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The original was posted on /r/sffpc by /u/MetaSemaphore on 2024-01-21 12:43:28+00:00.
Just wanted to share this in case anyone else has a similair problem with their setup.
I have a Fractal Ridge gaming PC hooked up to my TV that is placed in a shelf in my TV console that is enclosed on all sides except the front. Because of the tight spacing, heat would get trapped and recycled by the fans, and the computer case would get uncomfortably hot to the touch after an hour or two of gaming, even on less demanding titles. I've been researching ways to fix this, but everything required either moving the PC or cutting holes in our TV Console (which I did not want to do).
I recently found some AC Infinity 120mm usb-powered blower fans on Amazon and picked up two of them. I placed one underneath the PC's GPU compartment (I have some custom feet I made out of an oak dowel, so it has enough clearance) and placed another at the top back of the cabinet to catch any hot air that rises.
Both are pointing toward the opening in front, and I can feel the hot air being pushed out by them.
Temperatures no longer creep up over time, and my case is cool to the touch, even after long sessions with my most demanding titles (like Jedi Survivor and Alan Wake 2 that pin my 6700xt to 90-100%). And as a bonus, my internal case fans/gpu fans don't have to work nearly so hard, so the whole setup is much quieter.
To make the fans turn on/off with the computer, I just had to make a couple changes in bios (turn off usb power in soft shutdown states) and Windows (disable fast startup--which hasn't made a difference in speed afaict).
Hope this helps someone with a similair HTPC hotbox.