Question about cpu fans

[Nights_L]

Hi
I wish to change my cpu fan, I have an AMD XP2000+
can anyone tell me which one to buy? (not too expensive, around 20$~30$ if possible) I will not overclock my cpu, and I wish to keep my cpu around 40 Celsius
currently, it's running at 50 Celsius
Thanks a lot~

 

[LtBlue14]

1)there's no reason to change your heatsink/fan simply for temperature if the system is stable
2)if you WERE going to overclock, that would be a reason
3)lower cpu temps do NOT mean less heat is produced by the processor, or a cooler room, if your computer is heating up your room
4)if you still feel the need to pay for one, a good cheap one is the thermaltake volcano 7+, it is heavy, however, so be careful not to chip the core when installing it, and if you move your computer a lot a shim is strongly advised, and it may be a wise decision anyway
it has a speed controller that you will probably want to keep on low or medium for noise reasons
you can find one for ~$35 USD

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<A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=faq&notfound=1&code=1" target="_new">mubla otohp eht ni ecaf ruoy teg</A>

 

[Teq]

50c is on the high end of acceptable... A CPU that idles at 50 will probably hit 60 or 65 under continuous load... and that's getting pretty darn hot!

I imagine you are using the stock AMD heatsink? I find them to be "adequate" but far from "Excellent"

I would suggest an alluminum/copper hybrid something like this:
<A HREF="http:// http://www.spirecooler.com/asp/fcc.asp?ProdID=95" target="_new">http:// http://www.spirecooler.com/asp/fcc.asp?ProdID=95</A>

I've installed several of these now and have had very good luck with them... CPU == 44 with Case == 30 and Ambient == 26 (My landlord keeps the place extra warm for the senior citizens in the building). In a normal 20c room it's likely the temps would come in right around 40c on an XP2000.

The one thing I would suggest is that you remove Spire's pre-installed thermal stuff and use a proper heat sink grease... Arctic silver is good, I like the stuff from Radio Shack better... but just about any thermal grease will be better than the factory applied thermal pads.

Application instructions for thermal grease are here:
<A HREF="http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm" target="_new">http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm</A>

The page is about Arctic Silver, but the method is the same no matter what grease you choose.

Hope this helps...


You can never over-cool a CPU!



<b>(</b>It ain't better if it don't work.<b>)</b>

 

[FiL]

but there is simply no point changing HSF if you have 100% stability and won't OC....who cares what temp it is so long as it doesn't crash....

 

[Teq]

Hi Phil,
There are a few arguments in favour of better cooling...

1) It can greatly increase the lifetime of the CPU itself.

2) You only get to overheat an AMD CPU exactly once and it's toast.

3) The added in-case heat also puts stress on other components mounted under and close to the CPU socket.

4) The added heat puts additional stress on the CPU socket itself.

5) The hotter the chip runs the more current it draws, which puts added strain on the power supply.


These and the basic knowledge of how things fail, tells me that the cooler you keep things the better. I always strive to find the best cooling solution for each CPU and I always suggest running hardware monitoring software to keep track of heat/fans/voltages while the system is running.

Plus: If you buy OEM chips, you can often save more than the price of a good aftermarket cooler... So, why not play it safe and keep the thing cool?


<b>(</b>It ain't better if it don't work.<b>)</b>

 

[FiL]

well i agree to a certain extent, i have a cool AL case with good airflows and a big heatsink/80mm CPU fan - ....BUT i've never seen a chip dead because of long term high temperatures.....and i've had PC's since the Intel 386 days......never, in fact i've never seen other components die through long term heat exposure....


I've broken components in plenty of other stupid ways though hahaha

 

[Teq]

You speak from the safety zone, Fil

I've seen a couple of computers now (both AMD) where the heatsink was put on with the little plastic tab still covering the base of the heatsink (i.e with a darned good insulator between the heatsink and CPU). Not only did the CPUs fail, the heat destroyed the sockets too.

Not so much on computers, but in my high power audio days I frequently saw overheated output transistors take out diodes and other parts that were near by while the transistors themselves survived. One of my favorites was what one musician described as "a cannon shot, but we weren't playing 1812 at the time".

While the CPUs may be able to take 90c, some consumer grade transistors and logic chips barely make it past 40.

It may not be the most frequent failure mode... but it does happen. If you can guard against it, why wouldn't you?




<b>(</b>It ain't better if it don't work.<b>)</b>

 

[johnoh]

BUT i've never seen a chip dead because of long term high temperatures

Me neither. I believe it is a theoretical truth anyway. Its unimaginable that someone would use any one chip long enough to outlast it.

<i>Reason the only absolute. Irrationality the only enemy. </i>

 

[Nights_L]

Is Volcano 6 good enough?
if anyone know, then thanks of tell me~

 

[jihiggs]

i left the tab on a heat sink once, it was a 900 duron i think.

my computer is so fast, it completes an endless loop in less than 4 seconds!

 

[Teq]

Well.. I'd say you really should look for something a little better... 50c is as a bit hot. I already provided a link to what I think is good, volcano 7+ would be better as well.


<b>(</b>It ain't better if it don't work.<b>)</b>

 

[FiL]

yeah, my Palomino is a year old....still running fine AND at the start it had a terrible HSF and used to lock up a lot....yet now it's not crashed for 10 months...(well i've had no hardware lock ups)

i'll report back in 2 years time to tell you if it's still going

 

[FiL]

yep....i'm glad my chip runs relatively cold for a palomino....by the way my Marshall JCM 900 is starting to play up...volume just decreases rapidly after 2 mins of playing.....anyone here know about valves?

or are we all transistor people