Heat Tolerance AMD XP vs P4 ?

TJ69

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Jun 7, 2001
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I plan on installing a computer in my car to handle mp3/dvd/tv/nav/internet/gaming and anything else cool I can make it do.

During summers in Atlanta, the inside of your car can get pretty hot. Which processor will hold up best in this environment AMD XP or Intel P4?

I assume stability will be a major issue because of the heat. My AC will be kicking most of the time, but it will take a few minutes for the ambient temp to be cool enough for the HSF to do any good. I have had bad luck with my 1.4 Tbird and hot rooms, but I'm not sure if that has been fixed with AMD XP.

Thanks.
 

The_Lurker

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Feb 20, 2000
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You'll probably be safer with the P4's, considering thta they have speed throttling built in when the temps get too high. A AMD XP might get too hot and burn out on you, although they run MUCH cooler than the 1.4 Tbird.
 

clicknext

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Originally posted by: The_Lurker
You'll probably be safer with the P4's, considering thta they have speed throttling built in when the temps get too high. A AMD XP might get too hot and burn out on you, although they run MUCH cooler than the 1.4 Tbird.

I agree.
 

Cerberus8080

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Jan 28, 2003
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Hmmmm. Assuming the temp in your car WILL get to 120F in the summer you might run into some serious problems. The proccessor can handle it, its silicon, besides I think extreme maximum temp for a P4 is like 70C(not running of course). What I'm concerned about is the HD. You better check the HD specs and see what the max "storage" temp is. I say storage because it won't be running when the temp is at 120F in your car. If that spec checks out ok just make sure to cool the car with your A/C before powering the machine up (and give it a few minutes to cool the inside of the HD).
 

DAPUNISHER

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Originally posted by: The_Lurker
You'll probably be safer with the P4's, considering thta they have speed throttling built in when the temps get too high. A AMD XP might get too hot and burn out on you, although they run MUCH cooler than the 1.4 Tbird.
AMD is getting there brudda, my Soltek supports clock throttling via the bios and reads from the on-die temp sensor so it should be effective though I'll not be the one to test it ;)

 

The_Lurker

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Feb 20, 2000
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Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER
Originally posted by: The_Lurker
You'll probably be safer with the P4's, considering thta they have speed throttling built in when the temps get too high. A AMD XP might get too hot and burn out on you, although they run MUCH cooler than the 1.4 Tbird.
AMD is getting there brudda, my Soltek supports clock throttling via the bios and reads from the on-die temp sensor so it should be effective though I'll not be the one to test it ;)

Hmm.. i haven't heard about that in any motherboard! but guess it's there. What i wonder is why so many motherboards dun read from the on board die but a temp sensor underneath?
 

DAPUNISHER

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Originally posted by: The_Lurker
Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER
Originally posted by: The_Lurker
You'll probably be safer with the P4's, considering thta they have speed throttling built in when the temps get too high. A AMD XP might get too hot and burn out on you, although they run MUCH cooler than the 1.4 Tbird.
AMD is getting there brudda, my Soltek supports clock throttling via the bios and reads from the on-die temp sensor so it should be effective though I'll not be the one to test it ;)

Hmm.. i haven't heard about that in any motherboard! but guess it's there. What i wonder is why so many motherboards dun read from the on board die but a temp sensor underneath?
Older AMD Athlons don't have the temp sensor on them so the socket thermistor is there for the purpose of giving a temp reading for thos CPUs. Many boards have the ability to read either now and mine displays the temp for each in the bios, one is die temp and one is external.
 

TJ69

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Jun 7, 2001
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Cerberus:

Good point, the HD will also need to survive the heat. But, they are rated for operating temps well above 100 degrees. A few minutes running at these temps while booting should be fine while the ac kicks in. I'm more worried about road vibrations doing damage.


XP vs P4

I think I will still side with the P4. My 1.4 tbird becomes unstable as the temperature in my room rises, so I don't have too much faith in the AMD XP.
 

bgeh

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Nov 16, 2001
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or you can get the VIA C3. it doesn't have great performance, but it should suffice.
 

DAPUNISHER

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The 1.4ghz T-Bird was the hottest running, power hungry SOB desktop CPU AMD ever made and is several year old technology now that is in no way reflective of the advanced features the latest T-Bred B incorporates. Basing expectations for say a 1700+ T-Bred B upon an old T-Bird 1.4 is just silly.
 

oldfart

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I'd go with a Tualatin Celeron. Plenty fast and very cool running. Compare to the slowest P4:
P4 1.6A = 46.8W
Celeron 1.4 GHz = 34.8W
 

TJ69

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Jun 7, 2001
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bgeh:
The C3 proccessor is not powerful enough for my application. It uses 80% of the cpu cycle playing DVDs, and cannot play DivX movies (cpu maxes out) according to a review I read a few days ago. Plus, I just have the need for speed. In case I have the sudden urge to play quake 3 to take out my road rage.

DAPUNISHER:
You are right, I should not base my opinion on old technology. The TBird 1.4 was a power hungry processor, that I often used as a heater or made breakfast on. I will do some more research on the AMD XP before making a decision.

oldfart:
I'd rather use a more powerful processor. I may need the power for future applications that I come up with while building the car pc. Plus the extra speed will help with boot times, which is very important in this application.

 

Necrolezbeast

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Apr 11, 2002
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I think either processor would do...you just need to get good airflow and a good heatsink, also you could underclock/undervolt the processor to help the cooling and if you need to play a game or something just restart and set it back up to speed for the time being. I've heard of people running 1700+ tbred's at 1.4v or around there at stock speeds, that should stay real cool.