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*NOT* OCing. Do I need to get an aftermarket cooler?

B

Burner27

Diamond Member
If you see below, you will see my setup. My processor temp is around 36c. I was wondering if I benefit from getting an aftermarket CPU cooler?

I really want to achieve the air-cooled "quiet PC". Is that possible with aftermarket CPU coolers?

Asus P4C800E Deluxe
P4@3.4GHz
1GB PC3500 Corsair
ATI X800XT PE 256MB
Pioneer DVR-108BK DVD-/+R/RW Burner
Plextor PX-708A 8X DVD Burner
1 x 74GB Western Digital Raptor
1 x 300GB Maxtor DM10 16MB SATA
2 x 400GB Hitachi
SB Audigy2 ZS
Onboard 10/100/1000 NIC
 
Originally posted by: Thermalrock
a good quiet hsf is definitely alot more quiet than the stock hsf.
and why would you want your cpu below 36°?
Click to expand...


Cooler is better for Processors, right?
 
I use a zalman "fan mate 1" rpm adjuster ($5 at Fry's) to run my heatsink fan at 2500 at idle, using a stock Intel copper heatsink. It's a cheap way to reduce noise. My temps range from 39-57 celcius, decent for a 2.8c running at 3500.
 
Originally posted by: Burner127
Originally posted by: Thermalrock
a good quiet hsf is definitely alot more quiet than the stock hsf.
and why would you want your cpu below 36°?
Click to expand...


Cooler is better for Processors, right?
Click to expand...

Yes, but at 36° or less you're beating a dead horse. 36° is a very nice temp.
 
Originally posted by: ELP
Originally posted by: Burner127
Originally posted by: Thermalrock
a good quiet hsf is definitely alot more quiet than the stock hsf.
and why would you want your cpu below 36°?
Click to expand...


Cooler is better for Processors, right?
Click to expand...

Yes, but at 36° or less you're beating a dead horse. 36° is a very nice temp.
Click to expand...


Bought and installed an Thermalright XP90 and a Panaflo 92mm medium speed fan. I reapplied AS5 and now my temp at idle is 29c. I think I made the right choice.
 
I agree with the above posts that 36C is a decent idle temperature. Especially, in a mid-tower case -- that's about what I would expect for a 3.4 Northwood, and I only imagine its better than decent for a Prescott 478-pin.

My view is that the cooler, the better, since the longevity of the component varies inversely with temperature, temperature change or variability, and voltage. The maximum temperatures for these processors is something around 69C or 156F.

If I have a system that shows load temperatures above 45C or 113F, I set about to rebuild it so that it shows 40C or lower at load.

And I don't use midtower cases anymore.

I'm still running tests on an XP120 ThermalRight cooler. I still have an XP90 in its box, with plans for use in a machine where the XP120 won't fit. So far, it appears that it has two things that trump ThermalTake's PIPE101 -- slightly lower load temperatures, and weight. Whoops-- one other thing --depending on the location of your Northbridge -- the XP120/90 models do not obstruct airflow along parts of the motherboard. My chipset runs about 5F cooler than with the ThermalTake PIPE101.

If you want to go this route -- with a premium-grade heat-pipe cooler -- try and get one that will fit a 120mm fan (the XP120) or a model with 92mm mounts where you can secure a 120-to-92mm fan adapter and a 120mm fan (ThermalTake PIPE101 -- no cigar for the XP90). Lower fan rpms, less noise, higher throughput in CFM (cubic feet[of air] per minute).

If you want, I could give you an entire database of fans both 92mm and 120mm which I spent a good part of the summer testing. You can get low-noise fans, but many of them have maximum speeds too low for high throughput. For a 92mm or 90mm fan, the Zalman is quiet and also spins up to nearly 3,000 rpms, so that is a good choice. The 92mm ThermalTake UFO fan spins up to about 3,600 and pushes about 82 CFM (or maybe it was 74, check it out . . ) The Vantec Tornado 92mm is noisy -- there is a motor whine that is more like a groan -- but at 5,000 rpm it pushes 119 CFM. The ThermalTake Blue LED 92mm fan is not too noisy and spins up to about 3,600 with comparable throughput to the UFO -- and not as noisy as the UFO.

The best 120mm fans that I've tried are the Silverstone 120mm rated at speed of 3,100 and throughput of 104+ CFM -- with mobo 3-pin plug and speed monitoring; the SUNON KD1212PMB1-6A (120x120x38 and a hefty 326 grams in weight) with 3,100rpm and 108CFM but no monitoring and only Molex plug; and the ThermalTake 120mm Blue LED fan -- 46 dB maximum noise but 2,600 rpm and 94+ CFM. The SUNON seems more quiet than the Silverstone -- apparently the white-noise air-turbulence causes most of the 42 dB. The Silverstone is quieter than the ThermalTake.

I can tell you about Enermax and other Sunon models. But what do you think this is? A free fan-consulting service? No ticky, no washy.
 
Originally posted by: BonzaiDuck
I agree with the above posts that 36C is a decent idle temperature. Especially, in a mid-tower case -- that's about what I would expect for a 3.4 Northwood, and I only imagine its better than decent for a Prescott 478-pin.

My view is that the cooler, the better, since the longevity of the component varies inversely with temperature, temperature change or variability, and voltage. The maximum temperatures for these processors is something around 69C or 156F.

If I have a system that shows load temperatures above 45C or 113F, I set about to rebuild it so that it shows 40C or lower at load.

And I don't use midtower cases anymore.

I'm still running tests on an XP120 ThermalRight cooler. I still have an XP90 in its box, with plans for use in a machine where the XP120 won't fit. So far, it appears that it has two things that trump ThermalTake's PIPE101 -- slightly lower load temperatures, and weight. Whoops-- one other thing --depending on the location of your Northbridge -- the XP120/90 models do not obstruct airflow along parts of the motherboard. My chipset runs about 5F cooler than with the ThermalTake PIPE101.

If you want to go this route -- with a premium-grade heat-pipe cooler -- try and get one that will fit a 120mm fan (the XP120) or a model with 92mm mounts where you can secure a 120-to-92mm fan adapter and a 120mm fan (ThermalTake PIPE101 -- no cigar for the XP90). Lower fan rpms, less noise, higher throughput in CFM (cubic feet[of air] per minute).

If you want, I could give you an entire database of fans both 92mm and 120mm which I spent a good part of the summer testing. You can get low-noise fans, but many of them have maximum speeds too low for high throughput. For a 92mm or 90mm fan, the Zalman is quiet and also spins up to nearly 3,000 rpms, so that is a good choice. The 92mm ThermalTake UFO fan spins up to about 3,600 and pushes about 82 CFM (or maybe it was 74, check it out . . ) The Vantec Tornado 92mm is noisy -- there is a motor whine that is more like a groan -- but at 5,000 rpm it pushes 119 CFM. The ThermalTake Blue LED 92mm fan is not too noisy and spins up to about 3,600 with comparable throughput to the UFO -- and not as noisy as the UFO.

The best 120mm fans that I've tried are the Silverstone 120mm rated at speed of 3,100 and throughput of 104+ CFM -- with mobo 3-pin plug and speed monitoring; the SUNON KD1212PMB1-6A (120x120x38 and a hefty 326 grams in weight) with 3,100rpm and 108CFM but no monitoring and only Molex plug; and the ThermalTake 120mm Blue LED fan -- 46 dB maximum noise but 2,600 rpm and 94+ CFM. The SUNON seems more quiet than the Silverstone -- apparently the white-noise air-turbulence causes most of the 42 dB. The Silverstone is quieter than the ThermalTake.

I can tell you about Enermax and other Sunon models. But what do you think this is? A free fan-consulting service? No ticky, no washy.
Click to expand...

Intels spec sheet says 90C for highest safe operting temperature.

Temps have a very small impact on the life of the product excluding extremes, changing voltages however, does have a large impact.

I wouldve bumped the voltage down a bit below stock rather than waste money on a bigger HSF. With the same line of thinking the weight of the new giant HSF could make your mobo wear out faster from the force on the socket.
 
Sorry, Acanthus, but a person would think you're trying to fool them.

The operating range is between 5C and a range of values just below and above 70C.

Go here, download the specification, and look for section 5.1.1 -- "Thermal Specifications".

http://developer.intel.com/des...m4/datashts/298643.htm

We don't know for sure if the original poster here has a 3.4C or a 3.4E, but the thermal specs for all models are included in the tables of section 5.1.1. And for all I know, he's over-clocked a slower processor to 3.4, but all those are included in the tables and their thermal maximum is in the low end of the range.
 
The XP120 has a weight of about 375 grams, or 75 grams less than the intel recommendation -- I think it is 450 grams. From that, you're left with the option of a range of fan weights between 126 grams plus or minus (the TT Blue LED 120, for example) and something like the SUNON which weighs in at 326 grams. At least with a fan like the TT or the Silverstone, the extra 50 grams or so is not going to stress out the motherboard.

Could you imagine what would happen to one of those thin silly-cone wafers in the processor core, if you held a cigarette-lighter under it? 🙂

 
Anyway, 36C idle is OK. 50C load is probably OK -- no thermal event until "Tc" maximum is reached around 70C. But like Acanthus said -- if you can decrease the range of temperatures, there will be less stress on the core from expansion, contraction -- and any other thermally-related degradation. You don't have to be a physicist to arrive at that conclusion . . . .
 
Burner127, I don't have a P4, I have a Clawhammer 3400+. I can offer my opinion to you though. I am not overclocking my chip at all and I am using the stock AMD cooler with the stock TIM pad (a first for me I can assure you). The stock cooler is silent, I can't hear it running inside my Antec Sonata with a Gigabyte X800 Pro (also nearly silent). All I can hear is the light humming sound of my drives spinning and the power supply fan running. The temp. of my CPU is 37C at idle and it maxes out at 45C under 100% load (Prime95).

I sincerely believe that both Intel and AMD have designed (or specified) near silent, highly-efficient coolers for their CPUs which are perfect for the chips when they are run at stock speed. And using the stock cooler also preserves your retail warranty. That's definitely a big plus.
 
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