Retail vs. OEM CPU

[Kalisperas]

I've received most of the equipment for my first build, and now the time has almost come to order my CPU. I put the CPU off 'till last in the hopes that prices might drop during my time saving up for the other parts, but I'm going to order it next week regardless. I've decided on the Athlon XP 2000+ (highest I can fit into my budget), so now I need to know whether I should go with the retail or OEM version. I like the retail version because of the included HSF and warranty. Assuming I have no intention of overclocking, will the included HSF be sufficient? I've heard some people say that it isn't, but I assume these are overclockers speaking. I'm new to the PC platform in general (I'm a hardened Mac veteran), and I have no desire to risk my hardware/stability by messing with overclocking.

Other questions: Does the retail version of the CPU contain anything else that might be of use to a first-timer, such as documentation or thermal compund? And if I really should go with OEM/3rd party HSF, could someone recommend a good one that's relatively inexpensive? My max budget for a HSF is around $25, less if possible (Need to keep cost of OEM CPU+HSF as close as possible to cost of retail CPU). And if I get a seperate HSF, keeping in mind that I'll be doing no overclocking, will I be OK with the included thermal pad if it comes with one, or should I do what everyone else seems to do and strip it off and use thermal grease?

Thanks!

 

[Markfw]

The included hsf on the 2000 is fine if you 1) don't overclock, and 2) have a ventilated case per AMD specs (basically a midtower cae with one exhaust fan right below the power supply.) I have it, and actually is a very fine hsf. It actually runs cooler than my retail 1800+, all other things being equal.

 

[novice]

The retail CPU package from AMD includes the chip, the heatsink and fan (which has a thermal substance already on the heatsink) and most important, the AMD Athlon XP case sticker! I believe you are supposed to use the provided heatsink, fan and thermal substance in order to maintain your 3 year manufacturer's warranty. I am using the factory heatsink and fan on both of XP 1700+'s and while they may not be the best solution, they run cool enough and the systems are quite stable. Maybe after 3 years, I will start playing around with other HSF's and try a little overclocking. Until then, I am covered. FWIW

 

[Kalisperas]

When you say the retail heatsink comes with a thermal substance, that's where it has that little piece of tape on the bottom that you have to remove just prior to installation, right? Is that OK to install on the CPU as-is, or do I still need to apply a compound to the CPU core itself?

 

[CrazySaint]

Originally posted by: Kalisperas
When you say the retail heatsink comes with a thermal substance, that's where it has that little piece of tape on the bottom that you have to remove just prior to installation, right? Is that OK to install on the CPU as-is, or do I still need to apply a compound to the CPU core itself?

Its fine as-is. You need to use thermal compound OR thermal pad, NOT both. If you use both, you will actually hinder the thermal transfer.

 

[Maggotry]

Originally posted by: novice
I believe you are supposed to use the provided heatsink, fan and thermal substance in order to maintain your 3 year manufacturer's warranty.

Fact. Been there. It worked out for me, but I wouldn't try it again.