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HSF. Should I upgrade? (+)

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RZA

Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2002
Location
San Francisco, CA
Hello all,

nice to see you again after a lengthy (8 months! :eek: ) break... Hope I'm back to kick some major CPU butt :D

A year ago I had a CeleMine 633 and bought an OCZ Goliath with Delta 80x80x38 EHE - an 80CFM monster vacuum cleaner :) It was wayyy too much for that CPU, so I had to rheo him down.

However, now I've upgraded to a shiny new Athlon XP 1700+ Thoroughbred-B, and AFAIK this CPU has some great potential. Naturally, I decided to revise my cooling system. However, I was more than disappointed:

- heatsink: nothing better. Mine is all copper, thin fin, big surface, fine-polished - seems that only Thermalrights will be slightly better, but not more than some 1-2 degree.

- fan: nothing better. The only stronger fan available is Vantec Tornado, and it scores 84 CFM against my 80 - no big deal.

- thermal compound: the only thing I see necessary to be upgraded. I use AS3, but tests seem to place Shin Etsu higher... (BTW, could someone PLEASE tell me an online store where I can buy it? I can't find it anywhere :()

Any advice? Maybe there is something I'm overlooking? Please bear in mind that I'm not into watercooling - too expensive for me.

Thanks in advance!
 
I do not think thermal compound will give you anything (if any) but a 1-2° difference in temp. I'd say to reapply the AS3 and add some system fans if you do not have any.

Heatsink- I'd go with SLK800 only 30$ for a great HS.
 
well the SLK-900 supports 92mm fans. So with that in mind you can put a 92mm tornado and get 113cfm for airflow. Also it bolts on so that's a plus.
 
Kdog154

Thanks. I do have 2 case fans and don't have space to put more :(
Do you think SLK-800 is significantly better than OCZ? They seem to be quite similar constructively - copper thin plates pressed into copper base...

Cypress
Well, that could be an idea... Although it well be REALLY noisy :eek:
What do you mean "bolts"? To the mobo? Those *******s at FIC didn't drill any holes, so that's not an option for me :(
 
BTW, concerning SLK-900:

It was during a test fit of the heatsink that we discovered a serious issue regarding motherboard compatibility. The tremendous length of the heatsink combined with the change in the rotational orientation of the fins results in the fact that the SLK-900 will NOT fit many AMD-based motherboards. As a matter of fact, out of well over a dozen different motherboards of various brands that we checked, both old and new, the ONLY one we found that the SLK-900 fit without interference was the Epox 8RDA+.

http://www.systemcooling.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=404
 
true, but size aside. the 900 can mount the 92mm tornado which is only 1 dbA louder than the 80mm and it pushes 29 cfm more air than the 80mm. The 800 is still good and can get an attachment to support 92mm fans. all in all though the larger the fan the more air it can push at lower levels(although there are some cases).
 
Well he said he didn't have a lot of money so I thought 50$ for a HS was too much. But the SLK900 + 92mmTornado will def. cool a lot better.

I think the SLK800 is one of the best HS's out right now aside from the 900. I do not know how similar the OCZ one is to the SLK800. Hopefully someone has tried both and can put some input on performance.
 
RZA compare your FIC board to an 8rda+.... they should be almost exactly the same. The slk-900 WOULD fit... if only you had the mounting holes... :cry:

But the slk-800 is cheaper, almost as good, and much more managable.

get it for $28.95 at svc.com with coupon code lkoeyu. (just got that in my mailing from them)

I would also suggest a Thermaltake smartfan 2 from here: http://www.buyxtremegear.com/a1357.html

$5 bucks... very awesome price for this fan. 75cfm max speed and built in manual and heat sensing rpm adjustment.

sure a 92mm tornado would probably cool better but only a deaf person could stand it at top speed... you would need to rheo it down anyway.
 
RZA said:
Do you think SLK-800 is significantly better than OCZ? They seem to be quite similar constructively - copper thin plates pressed into copper base...

Actually, the construction is totally different.
slk800.jpg

Look at the end where the clip is. That triangular structure extends for the length of the heatsink. It conducts heat both to the side, and up and away, and into the fins closest to the fan.

With your current heatsink, it transfers heat to the sides, and then into the fins. The upper outer fins, where most of the airflow is, barely get any heat. With the SLK series, no part of the fins is far from the heat spreading structure.
 
Demont
Thanks! That $5 price is good - I'll take one. I'll also think about SLK-800, cause the price is good, too.
Yeah, I know my board is 8RDA+ twin... That's why I bought it, actually. Well, I'm not gonna die without those darn holes :)
Sorry for my ignorance, what's coupon code? Does it give me a rebate? If so, thanks a lot more :D

Caffinehog

Hell, that sounds logical. I think I'll probably squeeze my pockets and buy this beast just to compare :)

Any ideas on where to buy Shin Etsu?
 
Update.

I did buy an SLK-800, and it instantly gave me about 8-9 degrees. (offtopic: that protective tape on it is real s**t - took me half an hour and half litre alcohol to clean out the glue :mad: )
However, I can't get one thing: when I put my Delta screamer on 7 V (3000 RPM), the temp increases only 5 degrees... Is this normal? This probably means I can safely enjoy the silence :) I have 60-61 degrees at load now.

Waiting for AS3 to "burn in"... I think I'll get even better temps.
 
One more thing: I've installed a Sunbeam rheobus, and now my Delta does only 4800 RPM max, while without it I reached 5300 RPM. Does it mean that rheostats are eating off some power?
 
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