A question: Compatibility with a part?

[Brianna]

Ok, so it was requested that I posted this question here, so here it goes.

Basically my processor runs at 65-70C while games are up, and basically while idle too, I realize this is very bad, but I know the problem rests in my ''Heatsink'', It's not effective enough.

So basically I was thinking of buying a new cooling solution for it this monday, and I have some things in mind, firstly to start I will give a run down of my main parts, because I am worried about compatibility.

This is my motherboard: http://www.digit-life.com/articles3/mainbo...eforce7050.html

This is my processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819103773 I don't know if it's a windsor or whatever, I just know It's an AMD Athlon 64 6000+ that fits into an ''AM2'' slot.

And this is the new cooling solution I was thinking of getting for it: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Se...&CatId=1588

So all in all, do you think that heatsink is overkill, or too big to fit on that type of motherboard? Or do you have any other heatsinks that you may suggest?

Thank you for your time! Anything helps out.

[Eldmannen]

Does ever it crash because of overheating?

My neighbor had an Pentium 4 computer that was way hot, something like that 65-70'C. I opened the case, and saw that lots of dust were stuck on the fan and the heatsink.

So I cleaned the fan with some cotton swabs to removed the dust, and after that it worked great. The temperature lowered drastically and became cooler than I expected.

Now, I have bought Dust-Off, that I can spray on the fan/heatsink. It is much more efficient and quicker, and easier.

So you can try check if your computer just is dusty perhaps. Computers tend to get dusty, especially if they're on the floor.

Else that heatsink you linked to has a copper core which is good. It also employs heatpipe technology.

[Brianna]

Well, this computer is brand new, not even a couple of months old, and I clean it every week so I know theres no dust, It's just the heatsink.

Because in my old system that had an AMD Athlon 3200+ it had the same problem, ran very hot and sometimes I had to power down the PC in order to cool it off, but no my system has never crashed, It's been very stable, however sometimes I heard whining noises coming from the processor area so I turned it off hastily.

[Eldmannen]

Well, this computer is brand new, not even a couple of months old, and I clean it every week so I know theres no dust, It's just the heatsink.

Because in my old system that had an AMD Athlon 3200+ it had the same problem, ran very hot and sometimes I had to power down the PC in order to cool it off, but no my system has never crashed, It's been very stable, however sometimes I heard whining noises coming from the processor area so I turned it off hastily.

The CPU comes boxed with a stock cooler that should cool it sufficiently enough.

I agree that 65-70'C is way too hot though.

Maybe the heatsink is not mounted properly on the CPU? (But then, it most likely would have crashed of overheat when playing game).

Maybe its hot in your room. Maybe you have several hard disks, or a high-end graphics card that generate a lot of heat.

You can install fans in your computer case. 120mm fans are good. The bigger the better.

Bigger fans can rotate at slower speed while pushing more air, than a smaller fan can do. Hence a bigger fan is more efficient and more silent.

Thermal paste can be smeared on the heatsink for better heat contuct. I think most CPU's come with thermal paste on the heatsink though. Last I heard, the best thermal paste were Arctic Silver 5.

The heatsink you picked at Newegg may be a good one, because it have copper bottom and heatpipes.

Copper is good, because it is a better heat conductor than aluminum. Copper is a more expensive metal than aluminum though.

I personally wouldn't buy a heatsink/fan with LED lights though, as it indicates its marketed to little dumb gamer kids, rather than something made for optimum cooling performance.

You can read a test with comparison review of many heatsinks/fans.

* http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/02/20/cpu...er_charts_2008/

* http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/02/26/cpu...ts_2008_part_2/

[Eldmannen]

When buying a heat sink for your computer, to determine "compatibility" its important to check that its fits on the same socket as yours CPU.

If you have a CPU that uses Socket AM2, you must get a heatsink that fits on the Socket AM2 too. Most heatsinks fits on several different sockets, so it shouldn't be much of a problem.

Sometimes the motherboard may have capacitors (or stuff) near the CPU socket, which can make it not fit if the heatsink is large.

Also 500g is the max recommended weight for a heat sink. You can get a heavier one, but must be careful.

[Brianna]

Well, I don't care much for the LED lights, I actually don't want them but since i have my side panel on I don't care, they won't bother me at night.

Also as I mentioned to Tarun before, my Mobo + CPU came in a bundle, the CPU was out of the box though so it was cheaper, meaning that it didn't come with a heatsink. And this board has an AM2 slot so I know which kind of heatsink to get, just not sure if it will fit, since it's so huge.

As for it being hot in my room, yes. I live in Arizona, where in the summer time it gets up to 40-45C outside, but in the wintertime here my CPU never would go over 55C about, because it was less than 10C outside always. I have 3 windows in my room too, and the PC is near one of them, but the blinds aren't open.

So here's a rundown of the whole PC:

*Mobo: ECS Elitegroup GeForce 7050M-M (Micro-Atx)

*CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 6000+

*Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 8600GT

*Hard Drive: Seagate 320GB SATA with 7200 RPM and 16 MB Cache

*Memory: 2 GB's of Kingston Hyper-X Gaming ram (I believe this is what it is, has a blue cover over the ram)

*And of course my Lian Li PC-7B: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx...N82E16811112099

I don't have it in an enclosed space either, it has plenty of room to vent and move air about, It's in an open space. Nothing is overclocked either.

Right now it is 12C outside and here is the temperature of my PC in that condition, It's also cold in my room. Just keep in mind that this is early in the morning, soon it will heat up - making my PC unstable.

[Eldmannen]

It's pretty difficult to say if the heatsink will fit on the motherboard.

Guess you either have to gamble, or mount some case fans to increase the overall air circulation.

- The motherboard is some cheap crap I believe. ECS produces budget motherboards. It only has two DIMM slots for RAM. Few PCI busses. But, hey it works.

- The CPU is a pretty good one, the 6000+ series is the upper end of the CPU that AMD provides. It got a pretty high TDP value though, like 125w I think.

- The graphics card is a nice mid-range card, I have the same. It's nice. I can play games like Doom 3, Quake 4 with it, etc.

- The memory, I think is nice. The one with heatsinks on them (you have blue) are higher-end memory. The Hyper-X series by Kingston are good.

- Your case is great, its a nice, stylish Lian-Li case. Lian-Li are well-known for make the greatest cases.

My computer can get a bit hotter too, on the summers.

Once I opened the sidepanel, and cooled it with a table fan, it cooled really great. :)

[Brianna]

Yeah, this motherboard does suck, it costed pocket change, and its incredibly tiny, that was my biggest concern, seems like the heatsink will overlap the RAM or just not fit right at all.

Tomorrow I am going shopping so I will look around at the stores and ask the guys who work there if they know good solutions for my problem, but I thought I would get some insight from some techs online too, it helps a lot and can help me make better choices, can't always trust the guys at the stores lol.

For the most part all the parts in this PC are good except the mobo, which I knew from the start, however I am a budget type of person and needed a new PC, and surprisingly this PC does a really good job for how much it costed, I don't even think I payed over 500$ total.

[Eldmannen]

I wouldn't trust them at the store so much.

They're usually not that competent.

They probably don't have many solutions, and they wont tell you "Gee, I have no clue". They will just recommend you whatever, with a smile on the face.

Probably easier ask on the internet, read tests/comparisons/reviews or do your own research.

On the newegg link for the cooler there, you click on "Detailed specification" and see "Heatsink Dimensions: 143 x 144 x 95.2 mm", and you can compare that with you motherboard.

$500 is a good price. The case is a nice one. The graphics card and CPU perform well for their price. The RAM is a nice one.

[Brianna]

Lol yeah I know, that does sound like something they would do, but I'm not that dumb and sadly sometimes I think I know more than they do about computers, and that says a lot.

I met Tarun on another gaming site and I was asking him questions since he seemed to know literally everything, and he recommended that I posted this question here to get some more help, and I can say that so far it has helped more than most of the useless comments you'll get on the other sites heh.

I think today I will go to techreport.com and see if I can find some really big reviews on a few cooling parts too, cause I can't be too sure that Fry's has every part I may want, but they nearly carry everything.

I also was thinking of upgrading to an 8800GT but I think I'll wait, I heard and have seen that prices of computer parts are dropping dramatically, I am nearly about to go out and buy me a new full size ATX motherboard with all the neat things on it, seems that I can get a really nice one for even budget price.

[Eldmannen]

You probably do know more than many of the people who work at the computer store. Many just work there and sell stuff, they're not necessarily computer enthusiasts.

Tarun knows a lot about Windows, and he operates this website. Hes really good with Windows.

Don't buy an 8880GT. You already have a graphics card of the Geforce 8 series, so its waste to buy a new one from the same series. If you're going to buy a new card, then at least wait a generation and buy the next series.

8600 is a good midrange card, don't buy an better card unless you feel that the 8600 isn't enough. I think the 8600 probably is enough.

I wouldn't buy another card from the same generation, I would wait at least until the next generation.

I wouldn't buy an Geforce 9800 either, because it uses the same old G92 core, so its basically just a hotted up 8800. A large disappointment.

I suggest you stay with the 8600GT as its a good card, and probably good enough for you, or wait until Geforce 9900, Radeon 4000, or perhaps even Geforce 10.

Some parts have good prices. Example, you can get a pretty nice 500 gb disk for a good price. RAM is at the lowest price ever, DDR2 is crazy cheap.

[Brianna]

Well, I just know that the 8800GT is better than the 8600 by far, and It may perform a lot better in high end games, so that's why I was interested. But I'll only buy it for the right price, don't wanna pay too much for a card that will soon be outdated.

Also I heard that the 9800+'s will probably be 300$+, Way out of my price range and I don't want to put a card like that into a motherboard like mine, plus my power supply couldn't handle that power, so that'd be another new part to get.

[Eldmannen]

Well, its true that the 8800 is better than the 8600.

But I don't complain about my 8600GT, it runs Doom 3 and Quake 4, and it works fine for me, no lag. I get good performance.

Maybe you play newer games, and if you feel laggy then either lower the resolutions/details or perhaps buy a new graphics card. But if you don't feel that the 8600 isn't good enough for your needs, then there is no need to waste money on an 8800.

And since you seem to be a person who do not want to spend too much money, it would be a bit silly to upgrade from a good card to another card from the same generation.

And about power supplies, well there is a "wattage craze", because people don't know what they need and buy whatever power supply has the highest watt, and they think its good. They buy whatever has shiny LED's on them.

Most computers don't need more than a 300-350 watt power supply. Probably can pass with way less power.

It is much more important that the power supply is of good quality and provides stable voltage rather than have high watt.

Corsair, Seasonic, Cooltek, PC Power & Cooling, have some nice power supplies. Q-Tec is junk.

[puntoMX]

Wow, that was a long read .

Now, to cut things short, an 8800GT would be a good upgrade, however, the 9600GT comes close to an 8800GT with 256MB, the 512MB version still has more power then the 9600GT but not that much more. In general, the 9600GT will perform about 80% better then the 8600GT. Before you go shopping for a new card I would like to know what screen you are using and what games you actually play, or what genre of games.

Now, about the cooler;

The cooler will fit on your motherboard, even in your case. The motherboard isn’t that much thinner then a more expensive motherboard so it will not break apart when you mount a 700gram cooler on it. HOWEVER! The cooler you linked to would NOT be a good choice. Why? You already have the case and it has no side Air intake at the cooler height. This would or could be the problem you are facing now. The best cooler would be a cooler that takes the air from the front of the case blowing trough wards the back 12cm fan, or taking air from the bottom of your case blowing up. That said, now it’s time to look for a suitable cooler.

I would take a look at the Zalman CNPS9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU cooler. It might be an older model but it performs quite well to excellent. It comes with the cooling paste you need and all the screws and brackets to fit it on every motherboard with socket AM2+ and S775.

[Brianna]

Well, I run games at 1280X1024 and I could run most games I've encountered with every setting maxed and no problems, so I guess I don't really need the 8800, but it's more of wishful thinking. I have an LCD screen, 19' (Gonna buy a real DVI Cable for it tomorrow, has a VGA with DVI Converter on it).

As for the type of games I play, I mostly play Guild Wars (Which my computer is already over killing) but I want to try some games like Call of Duty 4 or some of those newer ones, I've never been able to get into them so I thought it would be a fun thing to do since I can now. But all in all I enjoy all types of games, racing, shooting, rpg, it just depends on my mood and if I want to play it that day.

And this is my power supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817371004 I know someone told me to look for how many rails, and amps that the rails put out or whatever, and this seems to do me just fine.

And for that Zalman heatsink, I was looking at it and that was one of my other options, sounds like you are right about my problem though, the hot air has no where to go. I think the Zalman would be a better choice all in all, but I still feel like I am really over killing it.

Kinda funny though because when I get tired of computer problems, I always go out and buy the best part to replace what was causing the problem, like for instance my mouses, I probably had like 5 different ones in a year because they kept breaking on me or having troubles, so I went out and bought a new Logitech G5 (The blue one) and now I am very happy, despite that it was expensive, don't need another mouse for a very long time, since I don't really do ''Hardcore'' things if you will.

[puntoMX]

... the hot air has no where to go.

Well, it’s more that colder air doesn’t get sucked in.

There are cheaper coolers that perform well, like this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16835185027

[Eldmannen]

Yeah, and I want a quad-core, but luckily I am sane enough to realize that a dual-core is good enough for me.

If you feel that you don't need better than 8600, then don't buy.

Better save the money and either buy something else, or wait until the next generation cards.

Buying two cards of same generation is so boring.

Your power supply is 500 W, its probably enough for a Geforce 9-series graphics card. Despite what people say, you don't need so much watt.

Your power supply got Active PFC (which is good).

Zalman have a reputation of using unconventional designs, and making silent products.

I think I've heard good stuff about those Scythe coolers...

[Brianna]

Ah, well yeah, I know I only need a Dual Core personally, I don't do much on computers, the 8800 is just so tempting though, I guess I want it more than I'll ever need it. Guess that's good news that my power supply specs ok for that kind of stuff too, then.

And I was reading reviews on that Zalman heatsink, and I am a bit scared of it now. 3 different people say that they have cut their hand multiple times trying to install it, one guy said he nearly chopped his finger off, and since I have never put on a heatsink I am going to try and stay away from that one lol. Grandpa might have to be the one installing it and I don't want him to hurt himself, he knows what he's doing, but is getting old.

[puntoMX]

Well, you can even cut your self with a peace of paper if you know what I mean.

I don’t now how they did it, but I have seen clumsy people putting on those coolers and they never shopped of a hand, leg or other body parts .

[Brianna]

I know, but the fins on it are apparently razor sharp, not really friendly if you ask me.

It's kind of odd how they make no small heatsinks that are super high end and effective, it seems that all the ones that do a good job either have a funny design or are super huge, which is kind of inconvenient. I guess they are just relatively ugly parts, not that it matters, it's more of the size that kills it for me.

[Eldmannen]

Ah, well yeah, I know I only need a Dual Core personally, I don't do much on computers, the 8800 is just so tempting though, I guess I want it more than I'll ever need it. Guess that's good news that my power supply specs ok for that kind of stuff too, then.

Yes, its always like that. We want stuff more than we actually need them.

You can buy a computer one week, then next week you read on a website about some new cool stuff and you immediately want it.

I know, but the fins on it are apparently razor sharp, not really friendly if you ask me.

It's kind of odd how they make no small heatsinks that are super high end and effective, it seems that all the ones that do a good job either have a funny design or are super huge, which is kind of inconvenient. I guess they are just relatively ugly parts, not that it matters, it's more of the size that kills it for me.

Yeah, I've noticed that too.

The good heat sinks are usually either huge or have some strange design.

Remember copper = good thermal conductivity, but expensive.

Big fans = good airflow, low noise. Fluid bearing fans = better than ball-bearing fans.

Thermal paste = can increase contact with CPU and heat sink and result in better transfer of heat.

Careful when mounting a heavy heat sink, so you don't break anything.

[Eldmannen]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_conductivity

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_sink

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_cooling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_fan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Comp...ardware_cooling

[Brianna]

Good news, I got a new heatsink for 40$ and it dropped my CPU Temperature about 25C, It's running at 45C right now with games up, It's amazing, and I couldn't be happier! http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Typhoon-...0497&sr=8-4

Also I bought a DVI cable for my monitor, and noticed that it works better than my other cable did.

And thanks for all the help and replies, helped quite a bit in making some decisions and gave some good insight.

[Eldmannen]

Wow, not bad.

The thing is ALL copper. It makes great thermal conductivity, but makes the heat sink expensive.

Often heat sink just have a copper core/bottom, but rest is aluminum.

You have one which is all copper.

It also employs heatpipes.

I wonder how large the fan is... looks 92mm?

A drop of 25'C, not bad. :)

[Brianna]

Yeah, it works Flawlessly, my other heatsink was put to shame, despite that it was from the same brand.

Fry's over-prices stuff though, they had 8800 GT's there for 270$ usd! you can get them for 200$ off newegg.com (with rebates).