Best HSF

[Abeth_Perk]

I'm planning on overclocking my 1900+ and was wondering what the best heatsink/fan would be. I was planning on getting a thermaltake Volcano 9 but now I donno.

Thanks,
Phil

Drive it like a rental!

 

[Teq]

Ok, lets say this and get it over with... there is no "best" heatsink for anything. The competition is so fierce that comparisons are often a matter of splitting hairs and most people come down in favour of the one on their own systems...

That said. A couple of perfectly good sinks are:
<A HREF="http://www.thermaltake.com/products/heatsink/v7.htm" target="_new">http://www.thermaltake.com/products/heatsink/v7.htm</A>
and
<A HREF="http://www.spirecooler.com/asp/fcc.asp?ProdID=95" target="_new">http://www.spirecooler.com/asp/fcc.asp?ProdID=95</A>

The thermaltake is more money but runs quieter when things are cool. The spire is cheaper and has lower thermal resistence... Both will result in idle temperatures in the mid 40c range and high usage temperatures in the low 50c range. Toss a coin.

I also think you will find that <b>preparation</b> can sometimes be more important than the brand. I don't just plunk these sinks on and go for it. I remove the factory thermal compounds and put on thermal grease. Cleanliness and application are the key words. Get thermal grease right and even a mediocre heat sink can do a perfectly acceptable job...

Radio Shack has a good grease they sell for $4.00 in a small tube that will do about a dozen CPUs. Arctic silver may be a bit better but it's a lot more expensive... their $7.00 syringe does 3 CPUs at best.

The 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>
these instructions apply to any thermal grease, no matter who makes it.

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

 

[Lonemagi]

3 cpus? how much are you putting on? I have had a thing of AS2 last me a few years, and that was applying the stuff to a slot a cooler... and it still lasted me until my current socketA state.

Either way, the difference is down to 1 or 2 degrees in temp.

"Apple is more like the French army. They have great style and class, they often get praised for their valor, and they do everything except win."-<A HREF="http://www.overclockers.com" target="_new">Ed Stroligo</A>

 

[Teq]

Seen the size of the syringes they're selling now... about 5cc of the stuff, for $7.00 in Canada.



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

 

[Lonemagi]

I get mine in 3 gram syringes

--
"To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace."
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the enemy."
-George Washington

 

[Teq]

Hmmmm.... Dunno what to tell you, but the syringes I've used in the past are embarassingly small...

Anyway, AS is good, so's the Radio Shack stuff, so I go with the price.



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

 

[error_911]

you can also look at Alpha's PAL8045, which is (somewhat) comparable to the price of the Volcano 9... check it at www.kdcomputers.com

<b>"Feminism is the radical notion that women are people"<b>

 

[svol]

Swiftech MCX-462, Thermalright SLK 800 or 900, Thermaltake Volcano 7+ or 11 are among the best ones.

My dual-PSU PC is so powerfull that the neighbourhood dims when I turn it on

 

[Codinerx]

Try the slk-800 with the vantec tornado 80mm fan, but get a rheostat to quiet that beast down. I don't think you can get any cooler in terms of air cooling then that combination- well I guess you could get the slk-900...

 

[Teq]

I'm sorry but, what's the point of such a massive heatsink and fan if all you're going to do is limit it's cooling capacity with a rheostat?

Does it not make more sense to use a mid-range cooler that inherrently makes less noise?



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

 

[Codinerx]

Well, in my case, I like to know that the power is there when I need it. For example, when overclocked, all I need to do is turn up the fan speed (and Noise) when I play a game, and noise doesn't matter at that point anyway. But if I'm just surfing the net or downloading, I turn the fan down without any worry of overheating. Its just nice to have a choice hehe.

 

[Guest]

An overclocker might rationalize it with the logic that a better cooler like the SLK-900 could potentially give better cooling at the same noise level as the midrange, but quiet cooling devices.

I know that was what I was thinking when I chose my setup.

 

[Teq]

BUT... in my experience, all copper sinks are no better than the less expensive hybrid copper/aluminum sinks.

Given the same thermal input...

Copper will heat up quicker and distribute heat more evenly, but because of it's higher mass it also holds heat, staying hotter much longer.

Aluminum, because of it's lighter mass tends to get hotter but it disspates the heat more quickly.


This suggests an excellent compromise... A copper base to draw heat off the CPU and spread it over a wider area more effectively than the aluminum can... so that the aluminum can capitalize on the larger contact area to pick it up and release it into the air more efficiently than the copper can.

Temperature comparisons between all aluminum, hybrids and all copper sinks of about the same size, have shown me that the hybrids usually keep the CPU coolest by a couple of degrees. Plus the hybrids are usually a fair bit lighter which puts far less strain on the mouting points.

It's easy to fall into the idea that because copper <i>absorbes</i> heat better it must make a better heat sink... but you also gotta get that heat out into the air before things will get any cooler.




---> <b>Press ALT-F4 for IQ test</b><---