miniATX or ATX?

[QuietIce]

I'm with you on this quiet, all my Intels have run hotter than a comparable AMD, but they can also handle higher temps than an AMD.

Exactly! It's just the different approach the companies take to CPU design.

 

[Theocnoob]

I'm with you on this quiet, all my Intels have run hotter than a comparable AMD, but they can also handle higher temps than an AMD.

In other words, buy Intel and get a free heater. Keeps small rooms toasty on cold winter nights.

 

[jaymz9350]

That or buy Intel and keep pumping the vcore on air because it can handle the heat.

 

[QuietIce]

In other words, buy Intel and get a free heater. Keeps small rooms toasty on cold winter nights.

I actually use my farm for home heating in the winter (and I'm not the only one) so that's not as much of a joke as you might think. The bad part is summer when you have to cool the room it's running in.

That or buy Intel and keep pumping the vcore on air because it can handle the heat.

I've got a Q6600 that OC'ed fairly well under water but couldn't handle it with the GeminII I put on it later. I've got no illusions about Intel's and what they can and cannot handle. Mine's been running 24/7 for almost three years now.


What AMD's have you guys owned? Socket A? s939?

 

[Viper69]

Exactly! It's just the different approach the companies take to CPU design.

Thanks..I wasn't sure if the reason I bought my Barton was still accurate today, that is runs at lower temps. Hmm I just may wait for Bulldozer then. Ah, it's a vicious cycle, each one leap frogging over the other. Tryin to get a good chip which will last a few years for gaming haha.

 

[QuietIce]

I've taken both approaches over the years - getting the latest when it came out and getting the last generation when the new CPUs come out. Overall I've been more satisfied with the latter - buying the "old" generation at dirt-cheap prices - but either way I usually buy when the new generation hits the shelves.


If I were you I'd wait. What's 3-4 months after having your rig 3-4 years?

 

[Viper69]

Yeah, I'm going to wait for Bulldozer and see..I'm not in any rush at all. I'm just asking a lot of questions now and reading. I like to do prep work, before I post specifics on parts and such.

 

[HankB]

.... What's 3-4 months after having your rig 3-4 years?

Yeah. And then you start to look at the new options. SATA II. SATA III. Four and six core processors. Gobs of RAM at lower prices. Virtual free fall in hard drive and optical prices. And all of a sudden 3-4 months starts to look like just about forever!

Yeah, I'm going to wait for Bulldozer and see..I'm not in any rush at all. ...

You've got more impulse control than me! Actually I did manage to hold out for a bit. During that time I speced out various Sandy Bridge and AM3 systems (Mobo/RAM/Proc) that would replace my old reliable s939 Athlon X2 3800+ system.

And then Newegg ran a shell shocker for an MSI 880GMA-E45 + 4GB G.Skill RAM for $75 and I pulled the trigger. I finished the upgrade with a Phenom II X4 820 and Cooler Master hyper 212+ CPU cooler. I ran it stock for a couple weeks to make sure everything was OK. It was. I've since OCed from 2.8GHz to 3.5GHz and it remains rock solid and reasonably cool. Peak temp with Rosetta running on all four cores is about 42° C. And all this cost about $205. It's at the low end of my upgrade plans, but probably the most cost effective.

I also wondered about the size of the present day CPU coolers, but they are more bulky than heavy. I did have CnQ turned on at first, but I think the OC settings have disabled it. I'm running Linux and unfortunately don't have a fan speed readout so I don't really know what's going on. It is really quiet though.

I'm curious about the MOSFET heat sinks. Can someone confirm that my mobo does not have them? With a moderate OC Need I concern myself with that? (I've bumped CPU -> 1.346V, CPU-NB ->1.214V)

-hank

 

[QuietIce]

I'm curious about the MOSFET heat sinks. Can someone confirm that my mobo does not have them? With a moderate OC Need I concern myself with that? (I've bumped CPU -> 1.346V, CPU-NB ->1.214V

If you've got the board just look between the CPU and rear I/O ports. Is there a heatsink there or a row of bare microchips?

If you're going to keep your voltages that low it probably won't be an issue.