My thermalright SI-97 (quick little comparion from my stock XP HS)

[ty1er]

Well i just install my new SI-97 heatsink for my barton 2800+ OCing rig.
I figured that i would share my experience with the forum.

New Equipment:
Thermalright SI-97 paired up with a
Thermaltake 90mm Blue led adjustable smart fan.
AS5

Replacing: Stock AMD HS from an 2000+XP palmino with a ~2500rpm 80mm fann that i zip-tied on to it.

Installation went pretty smooth, i just removed my PS to make it ahellofa lot easier to install the SI-97.

Here is a important Note!
My benchmarking between my old and new HS setup is NOT totally equal.
Unequal idems are in Bold Text.
Not equal but still very amazing ;-)

For the test i used mbm for the Socket AND diode temps, and ran Prime95 toture test (Large FFTs max heat) for 45mins.

OLD stock HS with 80mm (running around ~2300rpms)

AMD barton 2800+ running at 2200mhz 1.575v =
Socket max temp = 51C
Internal CPU Diode max temp = 63


New SI-97 w/ TT 90mm fan running ~3050rpms

AMD barton 2800+ running at 2300mhz 1.550v =
Socket max temp = 39C
Internal CPU Diode max temp = 42


I was so happy with the results that i just order the XP-120 for my main PC!

 

[ty1er]

Here is a Picture of the SI-97. I took like 20 pictures messing around with all the setting on my digicam. I liked this on the best

 

[KF]

Nice picture. Very colorful with the red, blue and green illumination. It looks like something they would put on the cover of a magazine. Does it actually look like that in real life, or is it a tricky way you took the picture?

Yeah dropping 21C degrees would be impressive. I like the look of that SI-97 too. I'm seriously considering getting one. (Although I seriously consider a lot of things I don't end up doing.) But it would be kind of funny to use a fan+HS that'll run over $50 with shipping with an OCed Tbred I only paid $52 for, and a case I only paid $44 AR for (Antec 2650BQE). Did you find a good deal on the SI-97?

What put me onto this is the new case. It has a duct directing air to the CPU HS which truely makes it several degrees cooler with the side on. That dropped the noise cosiderably from the way I usually run with the side off my cases. And combined with the quiet PS and slow 120mm exhaust fan, the noise is low enough that it now seems worth the effort to cut the noise from the HS fan.

I'd guess the HS I'm starting with is better than what you started with, and I'm already spinning an 80mm fan at 3400RPM, so I couldn't expect anything like a 21C drop with a new HS. I was thinking I could get a little quieter AND little cooler with an SI-97. But spinning a 92mm fan over 3000 RPM may well be more noisey.

Spinning a bigger fan that fast probably increased your noise quite a bit. Is noise a consideration for you? How bad would you say it is?

I also wonder if it will fit. My mobo looks so close to the PS that an SI-97 overhanging the mobo's edge might not make it. How much overhang is there? How much room to spare is there in your case?

 

[ty1er]

Nice picture. Very colorful with the red, blue and green illumination. It looks like something they would put on the cover of a magazine. Does it actually look like that in real life, or is it a tricky way you took the picture?

Thanks!!
I keeped on messing around with the Shutter Speed of my camera, and after taking around 20 or so pictures this one for some reason just caught my eye.
The picture looks slighly better then reality. I guess that it has to do with the focusing of the image.

Yeah dropping 21C degrees would be impressive. I like the look of that SI-97 too. I'm seriously considering getting one. (Although I seriously consider a lot of things I don't end up doing.) But it would be kind of funny to use a fan+HS that'll run over $50 with shipping with an OCed Tbred I only paid $52 for, and a case I only paid $44 AR for (Antec 2650BQE). Did you find a good deal on the SI-97?

Im i still can not get over the drop in the temp. Im 98% sure that my previous stock HS was mounted Correctly and i always use AS5. Unbelieveable...
With its "floating fin design" the air gets push though without the resistance of a normal type HS. I put my hand around the back side of the HS and i can just feel the warm air pouring off that baby.
Nope, i didnt find a deal 38$ from newegg. And i think the Price went up to 44$ a few days after of purchased mine.

I'd guess the HS I'm starting with is better than what you started with, and I'm already spinning an 80mm fan at 3400RPM, so I couldn't expect anything like a 21C drop with a new HS. I was thinking I could get a little quieter AND little cooler with an SI-97. But spinning a 92mm fan over 3000 RPM may well be more noisey.

Spinning a bigger fan that fast probably increased your noise quite a bit. Is noise a consideration for you? How bad would you say it is?

Its tough to explain how loud it is running around ~3100rpms, you can definaly hear it, but its not annoying. If i drop the rpms to around ~2800rpms the temp rises to around ~45C but in return the fan is pretty much silent.
I have read on some other forum (i cant remember which one) that some people were install a thin 80mm fan on the under side of the HS to increase the flow of air.

I also wonder if it will fit. My mobo looks so close to the PS that an SI-97 overhanging the mobo's edge might not make it. How much overhang is there? How much room to spare is there in your case?

It does overhang slightly. the best bet would be to find somebody with the same setup as yours with a SI-87 installed.
I found this review of the SI-97 there is a couple of pitures of the HS mounted on a Mobo that has the Socket located at the top of the mobo design. hope that helps.
Linky