Cool my Processor down.

A month or so ago I had posted that my PC was running hot in a thread and received some GREAT help.

Now, my processor continues to run pretty warm at times and I'm considering upgrading the cooler to something like this:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1432339&CatId=493

or one of these:

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=socket+478+coolers&hl=en&lr=&sa=N&tab=ff&sa=X&oi=froogle&ct=title

Any thoughts or guidance would be appreciated!

Bill

P.S. I have read IsaacHayes thread on the same topic!

I"m using the cool master right now. It's a little noisy but not bad. Only issue I've had is dusting it. It really sucks a ton of air in and the dust is amazing. I have to vacuum my case monthly or it gets real hot..

How warm is warm? My P4 630 OC'd at 3.2Ghz runs about 60C under heavy load which not excessive. I think the P4s start throttling back at 75C. The AMDs run much cooler. At idle mine runs about 48C which is a little high for idle temps but I'm running my fan speeds kind of low to cut back on noise.

Of course cooler is always better so anything you can do to cooldown is a plus. Also using Arctic Silver thermal grease on the CPU/Heatsink interface helps alot.

BTW, the stock P4 cooler from Intel basically sucks IMO and pretty much any aftermarket cooler will cool better and quieter. I use the Thermaltake Silent 775.

Check out this one, looks like a nuclear cooling tower:

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/product/Cooler/Retail/cl-p0071/cl-p0071.asp

Regards,

Dave

There are some serious towers available!!

My 3.4 processor typically was running at 42 degrees idle but pumps up to 69 degrees under load.

Bill

Bill, depends on what processor you are currently running. There are some websites that compared cooling efficiency of various set ups, the stock Intel fans/heatsinks tends to be in the middle performance wise. Intel units are somewhat matched to the processor...lower processors have aluminum heatsinks, higher performers have bigger heatsinks typically with copper plugs built in.

Here's one of many:
http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/06/07/10_mammoth_cpu_coolers/
You can also do a google search for "overclockers" or "overclocking" as these guys need top notch cooling when the push their cpus so hard.
Have not built a computer in a while, last one was a 2.8 Prescott and used an Intel fan assembly from a 3.2 Prescott. Cooling is not an issue with mine because I use an Antec case that has a duct leading from a side-mounted case fan feeding air straight to the processor fan.

Another way to improve cooling of the processor is to ensure you have sufficient airflow through the case. The cpu is not the only thing that generates heat...HDs and even RAM gets hot. I mentioned on another thread that putting a fan on the front of the case pulling air in helps. Keeping the fans clean also helps. A good thermal compound helps, I think Arctic Silver was mentioned earlier. I use the ceramic compound that Arctic Silver produces, prefer it as non-conductive. Forgot the name. If I remember, I'll look at the tube and edit this post when I get home.

Bill I think you could get yours cooled down to idle way less than that. After all my issues (and mb bios not reporting correct temp) my CPU idles at 28C @~1500rpm and hours of doom3 underload highest it gets is 47C. Only other fan is the case fan that is barely turning (on a fanmate2 at lowest setting). I could turn up the case fan and it would help, but I dont even need to really do that under load. My PS has dual fans(one inside, one outside), but they are so quite you can't hear them at all.

Also, my at idle CPU runs 5C COOLER than the case air temp!! This is because I have a port on the side of my case that has an air duct that goes down to the CPU fan. So the CPU is cooled with fresh outside air, so it's cooling is more efficient as it's colder without having to turn up the fan rpm!

I'm using Artic Silver5, before that I was using Artic Alumina. Not a huge difference between the two. Ceramique is the other non-conductive paste they offer, which performs better than AA, but less than AS5. But I might have gotten a degree or two lower.

I can O/C mine to 3.2g from 2.8 without crashing, and without turning up the voltages. I may be able to go higher with increasing the voltage. But doing that I do not get much hotter than when running at 2.8. I don't OC though as I have not needed the extra power yet... I'd say you could get pretty close to where I'm at. I'd say with the right setup (side vent helps a LOT, and is like a "free" mod), you could be at least down to around 35C idle, and 58C load, maybe better.

You first need to figure out which you want the most.
1. Coolness, 2. Silentness, 3. Less mass. My Zalman is under the max mass for the MB so I don't have to worry about moving the case and ripping everything to peices and then it falling and taking out more stuff. It's silent or close too it, and cools pretty good but not the best of what is out there.

I do need to get the air-duster can out and blow the dust out of it, as it's clogged up last time I looked and idle is 2C higher now. This room got really dusty from moving a couch and other things, so I need to clean up some.

How did you build your direct port?

I'm even thinking about a new box again, as this is frustrating me!!

I am going to a high cooling solution, either the Zalman or a tower of some sort, but I'm pretty frustrated that it ran for a while just fine and now is heating up again.

Bill

Not sure who you are asking, but some info:

http://www.antec.com/us/pro_en_solution.html

I've used the SLK2650-BQE. Quiet with the included power supply, can't recall if I swapped it out or not. Might be the easiest solution. Kits are available if you are willing to cut into the case and install.

Thanks Bruddamoke!! Antec would probably be my first choice.

IsaacHayes had mentioned he had a direct vent to the processor.

Bill

I echo what others mentioned about getting good airflow through your case before dropping some cash on a new cooler. You can check out SilentPCReview.com and do a search for 'cablegami' and see some examples. Really helped out my system. I'm running an oc'd AMD 64 on a undervolted Zalman cooler and not getting above 49 degrees C during the summer.

bruddamoke said:

Not sure who you are asking, but some info:

http://www.antec.com/us/pro_en_solution.html

I've used the SLK2650-BQE. Quiet with the included power supply, can't recall if I swapped it out or not. Might be the easiest solution. Kits are available if you are willing to cut into the case and install.

Click to expand...

I second the Antec stuff. I have an Antec Sonata case. The newer Sonata 2, has the intake duct for the video card and CPU. The case is built with silent PC in mind, everything is mounted on rubber grommets and comes with their silent power supplies.

Regards,

Dave

Glad to help. I think the Antec case is $80 at CompUSA, might be cheaper elsewhere.

BTW, I don't work for Antec or CompUSA :lolsign: .

bwaites:

I would also like to agree that good circulation and airflow can help out quite a bit.

The direction of the fans, knowledge of what gets hot in your setup, how heat is disbursed from your case, how the air flows (inflow and outflow) and whether your case is in an open/closed area all can play a big part (where the outflow goes after leaving your case). Keep in mind your high end gpus are going to crank out some heat as well as some RAM chips. Aluminum cases are a good way to disburse the heat more quickly, but they can be costly (Lian Li, Cooler Master, etc... but they look great) . The more expensive the heatsink and fan does not always mean they are the best. Silence comes with a price as does cooling. Watercooling is also a good way for the extremes, but it is costly as well.

http://www.frozencpu.com/

Is a good place to find quite a bit of cooling items.

http://www.overclockers.com/

Is a good place to find quite a bit of the info on the items. You may not be overclocking but still you want to find the best for the money.

I had made a good setup for someone about 5-6 years ago, ran cool... but all that was cast to the wayside when I asked a a few questions.
"We'll I have the tower enclosed in my desk"...


Sincerely,

Shaman

The direct vent trick works great, I've used it for many years now.

Here is a large selection of tested heatsink rankings:

http://www.overclockers.com/articles373/p4sum.asp


Keep in mind, the higher the fan RPM, the more annoying it becomes...

Here is the motherlode: http://www.frostytech.com/articles.cfm

BTW I am using an XP90C with an absolutely silent Nexus fan that is a highly regarded setup here: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article30-page1.html

Bill, I have an InWin case, it came with a vent and adjustable air duct to go down to the CPU. When I went to my Zalman cooler, I had to pull the adjustable part off, but there still is some of the duct that goes right to it! InWin cases are nice, I like mine a lot and came with a powerman PS. Very nice. You could mod your case too probably for not a whole lot of trouble...

how about a peltier? :]




haha. just kidding.

i've found thermalright heatsinks to always be top notch. you pay for it, but they are excellent heat sinks. just find the right one for you that will fit your motherboard. if you want to go extreme, you can also go to water cooling, or even refrigerate your cpu/vpu/southbridge/etc. i forgot the name of the system that did that.

as far as power supplies go, antec is one of the major brands. if you want to go for top of the line, you want to go for a pc power and cooling. you should know that they rate their power differently and more conservatively than antec or all the other companies. pc power and cooling rates their psu's at operating temperature, and others rate it at much cooler temperatures. very solid psu's if you are willing to put the money down.

-Melvin

looky this two: http://www.dansdata.com/quickshot012.htm(there are 2 different heasink
even though they look quite alike)

AND http://www.dansdata.com/quickshot011.htm (scroll down for the sqaure-ish one)

lets give dans data the credit not me.

The specs from your initial post...
---------------------------------
-Pentium 3.4 processor
-2 gigs of memory
-Dual 320 gig SATA drives

I came home tonite and the processor was beeping. Checked processor temp, 69C!!! (156 F) Pulled the side panel and noticed the vents were fairly linted in. With the side panel off, it runs at 39-41C. (87-105 F)
----------------------------------------------------------
So a P4 3.4Ghz would make it a socket 775 chip.
-SwiftTech MCX775-V plus a good fan
-COOLER MASTER RR-LCH-P9E1

Just a general question... what speed are your drives? a 10k drive puts out a lot more heat than a 5,400 drive.

The drives are 7200's.

They do produce some heat.

I'm considering a fan for them as well.

Bill