AMD64 3800 HSF Recommendations

So I purchase an AMD64 Venice 3800 and am running it with the retail Heat Sink and Fan (HSF). Let me tell you, it runs hot. So, I want a new HSF for the CPU. It'll be mounted on an A8N-E Mobo.

Recommendations and thoughts?

I've been using this one.. its simple easy to install and quiet...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...

TheGameguru wrote:

I've been using this one.. its simple easy to install and quiet...
Thermaltake CL-P0200 Silent 938 K8

I actually had that one in the cart last night and held off. Question: What's up with all the pipe designs now? They're lifing the HeatSink up off the Mobo?

Example: Thermaltake Big Typhoon CL-P0114

IMAGE(http://thermaltake.com/images/coolers/ComboCool/cl-p0114/cl-p0114.jpg)

buzz word mostly...in theory the pipes carry heat away more efficiently than a block of copper.. and also.. blocks of copper are heavier than a few pipes leading to the fins.

Sometimes the heat pipes have some form of liquid in there that heats up and then cools down over the fan.

Be wary of anything having a larger than 92mm fan.. usually those will require complete dissasembly of your system as there will be special clips that need to go underneath the motherboard.

That big typhoon wouldnt fit in any of my cases.. and I have some large cases..

This is my "fanciest" heatsink.. I use it in my loft home office..since it gets pretty hot up there..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...

It was the largest air cooling I could find that didnt require motherboard removal and special clips.. and still fit in my case..

Its very nice..

Thanks for the feedback. Looks like I'll be picking up the CL-P0-200.

Any good how to guides on removing the existing HSF?

undo clips and make sure you slightly twist the heatsink clockwise and counterclockwise to "break" the compound a bit.. that will unstick the processor from the heatsink and then allow you to get it off easier.

I've had a few time where I just yanked it off and ripped the CPU right out of the socket.. usually results in a few bent pins.. but nothing I couldnt straighten back out with a needle nose plier.

Aren't AMD CPUs supposed to run cool nowadays ? Nothing like the AMD chips of old ?

... just wondering.

shihonage wrote:

Aren't AMD CPUs supposed to run cool nowadays ? Nothing like the AMD chips of old ?

... just wondering.

lol look it up.. you'll see the thermals.

shiho wrote:

Aren't AMD CPUs supposed to run cool nowadays ? Nothing like the AMD chips of old ?

My AMD 64 with the stock HSF has always been impressively cool. I had wanted to drop some money on a big fancy Thermalright HSF combo, but just couldnt justify the cost since the proc stayed so cool.

AMD64 3200 @ 240*10 with temps in the 34-38 C range....proc is also over-volted for stability.

What kind of numbers are you seeing CEJ?

Mid 50's to low 70'. Somethings up with my setup.

yeah those numbers are way up there imho....I assume you have checked to make sure all the fans are running and such....

pol wrote:

yeah those numbers are way up there imho....I assume you have checked to make sure all the fans are running and such....

*nods* I did. However, I also pulled the goofy air ducting out of the Sonata II case and had throttled the one case fan way down. I need to go back and

  • Replace the stock fan with the one Guru recommended and add the thermal paste.
  • Check to make sure the rear case fan is throttled up.
  • Replace the ducting to drop cold air on the CPU and the Video Card.

That should drop my CPU temp down. This is the last time I use a HSF without any thermal paste.

Note: My new HSF looks like this:
[img][img=http://www.thermaltake.com/product/C...

That should drop my CPU temp down. This is the last time I use a HSF without any thermal paste.

thats nuts! your asking for trouble

This is the last time I use a HSF without any thermal paste

The stock cooler should have had a tab on the bottom. Its temperature sensitive so once it heats up it kinda melts in place. I cant imagine that such a tab wasnt present, but if not you definitely have youor problem right there

So just how quiet is this CL-P0-200? I'm looking to lower the noise output of my PC, and having my 3200+ run a little cooler would make me less paranoid too.

CEJ wrote:

This is the last time I use a HSF without any thermal paste

TheGameguru wrote:

thats nuts! your asking for trouble :)

Sad thing was, I was so geeked with the new system that I couldn't wait 1 day to get the thermal paste I had stashed at the office. If only I knew then what I know now .. IMAGE(http://pages.sbcglobal.net/cjansen/images/smiley_banghead.gif)

pol wrote:

The stock cooler should have had a tab on the bottom. Its temperature sensitive so once it heats up it kinda melts in place. I cant imagine that such a tab wasnt present, but if not you definitely have youor problem right there :-(

Said tab is there. I think my problem is a limited set of fans in the case. I installed the air ducting tonight. The new HSK and paste are waiting for Monday when I install them. Vacation plans delayed the HSF install until then.

Demiurge wrote:

So just how quiet is this CL-P0-200? I'm looking to lower the noise output of my PC, and having my 3200+ run a little cooler would make me less paranoid too.

It's suppose to be pretty quiet. Obviously the noise level is relative, but it seemed below average on the HSF setups I saw on Newegg.com. 16 Dba vs. 20-50 Dba on the larger fans. Now Asus has a solid state heat sink that you can get. You just need a pretty large case.

Issue Post Motrem:

So, I finally got a little time on Monday to install the new heatsink. I pull the system and had to remove the video card and add in sound card (I have little faith in on-board sound these days and its a long story). Pulled up the lock down lever and used a standard screw driver (flat blade) to pop the clip off the retail heatsink that came with my AMD64 3800+. It popped out with out pull the CPOU with it and I was pleasantly suprised to see that the thermal tape had melted and created a nice little contact with the stock HSF. So, my real issue turned out to be the crappy fan and heatsink and not the lack of thermal paste.

Cleaned up the CPU with a little alcohol and a Q-Tip (to remove the old thermal material) and added on the Artic Silver I purchased from Newegg. The new HSF installed easier than the stock HSF and clipped in really well. Plugged most everything back in (I forgot the additional power the vid card required so had to re-crack the case and plug it back in), reattached all the cables in the back and power the system back on. No beep code told me that the HSF was working and the fan spun up nicely on the initial boot. Logged in and checked the heat and I dropped from 55C down to 37C.

So, to recap;

  • The retail HSF that came with the 3800 isn't very good. Ditch it and get something else.
  • Artic Silver is worth the 4.99 on Newegg.
  • The Antec Sonata II comes with cool air duct that drops cold air on the CPU. Use it. It also has a 92mm Fan mount point that you may consider using.
  • The Sonata II has a variable speed fan in the rear of the case. Go ahead and just bump that puppy up to Hi.
  • Thermaltake CL-P0200 Silent 939 K8 works pretty well so far. The fan isn't very noisy and it dropped the temp off the stock fan by a significant amount. NOTE: I can post thermal history if you all want to see it.

Thanks to everyone for the help. Looks like my issue is now solved.

Wow, what an amazingly different experience from mine. Would that I could come up with anything that could be defective about a heat sink I would blame that....but its a chunk of metal for chrissake!

Glad to hear you got things under control without having to deal with any damage.

pol wrote:

Wow, what an amazingly different experience from mine. Would that I could come up with anything that could be defective about a heat sink I would blame that....but its a chunk of metal for chrissake!

Glad to hear you got things under control without having to deal with any damage.

Thanks. I bet there is an interaction from the Case layout, the single chassis fan and the heat coming off the video card directly below the CPU. When it's all said and done, I think the larger fan plus the better conductivity from the copper helped out.