[SOLVED] Optiplex 980 cpu cooler upgrade

Aug 15, 2020
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Hello! I have a optiplex 980 which has a big heatsink for cpu cooling, i want to put something nicer in it. What cpu cooler should i get?
 
Solution
I've worked on a few of these. I don't think they have a standard cooler hole pattern in the board. Not sure what the hole pattern matches (if any). Just leave it alone. If your temps are bad, you could try re-applying thermal paste.
I've worked on a few of these. I don't think they have a standard cooler hole pattern in the board. Not sure what the hole pattern matches (if any). Just leave it alone. If your temps are bad, you could try re-applying thermal paste.
 
Solution
Not sure if you're talking about a 4 pin fan.

Im talking about the holes in the mobo that the bolts for the cooler attach through. Yes, all boards have 4 holes, but the dimensional layout of those holes varies from socket to socket.

Take your cooler off and measure the distance (in each direction) between the holes (in mm). Then you can compare that to LGA11xx, AM3, AM4, etc etc to see if/what it matches. THEN you'll know what to look for in an aftermarket cooler.

What CPU is in the machine? The heatsink in the Optiplex 980 MT is pretty beefy, I can't imagine temps of the locked CPU are bad at all (unless the TIM dried out). Also, there's no window in the case, so aesthetics isn't a concern.

TL;DR - I don't think a new heatsink is necessary or will perform significantly better than the stock Dell heatsink.
 
Last edited:
Aug 15, 2020
19
0
10
Not sure if you're talking about a 4 pin fan.

Im talking about the holes in the mobo that the bolts for the cooler attach through. Yes, all boards have 4 holes, but the dimensional layout of those holes varies from socket to socket.

Take your cooler off and measure the distance (in each direction) between the holes (in mm). Then you can compare that to LGA11xx, AM3, AM4, etc etc to see if/what it matches. THEN you'll know what to look for in an aftermarket cooler.

What CPU is in the machine? The heatsink in the Optiplex 980 MT is pretty beefy, I can't imagine temps of the locked CPU are bad at all (unless the TIM dried out). Also, there's no window in the case, so aesthetics isn't a concern.

TL;DR - I don't think a new heatsink is necessary or will perform significantly better than the stock Dell heatsink.
Rn it has a i5 650 planning to upgrade to i7 870.