P-IV 3.06 Hover-in-ground-effect

[Ezrick]

I put together a new system this weekend with a P-IV 3.06. I used the stock cooler that came with the CPU. Problem is about one minute after boot the fan hits its maximum of 6000 RPM and the CPU is reaching temps of >70c.

Considering my last CPU was a 1.2 Tualatin that didn't really require much thermal attention and was never actually, you know, heard I'm not quite sure what to do.

Could you experts reccomend a heatsink/fan combo that will cool this thing and most importantly do so quietly.

I am not interested in overclocking the rig right now, so I will definately take quiet over a few degrees of temperature. I need a stable rig to continue beta testing an online game do out quite soon so the last thing I need is some exotic solution.

Any information on a reliable source to purchase what I need would also be appreciated.

Thanks!
Ezrick

[satanicoo]

if money is not a problem and you dont want an exotic config like water cooling, get an swiftech mcx4000, with a TMD fan.

low noise and good cooling.

[pHaestus]

The CPU shouldnt be hitting 70C with the retail cooler. Something else is amiss. Do you have a thermal pad AND paste or something odd like that?

[TerraMex]

I've seen that alot recently in portuguese forums. People getting stupid temp with the p4, with the given hsf with pad and mounted properly (as far as i could tell). I getting the impression that Intel doesnt test the heatsinks/tape/fan combo.

The thermal adhesive patch (aluminum something) doesnt really help that much. I recommend that you take it off and replace it by some paste. You dont have to be picky, most thermal pastes will get the job done properly.

I've done the test on my dad's p4 (but i like my amdXP better ) , you can gain as much as 10ºc difference with paste vs thermal pad. I used artic .

I'm not a swiftech fan. I think their coolers are enormous, and way too heavy. I recommend something smaller, cheaper, like a v7 or a v7+ . If money is not a problem , get a SLK and a decent 92mm fan . Althou given the same (specific) conditions , i've seen the v7+ get the same temps than a slk800.

[Ezrick]

I was able to get it to drop to around 61c or so under a load by adding another case fan. Still obnoxiously loud with that 6000 RPM fan.

My 3.06 didn't come with a pad, just a syringe of thermal paste (no brand marked on it).

I found some decent review sites with some reviews of socket 478 coolers this evening. I finally ordered a Vantech Aeroflow as the reviews seemed to indicate its what I'm looking for. Its not the top of the line super-enthusiast cooler, but it seems near the top of the pack and always got high marks for being quiet which is my first priority. Seemed like the best compromise.

And I just knew someone had to get an AMD plug in there somewhere Acutally the game I'm testing is multi-threaded so that made the choice of the 3.06 HT pretty easy in this case.

Ezrick

[Strafe]

What motherboard are you using? Some Asus P4PE's are reporting temps 10 to 15C higher than they really are. Check this out :

Asus P4B533, stock heatsink 37C @ load
Asus P4PE, Vantec Aeroflow 61C @ load

with the same chip! Obviously a borked temp reader on the P4PE.

BTW I have a Vantec Aeroflow and I'm pretty happy with it, you definitely can't do better with air unless you want some major noise. It has the 3rd best C/W rating on Overclockers.com.

[Ezrick]

Its an Abit BE-7 RAID. I'm pretty happy with it so far. I haven't set up the RAID yet as new drives are behind the list of parts I need to recycle the old P-III for the wife and kids to use (I stole the GF4 4400 for the new machine).

BTW last night after testing for an hour or so, the ambiant temperature alarm went off. It settled down after a while but I'm thinking the air flow in this new case is just not so good. I assume that the vid card was adding to the heat in there as well.

I saw a fan that goes into an expansion slot and exhausts out the back at the store the other day. I thought about putting one of these in the slot next to the video card to help the overall temperature in the box. Has anyone ever used one of these and are they any good?

Erick

[Agrippa]

The slot fans make little or no difference in my experience, but ymmw.

For efficient and silent P4 cooling, try an Alpha 8942 with a 120mm fan fitted (by using an 80-120mm fan adapter). Get a fan that pushes about 80CFM of air, like the Titan TFD-12025128 (or a Papst or Panaflo) and it'll be fairly quiet to start with, while still pushing far more air than an 80mm. For total silence, get a FanMate or rheostat and adjust the voltage down to 10-11V.

Works wonderfully well (!) on my setup, a P4 1.6GHz@2.24GHz. Can't hear the fan at all with the case closed and the temps dropped approx. 4-5C over using an Enermax variable speed fan on max.

Agrippa