Which fan for overclocking 4 Barton cpu ?

[Neoprene]

Hi all,

I`m about to take delivery of a Barton 2500+ cpu . My current CPU is an athlon 2200+ , with the FSB set to 142 and the CPU running at 1.91 ghz. However , during graphics intensive games , when I hit about the 60c mark I get sudden exits from games such as ..yes u guessed it ..Battlefield 1942.

I`d like to overclok the new proc a bit too .. but am worried that my current cooler , the thermaltake LHC-61 silent heat pipe , may not keep the CPU cool enough . My system is also what I watch DVD`s on , so I need a quiet fan too .

The eternal dilemna ..cooling vs noise ! Any suggestions which fan/cooler I should go for ? Do memory cooling kits really make any difference ? My case is a Lian-Li , and the system temp is a nice stable 30c .

Help !

Gerry

[Neoprene]

Eek sorry coolermaster not thermaltake fan !

[Neoprene]

Hi ,

A very similar post to mine further down .. and this link :

http://www.thermaltake.com/products/.../subzero4g.htm

Seems a good option and relatively quiet too ..any views ?

G

[fzr phil]

If you are getting a retail kit i reccomend you try the hsf against your heatpipe. i at least would be interested in the comparison.

i have fitted the stock cooler today ( over heatpipe) and can see temps displayed that seem up to 10 degc less! with a barton xp2500+

-right now cpu at 166x12.5, folding browsing and listening to mp3's i have 58degC! ( my motherboard records temp off the cpu)
good luck!

[Neoprene]

Hi ,

Interesting ! I bought an OEM so wont have the stock fan ..I reckoned it would be too loud. The coolermaster LHC61 according to a german site is only 26 dba .. close to a Zalman in terms of noise ( silent mode =20dba ) However , for overclocking I hear the heatpipe isnt great , whereas the Zalman has been favoured in a few reviews .

How did your stock fan compare noise wise to the heatpipe ? I`m sure it may have cooled more, but sacrificed that for noise levels .

:beer: Gerry

[fzr phil]

my system is not all that quiet mostly due to a noisy power supply and to be honest there is no noticible sound diffference at all!
i did try a zalman before getting the heatpipe, but it would not fit in my case due to orientation of my cpu and psu above
hence got the heatpipe.

i am not all that sure that the zalman is best for overclocking but if you want quiet it should be good.

my local pc store hollycomputers had the zalman (another reason for me to try it) and has aparantly built an ultimate quiet system based on the barton and zalman. 'Maplin' also stock zalman coolers.

the standard cooler is a bit more weighty than supplied on lower rated cpu's but the output IS higher ~74 watts

i do know of the heatpipes being modded with a bigger 80mm fan and acheiving better cooling without too much sacrifice of noise.

i am still exploring that avenue... i picked the wrong fan, an antec 80mm smart fan, it just did'nt work out how i had wanted/ expected. it would probably make a great quiet option in a case.

i often find good advice after making a bad choices!

Db / cfm , more = better!

antec is only around 1.3, Doh!

have you checked the FAQ's on this site already? there is some v good info and links there on coolers.

[Neoprene]

Hi Phil ,

I actually bought a Zalman some time ago , but returned it new in box as I could see it didnt fit the form factor for my case ..in fact I reckon it wouldnt fit a lot of standard cases including my Lian-Li . I have a Hiperpower 520watt PSU .. lol bought it on impulse and because I had probs I thought were power related but werent . I`m curious as to how quiet a Zalman PSU would be compared to it .

I`m going to see what temps I get with the Barton and the heatpipe .. then overclock and see how things go temp wise . It`s tricky to know what silent really means .. for instance some coolers ie the Zalman are rated as 20db in silent mode ..but if u overclock , they need to be run in normal mode , with the fan at up to 4800 rpm , and DBA of 36-38 ..the heatpipe is supposed to be 32 dba . So not so " silent " after all !

I`m also interested to know if anyone has tried the silent /passive cooling for VGA cards such as mine , and how successful thats been . I suppose it`s one less fan , so of course it will be quieter ..I`m just loathe to mess around with the VGA card .

An excellent link if you`re shopping for cheap UK components :

http://www.priceguideuk.com/

I highly recommend overclockers.co.uk ..really good prices , service , and free shipping .

I`ll let u know how I get on.

Gerry

[Liquid3D]

Neoprene. I don't want to startle you, but I have my system on shutdown at 60C. It's an awfully high temperature, and I would cease, and desist immediately. Take your HSF off your Barton, and clean the unit between the fin's with high-powered air, or wash the dam thing in soap and water. Then remove the thermal pad, or glob's of paste (which can only be responsibe for those outrageous temps) with isopropyl alcohol, and make sure the area is dry, and clean. Then apply Arctic Silver or similiar high-quality thermal paste in a paper thin coat covering the top of the core, and only the top. Do not let any thermal paste overlap the core sides. Although only a few mm in height, they need to be exposed to the air from the fan above. Then replace the HSF (carefully, not wiping off any paste you've applied) and your temps should be about 38C to 42C at LOAD, and 32C to 36C idle. My system is using an air cooled Thermalright SLK800, and 80mm fan and is usally at 19C, unless dust begins to build up. Of course removing the side panel from your PC will double the life of every component inside (undisputed). It's been proven, a mere 10C drop in temperature (constant) would double the life-span of most CPU's (those using stock HSF's). Removing your side panel should lower system temp's by 10C in itself. Most importantly, at 60C or even above 50C your slowly damaging that Barton processor, your effectively slow cooking it, into an early retirement. Even running down to your local computer store and buying a more powerful fan (minimum 50CFM!) would be a great help. It's only a $5 - $15 investment saving a $300+ investment (make sure the fan is the same dimensions so it fits on the heatsink). Here's a page from a heatsink review featuring the top four heatsinks on the planet, you'l see their load temp's at 1.92V are 30C less then your current HSF. http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=get...amp;articID=55

And if you want a Peltier/HSF combo for approximately $80 less, yet (in my opinion) 200% more effective,  try this; http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/fro...pu-swi-06.html below is a picture of the unit.

[Neoprene]

Hi ,

Well Liquid I was a bit startled ! I did as u suggested , and my temps are a bit better ..45C with the proc at 133 FSB , when at 142 FSB idle temp 50C . Is it the Coolermaster heatpipe methinks ? My system temp is fine at 29C . I can swap in them OEM fan and check the temps then , but it`s a lot louder . These temps are with an XP2200 ..not with the Barton .

I may make some toast with the CPU heat

Gerry

[chris4521]

hey liquid, just a question..what kind of temps would one expect with that swiftech pelt combo?

[surlyjoe]

none of the retail aircooled TEC units are much better than a good copper sink at load, the new CPus and the pelt is just too much heat to shed for the size of sink that will fit on a mobo , to get much better cooling than a ttop line copper sink, you pretty much gotta go water

[Liquid3D]

Originally posted by chris4521
hey liquid, just a question..what kind of temps would one expect with that swiftech pelt combo?

 In the folowing review, the die temp of the Swiftech was 42C at 99.6 Watts. At load the temp was 22C, and idle 15C; http://www.overclockers.com/articles646/  If your absolutely against noise, water cooling, or phase change are your only viable options. My Thermalright SLK800 is at 19C right now, but that's because I'm running a very noisey 80mm, 84CFM Vantec Tornado. In fact of the top four air HSF's on the market, all require powerful noisey fans. And I have to disagree with surlyjoe because in this second review I found, the Swiftech TEC, is cooling to 25C at load, and 15C at idle. I don't know of to many quality HSF's that can compete; http://pcextreme.net/mcx462.php

[Liquid3D]

I've found what may be a perfect solution for you. The Thermaltake Volcano 9 w/cool mod: http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/fro...pu-tta-09.html It has an adjustable 80mm fan, and a temperature probe which you mount directly on the CPU. It monitors the temp, and adjusts fan speeds in 100th/sec. It's only $29, very attractive with a clear plexi fan gaurd, and LED beneath. And it's quiet! Here's one review (37C idle, 39C load); http://www.gideontech.com/reviews/tt.../index03.shtml here's another review: http://www.hardcoreware.net/reviews/review-73-1.htm and the piture below, show's how quickly the sensor and fan respond to cool down the processor when it reaches high temps (it's one 60sec interval).

[Holst]

With a name like neoprene you reall should be using a watercooled pelt..

in my experience any cooper finned cooler (SLK-600 type) will perform pretty much the same then its just down to the ammount of nise your wiling to put up with... more air = more noise.

[Neoprene]

Hi all ,

I had considered the Volcano 9 cool mod , but felt I was giving up silence for appearance ..as far as I remember , it`s dba was aroung 38dba . I`m going to go out on a limb here and try this new cooler, rated up to Athlon 2700+ ..and only 19dba !
Heres the link :

http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/...2k3-part5.html

I thought this review was a bit overwhlemingly in favour of the Glaciertech Igloo silent breeze , but what the hell ..my temps cant be any worse than they are already !

I`ll keep u posted how I get on .

Gerry:clown:

[Nate-X]

kick butt.. those guys accept paypal

[Liquid3D]

Cool (hopefully) let us know how it works, I don't think I've ever seen, nor heard of anyone having one. I admire anyone who tries different things. I have five different mobo's, from five different manufacturers. I do have two Epox's though. I mean if something works well might as well stick with it. But my next board is going to be the Soltek 75FRN2-L (it offers adjustable VDD to 1.8V the highest yet without a mod!).

[Neoprene]

Hi all ,

Ok new set up as follows .. Barton 2500+ and Glacialtech Igloo silent breeze fan ..

The new fan is well presented , but could do with better tooling on the CPU facet side. A thin layer of thermal grease was already applied. It is very quiet at 19dba , the Barton runs at idle 45C and during GFx intensive procs at 53-55 C .. I know many will grimace at these temps , but I`ll trade it just now for peace

During the chip switch over got two big frights .. one was the mobo telling me the CPU fan was not working ..frightened the hell out of me till I eyeballed the fan and saw it was bull*****. The other was that all my lights in my flat went out when changing the FSB speed .. lol thought my comp was about to blow till I found out it was a flatmates faulty light bulb !:-D

Ok now the proc is running at 166 FSB , my ram is PC2700 ram running also at DDR 333 ( samsung and kingston ) . At this speed the proc is at 1.84 GHZ according to Sisoft Sandra .

However , if I try to raise the FSB above 166 the system crashes . Is this due to the FSB being greater than the RAM clock speed ??? I got the Barton to overclock it slightly , I relaise my temps are pretty *****ty but will see how they perform O`cd. I`ve considered stepping up to Corsair XMS ram next ... will this help ? Where should I take things from here ? My 3D mark 2003 score is 1584 .

Thanks ,

Gerry

[Neoprene]

Hi ,

One last thing .. the MSI utilities report the CPU temp as 49C .. but SiSoft Sandra reports it as 45C ..a full 4C difference !!

G

[Liquid3D]

Originally posted by Neoprene
...The new fan is well presented , but could do with better tooling on the CPU facet side. A thin layer of thermal grease was already applied. It is very quiet at 19dba , the Barton runs at idle 45C and during GFx intensive procs at 53-55 C .. I know many will grimace at these temps...Ok now the proc is running at 166 FSB , my ram is PC2700 ram running also at DDR 333 ( samsung and kingston ) . At this speed the proc is at 1.84 GHZ according to Sisoft Sandra...if I try to raise the FSB above 166 the system crashes . Is this due to the FSB being greater than the RAM clock speed ??? I got the Barton to overclock it slightly , I relaise my temps are pretty *****ty but will see how they perform O`cd. I`ve considered stepping up to Corsair XMS ram next ... will this help ? Where should I take things from here ? My 3D mark 2003 score is 1584...

Well I'm confused as to why you didn't get the H20 set-up? I would have gone with the cooling set-up before the Barton? But I guess at $134 (at Newegg)the 2500's a great chip. Anyway, if you purchased your motherboard prior to 12/2002 then it's BIOS needs to be flashed. Since 12/03/2002 the BIOS has undergone three updates, from version 1.6 (first Barton edition), to version 1.8. Here's a direct link to the latest BIOS version 1.8 (02/12/2003); http://download.msi.com.tw/support/bos_exe/6712v18.exe  If you've never flashed a BIOS before, then go to the MSI website first and research it, there will be clear instructions. Most likely you won't even have to exit Windows to do it, as most major motherboard manufacturers are releasing user-freindly flash programs. I just flashed my Epox from Windows, and it was the easiest flash ever. Of course you have to re-boot, but you don't have to load the BIOS bin file to a disk, and load Awardflash etc. This may cause of your problem, at the MSI site, they don't gaurantee a 333FSB processor, to work with anything but DDR333. I don't know what that really means, but perhaps it's the reason you can't raise the FSB, although that could be as simple as raising the Vcore, but you shouldn't have to raise the vcore, if your only overclocking a few MHZ increments. That motherboard, wasn't optimized for 333FSB processors, and even with the BIOS updates, it's seems there's some issues. Of course with memory, your better off just running one stick (if their both 512MB) because the memory controller, will always run at the slower module's speed, and latency. So if you have one stick of DDR400, and one stick of DDR333, it'll run at DDR333. AT this point simply removing the inferior stick will be to your advantage. Finally there's only one more thing I have to impart. The chipset or motherboard determines the extent to which your CPU will perform. You cannot have one independently not effect the other, in the same way slower memory affects faster. Although you seem adamant about not wanting to change your motherboard, I feel I must say your making a large error. There's symbiotic relationship, between motherboard chipset, and processor. Intel specifically releases a chipset, just abotu everytime they release, or change the speeds of thjeri CPU's. I understand your not into Dual DDR, but there's much more to the nForce2 chipset then Dual DDR. It's ability to lock the PCI at 33MHz ameliorates any potential bottlenecks which would occur when you raise the FSB. Same for the AGP frequency, which can be locked at 66MHz (it's default speeed) allowing you to run the FSB as high as the processor can be overclocked. This is possible because even with DDR333, the memory divider in the nForce2 chipset allows the memory to perate at a different frequency.