P4 Overheating issue when rendering

[3d_aminator]

I have a Pentium 4 Processor (3.0 GHZ) that I use for editing using Premiere Pro 1.5. The system is pretty basic and seems to do what I need so far. My question pertains to heat- and getting it down to acceptable levels when I convert my timelines into MPEG for DVD publishing. I do this typically in Encore.

Am I the only one who gets extreme temperature climbs when converting clips? It seems this process really taxes the system resources. I am not sure where the extra heat comes in, but it reaches unacceptable levels in my present setup.

The moment the computer begins the process- the heat levels begin to increase consistently! I've had to open windows, turn off the monitor (a heat source), and think of ways to cool down the entire room. Crazy, but true. My case is respectable and it's got plenty of fans. It's a high end Thermaltake with temperature readouts and fan speed controls. (Obviously I keep them maxed out speedwise).

I am looking at P4 cooling fans. I have a 478 socket- any reccomendations? Am I on the right track to solving this problem or is the heat being generated by the drives too? I realize dust and overall airflow play critical roles in any P4 machine, but there's something to the rendering process that really slams the system hard. Am I missing something obvious here? All fans seem to be operating correctly...

[redcap]

Upgrade your A/C or maybe give liquid cooling a shot. I have no idea what is "acceptable" to you. I can work in a room 80 degrees warm and up.

Obviously when your NLE editors render its going to go as fast as it can, and have you seen the heat sink on a P4? I'm sure you have. If its not going as fast as it can you're wasting all the goodness within.

I have my computers in another room. Perhaps you could fashion a special box you could put outside, or fashion a heat vent to redirect the air out of your room and into the atmopshere.

Or you could take off your shirt. That'd probably cool things down too.

Heck in the winter my 1.8 DP G5 can double as a space heater. Think of it as an undocumented feature.

[thisiswells]

http://www.ahajokes.com/cartoon/bigfan.jpg

"Everything's Big In Texas"

[Frizzle Fry]

3d, are you saying the heat levels are unacceptable for YOU or for your CPU? Obviously these machines generate a lot of heat, especially when rendering and the CPU is constantly at work. Maybe if you replaced your CRT monitor with an LCD that would help a little. Otherwise, get some oscillating fans and try to blow that hot air out the door of the room. That should help some.

[soarprod]

My computer is in a closet rack to keep the editing/mixing room quiet - it used to get hot when I would render but I run liquid cooling now :) If you are concerned, change cases and be sure to run the default intel cooler or the zalman big wide one (looks like a inverted bell that has lots of fins) - most other air coolers are crap. If you go water cool, I recommend the Cooler Master Aquagate (silver box the size of two CD drives - lots of mounting options with this one) go to: www.frostytech.com

[3d_aminator]

My personal comfort was not the issue. My processor reaches levels that trigger the alarm on my fan controller/temperature readouts built into the case. Normal operating temp is around 35 degrees for me-- when I render this temperature goes up slowly-- up into the high fifties- eventually triggering the alarm on my temperature gauges.

It sounds like I am definitely going to go down the road of supplementary cooling inside the case. Thanks for the replies.

[Frizzle Fry]

Check around online to see what the max operating temp of your CPU is...maybe your alarms are triggering at too low a temp? Otherwise, I remember talking to a guy who overclocked the hell out of his CPU and GPU. Ran liquid cooling, plus had a ventilation system running from his case to the outside of his house. Yes, he had a chimney on his computer. hehe. Good luck!

[soarprod]

My intel gage on my pc says that 65-75 degrees is getting too hot - under 65 seems to be fine.