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Need info on cooling, and HSF stuff

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  • CPUs
  • Cooling
Last response: in CPUs
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November 11, 2001 10:26:34 PM

I'm getting soon an upgrade, from my P2 350mmx to an AXP 1.4ghz and an MSI KT266 Pro 2(KT266A) and other components.
My main worry is the cooling. I don't know what has to change and what should I add!
First I will get the RETAIL AXP thus it comes with its own fan and HSF. The following in order are what I wanna know:

-How good is the retail HSF? I don't overclock.
-What is the brand name?
-Is it a noisy one? If so what should I do? I don't wanna spend more for Retail to get bad stuff.
-I realize I have to change the PSU, so I am getting a 300W but I dunno what type. But the point is what other fans do I need for proper cooling? So far I have the CPU cooling, PSU cooling, the video card's one. Is there anything remaining?

I want a cooled system, stable and never overheats, and a silent one, not a party sound system!

More about : info cooling hsf stuff

November 12, 2001 2:42:30 AM

Why do you keep referring to the Athlon as an AXP?

Anyways, it's up to you if you want a cool system, or a quiet system. I mean, if you want cool, there's a price - sound and money. If you want quiet, then your system will run a bit warmer than what some people might like, but at least it'll be quiet.

For quiet, check out <A HREF="http://www.quietpc.com" target="_new">Quiet PC.com</A>

For some noise:
I've heard (from HonestJhon) that the ThermalTake Volcano 6Cu is a great performer, at a decent price and sound volume. You can buy that at <A HREF="http://www.coolerguys.com/cpucool/duron.shtml" target="_new">Coolerguys.com</A>, and it comes with Arctic Silver II for only $19.95.
As for a power supply, check out <A HREF="http://www.pcpowercooling.com/" target="_new">PC Power & Cooling</A> for solutions. There's a power supply selector wizard that asks you some questions, before recommending a power supply for your needs. Other great brands include: Enermax, Leadman, "POWMAX", and Sparkle (according to Toejam31, a THG forum vet).

Is that enough info to help ya out?

<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=13406" target="_new">My System Rig</A>
November 12, 2001 3:45:49 AM

coolermaster make some quiet and decent heatsinks,
as is the winfop32-1

and the generic heatsink is good too. its DESIGNED to cool the athlon in standard conditions.

ideally an enermax PSU will serve you best... but they are pricey as u pay a premium for top quality...
could go for sparkle, antec, toptower... they are all decent brands.

case cooling is required nowerdays, regardless of if you have an athlon or P4.
the graphics card and CPU put off too much heat for simple dissapation which just warms up the inside of the case.

thats a good thing about having a quality PSU... the good ones have dual fans that help remove heat from inside the case.
also reccommended at the least is a rear 80mm casefan (all cases should have room for one) they help alot in venting hotair.
they dont need to be powerful or loud, just ensure that the grill does not obstruct the airflow significantly.
this is where cheap cases unfortunately are poorly designed.
with my case i found that the simple small circluar hole pattern was preventing over half the air moved by the case fan from escaping. very poor design.
the majority of cases also support a front casefan at the bottom, this one is typically set to suck in cool air.
again, it doesnt have to be powerful or loud.
just efficient.

when i installed a pair of el-cheapo 80mm caseefans i experienced around a 10C core temp drop. even more when i fixed the problem with the fan grills.

hope this helps

Why do i feel like the lone sane voice in the mental assylum?
Related resources
November 12, 2001 1:39:45 PM

What's a good P4 heat sink, something I that can jack the clock speed up so much that I don't need central heating any more, that sort of thing.

CHarlie


Did you know there never was there ever a cat so clever as magical Mr. Mistoffeles?
November 12, 2001 6:57:13 PM

Ok so far I know the stock HSF is good, but what brand is it, and is it noisy or not? Anyone with Retail experience of AthlonXPs? (AXP IS the short name for it)
Also I still dont understand how case cooling works. Should I simply get the PSU for that matter?
November 12, 2001 8:41:32 PM

well i know the monster swiftech mcx462 now comes in two new varietes, the mcx423 and 478, for the p4's socket423 and 478 obviously.
also there is a decent thermaltake orb for the pentium4... blue orb or something like that.

i reccomend u do a net search for "pentium4 heatsinks or HSF or cooler"
there are a number of good ones out there.

Why do i feel like the lone sane voice in the mental assylum?
November 12, 2001 8:50:21 PM

if you look at your case its pretty much a sealed system, save for some small air holes for convection currents.
when u use a super fast cpu they pump out ALOT of heat... and while the cpu cooler keeps that cool, it can only cool efficiently if the surrounding air is also cool.
after a while, a case with no casefans can get quite warm inside. natural air currents and dissapation through the metal of the case just isnt enough.
and an excessivly hot case will make everything inside run hot. not good for longterm longevity (especially the hard drives)

thus you should use at least 1 or 2 low powered (quiet) casefans to push air thru the case.
fresh air = cooler case = happier cpu & motherboard & graphics card & hard rive

if you look at AMD's reccommendations, they suggest a rear casefan and a dual fan PSU.
dual fan psu isnt a necessity, as a 80mm casefan usually does a better job than the psu. couse the psu can help

all clear now?

Why do i feel like the lone sane voice in the mental assylum?
November 12, 2001 11:37:51 PM

Um so where should I look for Casefans then? Aren't they on the PSU anyway? I recall that the one on the back like you say, is stuck on the PSU anyway.
Just remember I am a regular user, so I just wanna have a smooth running system with good cooling.
November 12, 2001 11:51:06 PM

Yeah definitely go for cooler master. That's what i got with my XP1600 and my cpu temperature maxes out at about 44C. Its reasonably quiet too.
BTW: I don't have any case fans either, so take that for what its worth.
November 13, 2001 1:04:45 AM

the fans in the PSU traditionally arnt refered to as 'casefans'.
sure they do circulate some air, but its mostly for cooling the PSU itself.

as xazos says, you can get away without case cooling, however i found with minitower generic cases even the addition of one rear casefan lowers temps alot. this is cauz the rear fan is located close to the hot cpu... and draws away the hot air quickly.

a casefan is a standalone fan in square plastic mount. u can pick up some generic cheap ones from any computer store for a couple of bucks.

at the back of your computer, below the PSU fan and above the pci & agp slots should be room for a single 80mm fan... 4 screholes and some type of grill.

behind there u mount the fan, typically with the air blowing out. (arrows on the side of the fan tell u which way the air blows).
the power lead either has a small 3 pin adaptor that plugs into the motherboard, or a larger 4pin one that goes into a powerconnector straight from the psu.

steps:
take of side of case
work out which way to put the fan
hold in place and screw in.
connect up power
and your done.

P.S. whats the hottest your computer room ever gets?

Why do i feel like the lone sane voice in the mental assylum?
November 13, 2001 11:30:02 PM

One thing I wanna know too, is the size of my case.
I see it has 3 front drive slots, 2 floppies. It is about 60cm vertically measured. I dunno really what it is, the PC box is at my grandparents' store, and it's a bit far from here! But I did see that below the PSU fan, there was a rectangular area or about 2*10cm of holes, is that a slot for case fans?
Seeing as one is using an AXP 1600 like what I want, with RETAIL fan, he claims good stability, I will get it, without case cooling, cuz I am already paying enough, and prices have been rising these days...
November 13, 2001 11:38:13 PM

yep. thats the casefan mount
there should be 4 screw holes in the 4 corners
and it should be 80mm x 80mm.

you have a standard case.
at the front, below where the hard drive mounts are there should also be a black square plastic box. thats the front case fan mounting shroud.
it has clips and just pops off.

well get it, see how it goes without casecooling.
if you experience problems and high temps then u may need case cooling.

Why do i feel like the lone sane voice in the mental assylum?
November 14, 2001 7:20:24 PM

When you say standard, you mean Mid-Tower?
BTW I looked again, this ain't 2 by 10 at all, it's a very looong rectangle of holes. I dunno anymore where the fan should go, but maybe where I was looking at, but a rather very long group of air holes.
November 14, 2001 7:33:52 PM

yep. mini tower some 42cm (17") tall.

the fan hole will be square, not rectangular. many cases (including mine) have drilled holes elsewhere on the back to aid airflow... my 'rectangular hole' is down low at the bottom, to the direct right of the PCI card slots.

the fan hole should be between the psu and above the pci slots. maybe u dont have one. if you could provie a picture of your case it would help.
my case looks like:

XXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX
****==**
==*OOOO*
==*OOOO*
==*OOOO*
********
-----*||
-----*||
-----*||
********

key:
X - psu at top
== - small parallel/serial/usb ports and imprints for future ports.
O - 80mm fan hole
- - PCI slots
| - rectangular area with punched holes.
* - casemetal

hope that helps :) 

Why do i feel like the lone sane voice in the mental assylum?
November 14, 2001 11:45:21 PM

Um I said Mid Tower, you say Mini, so now I am confused. Both are different ya know.

My back case is very similar only the entire right, has holes:

------|
**ooo |
**ooo |
**ooo |
--ooo |
-|ooo |
-|ooo |
-----|

This is the right side. I think it is simply for airing out, but I dunno if there is any case fan area thou. I will go check soon the box, to see the real deal.
November 15, 2001 12:49:58 AM

argh!
mini, midi, mid, medium, mean, maxi, micro eeeek *brain frying*

seriously i got no idea on whats a midi and a mini.
looks like yours hasnt got a rear casefan hole... but it might well be fine with such a large area for natural aircurrents.
what about at the front? any room there?
below the drive bays?

Why do i feel like the lone sane voice in the mental assylum?
November 15, 2001 6:47:41 PM

I've seen some cases with holes like the ones you mention where the manyfacturer made one rectangular set of holes for two case fans instead of two sets of holes. Take a look inside and see if there are mounting brackets for the fan. BTW i would really spend the five bucks for a case fan as it helps a lot and is a cheap "insurance".

Dev

Only users loose drugs!
November 15, 2001 7:01:17 PM

In the front, below the middle, at the bottom are 2 groups of three very thin holes like this \\\ /// but they are small and at the bottom. I wouldn't consider this case fan holes, but I think my case model is made to have lots of air holes to let heat go out. I would spend the extra, except I dunno where to put it. However during the upgrade I will ask the rep to tell me if I can.
Mini Towers are mini, Mid are those with more drives and such and better ATX mobos, and FULL towers are those for lots of drives, and huge ATX factors, allowing a lot of expansion. My guess is mine is Mid but I will check that out. Can AXP Mobos fit that?
November 15, 2001 7:13:27 PM

Duct tape.

Bees are on the what now?
November 15, 2001 8:39:53 PM

no idea about that one.
one would think they would design AXP mobos to also fit ATX cases.

you could also install a slot fan, if you dont want to upgrade your case. thse use up a pci slot, but they arnt as effective as a casefan.


Why do i feel like the lone sane voice in the mental assylum?
November 15, 2001 10:53:07 PM

What about them real fans, big ones, behind a Case! That would be strong cooling there!
!