Recommended heatsink for Phenom ll 955 (95W) upgrade (yes, really!) for CQ5521F Compaq Presario HP PC

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silversongshelties

silversongshelties

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Hey all, I'm cheaping out and upgrading my old pc until I'm comfortable spec-ing out a few $K on a gaming sys. Believe it or not, I'm running a 7 yr old Compaq Presario HP CQ5521F PC which I've updated HD and GPU over the years. I"m going at it again, this time upgrading the CPU to a Phenom 11 955 (95W) and adding 8 GB RAM (from existing 3GB). Old CPU is 45W AMD Athlon ll X2 220, supplied PSU is 250W.

I've nabbed the CPU upgrade for cheap off ebay, same for memory. I'll look at PSU next, but I'm wondering if I need to upgrade the heatsink that came stock? I can't find anything on it on HP Support. Should I just make my additions and monitor the CPU temp before going out and buying a new fan/cooler/heatsink for this old girl? Or bite the bullet and buy a new heatsink for her (I wasn't caluculating this into the upgrade price...huh, silly me!)

Opinions appreciated!
 
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silversongshelties

silversongshelties

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Thanks! Some pretty inexpensive options listed there. I see there are double fan heat sinks as an option...I've not seen those installed, curious as to how they are attached to the CPU? With or without thermal compound? Trying to picture how that works.
 
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silversongshelties

silversongshelties

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I've been looking at the installs for the 212 EVO , Cryorig and BeQuiet and other side mount coolers and mounting looks/sounds more complicated than need be. Would a simple heftier heatsink like this 90 watt work as well? Under $10 on Amazon at the moment https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007BVCBOE/?tag=pcpapi-20
 
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Karadjgne

Karadjgne

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Raijintek Aidos. It's a 92mm cooler with almost identical performance to the far larger hyper212 and will fit the amd sockets.

Here's the issue. That's a 90w TDP cooler. Your cpu will be 95w TDP. TDP for the cpu isn't max heat output at max loads, TDP is heat output at nominal, everyday loads. Peak power is max heat and runs about 1.5x the TDP. Recommended is a cpu cooler rated at at least 1.5x - 2x cpu TDP. That'd be a minimum cooler of @140w, which is also the TDP of the hyper212 and most other budget coolers.

That Arctic 64 at 90w would be far better suited for a 65w or below cpu, so would work ok for a stock value Ryzen 1600, 1500x etc (it's the AM4 version cooler) but not for your phenomII or for the 1600x/1700x at 95w.
 
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silversongshelties

silversongshelties

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Thanks Karadjgne, you answered some questions for me re: cooler watts vs CPU that I was struggling with! Also, does adding a second fan (i.e. push/pull) increase the watt rating on a stand up cooler? My mobo only has two 12v fan connectors anyway and they're taken by cpu and PC, so no more fans for me....but maybe bigger lol

Funny how the more I learn on this first project, the more questions I have :).
 
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Karadjgne

Karadjgne

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Both dictate ram. The motherboard has a range of frequency it supports and a physical limitation, it's either ddr2, ddr3 or ddr4 etc. The cpu also has a range of frequency it supports. As to the phenom, it'll support upto 1333, ddr2 caps at 1066, ddr3 caps at 1333, depending on which mobo is used.
For best performance and best OC speeds when bumping the FSB multiplier, most go with the max speeds supported, but there's not that much difference between the ram at closer to stock or small OC. Using ddr2 800 won't be an issue as the cpu can do that speed, it'll handle down to 533 with no worries. It'll just be slower than the same cpu on a ddr3 1333 ram/mobo combo.
 
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silversongshelties

silversongshelties

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You could teach this. Nicely explained once again. Thanks!
 
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clutchc

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If you want to use a cooler that mounts similar to the 212 EVO, first be sure your existing cooler is using the standard AMD retention bracket. The mounting kit for the 212 EVO requires that you remove the retention bracket and use the holes for installation of the new cooler.
Next, be sure you feel it is worth the effort to remove the motherboard, because that is what will probably be required on your Presario if there is no access to the back of the motherboard (i.e. if the motherboard tray has no access opening).

You may want to stay with a quick and easy installation using the existing retention bracket (if yours has that), using something like the inexpensive (but effective) 130W Cooler Master T2. Snaps right on where the existing cooler was.

 
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silversongshelties

silversongshelties

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Yes, thanks I'd prefer to just use the existing retention system (I'm not liking the thought of removing my mobo for installation), but finding CPU coolers that use this is proving to be more difficult than I imagined. I looked at the Hyper Blizzard T2 but didn't realize it had a bracket retention system (yeah!), but I also thought that I'd need better than 95 watts cooling since the TDK is a base, not max, number? Referring back to Karadjgne's wisdom here, I'd be looking for a 125watt or better?

Coolermax has a nice spec sheet http://www.coolermaster.com/tdp-and-socket-compatibility/ and both the Hyper T2 and T2 mini are rated for 95 watts and have the same retention brackets (and are AM2+/AM3 compatible). I know I saw an amazing deal on the T2 on NewEgg.ca today at some point.

P.S. You guys are great! I just hope after all the time and effort the cpu actually works with the BIOS. That would be a kicker.


 
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Karadjgne

Karadjgne

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You'll be ok (if barely) with cpu, mobo and any gpu that plugs into the slot without extra power connectors. If the gpu requires additional power, that psu won't be enough by far, you'll be looking at 350w+.

Unfortunately, coolers in the 140w range usually require a better mount than what's available for the stock amd brackets, it's a weight and access thing. Stock style coolers are relatively small base, but will average only a 95w load at best. An alternative would be if you could get ahold of a stock FX 83xx cooler, as those were built for the 125w FX Cpus and all the brackets am3+ back to 939 use the same mount.
 
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