Will 478 heatsink/fan fit on AM2+ socket?

[vcarpio2]

Anyone tried it? Thanks!

 

[jtisgeek]

:thumbsdown: Now maybe if you did some rigging but then you could make most things fit.

 

[DrMrLordX]

There are plenty of older hsfs out there that will fit AM2/AM2+/AM3 with the proper mounting hardware. For example, the old Ultra 120 was released back in the s478/s939 days if I recall correctly, but it can still be made to work on AM2+.

I have a Big Typhoon VX downstairs on my AM2 system, which is nothing but a Big Typhoon with a faster fan and updated mounting hardware (and the BT most definitely had s478 mounting hardware).

You might want to ask about a specific HSF, and you might want to ask in the Cases and Cooling forum. That being said, with coolers as cheap as the Mugen 2, Hyper 212+, and Contac 29 floating around out there, there's a good chance that you'd be better off getting a brand new HSF than trying to find mounting hardware to make an older (and likely inferior) HSF work on an AM2+ rig.

 

[jaqie]

DrMrLordX (what a mouthful to try to pronounce, whew!) is correct... I recently modded a socket A only SK92 onto a socket 939 processor, with a bit of ingenuity and some bailing wire, and many heatsinks have adapter plates they come with (and some can be gotten aftermarket too!) to mount them to newer/different sockets... but your best bet is to get an inexpensive half decent new HSF.

 

[vcarpio2]

Thanks a lot for the info. Good to know it's doable. Some time ago I did a similar thing -- my friend's Dell's chipset HSF broke loose so I rigged something up from an old videocard's HSF.

Just to give a brief background, when I ordered my AM2+ proc, I made the mistake of ordering OEM that didn't come with a HSF instead of a boxed one that did. I'm replacing a P4 motherboard with an AMD one and wanted to see if I can use the P4 HSF until I order an AM2+ HSF.

But last night I got a new AM2+ HSF. After going to RadioShack, Staples, and a mom-and-pop computershop, I finally found one at BestBuy. It's a Rocketfish HSF for $30.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Ah . . . well good luck with that! I don't know that Rocketfish has released any HSFs of distinction, but I guess it's better than nothing.

What model HSF was it, if I might ask?

 

[ModestGamer]

I have a stock am3 socket CPU cooler with fan if ya need it.

 

[DrMrLordX]

If you have the 125w+ hsf (4 heatpipes) it will probably perform better than the Rocketfish unit (which is probably a dual heatpipe unit).

 

[vcarpio2]

I think it's this:

http://www.hawkee.com/shop/prod/8553056/

I actually didn't find this link until now since I got curious with your comment, DrMrLordX. Based on the reviews, many seem happy. But we'll see. It's for my daughter's PC. I replaced the P4 motherboard with a Gigabyte and X2 Phenom. Just last night I left her installing Windows 7. I'll have to find out how the Rocketfish is performing. There will be no overclocking as it will mostly be just for Facebook, YouTube, etc. If the fan breaks down, oh well, I'll get her a better one from Newegg. Thanks!

ModestGamer, thanks for the offer!

BTW, it installed easily. Not sure why the others in the linked forum above had difficulty. I'm guessing it's because the Rocketfish came with an array of parts for other processor mounts. I, too, get confused when wiper blades come with adaptor parts for all kinds of cars...

 

[DrMrLordX]

Okay, that definitely isn't the dual-heatpipe Rocketfish HSF. Anyway if it works for your daughter, then great. The best thing about it is that it was immediately available and functional, I suppose.

 

[manimal]

I actually have that hsf-it was 8 bucks- and at stock voltages it works very well. Any juice on the i5 I had it on for a few weeks would heat up like crazy. Got it stable at 3.6 fairly easy. if that thing was 15 bucks it would be a good buy.

 

[DrMrLordX]

The OP bought it at Best Buy, so $30 there is about the same as $15 anywhere else. The last time I bought any hardware at Best Buy, I bought an Antec Smartpower 400w PSU (18a 12v rail, lulz) that cost about $20-$30 more than it should have. It was an emergency replacement for the el-cheapo PSU that came with the case my T-bird was in. That PSU lasted a long time and served me well considering it was an emergency replacement, so I don't feel too bad about having paid the Best Buy tax; however, that's a tax I'd rather not pay very often.

 

[vcarpio2]

8 bucks? I miss the computer fair caravan that used to roll into town from time to time. I guess making money selling computer parts isn't what it used to be anymore...

BTW, the fan mounts sideways. You might think it's no big deal but I almost fried the CPU last night because one of the PSU's octopus cables snagged the fan so it wasn't spinning at all. This may have been for a full minute after powerup before I noticed. I only started looking because the screen froze on the BIOS screen. I let it cool down for about 5 minutes before I powered it back on. Good thing it did. (Whew...)