Is the heatsink and fan included with the retail Athlon XP 1800+ sufficient?

[Patrick G]

All this talk about adequate fans and heatsinks has me worried. Are the fan and heatsink that were included with my retail Athlon XP 1800+ good enough?

[PsYko420]

Yes and no.
If your not going to overclock it and not going to push it to its max its fine, most consumers don't do anything to push processors now adays to half what they are capable of. But we arn't normal consumers now are we? So if you are going to oc it or push it to its limits get an sk6 or the new swiftech.

[Patrick G]

Well, I'm not going to unlock the CPU, but I'd like to overclock the FSB to higher than 133. How high do you think it would be safe to go with my current fan and heatsink?

[muddocktor]

I wouldn't try to push it much higher with a retail hsf as they are just adequate at stock speeds. You definitely need a premium hsf unit such as the Alpha 8045 or Thermalright SK6, along with some thermal paste instead of the TIM that comes on most hsf units.

[jbell]

stock is only ever good enough to be considered ''minimum'' requirements!!

[Patrick G]

Geez, I'd think it would be good enough if they warranty the thing for 3 years.

[Intraveinous]

It is... Good enough for the average consumer who mostly plays Solitare. Defrag is their most CPU strenuous task. They're running it at stock speed with stock voltage. They want something quiet, and chances are, they have no idea how warm/cool their computer runs, and don't really care... For those people, it's plenty. However, you're on Overclockers.com, so I assume you'd like to get a little bit more from it, and for that, you'll need something better. Alpha Pal 8045, SK-6, and Glaciator II are all great choices. Glaciator II has the advantage of being quieter than the SK6, PAL8045 has the advantage of using 80mm fans... Check them out, read some reviews on the front page, and make a decision. All of the above heatsinks should be able to be had for under $50US + Shipping.
Peace
John

[sn00pdog]

I just took of my factory hsf and put on the swifty mcx-462
with the factory hsf i could not get my fsb above 145 and be stable plus my temps were about 42c. With the swifty i got the fsb to 150 and my temps are at 33.




____________________________________________

epox 8kha+
athlon 1800xp 1.53@1.73
radeon 8500
sb audigy
30 gb 7200 quantum
256 crucial ddr
24x cd/rw
12 dvd
win xp
3com nic

[Intraveinous]

Yeah, the MCX-462 is pretty much the best air cooling you can get right now. Too bad it'll set you back nearly $90US...
I splurged and got the original MC-462... I was pretty darn impressed with it, but looking back, I could have gotten an SK6 or Glaciator and been nearly there in temps at half the price...
If price doesn't matter, you can't currently beat an MCX-462 unless you go water/pelted water/phase change...
Peace
John

[PsYko420]

Totally agree if you really want to see what that baby of yours can do your going to want to get one of those new hsf's. GOOD LUCK!

[CrystalMethod]

Originally posted by Patrick G
Well, I'm not going to unlock the CPU, but I'd like to overclock the FSB to higher than 133. How high do you think it would be safe to go with my current fan and heatsink?
You should be able to squeeze out a few mor Mhz FSB witht he stock unit by lapping it, and using some quality thremal grease instead of the cr*p that comes on it, but I'd go out and spend the $$$ on a quality HSF. It's something you can reuse if you upgrade to a faster CPU, and you will get more potential out of your CPU.