Wow, stock Conroe HSF

[Seven]

My stuff is arriving on Friday, but after reading how complicated HSF installation is, i already got scared

 

[Canai]

It's not too bad.

Just remember... opposite corners

 

[Seven]

Any good tips before installation would be appreciated.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: Seven
Any good tips before installation would be appreciated.

Buy something better .. almost anything is better than the POS stock cooler. It's the way that it clips in that sucks. Puts a ton of pressure on the mobo, flexing it, and the tabs have been known to pop off after a while. Search the forums for suggestions, it will be the best $30-$60 you'll spend on your system. Look for something with a backplane and bolts.

 

[Seven]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Buy something better .. almost anything is better than the POS stock cooler. It's the way that it clips in that sucks. Puts a ton of pressure on the mobo, flexing it, and the tabs have been known to pop off after a while. Search the forums for suggestions, it will be the best $30-$60 you'll spend on your system. Look for something with a backplane and bolts.

I know that it would be the best choise to buy a new HSF, but right now i am on a tight budget. Maybe after a month or so i will be able to buy it.

 

[Conky]

The factory heatsink isn't that bad. It actually works pretty good and is next to impossible to install wrong. You put it on the cpu and push the four corners down... no sweat. You will laugh when you see how simple it is.

 

[regnez]

Originally posted by: Seven

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Buy something better .. almost anything is better than the POS stock cooler. It's the way that it clips in that sucks. Puts a ton of pressure on the mobo, flexing it, and the tabs have been known to pop off after a while. Search the forums for suggestions, it will be the best $30-$60 you'll spend on your system. Look for something with a backplane and bolts.

I know that it would be the best choise to buy a new HSF, but right now i am on a tight budget. Maybe after a month or so i will be able to buy it.

Yeah, I know about building a computer on a tight budget, but you may want to consider getting a different HSF right now anyway. Replacing the HSF is much more of a hassle than replacing select other components (video card, ram, sound card, adding another hdd, etc.). If possible, I would recommend skimping out on something easy to replace/add right now and then add that in a month, rather than try and switch out the HSF.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: Seven
Any good tips before installation would be appreciated.

Do not do anything as far as installing the heatsink until you have done a dry run in your mind and then on the computer. Do a dry run several times then when you finally install the heatsink you will be prepared for anything that might go wrong!!

Good Luck!!

 

[moddedcompsdotcom]

i agree, while you have the mobo out, install a new hsf, the stock one is garbage, get a good one so you can turn up the juice and have a poor mans EX6800

 

[Markfw]

Well, I am at 3.4 ghz on the stock hsf, 1.408 vcore under load, 60-64c coretemp. Not bad for stock....

 

[mcurphy]

Does anyone know how loud the stock hsf is?

 

[Markfw]

Its quiet, just doesn;t cool great.

 

[zsdersw]

The stock Intel 775 HSF is not hard at all to install correctly.. and of the 200 or so I and my staff has personally installed and deployed, none have popped off.

I've always found it easier to install it *before* mounting the motherboard in the case, avoiding all of the mobo flexing.

To those who've had them pop off, I have to ask.. you guys didn't turn the pegs, out of the box, before installing it did you? The position they come in, out of the box, is for attaching the HSF. You turn the pegs only to remove the HSF.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: zsdersw
The stock Intel 775 HSF is not hard at all to install correctly.. and of the 200 or so I and my staff has personally installed and deployed, none have popped off.

I've always found it easier to install it *before* mounting the motherboard in the case, avoiding all of the mobo flexing.

To those who've had them pop off, I have to ask.. you guys didn't turn the pegs, out of the box, before installing it did you? The position they come in, out of the box, is for attaching the HSF. You turn the pegs only to remove the HSF.

Um, no.

The mobo flexing does not result from where you install it. I've installed about 45-50 of these on PD, C2D cpus, on customer builds where they wanted the stock HSF. The flexing is a result of the HSF design. Because of the extreme 1-way force each peg pulls on the board, with no room for adjustment, the boards I have seen have invariably been flexed a few % around the cpu socket as a result. All you have to do is place the board on a flat surface, and it's extremely noticable.

For purposes of convenience and logic, it's advisable to install the stock HSF during initial assembly, and never after the mobo is mounted in the case.

For purposes of quality and peace of mind, it's advisable to replace the stock HSF with something of even decent quality. I've seen two stock HSFs that have popped off so far, and it's possible that the user didn't install them properly, however in one occassion the HSF fell on top of his 1900XT during use, destroying it. The other one fell off during transport.

It's not that expensive, get a decent HSF

 

[Xdreamer]

my motherboard manual says to install the hsf after the mb is mounted. is it wrong?

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: Xdreamer
my motherboard manual says to install the hsf after the mb is mounted. is it wrong?

It's not impossible to install the retail HSF after the mb is mounted, but I wouldn't advise it. It's much more practical to install it on a clean, flat, static-free surface, so that you have easier leverage and access to get it done perfectly.

It's totally impossible to install many aftermarket HSFs after the mb is mounted, as many of them have backplanes that *must* be installed UNDER the mobo to ensure proper retention and mounting. Basically any decent HSF is of this design type, because then the load is balanced and absorbed by a wider and more stable area, as opposed to just those little holes in the board where the retail HSF wedges into.

 

[zsdersw]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
The mobo flexing does not result from where you install it. I've installed about 45-50 of these on PD, C2D cpus, on customer builds where they wanted the stock HSF. The flexing is a result of the HSF design. Because of the extreme 1-way force each peg pulls on the board, with no room for adjustment, the boards I have seen have invariably been flexed a few % around the cpu socket as a result. All you have to do is place the board on a flat surface, and it's extremely noticable.

I've seen this, and I don't consider it even remotely significant. You can flex the motherboard more when installing RAM than with the Intel HSF. At work we have more than 200 of these deployed. They're used by high school kids, middle school kids, elementary school kids, and.. most dangerously.. teachers and staff. All of these computers work fine.

For purposes of convenience and logic, it's advisable to install the stock HSF during initial assembly, and never after the mobo is mounted in the case.

You'd think it would be common sense, but common sense is quite uncommon.

For purposes of quality and peace of mind, it's advisable to replace the stock HSF with something of even decent quality. I've seen two stock HSFs that have popped off so far, and it's possible that the user didn't install them properly, however in one occassion the HSF fell on top of his 1900XT during use, destroying it. The other one fell off during transport.

It's not that expensive, get a decent HSF

The Intel stock HSF is perfectly "decent". As I've said, we have over 200 computers we've built from parts with not one HSF popping off or mobo flexing issue.

 

[Xvys]

You want to install the heatsink before you screw the mb into the chassis, so you can check to make sure that all four pegs are fully seated...by looking at the backside of the mb. This may be contrary to the manual's instructions, but this can save you a lot of grief if you only THINK you've installed the heatsink correctly.

 

[trOver]

Originally posted by: Xvys
You want to install the heatsink before you screw the mb into the chassis, so you can check to make sure that all four pegs are fully seated...by looking at the backside of the mb. This may be contrary to the manual's instructions, but this can save you a lot of grief if you only THINK you've installed the heatsink correctly.

i agree. i followed the manuals instuctions. bad idea. i have always built amd systems w/ the clip heatsinks, and this was my first intel hs/f installation. i felt like i was pushing hard enough, and it felt snug, but they didnt click in all the way. 90C on start up is not good!!!

make sure you get it properly seated. even 1/1000th of an inch , like in my case, makes a bigggg differenace as far as heat goes.

 

[elkinm]

The heatsink takes a little getting used to, but then it is very easy. You should first install it with the motherboard out of the case with good support and keep a close eye on it.

Make sure the clips are fully extended and turned (clockwise I think) for lock position. the plastic clip should go easily into the motherboard hole, but don't press to hard to avoid premature locking.
When you see the it flush with the board (at the corners), push on the top of the pins until they go it and you should hear a clicking sound and the clip should be secure.

When on properly the heatsink should be TIGHT and not wobble at all. My first install, not all the clips locked into the motherboard so the heatsink was loose and the system was heating up.

When you know now to click it in it is easy to install the heatsink with the motherboard in the case.

Stress on the board in minimal with my systems, and the best value cooler the Arctic cooler Freezer 7 Pro uses the same mounting clips and costs half that of other quality heatsinks.

 

[hans007]

well the stock ones use the clips, and flex the board... but its better than a lot of after markets because with after market ones you have to remove the board to swap heatsinks. i suppose that doesnt matter once you've done it though.

the stock heatsink seems to be plenty at stock speeds, though at load with an o/cd rig i'd say buy an aftermarket.

 

[rxblitzrx]

I just built my system about 3 hours ago using the Thermaltake Big Typhoon.

I HIGHLY recommend this thing. I've read some previous reviews on it; how hard it is to install. It looks like they've redesigned it and made it super easy to put on. I've never seen a heatsink this huge before. My idle temps are around 32C and the fan is very quiet.

CONS: Make sure you have the power supply you want installed AND the 12V 4 pin connector put on. Once you drop this thing into the case it's impossible to reach the 4pin connector. Oh actually, it might only be a problem on my motherboard. Gigabyte GA-965P-S3

 

[Damn Dirty Ape]

Originally posted by: Beachboy
The factory heatsink isn't that bad. It actually works pretty good and is next to impossible to install wrong. You put it on the cpu and push the four corners down... no sweat. You will laugh when you see how simple it is.

agreed. don't see the problem some are having I guess.

 

[DoodieBody]

Wow, a lot of hate for the stock HSF. I guess I don't see the problem with it. It's quiet, cools decently (running my 6300 at a moderate 2.8GHz right now, load temps are about 53C), and is easy to install. There's nothing to it. Make sure the posts are twisted in the correct direction (I forget which, one is for releasing it, so if it's fully turned in that direction it isn't going to lock), push the pins down. Done.