Alpha P3125-S physical dimensions

[Rick G]

OK...I understand from several posts that the Alpha P3125 would be a good upgrade for my P550E and its stock fan. But I don't know if it'll be bumping up against the first DIMM on the Abit BE6-II v2. Does anyone know if it will fit?...or what the dimensions are?

Thanks.

[It_The_Cow]

I believe the BE6 is one of the motherboards that is affected. Part of the fins were trimmed to accomodate it, but it doesn't look like there would be enough room to fit a stick under it enough on mine. Here's a picture from their site


http://www.micforg.co.jp/images/ct_p3125_p1e.gif

[surfinguru]

Yo RickG, I've got a BE6-II v1.1 using the same Alpha. Unfortunatly, it does block the first DIMM bank. Shouldn't be a big deal though. I'm running two sticks of Crucial 256 C2 in the remaining two banks w/o a problem. See sig for cpu specs.

[Rick G]

Surfinguru, That's perfect...that's my RAM config as well. I'll give it a go. Thanks.

It_The_Cow...Thank you too.

One more thing...sig?

[Rick G]

Hey guys...after searching around for the Alpha P3125, I've come to learn that everyone sells the heat sink without fans. Can you recommend a combo? Do you buy the fans separately (assuming 60mm based on diagram)? If so, which fans do you recommend; and are the fans ganged together, or do they require separate mobo connections?

I thought they would be sold as a kit, but I haven't found one. Am I off the mark on this?

Thanks.

[Rick G]

Oops...Scratch my last comment re: suppliers. Found a few with kits. But then it looks like a simple matter of adding the 60mm fans with separate 3pin connections to the mobo.

However, I am curious about the CFM ratings...Are there significant differences in effectiveness between a 22 and, say, a 37 cfm...Are the gains worth the noise increase? I know, it's subjective, but I value your opinions.

Thanks again.

[It_The_Cow]

The real answer is up to you. For me, 22 does seem a bit weak for such a great heatsink. I'd personally go with the 37 or one in the high 20's to low 30's if possible. I believe I have 27's, and I'm quite happy with them since I can't overclock on my current motherboard. For me the difference between fans were quite noticeable. One 38cfm Delta mangaed to outdo two 27cfm sunons. Ouch. Be warned, though. Most fans at that rating are quite loud

[Rick G]

I just read a Tech Zone article that suggested a custom installation for the Alpha, requiring the removal of the P3 plastic housing. The article suggested two improvements...One with a spacer for the L2 cache to transfer the heat more efficiently to the heat sink (which they claim is one of the major bottlenecks for ocing), and secondly leaving the housing off. They suggest that just leaving the housing off could buy back as much as 5 degrees C.

Was wondering if anyone has tried this yet. Either way, what kind of improvements have you experienced?

Re: CFM. I guess I'll go with what's good for the cpu, then figure out how to quiet the noise if I get annoyed. e.g. sound insulate the case.