Thermalright xp-120

[Stokes]

Im still deciding between a Athlon 64 3200+ or 3500+ (Venice, when they come out in the near future). And after doing a lot of research I believe that the thermalright xp-120 with a 120 mm fan on top is an excellent heatsink.

But after reading reviews, obviously I need to be looking at a motherboard that will make overclocking the venice core to 2.6 like I hear others getting or even higher. But since the XP-120 is so massive, I've heard stories where some motherboards have a severe problem of fitting this bad boy on the chipset. I have no decided on a case yet, but my ultimate goal here is to get a motherboard I can overclock the 3200 or 3500+ , have as little difficulty fitting the heatsink on, and I figure I can throw on a 120mm fan and have it run on a very low rpm and still move a lot of the heat away from the cpu.

I wasn't sure which forum to put this in since this inolves a lot of aspects. Sorry if this is the incorrect one

 

[bookman]

You can find that info in the Thermalright website. www.thermalright.com

 

[Stokes]

but that doesn't answer the best motherboard for overclocking that will work?

 

[JMWarren]

DFI Ultra-D

Mike

 

[Stokes]

I came across this and I understand what refurbished means but would there be any reason not to get this one rather then a new one?

http://www2.newegg.com/product/Product....RTY+UT+nF4+Ultra-D+ATX+AMD+Motherboard

It would be much cheaper

the other thing, reading on this board sounds like there are trouble with the bios updates, can anyone give anymore information on that?

EDIT: I see there is a huge thread on the board itself in another thread, so I'll read that, although could use advice on the refurb?

 

[Nocturnal]

DFI.

 

[Zebo]

XP 90 is better performing unless you use a loud tornado fan.

This is primarly due to the motor sizes of 120's, blocking lots of air, creating lots of turbulent resistance so close the HS vs 90mm fan small axle.

Add the fact it's smaller and cheaper XP90 is the only way to go IMO.

XP 90's #1 and #2 while XP-120 is #10

 

[theMan]

go for the xp-90c. i am very happy with my xp-90, and im sure the xp-90c will be even better. i agree with zebo.

 

[Tiorapatea]

You might want to consider the total noise level generated by all your components. The XP-120 plus Nexus 120mm fan will do a good job with your CPU. But you should consider the graphics card, motherboard chipset and power supply as additional problems if you want cool and quiet. Silentpcreview.com is the best forum for these issues.

Edit: The XP-90 will be fine for the CPU also. FYI I have just built a system with a Winchester 3200+, XP-120, Nexus 120mm CPU fan, and Asus A8N SLi Deluxe. System is clocked at 10x250 (1.475V) @DDR333 and the CPU runs 44 Celsius under load (Prime95 blend).

 

[Stokes]

Zebo-

What kind of differences in performance would I expect with the xp-120 (with a 120mm fan, SilenX makes a 120mm fan that is 14 dba @ about 58 CFM). The XP-90c looks to be a good competitor and it uses a 92mm fan? I haven't looked at what kind of fans i can get with a low noise levels and decent CFM

The other thing I wanted to mention. I'm not really sure how much 58 cfm will really do? I've seen numerous posts on people saying to get a higher rpm fan and just slow it down.

I'm really just kind of torn inbetween both of these heatsinks and i understand both are great ones.

Tieorapatea - I'm going through each part of the computer with noise as a big condition. I have no decided on the case which will be a big thing. But I understand that my fans will be a contributor so I'm trying to find the right fan to use all around. And from recent posts everyone is saying go with 120mm fans for case, and I saw that the XP-120 can use a 120mm fan it stood out to me. After I figure out my fans I'll move to case and PSU, actually right now, I'm using an Antec case, its a full tower, don't know the model but its basically the design antec is known for, but anyways I just looked closer at this case, and this one is super loud but I have found that a lot of the noise is coming from the PSU. So, after I figure out this mobo/cpu combo w/ heatsink and fans I'll look into a quiet PSU. After that comes everything else.

Another thing, you mentioned that the xp-90 will be fine, but you, yourself are using a xp-120. What was your reasoning behind that?

EDIT: Found this link from the website provided putting the xp-120 2nd highest on the list:

http://silentpcreview.com/article30-page1.html

 

[Zebo]

Stokes the 90mm you want is the zalman. Has a resistor so you can attenuate volume and CFM to desired levels. It's kinda pricey, about $8. Alternitivly if you can find a panaflo low speed model.

I use three of those 120mm nexus on my WC setup, while silent they move almost zero air (at 7V)

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

The XP-120 beats an XP-90. It's just that the 120 is expensive and a 90 might just be worth it. However, with the XP-120 you can get a larger fan that spins slower for quieter cooling. Just up to you. Or you can get a fan that generates as much noise as a 92mm fan and get even BETTER cooling on the 120 than the 90.

DFI is the way to go. It fits. Be sure to check the DFI NF4 thread because its a CLOSE fit and depending on what memory modules you have, you might want to reconsider.

 

[Lithan]

Yeah, with the xp heatsinks designs performance hit from the dead spot of fans is minimalized (if you build a duct, practically eliminated), xp-90 performs better at the same CFM, but xp-120 performs significantly better at same sound level. Not sure about the copper xp-90, I've not bothered reading reviews for it because Im happy with my xp-120. Also, I use gigabyte k8ns-939 ultra with xp-120 and it fits beautifully... but it's only NF3 250, not NF4.

 

[Tiorapatea]

Originally posted by: Stokes

Tieorapatea - I'm going through each part of the computer with noise as a big condition. I have no decided on the case which will be a big thing. But I understand that my fans will be a contributor so I'm trying to find the right fan to use all around. And from recent posts everyone is saying go with 120mm fans for case, and I saw that the XP-120 can use a 120mm fan it stood out to me. After I figure out my fans I'll move to case and PSU, actually right now, I'm using an Antec case, its a full tower, don't know the model but its basically the design antec is known for, but anyways I just looked closer at this case, and this one is super loud but I have found that a lot of the noise is coming from the PSU. So, after I figure out this mobo/cpu combo w/ heatsink and fans I'll look into a quiet PSU. After that comes everything else.

Another thing, you mentioned that the xp-90 will be fine, but you, yourself are using a xp-120. What was your reasoning behind that?

My reasoning was that SPCR reviews have found that the XP-120 performed better. Also the 120mm fans made by Nexus are very quiet. Take note of the motherboard chipset issue with nforce4. I opted for the Asus A8N SLi Deluxe over the DFI because, with the DFI, the graphics card sits right on top of the chipset, which makes it very difficult to fit a big passive cooler on the chipset. You would need to modify any new heatsink by splaying the pins outwards from the centre so that they sit either side of the graphics card. I used a Swiftech MCX159 with the Asus board and it fits without modification even with a Zalman VF700Cu cooler on the graphics card (if your video card has four mounting holes, otherwise you will need to cut off a bit from some of the Swiftech pins). I built a system with a 6800GT and have found the Zalman fan on the VF700Cu is by far the noisiest thing in the case when run at 12V. However, indications from others are that this fan can be run at 5V and still provide good cooling. Obviously, temps and possibly graphics overclocking potential might be affected at 5V though. For the PSU, I would recommend a Seasonic S12 430W. This has a very quiet thermistor-controlled 120mm fan and the PSU is very efficient and provides stable power. Read more on the SPCR forums (silentpcreview.com).

 

[Zap]

Don't just check your motherboard for fit. Check your case. I just sold an XP-120 with a Panaflo - took a $30 hit, because it wouldn't fit on my Epox s754 board and my friend's Asus P4P800 Deluxe fit fine but the overhang (part sticking past the motherboard PCB) pushed against the power supply in his Antec SLB case.

 

[imported_bum]

I'd be scared to use an xp-90c in my case because of its weight. Since I take my computer to LAN parties all the time, movement would put tons of stress on the motherboard. If your case will stay stationary, I wouldn't worry about it. Honestly, even the stock heatisnk will hold its own unless put under extreme conditions, so go with the cheapest/quiestest (or whatever you are looking for).