Thermaltake VOLCANO II Heatsink - question

[Hersh]

hi guys,

Im going to be ordering a 1.2ghz AMD Tb 266mhz FSB and an Abit KT7A... I want a nice cooling solution for this processor.. its basically going to be on 24/7

I'm looking into getting a Thermaltake VOLCANO II Heatsink + Dual Ball bearing Fan to mount on top of the cpu, but first of all, is this a good choice? I've read fairly good reviews of this fan... just wanted to get some more comments from you guys.

Secondly, how do you mount this on the top? do i need to get thermal compound and some kind of thermal adhesive or will it come with something i can use to just mount it on top?

I'm not looking into overclock just yet, but in the future if I do o/c, will it have enough cooling?

Thanks for any responses to my questions

 

[NightTrain]

YHPM

 

[Hersh]

cool, thanks for the input... anyone else have any comments or suggestions for me?

thanks!

 

[Dan]

There are far better alternatives to the Volcano II. Out of necessity I'm using one witn a 1.33 T-Bird at 1.54GHz until my Thermalright SK6/Delta 60mm combo arrives from Plycon.

My average idle temps with the Volcano II were averaging 52c. I have an intake blowhole right over the cpu. The other day it occurred to me that if the Volcano II was sucking off the cpu then I was probably creating a pocket of hot dead air right above the cpu. (doh!)

I reversed the direction of the Volcano II fan so that it is blowing on the cpu. That seems to have reduced my average cpu temps by 2-3 degrees.

 

[Hersh]

how about a Cooler Master EP5-6i11 ?

-thanks

 

[elkinm]

It's a good fan, but I heard that the GlobalWins like the 38 are better, espetialy at high tempartures but the Volcano II is very good and only $13 shipped at newegg.com. I ordered myself one.

I heard that it requires a skrewdriver to mount and that it requires a good deal of force. Does anyone know if there is a high risk of crushing the Thunderbird/Duron core or if it is generaly safe to use?

 

[acexg1]

I don't know how high of a risk of crushing the core, but you will need a flathead screwdriver and a lot of force to apply it. It's a pain, and I suppose you could crush the core if you pushed it down hard enough. I was more afraid of slipping and gouging the mobo traces.

 

[Anaconda]

i used meeself a shim

 

[Hersh]

anyone know a good but cheap place to buy cooling for CPUs?
I was considering the Volcano II but I don't like the fact that it requires alot of force to mount the thing on the cpu.... I need something simpler any suggestions? I don't want to spend more then $25 total on it if possible

-thanks

 

[Morjo]

Get a ThermoEngine

 

[grrl]

I'd recommend the Taisol CGK742092. It's a large unit, but quiet. I'm using one and find it cools very well. It also got a great review on Anandtech. Its clip also attaches to all 6 points on the socket and it's pretty easy to attach.

You can get one for $17. You can contact abi@pyrinex.com for more information.

 

[AMDconvert]

I just set up my new 1.2GHz athlon a couple of days ago using the Volcano II and it seems to work alright. My temps are a little high (around 52C) but it's my fault because I haven't installed any case fans yet.. The clip was actually pretty easy to put on, it did require the use of a flat blade screwdriver but I was able to install it in a matter of seconds.

 

[Brats]

I too picked up the Volcano II, primarily because newegg (where I bought my 1.2/266 AXIA Y from) made it painless -- just clicked a box and for $8 got the fan.

But, I live in the "high desert", and it gets pretty warm here. My system, which until two days ago was rock solid started hanging a LOT (our weather went from 60-70's to mid-80's overnight). My CPU temps were in the mid 50's (54, typically). Today I pulled off the Volcano II and saw that the stock thermal paste that I used with the fan wasn't centered, and a corner of my CPU wasn't making contact. So I scraped it off and put on some Artic Silver and my temps are now 51-52. Not a lot better, but the system's running right now.

The fan's okay, I guess, but I'm going to spend a few bucks and get a better one, I'd like my temps to ride under 50.

So, note that, if you're "lazy like me" and use the stock Volcano II paste, make sure it's making full contact with the CPU.

 

[Hersh]

hehe, thanks for all the experiences
i think im not going to go with the volcano II now..

how about any personal experiences with GlobalWin FOP32-1 ?

also, how much does 2cooltek.com charge for shipping within US?

-thanks

 

[CarpetMan]

I just got my volcano II from NewEgg,and it was very rough. I am lapping it and I recommend that anyone getting one inspect the bottom for smoothness.

 

[NightTrain]

A buddy of mine had a Volc II and a FOP-32. He gave 'em both up for and now swears by his MC-370A.

 

[Hersh]

well, I sorta made up my mind to go with the Alpha PAL6035 Kit from 2cooltek.com

is this easy to mount? it comes with a fan and thermal compound

thanks again!

 

[kgraeme]

You've moved on, but my experience with the FOP32-1 and the Volcano II was that they cool about equally and the Volcano II was more quiet. Since those two are the only ones I've tried, that's about all I can say. Okay, there was the little CoolerMaster, but it was barely adequate.

I figure though that building a system is about tinkering and learning, so I don't mind buying more than I'll use, within reason. Buy a couple HSFs, maybe a couple fans. It might only add about $50 to the overall system costs. And pretty soon you'll be considered an expert.

 

[Hersh]

what were your temps like with the volcano?

thanks

 

[Aiya]

I get 42 idle/45 load with the volcano II on the 1Ghz 266. I also tried the coolermaster, which gave slightly higher temps, maybe 1 or 2 degs.

Now, I'm running a 1.2Ghz with the same coolermaster EP5-6i11. Got 45/50. But swapped out the fan for a delta 38, and now get 39/45.

Many people agree, you do get what you pay for. For the price of the coolermaster or volcano, if you add that with the delta fan, it comes very close to getting one of the better HSFs.

 

[Brats]

<< I figure though that building a system is about tinkering and learning, so I don't mind buying more than I'll use, within reason. Buy a couple HSFs, maybe a couple fans. It might only add about $50 to the overall system costs. And pretty soon you'll be considered an expert. >>


My thoughts exactly! I don't mind buying a few &quot;throwaway&quot; parts while experimenting.
Now my wife, on the other hand, doesn't exactly share that sentiment!

 

[Brats]

Well, wrt my Volcano II tweaking (where I discovered the stock thermal paste was off-center and not covering the Athlon 1.2/266 core fully; I scraped it off and put a slick of Artic Silver on it). Initially my temps didn't drop very much, just a few degrees. But now I find the temps are running in the mid-40's, sometimes lower. The only &quot;change&quot; I made was that I wanted to make sure the cooler was secure, so I pushed it down and twisted it a bit (in an attempt to ensure the AS was well-distributed between the core and cooler).

I guess that did it, the temps dropped to where they are now. Doesn't make complete sense to me, but I'm glad it's running cooler. I'll probably upgrade the cooler regardless, and I'm digging through &quot;dansdata&quot;, he's added 10 new HSF's in his review.

 

[kgraeme]

With my Volcano II, I'm at 27C system temp and 44C CPU.

Iwill KK266-R
900MHz Athlon (200)
overclocked to 1050
140MHz FSB

I'm more interested in a quiet system than a crazy-fast system. And though the 44C might seem a little on the high side, I'm totally stable (right now ;0 ) I'm not pushing the Volcano II, it's just what I happen to use.

 

[m1ke101]

how do you tell the idle/load temp of your cpu?

 

[CarpetMan]

After lapping my Volcano and just building this system,I am running my duron 800@900 with cpu temp of 36 C and system temp of 27C. Also am useing Arctic Silver 2.