Safe smoke for PC?

[sammo450]

I recently finished my case mod, and I noticed that now the side is sealed the CPU and GPU are a few degrees hotter. I would like to spray some smoke into the intake fan to try and see what the airflow is doing, but I'm not sure if it will damage any components. Does anyone here know of any 'safe' smoke to use?

[raydan42]

I don't recommend trying smoke. I don't think many people have tried it, because it's pretty useless. Your computer case is small enough for you not to have to worry about that, and if it is a good brand, then it will have been tested for good air flow. I'm assuming that it is a new case you have. If you have less fans on your new case then less air will be entering the case. If your fans are smaller, then they have to spin faster to move the same amount of air. If you installed new components, then remember that they will produce more heat, and therefore will heat up the case a bit, because the case has to dispel more heat than normal.

If you've got the money, and are worried about the temperatures, then get water cooling, you can get some really good GPU and CPU coolers that are prebuilt, and only require you to fit them in the case.

[gary67]

Depends on what you are using to create the smoke, obviously cigarette smoke would be a no go but I can't see the harm in some dry ice smoke for a brief few seconds although I personally wouldn't do it to mine

[pablo d]

I recently finished my case mod, and I noticed that now the side is sealed the CPU and GPU are a few degrees hotter. I would like to spray some smoke into the intake fan to try and see what the airflow is doing, but I'm not sure if it will damage any components. Does anyone here know of any 'safe' smoke to use?

Don't have an answer for you sorry, but I've actually always wanted to try this myself.

I was tempted to try ciggy smoke but even *if* it didn't damage anything and *if* it didn't leave a residue, it would probably still leave a stink

I'd assume some sort of vapour would be best, like dry ice as per above post.

Hmm, just googled it and yeah there are things that generate smoke by vaporising mineral oil. Not sure where to buy/how much though.

If all else fails, what's your favourite type of incense?

[pctek]

Haha, I worked at British Paints once. There was a small lab within the main lab where we colour matched automotive paints, the chemistry guys mixed volatile chemicals etc etc.

One guy came an got a smoke off me and he and the boss went into the little lab and lit it. Apparently to test the extractor fans.

I was rather alarmed as any kind of fire was forbidden within a radius of that entire building.

Still nothing exploded, we didn't die and the smoke worked very well apparently.

I hardly thing a few seconds of testing it would harm the PC.

[pablo d]

Yeah perhaps a menthol would be best :>

[Terry Porritt]

You would get more information by placing thermocouples at various places around the inside of the case. Just watching smoke being drawn into the case wont reveal anything other than air is being drawn in.

Another flow visualistion technique is to suspend fine threads and see how they move, but it is only qualitative, not a quantitative method.

Some of the best cooling is by having a fan or tunnel on the case side directing flow straight at the cpu and at the chipsets on the motherboard, it can be a mistake to seal off the side of a case.

[sammo450]

It's not a good case, it's a Raidmax. Thanks for the suggestions guys, I'm pretty sure cigarettes would leave a residue(and I have an aversion to their smoke anyway). Maybe the mineral oil would work.

[Gobe1]

Firestations use peanut oil to test smoke filled rooms, safe to breath, dunno where you would get any tho

[tweak'e]

have you missed the basics.....
what the case temp doing?
ie motherboard temp.