least it means I do not have to build the machine again!
 
Yes that's it. At first without the 144hz monitor there were no issues then I thought it was just because it had been a hot day but as time has gone on it now seems that there's just bucket loads of hot air!
 
Unless you water cool your GPU you'll get nothing but a heat increase from this case, I'm yet to see an air cooled GPU do well in this case. I'm fortunate enough to know that I get nothing but cool air from my RIG right now even with an ambient of 27c with the system sitting at 40c tops and that's from a 4790K & 1070 in a Define C on water.
 
Thanks for that interestingly previously to this I was using a gtx 1060 at 60hz in the same case and there were no issues. I do think it's a combination of the 1080ti and 144hz which produces so much more heat. In terms of a custom water cooling loop which cools both the cpu and the gpu this might be something I could explore but I am guessing would result in the same heat output essentially as per what has already been said previously?
 
Nah the heat output is almost eliminated with a custom loop as it's all transfered to the radiators, when I trialed my setup initially with a CPU AIO and founders edition the temps were rediculous. It's just that the Define C is too short for proper air flow to be effective enough.
 
Nah the heat output is almost eliminated with a custom loop as it's all transfered to the radiators, when I trialed my setup initially with a CPU AIO and founders edition the temps were rediculous. It's just that the Define C is too short for proper air flow to be effective enough.
You are getting this wrong ;) If anything watercooling ads heat because of gpu boost.
1060 is 120 watt TDP
1080 ti is 250 TDP

Lets forget about gpu boost. The GPU is 99% load its a founders edition so the core gets 84c. If i put a 560mm rad on it, it only goes to 40c.
In both cases the card uses the samme power, and has the same TDP.
The amount of heat is the same, the watercooling is just more efficient at moving the heat form one place to another = If the room is sealed, the temperature will become the same i both scenarios.

I knew i had seen a test :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oKIo0V0omg
 
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OK so what your saying is air or water it makes no difference.. and you'll use slinus to validate it.

Riddle me this, 26 - 27c ambient room temp and while rendering for 2 hours here are my temps.
sodvjsp.jpg


The air coming from the case is cool, unlike when it was on air. The Define C is an horrendous case for air cooling, it just whores heat.

EDIT: I should also add, while I don't run at 144Hz I do run dual 60Hz 1080p screens.
 
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I personally don't see how a Define C is a bad air cooling case. You have 3 fan intakes in the front and can have 3 exhaust. I'd say the GPU is the bigger problem on air. And with a founders card, you know it will run hot, so I don't see the point in blaming the case for that.
 
Thanks for all of the replies! I currently have two 120mm intakes and three exhausts with the h100 being at the top so as you say there are plenty of spaces for fans it's the same sort of structure as any other case just smaller! I was just reading that the 1080ti has a 250w TDP that's quite a big difference from the gtx 1070 which I have read has a 150w TDP. From reading this I can see that it's quite clear that re building into a bigger case will most likely not solve the issue however if I'm not correct about this please let me know! Also I don't think custom water cooling is something I will be able to do unfortunately as I don't have any experience with this and also there don't seem to be any blocks available for the evga 1080ti sc2 unfortunately.
 
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Guys please... It is elementary school physics. Your room will heat up exactly the same no matter what case you are using or what cooling that you are using if you keep all your components the same. Heat is coming out of them and going into the room. If you have water cooling that heat will travel faster from the components to the room, and the components will be cooler. You need to find the way to cool your room. If not AC unit, try to put fans and get the air moving out of the room.
 
OK so what your saying is air or water it makes no difference.. and you'll use slinus to validate it.
Disliking Linus don't change physics ;):D

Riddle me this, 26 - 27c ambient room temp and while rendering for 2 hours here are my temps.
But what was the temp in the room when you started, and is there good ventilation? :)
The air coming from the case is cool, unlike when it was on air.
gtx_1070_fe_3.jpg

13853373933_1420b27941_b.jpg

It all depends of the area the heat is spread over :). I have had a 1070 FTW Hybrid, and the air cumming from the 120mm rad was hot.


An @ both Wraith and Milb. The Hz of the monitor doesn't matter. V-Sync or fps cap matters.
If a PC plays a game putting out 120fps the GPU is working lets say 100%, if you have a 60Hz monitor it still runs 120fps with no-vsync. Turning V-sync on tells the GPU to only output 60fps = the load goes down = The heat as well.

I play Project Cars = Full GPU load = hot
I play World of Tanks, its capped at 120fps = not full load = not so hot.

Its not to talk down or anything, just trying to clear things out :)
 
My room has been 26 - 27c for the last week or so even with the windows open so I'd say my loop is performing admirably, this brings me to the fan set up I have 4 SP120s 2 as intakes pulling through the front rad and 2 exhausting through the top rad, all fans are running at 700rpm so quiet as a mouse. If I up the RPM I get worse cooling performance and it sounds like a jet engine, however if I remove the front dust filter with the fans at 700RPM I get lower temps still which leads me to believe that the filter is the issue by restricting the airflow too much. It's a fine balance with the Define C you have to find that happy medium, dust filtration, air flow and noise, I will over the next few weeks be experimenting with different dust filter mediums.

Founders cards expel the majority of their heat directly out the rear of the case, the heat build up within the case is generated from the back plate. AIBs are terribad for heat discipation as they circulate more than they expel.
 
Thanks for that! And yes I should of said the problem only occurs when games are uncapped and running close to 144fps! The room is quite small so obviously that makes the issue worse! I will try to think of some ways I could improve the ventilation window always open and a big desk fan perhaps!!
 
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