Socket 478 P4 512 533 3.06 HT Cooler recommendations

[JEFF68005]

I understand some guys like Ford, some like Chevy. This is certainly that kind of thread.

I have been running Thermaltake Volcano 7+ CPU HS/fans on my P4s (2.4b and 2.66s) 533 512MB (NO HT). I'm very content with the performance of that HS/fan combination. Unfortunately, they are no longer made. I may have located the last of them still new.
The attraction is a nice size HS with a dependable fan running bet 3250 and 6500 RPMs.. CPU temps average mid 30s even with a modest short term load. This arrangement still leaves plenty of air around the CPU fan/HS and other component fans to draw on.
Of course, it helps to have a couple of 120 cm fans blowing cool air at the CPU fan.

I have decided to upgrade my units while it is still possible ... despite having to use pulled CPUs. I picked up a couple of 478 P4 512 533 3.06 HT CPUs. I now must decide how to keep these boiler makers in check.

I am now planning three CPU installs/changes.

1. 
   New build Socket 478 P4 512 533 3.06 HT on a MB that never got built. I may try some OS more challenging to the system than XP PRO. Mem will be maxed out. Gigabyte GA8-PE800 Ultra

1. 
   Existing MB upgrade from P4 2.4B 533 to P4 3.06 Gigabyte GA8-PE667 Ultra with more USB connections than I will ever know what to do with.

1. 
   Existing MB upgrade from P4 1.8 400 to the above P4 2.4B 533 on a GA8-IEXP with a 266 limitation on the ram when stock. I may investigate OC the ram to 333 depending on what that does to the rest of the system. That would involve a switch out to PC2700 or PC3200 memory which is certainly doable.

Two questions:
<<<What thermal goop can beat the Artic Silver 5 that I have known for years?
It should be of a variety that allows HS removal if I so choose. AR5 can be tempermental, but it is possible to clean it off the CPU and HS if I decide to move things around. (based on my track record. I need to do this right the first time.) I have only done one CPU upgrade before this to my systems.

<<<Is there a better HS/fan combo available? ... at a reasonable price? That's another Ford/Chevy question.
Will the Thermaltake Volcano 7+ handle a Socket 478 P4 512 533 3.06 HT as well as it has performed on my P4 2.66 CPUs? I have not kept up on coolers for several years.
I've looked at heatpipes and water coolers, but rejected them for this system. I'm looking for tried and true "cool cat cool".


Background: I did some modest OC when I ran grid.org distributed processing 24/7. Nothing that would get a glance from a true OCer. Currently, I have everything at stock settings and plan to keep them that way.

 

[faxon]

why reject heat pipes right off without trying one out? you arent going to find a cooler worth spending money on anymore that doesnt contain at least 2, probably 3 heat pipes. hell, the AMD stock cooler for their CPUs has 4 heat pipes, and that's what you get for free when you purchase their retail box chips. all the "enthusiast grade" motherboards all ship with heat pipe based cooling for the chipsets and VRMs now as well. as you said, you have been out of the cooling arena for several years. well, in the last 3, these coolers have become the "tried and true" cooler you were looking for. some companies even sell good ones for as low as $15. hell, you can get a northbridge cooler from thermalright now which has 2 heat pipes which costs only $20, and it would probably outperform your TT volcano as well if you rigged up a mounting bracket for it for your old pentium 4. Sapphire actually makes a graphics card which has a version of heat pipe cooling in a thin plate that covers all of the card's hot surfaces, and with the fan on it at 100% it runs as much as 20-30c cooler than the AMD/ATI refrence stock cooler, which also includes heatpipes in all dual slot designs

pic of current AMD stock cooler: http://newportyachtdirectory.c...c-stocker_1024x768.jpg

if you already have a volcano 7+ for every single rig, it should handle running the CPUs at stock clocks, but if you plan on purchasing a cooler, there are plenty of options to choose from which are very good coolers, wont break the bank, and can fit in a slimmer case if you require such. for a high performance air cooler, today's market simply doesnt provide a non heatpipe design any longer, since they are inferior to those that contain heat pipes.

now here's the ultimate question. how much were you planning on spending on these coolers, if you do purchase new ones? because in today's market you can pick up a new CPU and motherboard combo for as low as $120-140, with ram being another $20. assuming you havent purchased your pentium 4 upgrades yet, how much were you planning to spend on those? because you might be able to better spend your money on a whole new system instead of an old antique like a pentium 4. just make sure if you dont want to spend any EXTRA on coolers to get an AMD system. the 7750 kuma is the CPU i had in mind for you if you choose to go this route. it should come with the cooler i linked a picture of above

 

[JEFF68005]

Thanks for a detailed reply. You are correct that I have not kept up. For the money you mention, I agree the cost is not the issue. IF I'm not too late, a new Volcano 7+ would be about $30 to $35 shipped. The factory refurbs are gone. So what you are suggesting is well within the $$ range.

UPDATE LINK:
Thermalright FAQ about weight.
I think I was deterred from heat pipes by a couple of articles I read recently. Somebody may have not gotten their install just right. They warped the MB as well as fried it and the CPU. The response on that thread included the weight of a heatpipe and fan over time could have unseated. Somebody mentioned shims for some heatpipe installs. I know what they are ... I just have never needed one. I'm unsure how to double check before supplying power. We are down to confidence in doing whatever I do correctly and not frying my work. I desire the install be one that I can have confidence in. Being human, we often go back to our safe experiences. Still I do venture out on occassion.
Someone was pointing out that heat rises. Their point was most installs are vertical with the heatsink/heat pipes hortizonal to the table. They questioned the effectiveness of heatpipes vs a heatsink attached properly.

I have no problem revisiting the question to use a heatpipe. Getting some good advice / recommendations was the reason for the post. I was just influenced by some posts I read.
I await other comments and will study up on heatpipes more. If more pipes mean more cooling, then 2 are probably not enough. I'm not sure which units, but I'm sure they made HPs for socket 478 installs.

I have acquired a P4 3.06 pull. I have everything including memory, board, case etc except the cooler and a fresh supply of AR5 unless someone makes a convincing case for some better thermal goop.
The case has ~ 7" to 8" from MB mount to closed case. In that depth would go MB posts, MB, socket 478 and CPU, HS or HP and fan, standard 120 cm cooling fan on case cover. That should allow plenty of air to move around. Especially with up to 13 fans possible on the case. Ventilation should not be an issue.

pulled CPU was about $25 shipped.
Memory $14.00 shipped unless I get greedy. Memory is the only area where more upgrading might happen. I'm trying to discern if my boards can handle a 1 GB memory card.
My Saphire/ATI video cards are passively cooled. but they meet my needs ... even with my new HP w2207 screen at 32m colors. They are about past the point AMD posts legacy drivers for them. I hate forced obsolence.
Let's say we go up to $25-35 on the HS or HP and fan.
As I said, everything else is in the closet or an existing build.

Thanks again for your insight.

 

[faxon]

they do make heat pipe units that can be mounted to a 478 socket. this is what i found on newegg upon searching. http://www.newegg.com/Product/...CodeValue=3710%3A26047

all though the tuniq tower is probably the best pick out of the lot based on pure performance, it also weighs a ton, and is a pain to install (personal experience). you will probably be best off picking your choice of scythe coolers out of the lot, but you should read up on some reviews of the thermaltake big typhoon as well. i havent ever really seen any reviews of scythe coolers, but if their coolers are as good as their fans are you should be confident you are getting a quality product


ed: upon reading some reviews, your best choice will probably be the scythe katana 3

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835185096

first conclusive review i found was in german, but the charts are still readable and while the katana 3 is hardly a pack leader, it packs a much higher bang for its buck than its higher performing breathren. i myself own an OCZ Vendetta 2, and the review shows this cooler performing within a degree or 2 of it. you should be quiet pleased with the results if you were to mount this on your pentium 4

http://eiskaltmacher.de/portal...3&limit=1&limitstart=4

 

[alyarb]

you cannot ignore heatpipes in this elaborately confusing, modern era. heatpipes represent a paradigm shift in heatsink design because they are superior. if you need to build a time machine to go back and purchase shitty heatsinks, money will eventually become an issue.

 

[dawza]

The point about going with heatpipes has already been made, so I will not bother to elaborate any further except to say that I agree.

As far as actual coolers, you could always go with the tried and true Thermalright XP-90 and XP-120. I would recommend the SI-120 as well, but that particular heatsink is almost impossible to find. The XP-120 will offer better performance, but may have clearance issues depending on your motherboard. Both are currently available and priced similarly.

XP-120: Sidewindercomputers

XP-90:SVC

These are no longer top-of-the-line performance-wise, but will certainly offer superior cooling compared to the old Thermaltake. As an added bonus, should you migrate to LGA775, Thermalright makes an adapter that allows the use of S478 heatsinks on the LGA775 socket.

 

[JEFF68005]

Thanks for your replies guys.

The case has been made by the three of you that I need to do more homework on heatpipes. Actually when I called TT, they did suggest their Big Typhoon CPU Cooler.

Let's see if I have learned something just looking at the newegg link.
Do I have to be careful to point the H/P holes down to intake air? Am I picking up that idea correctly?

Fan speed seems to max out much lower than the V7, but cooling is effectively about the same? Are the H/P that much better at taking the heat off the CPU? The lower fan rate seems to imply H/P dissipate the heat better than the thin fins did? The lower fan rates bother me simply because I am used to higher ones being available when needed. Who knows? I might get back into distributed computing if the computer remains quieter.

Again, thanks for the replies. Back to the articles I go. I can see that I need to learn some new to me brand names. Thermalright has all copper with 5 pipes, but I need to investigate if it will work with my board/s478. How easy is it to take a S775 H/P back to S478?? They have 4 fan options. Naturally, the highest fan speed trips my trigger. ZALMAN and Scythe.

 

[JEFF68005]

SI-120 installed picture

This review makes me wonder if I should mount the SI-120 fanless and use a 120mm fan on the case. That would require me to operate closed case all the times. The spacing would be very similar closed case, but deprive me of the supporting fan that I normally use. That would remove a modest fan weight/vibration off the MB. Heaven help me if I forget and run it open case, but the review said Thermalright indicated it could be fanless. That idea blows my socks off.

My normal practice:
case
} airflow } airflow
FAN >>> CPU FAN>>> HS/CPU
}

 

[dawza]

If it is silence you want, this is the site to go to:

SPCR

The general rule with silent performance is that a tiny bit of airflow (i.e. 500RPM) will give you much, much better performance than fanless, and will still be silent.

Concerning the Thermalright heatsink you linked to, aside from socket compatibility, you need to make sure your case has enough width to support the height of the heatsink.

I actually have an SI-120 that has been used from my AMD K8 build to my current LGA775 C2D machine, and it has worked like a champ with a <900RPM 120mm fan, even with minimal case airflow and moderate overclocking. There have been several revisions to the SI-120 design, although they are somewhat more expensive. The SI-128SE and AXP-140 are two that come to mind- however, I am not sure if there is any way to get them working on S478.

I do know that the original Scythe Ninja, and probably the later iterations, all support S478. In fact, the 478 clips are probably a superior mounting mechanism for large coolers compared to the stock LGA775 push-pins. The Ninja series were designed for low-airflow (or even passive, with the right conditions)- again, make sure you check your case width for clearance.

 

[JEFF68005]

I was considering H/P weight and how close to the case fan the total design would be. The 120cm case fan runs ~1300 rpm. How much of that airflow would get to the H/P effectively is a matter of guesswork. I'm enough of a gambler to run without some forced airflow. I assure you that possible setup would have some airflow on the H/P. The question was mounted on the H/P or on the case side pushing air at the H/P. The design of my case positions a 120 over the CPU/Chipset fans.

I do know from trial and error, that the current casefan does have an effect on CPU temp based on personal testing with and without power to the casefan. My reference point is the BIOS temp in BIOS and using speedfan when in XP mode. This is with the V7+ fan running at any selected speed.

============
I have been doing some homework.
The Cooler Master Hyper 48 KHC-L91 Heatsink (H/P) may be a good compromise between height, weight and effectiveness. I could even change out the fan for a better one.

According to the same site, The Gigabyte G-Power Pro GH-PDU21-MF Heatsink (H/P) might also be a candidate, except the SI-120 review knocked the stock fan.
Zalman CNPS9500 LED Heatsink (H/P) got good reviews too.

How do these older units compare with the heaver ones suggested by you guys?

Decisions....decisions. I'm still trying to balance effectiveness, weight, and speed control.

 

[zagood]

Your best bet would be to track down a XP-120 (original version of the SI-120) that's compatible with s478.

Zalman 9500 is good if you're not overclocking much. I used it on the same chip up to 3.9ghz but it was verrrrry warm.

 

[dawza]

The Hyper 48 is horrifically inefficient on a weight/cooling basis, the Gigabyte is hard to find and generally overpriced if available, and the Zalman- well zagood went over that one. In general, Zalman is not known for quiet fans (even at lower RPMs), and the fact that they integrate fans into the heatsink body makes swapping them out impractical. The 9500 should provide pretty decent cooling, though.

If I understand correctly, you are wondering if it would be better to have a fan directly mounted on the heatsink, or to have it further away but still pointed in the heatsink's general direction? Usually, the former would be best- whether it would be enough depends on your setup. Is there any reason you cannot mount a small, low-RPM 40mm fan on the chipset and use a separate fan for the heatsink?

 

[faxon]

Originally posted by: JEFF68005
Thanks for your replies guys.

The case has been made by the three of you that I need to do more homework on heatpipes. Actually when I called TT, they did suggest their Big Typhoon CPU Cooler.

Let's see if I have learned something just looking at the newegg link.
Do I have to be careful to point the H/P holes down to intake air? Am I picking up that idea correctly?

Fan speed seems to max out much lower than the V7, but cooling is effectively about the same? Are the H/P that much better at taking the heat off the CPU? The lower fan rate seems to imply H/P dissipate the heat better than the thin fins did? The lower fan rates bother me simply because I am used to higher ones being available when needed. Who knows? I might get back into distributed computing if the computer remains quieter.

Again, thanks for the replies. Back to the articles I go. I can see that I need to learn some new to me brand names. Thermalright has all copper with 5 pipes, but I need to investigate if it will work with my board/s478. How easy is it to take a S775 H/P back to S478?? They have 4 fan options. Naturally, the highest fan speed trips my trigger. ZALMAN and Scythe.

in regards specifically to the fan speeds, the reason these fans are so much lower RPM is because they are also considerably larger than what you are used to seeing on old block coolers. generally, you dont get much more benefit by putting a 120mm fan on a 60mm block cooler simply because most of the airflow the fan provides doesnt make contact with the cooler in the first place. with the use of heatpipes, the cooler can wick the heat away into the pipes, fan them out, and put a spread of fins on in much the same way a radiator works in a water cooling loop, only the loop is completely self contained. as for issues of which direction the pipes face, all the current designs have a "wick" in the heat pipe which allows the pipes to be oriented in any direction with virtually identical performance than in a purely convection based orientation. what you want to look at when determining a fans performance these days is it's CFM rating (cubic feet per minute). this is how much air it can move per minute, and thus how well it performs. also a thing to consider is build quality, since generally, the higher the build quality, the silenter the fan will be at a given CFM. the fans that generally get rated the highest are ones built by scythe (for high airflow especially), yate loon, nexus, and silverstone. silentX fans are also not to bad, but for the price you are better off getting yate loons given they cost about 1/3 the cost of SilentX fans with similar if not better performance

 

[JEFF68005]

Originally posted by: dawza
Is there any reason you cannot mount a small, low-RPM 40mm fan on the chipset and use a separate fan for the heatsink?

Currently, until I receive the P4 3.06 on the way, I have:

Chipset with factory fan in place. I prefer not to mess with that. In any case, the chipset will/should have it's own fan. Agreed.
The CPU (P4 2.66 533 512 cashe) with V7+ on CPU is nearby ... but not too close.
120 casefan ~1300 rpm blowing air into both fans. AFAIK, both fans blow air toward the chips. There is plenty of space for the chip/cpu fans to draw their own air supply if the case fan fails.

The question before the house is V7+ HS or HP? It is clear the recommendations are HP. I am now researching reviews for HPs for socket478. In trying to find reviews for the recommendations here, I bump into others that make me go "hmmmmm". I saw something with a shorter overall length that might allow me to swap in a fan with more possible RPM giving me the confort zone to try HP. These low RPMs compared to V7+ make me nervious out of my own ignorance.

I was considering the True Copper as a version of the 120 in the belief that copper would transfer the heat better. IF I went for something like that, I was thinking the space between the fan mounted on the HP would leave about 1 inch to the case air intake. I'm guestimating most 120 fans to be about an inch out from the surface they are attached to. Would there be enough room for both fans to draw/feed air? I'm not sure. My post was assuming only room for one of the two fans.

Therefore, I was looking intently at HPs with less overall height. I still am not sure that I understand what the difference is mounting something designed for S775 vs S478. I was looking at units that included S478 mounts.

It is my intent to make use of the HT feature, but not OC. I may experiment with a 1 gig stick, but as far as I plan, I will lock it in at stock default settings and enjoy. My experimentation will be to see what I have that makes use of HT. I may yield and play with Vista, but my impression of Vista is that it is XP with a different coat of paint on it. I don't know enough about Windows7 to have a clue, but I'm thinking I will need a HT processor to survive the heavy processing load it will surely bring.

I remember when I could do just about anything I wanted with less than 32k on a Z80 based machine. Ah .. the good old days.

===========================
Faxon, thanks for your comments right before I posted this. I guess I need next to get a clue about "wicks" and how to place them correctly. I think the bottom line for the post that scared me off HPs originally indicated a possible need for a wick ... or the thought that a wick might not have been installed correctly.

 

[zagood]

If you're not overclocking there's no reason to spend the money on a TRUE copper. Yes, it'll provide better cooling than the standard one, but at the expense of both money and weight.

When you say there's an intake fan blowing on the CPU and chipset, is this fan in the case door? If so, cool. If it's mounted on the back of the case, this should be exhaust. Intakes should be located in the front bottom of the case, with some cases having an additional intake fan mount in the side door.

Please read this for more heatsink reviews than you could shake a stick at.
http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticle&articID=389

When it comes down to it, I believe you're overthinking this whole process. Most heatsinks made in the last 2-3 years are going to perform better and quieter than the entire Volcano line of heatsinks. Read some reviews, make sure it comes with s478 mounting, and stay within your budget. I'm sure you'll be happy with whatever you choose.

As far as thermal grease, AS5 is still very good, there's better and worse, read this:
http://www.hardocp.com/article...NywxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA

-z

 

[JEFF68005]

I'll check out your links Monday. It's getting late ... early now. Like the places I found and linked those reviews, I'm sure there are more to be read.

I did enjoy the link that used American Cheese in place of AS5. I got a good chuckle from that one. :laugh: :laugh:

LOONS at 3000 RPM ... sounds interesting if I can find a speed regulator for it.

I found one source for XP-120 new ~ $45.00 shipped. Being Thermalright, I doubt the fan is included. I was eyeballing the 2000 RPM Thermalright fan if I go the Thermalright way. For these prices, the first response is having his point proven for him.

My cases are all similar:
Front facing you with buttons, LEDs, DVD tray etc:
Inside ... up to 6 3.5 inch slots - (no outside access) for HDs are below the 4 5.25 inch slots for DVD units, etc. Unused slots are covered (not air tight) with a few exceptions.

Very front lower level ... blowing air over the hard drives, etc are either a single 120 or two 80s some of them will handle 4 80s at the front. Pattern is air intake.

Right side at the level of the HDs .... back side of MB two 80s --- one over the other ... both intake. There is some back pressure as that you can feel if you place your hands there.
These blow (in part) against the HD mount
separate FAN
separate FAN
Both are HD high.

Top Single 80 set as exhaust since heat rises. Guys with a clue worry this fan robs the PS of air, but the PS exaust seems fine and cool.

Rear PS with built-in fan This fan can draw air off the CPU/fan assembly + two 80s stacked vertically.
PS fan direction is controled by the PS itself - exhaust Internal vents back and below let CPU & chipset heat, etc rise into it.
separate FAN CPU High --- setup as exhaust
separate FAN CPU High --- setup as exhaust

Left side is the one that I have been referring to. Yes, some may refer to it as a door. Both left and right side panels are totally removable.

Left: lower and to the front about the same height as right side. 2 more 80s One over the other. setup as intake
_____Back and higher are 2 120s again one over the other. setup as intakes. The lower one handles AGP Video and PCI inserted cards such as fax modem.
In this system. The PCI slots are not used unless I have a fax modem installed.
separate FAN
separate FAN

The higher one blows air right into the CPU and chipset fans.

Please note: I described the cases. Now that I am no longer doing Grid.org distributed computing, I am not making use of all these fans.
I do like to run intake air flow over the HDs from the front.
Air intake at CPU level
Air exhaust to the rear and top.
one or two of the 80s on the side near the HDs.
As you can imagine, there is plenty of ways air can flow without fans.

Some 120 fans being replaced with quieter ones drew ~ 0.58 amps @ 12 volts. Most cases could have had up to 3 such fans.
The quieter ones draw ~ 0.10 amps @ 12 volts. CPU temp has not changed significantly according to the BIOS and software called SPEEDFAN.
Oddly, the PS does not seem to show much +12 voltage change with less amps being drawn. So I believe it can handle the 120 fan proposed for the HP.

I hope this is clearer than mud. From my perspective when I started to do distributed computing, heat was my worry. These cases are designed to take those worrys away. At the time, I had no idea of the noise level when purchasing parts. I had no idea how warm the computer room could get running 6 of these. I was concerned about airflow and kepting a modestly OCed system running 24/7. My OCed systems would make most of you yawn. I ran the 2.66s at 3.0 / 2.4b at 2.7 or 2.8 / 1.8 at 2.0. That said, they are all stock settings now. Stock power supply is 450 watts.

 

[JEFF68005]

Scythe MUGEN 5 Heat Pipes Universal CPU Cooler >>FrozenCPU claims this is a clearance price.

What do you guys think of this puppy? I was thinking of a better fan substitution. More RPM=more cool???? How does the weight compare to the other ones suggested?


Then again .... maybe not..... This puppy is twice the weight of the Katana3.

For grins and giggles. I think I will weigh a V7+ when I do the change out.

Speaking of grins and giggles. The stock HS, fan and clip for a P4 2.66 is 362 grams. I just weighed it. This one is new in the box. never used.

 

[JEFF68005]

After reviewing the material above and what I came across, I am going with the Thermalright XP-120 for for Intel P4 Socket 478 and 775. I did go nuts on the fan. I ordered the 2000 RPM which I can put on a speed regulator. If all works out, I can swap the fan for one of my quiet 120 case fans which tested out at about 1300 RPM. This fan can be either 3 pin to the MB or standard 4 pin.

Dawza: Thanks for the link. I'm not sure if $24.00 without fan is a good or bad price, but Gary at Sidewinder Computers was knowledgeable and assured me the weight should not be an issue.

Someone mentioned wicks. Will I need one for this cooler? If so, what do I do with it?

The XP-120 weight itself is close to that of the original HS, clip and fan. I got a noise dampener and some fresh AS5 from them too. Their price for the AS5 as well as the Artic Clean kit was as good as I have seen recently. Dropping it into the same order saves shipping.

Again ... thanks to everyone for your insight and experience.

I'll let you know how it works out in a couple of weeks.

 

[dawza]

Good choice on the XP120; I think you will find it cools quite sufficiently with only modest airflow. Let us know how things go!

 

[VirtualLarry]

These are what I use for Socket 478 CPUs. Lots of copper, very effective. Not too much different than those nice copper-bottomed heatpipe Socket 939/AM2 heatsinks, well, minus the heatpipes.

 

[JEFF68005]

I understand some guys like Ford, some like Chevy. This is certainly that kind of thread.

We agree on one thing. For that class of heatsink, copper is the way to go.

I've seen those, Thermaltake A4012-02 TR2 M12 CPU Cooling Fan - Socket 478, Copper. The stock fan is way too slow. Thermaltake has some closeout fans same size at ~4600 RPM for about $5.00 that I would swap that fan out with.

Your recommended HS fan:
Fan Speed: 2500 RPM ±10% << way too slow for that heatsink.
Noise Level: 21 dBA
Air Flow: 32.4 CFM

My case fans do better that that.

If I were to go that way, for a Soclet 478, I'll stake my Thermaltake Volcano 7+ with fans that can exceed 6000 against the TR2 M12 any day ... up to 3.0 Gig CPU anyway. The heatsinks themselves are very similar. Oh ... by the way, I found someone who has some new V7+s. Ya want one?

Seriously, the case has been made to try a heatpipe with only slightly more weight. I may try one of each side by side for comparison.

 

[JEFF68005]

Are you ready for this surprise??? :Q :Q

Thermalright XP-120 Heatpipe + Thermalright 2000 fan (fastest they offered for this heatpipe).
550 grams

Thermaltake Volcano 7+ with stock fan for that heatsink. up to 6400 RPM ~80 mm fan.
614 grams

Therefore, weight should not be an issue for this setup except the XP-120 extends out further from the MB. I'm not sure how the effects of leverage affect stress on the MB.

The Plan:

Replace the P4 1.8 400 512 in a Gigabyte GA8-IEXP with a P4 2.66 533 512.
Use newly acquired XP-120 and test horizonally which will let the HP install with AS5 cure as I run the GA8-IEXP for a day or two. I figure if that does not cause things to settle in and cure some, time will have to do the rest.

With the P4 1.8, before pulling it, I tested it with Prime95. Temps cool according to Fanspeed and the bios was 24C to 25C using the Volcano7+. The warmest Fanspeed showed stressed by Prime95 was ~36-37C. very rarely for a few seconds ...38C.


I can tell you on another MB in the same room with a P4 2.66 533 512, The same software reflected ~30C relaxed and upto 47C stressed.

============================
Update to the update:
Very near by is the GA8-IEXP upgraded from P4 1.8 400 to P4 2.66 533 and using the XP-120. I figured, if the XP-120 failed to meet the expectation, I would rather loose that board. Besides, I was going to upgrade it anyway. That XP-120 was a PIA to install due to the limited space around it in the case.
I ended up pulling out the video card and fax modem to get some manevering room.
It became necessary to clip the top first as there is no manevering room between the PS and the XP120. There is a good inch between the XP-120 and the SP. Getting the top clips was easier that it should have been once I started over from the top connections. It got easier at the bottom side only after I pulled the video card and fax modem. The Thermalright 2000 fan is much quieter than the V7+ fan until you slow the V7+ fan to half speed. I do not see any need to place a fan speed reguator on the fan. Watching early results, I fail to see how anybody would be happy even with a stock system with any of the 2 lesser fan choices offered by Thermalright. I may consider replacing the 120 (size) case fans that are dying with these Thermalright 2000s if it were not for the cost. I have a couple of 120 fans that rotate faster, but given the Thermalright joke of a fan mount, I'm concerned the faster fans would vibrate out of the paperclip wire type mounts.
In the process of locking the XP-120 in place, I bent the position of a couple of capacators.
One is still touching the XP-120. I think I got lucky as so far, the system is running fine. I happen to now agree the XP-120 can be a PIA to install due to the tight fit relative what surrounds it. Finger manevering room is a joke on the PS side. Also the XP-120 overhangs the Intel PE845 chipset fan. Therefore, the chipset fan is getting XP-120 leftover air. I wish I had a way to measure the temp of the chipset fan HS.

Inital thoughts:
Running Prime 95 in two stock (not OCed) machines.
Currently. I'm running a Gigabyte GA8-PE800 Ultra with P4 2.66 in a closed case with the V7+ (stock V7+ fan). Temps at idle according to Speedfan is ~30.

The XP-120 /2000 fan does run quieter than the V7+ fan.
After the stress / demand on the CPU is relieved, the XP-120 temp does drop faster from ~39 to ~30 in a very few seconds. Inside a minute, it is ~25-26. However when I strike up Prime95, it shots up to ~34 almost instantly. It settles in ~39 quite quickly.

With the V7+ fan choked to ~5600 rpm and one 80 mm fan that was designed for a HS being used as a case fan pulling air right on top of the CPU, the temp slowly rises to ~45-46. However, the V7+ is slower to allow the CPU temp to rise. After the stress is dropped, the temp drops ~5C degrees quickly and in less than a minute has settled down to ~35. Inside 3 minutes, it is ~30-31C. If left for an hour or so, the temps have been observed to ~47 to ~50. That's where I chicken out and stop the Prime95.

I trust this has not become too much of a ramble. Goiod night ... er morning all.

 

[zagood]

Wait...so to sum up...

1. Max temp XP-120 = 39c
2. Max temp Volcano7 = 47c
3. XP-120 is quiter

Sounds good to me.

 

[JEFF68005]

As Samatha Stevens used say: "Welllllllll.....Maybe."

I picked up a different rig from the corner. It has not been used for a while. I did some minor maintence to it. Replaced the BIOS battery. Plugged in a sound card wire, etc. Nothing that means anything to the discussion here.
In the same room as before, it idled at ~23-24 as did the XP-120 previously and maxed out at ~39 and stayed there for ~4 hours of Prime95. In otherwords, it matched the XP-120 except it took a moment longer to get back to idle temp.

The new to the discussion rig:
Gigabyte GA8-PE800 Ultra which is the same MB that got into the mid-upper 40s in the previous self discussion you responded to.
Same kind of case except the second unit was open case vs closed case. (The GA8-IEXP) with the new XP-120 was also open case.
P4 2.66 512 533 (same for all 3 rigs)
Volcano7+ with a nonstock regulator (max speed ~5800 instead of 6400. Fan speed was about the same as the other comparrison MB also with a nonstock regulator.
3 sticks of DDR1 333 memory = 1 gig vs 1.5 in the other unit.
HD, DVD player, plain jane ATI video cards, etc.

==================
Now getting back to the GA8-IEXP with the upgraded P4 2.66 CPU and putting the door with 3 fans on it. One fan of interest was a 120 which consumes 0.58A compared to the Thermalrighl 2000 which consumes 0.38A according to the labels. The 0.58 fan is for air intake and blows air right into the Thermalright 2000. The Thermaltake 2000 increased RPM ~3% with the air being blown into it. Temps dropped only a degree or two.

My theory is the 3rd case has a better AS5 seal between the P4 CPU and the V7+. I think I will keep that one as is. Why mess with success?

FYI, the unit with the new XP-120 install has 12 case fans running. The 120mm case fans are louder than the Thermalright 2000 on the XP-120. I have one quiet 120 (~1300 rpm) air intake over the HDs and into the chamber. The other blows air much faster right into the new XP-120 fan and chipset fan. The missing 13th fan is also a 120mm that sits right below the side door 120 fan.

I am now considering taking the comparison rig from last night and pulling the V7+ and P4 2.66 out of the comparison rig. I will then put in a pulled P4 3.06 512 533 with HT that I bought on Anantech ... replace fresh AS5 and cool it with another XP-120. I look forward to seeing what that does.