Switech MCX370 Heatsink not worth the money???

[AZN]

Swiftech MCX370 Heatsink not worth the money???

OK u OCing gurus. I just recently purchased a Swiftech MCX370 heatsink. I was hoping to get what all those other great comments were getting for temp. 40C load and 28C idle. well i wasnt so lucky. btw i purchased the heatsink with a Y's Tech 40CFM and it is running at 8000rpm!!!. also for $40 i had to put the darn thing together myself, and installing it on the mobo took some real TLC. but anyways, after installing it i was running at 42C idle and 50C load, WTF!!! it was suppose to cool it down. My TK Volcano 6 did a better job then the swiftech. with temps like that just a 30mhz OCIng would make it unstable. The MCX370 just didnt do the trick and didnt even perform as well as the volcano. Needless to say i am very dissapointed. However i did like the Y's Tech 40CFM. So what i did was put that fan on top of my Volcano and now my cpu is running at 37c idle and 44c full load. and did i meantion that is OCed. I OCed my AMD TB from 1.33 to 1.544 with my volcano 6u with the Y's Tech 40CFM fan on it @ 1.85 volts. And it is very stable, i think i can go higher once i figure out how to increase my multiplier. So my question is... Did i waste $30 on the swiftech MCX370? plz help, y are people getting good temps but not me. Y did my volcano out perform the swiftech. Dont tell me swiftech just threw together a block of aluminum with many headless screws on it and put a $30 tag on that. BTW does any1 know how to multiply my iwill any further? I already have it set to max via BIOS multiplier, NOT jumper.

1.33ghz AMD TB @ 1.544ghz @ 1.85 volts cooled by TK Volcano with a Y's Tech 40CFM
Iwill KA266
512 DDR PC2100
Asus v7700 64meg GeForce 2 GTS Pro
SoundBlaster Audigy
120 gig WD 7200rpm ATA100
sony 16x DVD drive
Liteon 32x12x40x CD-RW

 

[Rezman5]

Did you make sure the fan is blowing down on the proc? Are you sure you mounted the HSF right? I have one and LOVE it!!! make sure you do those screws right and get a good amount of pressure. What thermal paste are u using?

 

[AZN]

OFCOURSE!!! yes the fan is blowing down, and i used artic silver. yes it is mounted right, and i cant get any more pressure on it, its spring loaded.

 

[gone_fishin]

Did you try remounting it at least once? Sometimes things just don't turn out the way they're supposed to the first time around no matter how carefull you are.

 

[AZN]

yes about 3 times, just to be sure...

Im telling u this dumb TK volcano is doing a way better job, but it doesnt make sense, the swiftech is suppose to be way better, hummm...

 

[Rezman5]

yes you can get more pressure, try unscrewing the screws...that increases pressure....

 

[gone_fishin]

I seem to recall a few posts on this. It had something to do with adding more nylon spacers to the mounts so more pressure was applied. Do a couple of searches.

 

[AZN]

lets clear one thing up, im not a newbie. i know i cant get anymore pressue without standing on it. yes the screws are at the highest it can be.

sorry if i sound like a smart ***. any advice appreciated.

btw my PCmark score was only 4002 ugh, 2000 less then that P4 dude. but then again my processor is 1ghz slower.

 

[Gilgamesh]

lets clear one thing up, im not a newbie. i know i cant get anymore pressue without standing on it. yes the screws are at the highest it can be.

sorry if i sound like a smart ***. any advice appreciated.

btw my PCmark score was only 4002 ugh, 2000 less then that P4 dude. but then again my processor is 1ghz slower.

Try to lap the heatsink it might belp you

 

[AZN]

its already pretty flat and even. BTW lapping will only help about 3 degrees and thats not enough.

 

[gone_fishin]

If you really don't like it then you could slice and dice it into ramsinks for your vid card and take out a few frustrations at the same time

 

[AZN]

not that i dont like it, i want it to work. I payed for it thinking it would do better. I just cant figure out y its not doing good. I just find it hard to believe my volcano is doing a better job.

 

[Gilgamesh]

not that i dont like it, i want it to work. I payed for it thinking it would do better. I just cant figure out y its not doing good. I just find it hard to believe my volcano is doing a better job.

Just return it and get some AX-7 or the bigger brother of MCX370

 

[AZN]

i just might. I should have gone with the MCX462 but dam that alot for a heatsink. but now im not so sure due to the poor performance ive gotten with this one.

I think ill just stick my PC in the garage to keep it cool. I live in beaverton OR, so its real dam cold here. All i need is a 15ft PS/2 extention. HEHE J/K i think i try other methods first, but i know that should cool it another 10-25 degrees f.

 

[rivercom9]

How good of a case flow do you have? Try taking the case side off and test with it off. Also, how are you getting your temp readings? There might be dissimilar temp taking methods from your Volcano6 to your Swifty.

 

[AZN]

5 intake fans and 3 exhaust fans. i foget the model of the case, but i have 4 fans intake fans blowing on the HDs and 1 intake directly over the HS and 3 exhaust fans near the cpu. Air flows from the front of the case to the back, 1 direction. with or without the side panel the readings are about the same. Im using MBM5 for heat readings. im running winXP pro.

 

[The Overclocker]

make sure you have applied the thermal paste properly, for a guide visit www.articsilver.com

if you use artic silver you must leave it for a few days for it to settle. (you can use you pc, but them temps will not be final)

 

[robertm]

The model number you have given is the model of the all aluminum heat sink and they temps seem to run a bit higher on that model than on the copper bassed model. Is the base of the Volcano 6 copper or alumimun? The KA266 board reads temps a little high. Mine are about 5c higher from MBM than a doide that I placed on the CPU. Just so you know.

Also using the temps you get from MBM to figure just how well Heat sink combo is working doesnt give good results as with most MB's the KA266 does not record the temps of the chip but the temp of the air on the back of the chip. This air temp can change alot do to other factors other than just the temp of the CPU itself.

Am not sure where your problem lies. I have used 3 of that model HS and all have worked well for me. I wish you luck

 

[bongo]

Whats your case temp????
And remeber that 40 C for a t-birb is pretty good temp using @ir .
The XP runs about 10 degrees cooler because the die is bigger than the T-birds. ( has more surface area , thus more capable of disspossing heat) I dont think that you'll get your proc running any cooler than 36 C even when using the MCX462 with an 80 cFM delta blowing on it

 

[pHaestus]

I had a Swiftech MC370 that I purchased used and got horrible temps from it. Turns out that the guy who sold it to me had uncrewed the clips and then (accidentally?) put them back in so that they were reversed. Bad temps with that heatsink are sometimes due to things like that. Did you check the paste imprint? Look good?

The volcano 6, is that the 6Cu? If so that isn't a bad heatsink with a big fan.

Also consider that changing heatsinks can change the airflow in the socket area. This can affect the "CPU" temp reported by thermistors in sockets.