HSF Advise - AX-7 or SLK-800, what fan?

[CptCaveman]

I'm looking to buy a new HSF as my volcano 7+ atm is running way too hot ( 75 degres during these hot days, case temp around 40 ). Now I was thinking either AX-7 or SLK-800, aswell as that I'm not sure which fan I should get.

I was possibly thinking as I have a sunon 120mm fan lying around here i never use I could get a 120 -> 80 converter and run that. How would that cope with the HSF?

Any advise would be welcome as I really just want to get these ridiculous temps down and not have to worry about it in summer, atm I am not running the computer overclocked. And yes I have quadriple checked the assembly/ mounting of the V7+ and cannot for the life of me figure out why it is running so hot.

Noise is not really a factor although I would prefer to keep it low if possible.

Note : im in Australia so all temps are in Celcius

 

[VeggieMan]

Well.. I can tell you what worked for me.. I have an AX7 running on a factory unlocked AYHJA 1.4 TBird @ 1662mhz.. and Im using a Vantec Tornado fan on it running modded at 7v.. it is MUCH quiter.. and after hours of crunching SETI at 1.85V.. my temp stays at 40C!

 

[drewdogg808]

i have an enermax adjustable 80mm, and it's great. the ys-techs are very good also. with your case temps about 40, you could try to add a few more case fans...maybe a blowhole. that should really drop your temps. if you're not worried about noise...go with a 50+ cfm fan. good luck.

 

[xXgambitXx]

1.) as for the choice betwen the AX-7 & the SLK-800. you're not going to see a HUGE difference. IMHO, it's not worth it to upgrade from a AX-7 to the 800 but the 800 is worth considering if you're already running something pretty cruddy.

2.) for fan....ANYTHING will work, just keep an eye out for a good noise to CFM ratio. personally, my AX-7 / 24CFM panaflo keeps my XP1900 running at a solid 40 - 45 C.

 

[455Buick]

Hi CptCaveman,

Wow!! 75degC = 167degF and 40degC (case) = 104degF. That is hot! You didn't mention the cpu, but either way better cooling is in order. I'm using an SLK800 and love it. It replaced my Volcano 7 and I saw immediate results of 5degC lower. I also use a Vantec Tornado fan. 80x80x38mm - 84cfm at max rpm. I control the fan speed for noise purposes. However, my room temps never went over 30degC (this summer in Michigan) and room temps do make a big difference. You might also want to try and lower the room temperatures first. Good luck and stay cool!

I hope this helped,

 

[CptCaveman]

I'm running a 2200+

 

[orion7144]

I had a XP2000 that was running at 50 ish under load w/retail HSF. When I put on my AX-7 with the YS tech adjustable fan my temps dropped to 39 under load.

 

[Toro 45]

80 mm YS tech adjustable fan

 

[joe4324]

Its not totally relevent to the topic as I have no experience with the AX-7 but I have a SLK800 and I run it on a XP1600+ at 1.8Ghz, with 1.8vcore and my temps are 34C Idle 39C under load.

 

[Elcs]

Originally posted by: CptCaveman
I'm looking to buy a new HSF as my volcano 7+ atm is running way too hot ( 75 degres during these hot days, case temp around 40 ).

I live in the UK and I also use a Volcano 7+. I run 2 Tt Smart Fans as intake and exhausts. According to my EPoX 8KHA+, my board temp never breaks 28C and the CPU has never seen over 50C and thats on 'Low' setting on the fan controller.

The 1st time I used my system, i didnt have any intake/exhaust fans so after about 14 hours of mixed idling and load, it hit 48-49C. After i installed those 2 fans, ive never seen over about 47C

I think that you're problem could be airflow. You seem to have dismissed the assembly and attachment, it might be possible that the HS is defective and not the skill of assembly.

Also, are you using Thermal Compound? I use AS3 on mine, minty fresh breath and sparkling cooling, works like a charm. Might be worth a shot.

 

[Brian48]

I upgraded from a AX7 to a SLK-800. I'm using a Thermaltake 80mm Smartfan with it.

There was not a HUGE difference in performance between the two, but it was still VERY NOTICABLE. Approximately 3-5C difference depending on the load and ambient room temp.

Personally, I just don't trust the AX7. There's a lot talk in the message boards about the quality control that goes into soldering the aluminum component onto the copper base. Sometimes it's fine, sometime it's not. One guy over at Hardocp actually had the aluminum portion fall off the rest of the heatsink. See this thread.

My own experiences weren't so drastic, but I did encounter a problem with my first AX7. It did not cool very well at all no matter how well or carefully I mounted it with ASII. Temps were much higher than with my previous Coolermaster Heatpipe. Took it back, got a replacement, and bingo. The second AX7 worked just fine, equaling the performance with the Coolermaster. This tells me the manufacturering process is somewhat inconsistent.

Anyway, I wasn't completely comfortable with this heatsink after doing all my research so I decided to replace it with a SLK-800 instead. No problems thus far. Excellent performance without the need to run an ear-splitting fan like the 7500rmp Delta.

 

[BoomAM]

SLK-800 + YS-Tech Silent 80mm (20dBa, 27CFM)
Cools my OC`d XP1800 great (below 35*c load)