Stock Heatsink and Fans?

[EmTSea19]

Are the heatsink and fan that come with a P4 2.53 Processor good if I don't plan on overclocking, or is it better to replace with better products? If I do overclock, is it a must to replace? Also, how loud are the usual CPU heatsink and fan combo?
Recommendations?

THANKS.

[JaY_III]

they are fine heatsinks if you do not overclock
If you are overclocking with a standard heastink, only a modest overclock should be attempted.
BUT the stock sink can be made pretty good if you LAP it and get a better FAN for it.

as for how loud the fans are from 3rd party heatsinks, read what Joe has said on it here: http://www.overclockers.com/articles373/

[EmTSea19]

Thank You, I'll check it out.

[batboy]

Jay said about exactly what I would of said. The retail heatsink is actually fairly efficient, but the fan is wimpy. At the very least, remove the heat pad and use Arctic Silver. Lapping is a good thing too. There is a way to speed up the stock fan to move some more air, but I don't have the link for this mod right now. If you don't plan to overclock, the retail cooler will work just fine.

[kamilkluczewski]

Before i bought the Thermaltake 7+ i was using the intel HSF combo but lapped with some crappy fake AS. To be honest it wasnt so bad, i was running my 2.4b at 2808 = 18X156 with a 3:4 strap and around 55C load. Now im running at 2998=18X166 at 55C load with the ThermalTake. Even for overclocking its still an efficient unit, granted the fan could spin a little quicker but it still does the job, besides if you dont overvolt and you wont fry your CPU anyways. And if you keep your temp below the 60C range at load your CPU will never Throttle down. Take Care man and good luck with whatever you do.

Merry Christmas,

Kam

[EmTSea19]

Thanks guys. I am going to use arctic silver instead of the heat pad. I guess I'll keep the heat sink, but look into a more efficient fan just in case.

*Oh, and kamilkluczewski, I'm not a man either, <BG>.

[TUK101]

Another thing to consider too that will help keep the temps down is adding a fan or two to the case. There is usually a spot in the lower front, and upper rear below the psu to add fans to the case. Doing so will help keep cooler air inside the case.

[batboy]

Yep, what Tuk said. Good case ventilation is important. You don't want warm air building up inside the case.

[kamilkluczewski]

Didnt mean to do that, I just call everyone man, I even say "Later Man" to my mom. Guess that polish/hick thing in me.

Peace,

Kam

[EmTSea19]

I am going to have 2 or 3 fans in the case too. The case I am considering comes with them.

It's okay kamilkluczewski, don't worry about it. Hard to tell anything on the internet, *lol*. Happy Holidays!

[batboy]

Actually, I enjoyed watching you make Kam squirm, get red in the face, and then apologize... hehehe. You go Em!

Oh yeah, nobody answered your question about noise. The stock (retail) P-4 fan is fairly quiet. Your case fans will probably make more noise than the CPU fan. If you use a good thermal paste and have good case ventilation, then you can probably crank it a little for a moderate overclock. Say, maybe 142 FSB for 2.7 gig, just watch your temps when you first try it, but I bet you'll be ok. Good luck and have a wonderful holiday.