Xigmatek S1283 and 1090t a bit too hot?

[nickpan89]

My system is:

AMD 1090t @ 3.2 GHz
M/B M4A89GTD Pro
RAM 2x 2GB DDR3 Kingston @ 1600MHz
PSU Thermaltake 750W
VGA EVGA GTX275 896MB
CASE Sharkoon Rebel9 Value
COOLER Xigmatek HDT - S1283

With the stock cooler i had about 34 degrees celsius at a fan speed of about 2.500 rpm at idle and about 47 degrees at 3500rpm at load.
I decided to get the xig for it s good value for money ratio and to be able to overclock a bit without getting high temps..i installed it today and what i saw was 34 C at 950rpm idle and 43 C at 1000 rpm at load.

Shouldnt it be at least 10 degrees lower than the stock cooler? I also tried removing the paste and reaplying 3 times using different methods (finger in plastic bag/2 lines ) at each attempt but i still get the same temps...The thermal paste i use is arctic silver MX-3.. The M/B temp is around 32 - 35 C always... My room temp is about 28 C . Sorry for my english too.. ;-)

 

[L0tus]

"Shouldnt it be at least 10 degrees lower than the stock cooler?"

Not really. Xigmatek + mx3 is a good combo but a lot of these coolers really start to kick in at higher loads and temps. You will always see lower variances on idle.

Moreover, your case airflow could be poor. How many fans have you got in the peripheral and what's the configuration?

 

[nickpan89]

I dont have many fans installed, only one at the front blowing air inside and one at the rear of the case blowing out (120mm both of them). My case also had a 250mm fan on the left side which i had to remove for the cooler to fit... As for higher temps and loads, after 30 minutes of prime95 i had a stable temperature of 52 C while with the stock cooler it went up to 60 degrees in 15 minutes...Although i see difference at higher loads, i expected a drop of temp at idle according to benchmarks from different sites that tested the cooler..

 

[rwpritchett]

Here is an excellent how-to for applying thermal paste on HDT coolers such as the S1283:
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=38&limit=1&limitstart=5

I used the method that the author above used (fill in the gaps, then lines of paste) with success.

Also, one of the downfalls of AM2/AM3 mounting for tower coolers is that the bracket forces you to install the heasink/fan in a up/down position instead of sideways. If you don't have a fan at the top of your case or a PSU fan sucking out the trapped heat you may not see optimal temps. Xigmatek makes a bracket that will allow you to mount the heasink in the more sensible horizontal position (link). This may help since you have a rear exhaust fan that will suck hot air out of the case in line with the S1283.

 

[nickpan89]

As i said before, the first method i tried was the two lines. After the results i saw i tried the finger method which proved to be worse for about 4-5 C at idle and then i reaplied the two lines method as described at the site you provide. And so i have the temps you see at my first post.

As for the position of the cooler, it is indeed awkward as it is reaching above one of my dimm slots. I think anyone that uses a cooler such as this on an am3 board has to change the stock retention module. The problem for me is that i am from greece and it can be difficult(if not impossible) for me to find the bracket at the link you posted without having to order from abroad.

 

[rubix_1011]

Pull the side of your case, blow a house fan on high, into your case. Run benchmarks, see what your temps are.

If your temps are cooler than before, you have an airflow problem.

If the stay the same, you don't have adequate cooling on your hardware.

 

[nickpan89]

Now that s a good experiment i should do... I will try it and post the results...

 

[mcnuggetofdeath]

Seriously guys? You can't get below ambient temperatures unless you've got refrigerated cooling or LN2. If your ambient is 28*C, which is seriously hot by normal standards much less enthusiast standards, then be glad to only be 4*C above ambient at idle. With an ambient temperature of 25*C my overclocked Q6600 idles at 29*C. That is beyond normal, it means you've got decent cooling. The above are correct in assuming that paste application is a very important part of achieving decent temperatures, but the key determining factor is ambient temperature of the air. The air is what you're using to cool your components.

 

[nickpan89]

You said the magic word "overclocked"... My temperatures are the ones above with the stock clock settings and one more thing that is important is the architecture of each processor that allows low temps.. The new amd 6core processors are famous for their low temps, and i dont mean below the ambient but what i expected was about 30 C instead of 35-36...

 

[JofaMang]

Seriously guys? You can't get below ambient temperatures unless you've got refrigerated cooling or LN2. If your ambient is 28*C, which is seriously hot by normal standards much less enthusiast standards, then be glad to only be 4*C above ambient at idle. With an ambient temperature of 25*C my overclocked Q6600 idles at 29*C. That is beyond normal, it means you've got decent cooling. The above are correct in assuming that paste application is a very important part of achieving decent temperatures, but the key determining factor is ambient temperature of the air. The air is what you're using to cool your components.

He wasn't putting an huge emphasis on his idle temps, but his load temps. Please read carefully, and try a more constructive approach... no body wants a soapboxer, especially one who runs on about a small detail that the OP wasn't really stressing about.

Also, your assertion that 28c is "seriously hot by normal standards much less enthusiast standards" is pretty ignorant. You do know that most of the worlds population lives near the equator, where 28c is a cold day. Are you saying that the majority of the planet is unsuitable for computer usage (much less enthusiasts) without strong AC? Think a little more before you try to give "advice" please, there are lots of us who try to work with the issue at hand, and the soap boxers and preachers dilute the pool and can scare away people in need of some free advice.

 

[nickpan89]

Because a picture is worth 1000 words i uploaded above my results. Ambient temperature was 26C using an airconditioner in the room.

What i get from them is that my case doesnt have a big airflow problem. Now i would like to hear the opinion of someone that has the same (or of similar design) cooler to advice me if these numbers are expected. If not, then what is the solution.. Also, what do you guys think, should i go on and overclock or buy a better case/cooler?

 

[4Ryan6]

@NickPan89

The Xiggy S1283 can turn out to be a seriously impressive performing cooler, but that's if you're willing and are capable of doing some modifications to it.

First of all I lapped the base of the Xiggy very carefully starting with 600grit paper, because you have to be careful not to cut through the copper pipe walls, but the three pipe configuration of the Xiggy uses thicker pipe walls, so you do have leeway, but not excessive cutting leeway, meaning don't even consider starting with 220G paper.

Second I made my own set of mounting brackets to be able to mount on an AM2/AM3 socket, allowing a front to rear airflow path instead of bottom to top airflow path. (IMO Xigmatek seriously dropped the ball on their mounting hardware for the AMD setup, they also dropped the ball on the rubber fan mounts, and it's a nightmare trying to acquire replacements in the US, so far no joy there.)

Mounts used aluminum channel picked up from Lowes, not the prettiest work I've ever done but they work fantastic.

Third I added a second cooling fan for a push/pull setup, by reversing the 120mm intake fan mounting, turning the Xiggy 180 degrees, and using a Zalman fan mount bracket to add a 120mm intake fan to the front side.

Xigmatek Push/Pull

Fourth I also added another 120mm accelerator fan mounted with a Zalman fan bracket, between the front case 120mm intake and the Xiggy's intake, all these modifications together yielded a 8c overall performance drop from the stock results.

 

[nickpan89]

Thats really a very good work you ve done there with your cooler. I m willing but i m too afraid to put my hand on it and even more on my motherboard and make a custom bracket.

I mean even if i decided to try i dont know basic things such as how to control the grit paper as to avoid making more damage than good or how strong should the rm be in order for me to stop thinking it could break or slip and have the cooler landing on the vga below...

It s really a pity companies leave products such as coolers, that demand very big attention to detail, somewhat unfinished. If there is no room for improvement as it is (maybe by reapplying the paste or buying a better fan) then i guess i cant do anything about it..

What are the temperatures you now have 4ryan6 and what is your ambient temp? What were your temps before your modifications?