eyalk4567 wrote on 2022-05-03, 09:44:
Cuttoon wrote on 2022-05-03, 05:21:
also, you realize that the P4 is well within the age of CPU temperature sensors? So what's the question to you?
If I need an intake fan or not for a PC like that?
Fair enough. 😀
Just make sure the PSU fan works. And since that is mainly to serve the PSU itself and often temperature controlled to do just that, install one more that evacuates air from the case, out back, if there's a spot for that.
Then, there needs to be some way for air to enter up front and from the lower half of the case: Any case from 2000+ will have sufficient openings in the lower front and many on the sides.
- Since a P4 system is ATX, the case will be ca. 1998 or newer, so I'm pretty sure it's just fine in that respect.
Additionally, you could get serrated slot brackets on the unpopulated slots for some additional intake - that's a good idea next to the graphics card.
Since the fans on the back will lower the pressure in the case, atmospheric pressure will take care of the rest.
There are only a few temperature critical parts in a PC. Some will cause instability if too hot, some may live longer if not:
- PSU
- CPU
- GPU
- motherboard northbridge
- voltage regulators on Mainboard, PSU or other parts
- RAM on motherboard and VGA, to a much lower extend
Most motherboards of that time will have at least two temperature sensors, CPU and case. Those get displayed in the BIOS setup, somewhere under "power management" or "PC health" or similar names.
40 °C is usually nothing to worry about for the inside of the case, 60 °C for the CPU - apart from that, CPUs have official specification. Since P4s aren't rare or expensive, there's little incentive to run it below its safe/stable temperature, as long as you don't want to overclock it.
There's a temp sensor in harddrives of that time, that's called the smart function and may be displayed in Windows or with certain tools in Windows or tools from the respective manufacturer like "seatools" for seagate drives, etc. Again, beyond the data on that drive, not really critical.
Even many 2000+ GPU should have a temp sensor, readable with certain tools like the riva tuner or included in manufacturer drivers, IIRC. But if 3D runs stable, it's probably fine.
There should be some basic airflow to the array of voltage regulators on the mainboard - usually taken care of by the CPU fan and the little gaps in the ATX backplate.
So, roughly, as long as case temp stays below 50°C and all the other sensors within specification, there's really no reason to worry.
That's how you know you have sufficient ventilation - it's not about the fan count. 😉