Processor upgrade question.

[de8212]

I currently have a 3.2e processor and I have reason to believe it may be partially the cause of my pc crashing due to heat.
My question is how much cooler would it be to swap this out for a different cpu? waht is the non-prescott version called? Is it the Northwood?
My 8IK1100 mobo says it can go up to a 3.4 northwood.

I believe one of my problems is that the room that my pc is in is at the front of my house. The sun beats down on that side all day long and it gets pretty warm in there. And when I leave the computer on it's noticably warmer.

Also I know this isn't the cooling section but if anyone know a good heatsink/fan to go along with the chip please let me know.

 

[996GT2]

There are 4 cores of the Pentium 4 chip I believe. The earliest was Willamette, then Northwood, then Prescott, then Cedar Mill. The non-Prescott version you are referring to is the Northwood, in your case.

However, I think you'd be much better off getting a new Heatsink than getting a new processor if you are relatively sure that heat is the cause of your problems. A new heatsink (and maybe some new case fans) would certainly solve all of your heat problems and save you money in the process. If you get a new Pentium 4 chip, it would produce similar amounts of heat to your old chip, since the Northwood is one of the cooler Pentium 4 cores.

This is a very nice Heatsink for 478 (since you said Northwood, which is socket 478), and it's price is excellent too-only $20 after instant 40% off
http://www.svc.com/acfz-4.html

What kind of fans are you looking for? 80mm, 120mm? Do you care about quietness or do you just want to move a lot of air?

 

[de8212]

Originally posted by: 996GT2
There are 4 cores of the Pentium 4 chip I believe. The earliest was Willamette, then Northwood, then Prescott, then Cedar Mill. The non-Prescott version you are referring to is the Northwood, in your case.

However, I think you'd be much better off getting a new Heatsink than getting a new processor

I just wonder how much a hs/f will help. My BIOS showed my temp was ~70 celsius. I'm sure it's much warmer in windows when doing processor intensive things.

 

[996GT2]

The BIOS is often incorrect...it can vary by as much as 20 degress from one board to another. But if you are pretty sure that your PC is crashing due to heat, then a new heatsink will help a lot. Also, some nice new case fans to move the hot air out will help too.

 

[de8212]

I did install a utility that came with my mobo but it said 66 celsius in windows. Since they were close to each other I figured it was correct.
So will that fit my prescott also?

I'm open to any suggestions on hs/fans. I don't know if I could get a 120 to fit. If so I would definately try. Just don't want it too loud. It's already loud enough.

 

[996GT2]

Yes, it will fit your prescott too, if it's socket 478 (which it is if your motherboard says something about Northwood Compatibility).

As for fans:

80MM:
Quiet, temp controlled 80mm (moves up to 32CFM)-Arctic Cooling Pro TC (only $3 each)
http://www.svc.com/acfptc.html

Louder, but moves more air (nearly 40CFM)-Sunon Ball Bearing 80*80*25 ($5)
http://www.svc.com/kd1208ptb2-4-86.html

120MM
Quiet, moves 40CFM-Cooler Master Quiet 120mm($6)
http://www.svc.com/pl12s12l.html

Louder, but moves 90CFM-Sunon Ball Bearing 120mm ($10)
http://www.svc.com/kd1212ptb1-86.html

As a rule of thumb, make sure that your intake fan (the one in front of case) moves less air than the exhaust fan (the one in the back). This is to make sure that air is being pulled out of the case effectively

 

[de8212]

Thanks for all the links and info 996. I did a quick search here and found someone using a Zalman CNPS7000-ALcu hs/fan with a prescott and had pretty decent temps. Would you think that would be as good or better than the one you suggested?
Also what is the best thermal grease, etc?
I think I have some old arctic 5 from ~2yrs ago but I would probably just go ahead and get a new tube.

Sorry for all the ?'s. I'd like to order this today if possible.

 

[996GT2]

Arctic Silver 5 is probably the best thermal compound...at SVC its $6 with free shipping

The Zalman is slightly better (a few degrees) at cooling than the AC Freezer, but the Freezer is virtually silent (esp after undervolting the fan), while the Zalman is not.

If you are really after good CPU cooling, then you might want to checkout Thermalright's XP90/120 and the Scythe Ninja. But those models cost a lot more, especially considering that you have to buy a fan separately with most of them.

 

[furballi]

Get the heatpipe CPU cooler. Open the case to see if the temp will drop by more than 5C. If YES, then modify case air flow or get a better case (Antec SLK3000B).

 

[RussianSensation]

Download Motherboard Monitor 5.3.7.0 or a monitoring software of sorts. Check 3.3V rail. If it dips below 3.23V, it can cause your system to crash. Check 12V rail. It shouln't dip below 11.35. Also check motherboard, PWM (power circuitry on the motherboard) and cpu temperatures at load. Download MemTest86 and run it to see if you dont have any memory problems. Sometimes increasing voltage to the memory or cpu improves the situation. IF you are running an ATI graphics card, often Catalyst drivers have caused my system to reboot randomly and crash. Some versions don't though. But check the load temperatures to see if it's a heat issue. Download Prime95 and run it to stress test the system. If your system crashes SuperPi, it's a memory issue.