Best way to keep overclocked RAM cool?

[gba]

I am just starting to get into oc'iong and am psyched about having gotten some decent results so far. I do not want to get carried away, though. I have Buffalo Tech. 512MB (winbound) at 6-3-3-2, 2.8v running stable. It feels a little warm, though. I have full towercase loaded-up with drives and round wire but I've got the air moving fairly well. I've heard about heat sinks for RAM, but do not know much them. Any suggestions?

 

[Richdog]

I do not believe RAM sinks help in lowering temperatures and stability. If you have good airflow in your case then the RAM will be far better cooled without them. In my opinion, RAM sinks hinder cooling rather than helping, they are merely cosmetic and the benefits are more psychological then practical.:beer:

 

[Camofrog]

If you really feal they need a little more air blowing on them then i would reccomend the thermaltake active memory cooling setup, research it, it does not cost very much.

 

[gba]

THX for the input guys. Yeah, I am going to have to get a probe in there to see exactly how hot it's getting before I resort to thermaltake active memory cooling solution. I wouldn't want the extra noise if I don't need it. I have a temperature-taking-fan cooling 3.5" bay jobber around here somewhere. I am going to do a little surgery to get it going outside of my box.

 

[Corporate Thug]

save your money and dont buy ramsink, the actively cooled ramsinks from thermalcrap might be a bit more efficent though

 

[BoomAM]

Normal HS`s wont do any good on RAM, as they require decent air flow over them directly for cooling.
Heatspreaders on the other hand, can help, as it spreads the heat from the chips over a larger area. So Heatspreaders can help, only by a bit though.
The Thermaltake Passive memory coolers are a good idea. Each pack comes with 2 large HS`s, and 2 sides of a heatspreader (for each side of mem).
If you have two sticks of ram, then buy two of the thermaltake passive things, put the heatspreaders on the RAM, then stick the HS`s on something else. Like your video cards ram, or your MOSFETS.

 

[gba]

THX BoomAM... Seems these might be worth trying. I've noticed that there is now a copper version available. Hmmmm? BTW, I received a second stick of Buffalo Tech. 512MB (winbound). Now stable at 11-3-2-2, 2.7vMem. My CPU: XP 2500 (pseudo XP 3000), MB: ASUS A7N8X. 10.5 x 2.03 = 2.14ghz, 408fsb, 1.8vCore Idles at 39C.

I need to install a temperature probe on the RAM to see if I need to be worried about the heat. Any input about how hot is too hot?

 

[Tiamat]

For a while, I cooled my ram down by at least 6 degrees Celcius by a less-than approved method. I have a 120mm blow hole on the top of my case, and I inverted the 120mm fan to blow directly onto my ram. I found very quickly that this also added to dust collection within my case.

I probably wouldnt get an active thermaltake ram-cooling solution because that just adds to noise - most 40mm fans are noisy. It would probably be healthier for your system as a whole to have optimal air circulation. If you can have a top blow hole, you can conduct air and heat away from your CD drives and ram. Also, careful cable management can do wonders to airflow.

 

[gba]

THX Tiamat. Yeah... I've got a load of round cables in my case. I am into audio and have lots of drives. I realize that I am not an ideal candiate for overclocking.

 

[BoomAM]

Go for the Thermal Copper Passive RAM Cooler Kit.
Or failing that, the Normal Aluminum one is good as well.
I have a 2 kits of them, with the heatspreaders on the mem, and the HS`s on an old GF2 GTS that i sold ages ago. Cant give you temp readings, as i dont have a temp probe. But they are cooler to the touch.

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: gba
THX Tiamat. Yeah... I've got a load of round cables in my case. I am into audio and have lots of drives. I realize that I am not an ideal candiate for overclocking.

Actually, I have lots of media files as well (4x 120gig HDDs). What kind of case do you have? Some cases allow for easier cable management than others. Not many people are ideal candidates for OCing - but that doesnt mean that they cannot OC the heck outta their system. Something I found while using different mobos is that the direction of the zif socket can aid in the cooling of your ram and voltage regulators. In some cases, the heatsink directs the airflow out and onto the ram which then aids in cooling the ram. Not sure if any of this helps you out. All-in-all, i dont think you need to be worried about your ram, unless they burn your fingers when you touch them.