Confused about all these heatsinks, CPU fans, CPU coolers!

[tgzo]

Hi there, I am planning to purchase an AMD based system. I know about the heating issue that most AMD chips have and am prepared to buy the appropriate cooling devices for it.

However, I am confused about all these heatsinks, CPU fans, CPU coolers that I can choose to buy. To make matters worse, these devices all come in different brands as well!

Can someone please explain the difference between heatsinks, CPU fans, CPU coolers and tell me exactly what I need to properly install and maintain an AMD XP 2200+ retail boxed chip?

Thanks!

 

[Cerb]

It's about balancing cost, performance and noise.

The retail coolers are loud (save one or two models)!
If noise bothers you (it is high pitched, which bothers many, including me), your best bet is to get something like the Thermalright SK7 and a low CFM 80mm fan (I'm partial to the Enermax adjuctable and themral controlled, though many people swear by the Papbst ($$$!) and Panaflos as well).

 

[everman]

Larger Heatsink + slow 80mm fan = nice quiet and cool setup.

 

[techfuzz]

Oh the old but faithful heatsink/fan discussion and which one to choose!

IMO, your decision on which heatsink & fan to purchase requires making 2 decisions:
First, are you planning on overclocking your processor? If you don't plan on overclocking you don't need a $55 Thermaltake SLK-900 with the $18 Vantec Tornado.
Second, how much are you willing to spend? Heatsinks and fans range in price from very cheap (lower performance) to very high priced (high performance).

With those two pieces of information we can make some suggestions for you. I do have one suggestion though, your retail boxed chip 2200+ should come with a heatsink and fan that will work just fine under normal conditions. Save yourself the cash if you don't require a new heatsink/fan.

techfuzz

 

[thorin]

I have a Retail Athlon 2200+ and use the packaged HSF, it runs @ 44C under full load (room temp ~18-20C). And that's even with the thermal pad it comes with not AS or other thermal compound.

Thorin

 

[jtcartboy357]

hey tgzo
I just got a vantec aeroflow yesterday and the thing is great. I am running an athlon xp 1700+ oc'd to 1.91 GHZ about the equiv of an XP 2400+. I run idle at 32 def C(89 Def F) and at a full load I run at about 96 deg (running the sisoft burn in benchmark) the fan is available for about $30.00 and is fairly quiet.

 

[Markfw]

Ditto the comment on the Vantec C7040 from jtcartboy357. I have two, one on a XP2400 OC'ed to 2800+ levels, runs 35-39c full load (depending on room temp), and an XP2700 oc'ed to XP3000+ levels that runs 36-40c. AND THEY ARE SILENT ! $33 at newegg.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

P4 AeroFlow lovin' here

 

[viper118]

if you are looking for a quiet system, try checking out the zalman heatsinks and fans... those things are virtually silent in Silent Mode and they are pretty good at cooling a stock system... if you plan on overclocking, then look for a higher end heatsink and fan...

i personally have the 3100+ model and i have absolutely no complaints.. cools my system very nicely and there is no noise coming from the fan!

 

[silent tone]

65 HSFs roundup

It doesn't include some popular ones, but an informative read.

 

[tgzo]

I do not plan on overclocking or anything and I don't want to spend the extra dollars buying a new heatsink and fan.

But what is the difference between a heatsink and fan? Also, does the retail boxed XP 2200+ indeed comes with a heatsink and fan?

Thanks!

 

[TAL0N]

The Heatsink is the chunk of metal that attaches to the CPU, the fan is the thing that spins The confusion comes in because alot of the higher priced heatsinks don't include a fan so the end user can choose a loud but efficient fan, or a quieter fan that doesn't move as much air. The Vantec Aeroflow mentioned earlier includes the heatsink as well as a special fan which is relatively quiet and efficient for it's size.

And yes the retail boxed processors include a standard HSF (heatsink/fan) in the box, but are generally regarded as being noisy, especially when compared to something like the Aeroflow.

 

[tgzo]

Thanks talon! So let me get this straight. The heatsink is like a device that allows the fan to be mounted onto the CPU and does no cooling by itself?

Also, is the vantec fan that you guys are talking about: Vantec Aeroflow Socket A CPU Cooler TMD 5600 RPM 35.5 CFM 38DBA?

 

[paralazarguer]

. The heatsink is like a device that allows the fan to be mounted onto the CPU and does no cooling by itself?

No. The heatsink basically increases the surface aread of the CPU. As you know, more surface area = faster heat dissipation.
Heat it transferred through contact with the cpu through a TIM (thermal interface material) into the metal (copper or aluminum) of the heatsink. That heatsink then uses fins or pins to spread the heat over a great surface area. Some CPUs, chipsets, GPUs, etc allow for passive cooling which means that there is no fan. Most CPUs require fans though. These fans basically do nothing more than help the heatsink do its job more efficiently. Rather than allowing the heatsink to use passive convection to transfer the heat from itself to the air, the fan increases the airflow which then removes hot air and replaces it with fresh cool air to allow for more efficent heat transfer from the heatsink to the air.
So, it goes
CPU->TIM->Heatsink->Air
The your case fans remove the hot air from your case and replace it with cool air to also help with cooling.

 

[iZero]

If you want to see a whole lot of heatsinks reviewed, check out Dan's Data's cooler comparo. There are a lot of heatsinks reviewed there, and it gets updated often. On another note, I give the nod to the Vantec Aeroflow as well. I'm very happy with mine, it provides great cooling with moderate to low noise. Hooked up to my rheobus, it's all but silent. It won't break the bank either.