Maximum PC

I have an Alienware Aurora that I have since upgraded the graphics card and power supply unit on. The old graphics card was an Nvidia Geforce GTX 260. It was underperforming in most modern games and was unable to run many of them. When I upgraded, I mainly wanted a better card that was DirectX 11 capable. What I got was an EVGA Nvidia Geforce GTX 470(Fermi) with I think 1280 MB of RAM. It was more than adequate at the time, and for a good while afterwards; especially compared with what I had before it.
The only real problem I have had with the current card is heat. While I can run most new games fine in other regards, I have to dial-down the graphics settings. Even then, a few of the more recent games cause the card to reach 80-95 degrees under heavy load; the card averages between 40-50 degrees at idle. While playing a game, I am also running my gpu fan at 100%. In one or two games, I have also begun using a standard household floor fan to help move the air on the outside of my case.
I am currently looking for ways that I might be able to solve this thermal issue. I have considered things such as an aftermarket gpu fan or heatsink – the ZALMAN VF3000F(GTX470/465) VGA Cooler with dual 92mm fans was recommended to me. Perhaps I just need another internal or external case fan? I’d like to think that this is something that just adding another fan or two can solve. Before you ask, I clean the inside of my PC case about every two months or so, it results in less of a thermal problem for a while afterwards. I may need to clean it more often and it is due for a cleaning shortly.
One or two possible options involve the actual graphics card itself. While I would dearly love to just go and buy a wholly new 500-series Nvidia card, I can’t really afford that expense right now. Nor do I want to just ditch the current card, the GTX 470. I am thinking about trying to pick up a second GTX 470 and running them in SLI, but I know very little about SLI. At the very least, I would need to know if they both need to be the same brand (EVGA) or if any make of a GTX 470 would work in SLI? Finding another EVGA GTX 470 for a reasonable price may be a problem. My other option is to just go ahead and buy the best 500-series GTX that I can afford right now. A good number of them seem to cost roughly the same as a GTX 470 anyways. I am looking for any recommendations regarding the best price/performance for the 500-series of cards; ideally, I would like to find the so-called “Sweet Spot.”
I am most interested in what my best option is, in terms of price, performance, and improved thermals. I am also hoping to avoid having to upgrade my gpu again anytime soon.

It really depends on which Aurora case you have and how your cooling is setup. The 400 series cards are notorious for being power hungry and hot. You can help mitigate your heat issues with using a slot cooler like this (link) from newegg.

aftermarket GPU cooler generally dump more heat into the case than the stock "blow most out the back" cooler. that may make it worse if the case is starved for airflow.

sounds like you need more air into the case. perhaps upgrade the intake fan(s).

the image of the computer I saw just has one intake fan. is that really the case?

yeah, its hard to tell which case he has exactly since they had like 3 different kinds around that time.

i am not really sure how to tell which iteration of the aurora case i have. i know that they came out with a few revisions of it after i ordered mine. i think that i have either the original one or the R1 case. it was shipped to me around 1/15/2010. the information that came with the system isn't very informative. it doesn't even mention fans. the Alienware Command Center lists only 2 fans as being in use, not including the gpu fan. i think i recall seeing more than that on the inside of the case - they just arent turned on for some reason. i used Speedfan to see what it could detect; it indicated around 4 fans total, of which only 2 are running( the main intake fan and the gpu fan. in addition to the main intake fan, there is a vented area along the top of the case. i am not sure if there are any fans there or if it just a passive intake.

it really does sound like i need in the way of internal fans and ways to move the air in-and-out of the case. i actually have a Slot fan like the Rosewill one that was linked. i will try to add that when we open the case up for a cleaning this week. i will also be looking to account for any and all fans inside the case.

thanks everyone!

take a picture, upload it, post.

sorry, but i am not exactly sure what part to take a picture of. honestly, i cant tell one aurora case from another; i cant see the difference between the one i have and any of the R1, R2 or R3 versions i have seen. the aurora that i have looks no different than this one i found a video of on youtube: at least externally.

i need to head out for a few hours and cant post anything more in depth until later. i will also be stopping by a store to see what they have in the way of fans.

The biggest problem with alienware cases is the inefficient airflow design, specially the inlet due to the fan being covered by the face plate and the fact that the duct that's suppose to help suck in air is at the bottom and really pretty small. Then there's only one outtake fan, which is being used for the LC cpu setup. You could probably add another fan to the LC for a push pull cooling that might help with getting some of the cpu heat out of the case better.

I really can't tell in that video if there are more than 2 fans and like you said, the air vent on top doesn't seem to have any fans there; its prime for one or two. Might be a good idea to take the case apart and start to do a few case mods and add some fans up there, drill a few holes. If you feel especially bold, you could cut into the side of the case and add in a big 120/140 or even a larger 220mm fan. You could also replace the existing fans with better high flow CFM fans of the same size.

hi again. sorry i didnt get back and post prior to this. i had some issues with getting the time to set up the fans and clean my pc last night. i picked up both an 80 mm and a 120 mm antec case fan from my local best buy. neither they nor the nearby staples had any of the Cyclone slot fans in stock. we ended up having to dig out one of our old pcs from storage to pull out its slot style fan.

i spent most of the day today cleaning, dusting, and tidying up my case. prior to putting the new fans in, i looked at where my existing fans were and any possible places to put the new ones. first thing i noticed was that i had no spare slots near my sound card and graphics cards. the other slot is taken up by, i think, an ethernet card. i took out the existing intake fan on top - it was diminutive compared to the 80 mm one. however, i had to give up mounting the new 80 mm one in the same spot after i spent nearly a full two hours trying to get the screws tightened. there just wasnt enough clearance! i ended up using a screw mount a few inches towards the rear of the case for that fan. the other fan, the 120 mm one, was much easier. it went in nicely against the radiator that is part of the liquid cooling set up. the radiator is now sandwiched between two 120 mm fans on the back of the case.

while i am pleased with how things are now, and quite proud of myself for the job i did, it was not perfect. neither the Alienware Command Center nor Speedfan seems to recognize that i added any new fans. i admit that i am not sure how the would. it was mostly around the graphics card area that i needed a lower temperature under load. the rest of the sensors indicate that things are nice and chilly at idle. how cold is too cold? the sensors for the other fans (memory & cpu) indicate a low enough temp that they hardly, if ever, rev up for more than a few moments. i think i would need an actual "Fan Controller" to, you know, control all the fans.

i would love it if it was possible to mount a fan internally at a speficic location near the graphics card. i would like to somehow blow more air over/across the gpu. the nearest thing i've come across for this might be something like Antec's SpotCool : http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?id=ODAmMTU=. i am not sure how effective that would be though.

i ran a few of the games that were giving me heat troubles and saw a good 10-15 degree drop under load. things went from 95+ degrees at times to no more than about 85 degrees. yay!

on a final note, i did not come away unscathed. i ended up slicing the tip of my thumb open trying to trim a washer that i wanted to use to help dampen the vibrations of the new fans.

Glad to hear the temps dropped a good amount after increasing the inner case thermodynamics. At the same time I would caution that even 85C is a tad too high for the everyday gamer. Even though this GPU can infact operate effectively at this temp, it will take it's toll on your GPU after numerous gaming sessions on and off over time. If it was my GPU, I would either be adding/configuring case fans further to find a sweet spot, and possibly changing the GPU's thermal compound over the chip.

You should be fine when the GPU is loaded and at 85C, but it can be improved to help prolong the integrity and life of your GPU. I personally run my GPU's fans at 70% throughout a gaming session by using RivaTuner. This helps keep my GPU's cool by having the fans ALWAYS fixed at 70%, rather than fluxuating low and high as per driver programmed functions during gaming. I will also note that I reset my GPU's in RivaTuner to their normal fan speeds after being done gaming, to ensure a longer life in the fan motors. Long story short, set up your fans to bring cool air into your case where components intake them most. Just ensure that the hot air produced by the hotter components are expelled out of the case directly.

i am still working on this to get it working to my satisfaction. i reopened the case yesterday, to see if i had merely freed up dust and moved it around. i wanted to see if anything had accumulated on the outlet fans as well. while i had her open, i gave her a slight bit of power to run the fans. turned out that one of my fans, the 3-speed 80 mm fan, was not even spinning! i am going to be returning it today. one part of the casing on the fan juts out and catches on the fan blades, preventing it from spinning.

when i had opened up the case last, i had some issues locating enough of the right type of connectors for the fans. i looked everywhere this time, i think i have more fans than places to connect them to! i will be looking into getting a Y-splitter connector this weekend. and i am thinking of picking up a dedicated Fan Controller unit, as well.

i to have the latest gen Alienware Aurora..although its sitting in some corner collecting dust atm.

my rig also suffered from heat issues especially since i was running SLI,and those dinky little fans that Dell sticks in there are useless.

best thing that i did was run the system with the side panel off,and pop open..hell even take off the cover for the GPU's which acts as a funnel for the cool air,but those shitty fans don't move enough air to make any difference.

IMO just open the case up while you game..it sure can't hurt it.

^unless you spill beer on it or your cat jumps in it... then you'll have to explain to your friends that your drunk pussy fried your gaming rig... lol jk

hi once more. i am still getting my gpu thermal issue completely resolved. while adding a few more fans (enough so that i bought a fan controller) has reduced my problem to a manageable level, i aint fully satisfied with it. which leads me to some new questions. i was able to determine that my Dell/Alienware Aurora is an R1 model (it was indicated somewhere when i recently reinstalled windows 7). i am currently trying to get more airflow both into the case and out of it.

Question 1: is there a way to actually visibly 'see' how the air moves in and out of my case? i wish i had something safer to produce smoke than say, cigarettes or incense. i considered trying to use a fog machine or just dry ice. what i need it something that will produce smoke that will not damage or make the inside of my case dirty/dusty.

Question 2: i am most interested in increasing the airflow in through the lower front of my case. currently i have 2 fans somewhat near that area for that purpose; but i am not sure how effective they are. they are both around 100 mm and came preinstalled. the first one is labelled as the HD fan and is located about halfway between the HD drive and the psu, at about the midway point on the bottom of the case. the other fan is labeled as the PCI fan and is located a quarter of the way between the front of the case and the gpu. it draws cool air in across the Master i/o Board before it sends it along to the butt end of the gpu. both of these fans are currently controlled by the Alienware Command Center, and are left to run at around 30%. i am considering plugging them in to my fan controller instead. this leads me in to my next question.

Question 3: would it be more effective - in terms of both airflow and noise levels - to increase the speed of those two existing fans to obtain more air intake from the front, or should i try to place a new fan or two closer to the front of the case where the air actually comes in? i am looking to add either a 70 or 80 mm fan to those areas.

Question 4: is there an easy way to test the effectiveness of any changes i make to my fan set up? right now i am needing to do trial runs using each new set up while the computer is under load for a good while.

The easiest way to see airflow is to use dry ice and water in a bucket placed next to your inlets. Go to your local hardware store and pick up a large enough acrylic panel to replace the side door. You can cut to size and try to fit it in snugly or just get it as close as possible and tap it; then use something like puddy to seal up any cracks.

it took you 8 years in college to learn to spell putty?

English isn't my language, its Engrish... mmk. No matter how well I try to learn spelling. I just suck at grammar. Give me a math problem and I can do that.