Which heatsink? not limited to but xp120, 7000, & 948 li

ExpertNovice · Post by **ExpertNovice** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 12:15 pm

Antec P180 case
MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum Socket 939 ATX Motherboard
Current plan is to purchase either an AMD 3200 or 3500 CPU.

I've looking for a CPU Heatsink/Fan combo and mentioned three below. I really like the XP-120 but...

I was posting sources and links but it just got too confusing. It used to be easier to buy a computer now, even the fans are hard. Wait, this is only one of several. Groan...

So, only this link has been left.
SPCR Recommended Heatsinks

It seems that the two "best" heatsinks are:
...Thermalright XP-120
...Zalman 7000-Cu / AlCu CPU
...Thermalright SLK-948U

For the 7000 and 948 t appears that in either case the cpu temperature rise will be about 24 degrees in an enclosed case with a PC2100. Hopefully with the 3200 or 3500 it will be no more then 30. Any higher and the home temperature is dropped or the voltage on the fans are turned up or both.

The XP-120 appears to cool better that either of the above, perhaps due to the 120mm fan.

Negatives:
**The SLK-948U is a whopping 635g and will definitely weigh more than the Zalman 7000 once a fan is installed.
**The Zalman appears to need a different fan installed to reduce noise
**The XP120 causes DIMM1 to become unuseable. I'm only planning on putting in 2GB so this will POSSIBLY not cause a problem.
**The XP120, per Thermalright, appears to be only usable with the 3200 not the 3500 or higher CPU's.

Positives:
**The SLK-948U appears to have the better bracing system.
**The XP120 is lighter and appears better, but if it really does limit the CPU choice then it is out.
**The 948 and XP120 allow an easy choice of fans to use.

COMMENT please.

What about long periods of time of using heavy heatsinks such as the 948U. It certainly has to put stress (torquing) on the motherboard and seems as if it would eventually cause problems.

teknerd · Post by **teknerd** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 12:53 pm

the xp-120 will cool any processor you put it on without very much trouble (outside of massivly overclocked machines. I believe it is Ed who even cools his Athlon 64 passivly using an XP-120. As far as it blocking DIMM 1, i believe that it is tall enough to give enough clearance for it, although i guess it does depend on the exact board. At the very least you can just use 2 1GB in slots 2&4 and still get the 2GB of RAM and use dual channel.

ExpertNovice · Post by **ExpertNovice** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 1:17 pm

Sounds good. It surprised me that Thermaltake only says it handles up to a 3200. Perhaps they are being conservative.

No overclocking for me!

Yes, various boards have various issues. For the MSI Neo4 Platinum it is the DIMM1 becomes unusable.

Shadowknight · Post by **Shadowknight** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 1:19 pm

Take a look at the newly posted Scythe Ninja review on the main site - it's supposed to be easier to mount than the XP-120, and slightly more effective. It's a bit heavy, but all the weight is at the base, so torque shouldn't be a problem.

ckolivas · Post by **ckolivas** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 5:08 pm

For cheap setups that are still damn quiet with minimal effort you shouldn't ignore the arctic cooling freezer series. Friends that want quieter but aren't interested in modding I have put on to these coolers and they can't believe their ears or their wallets.

CGameProgrammer · Post by **CGameProgrammer** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 10:18 pm

NewEgg recently got the Scythe Ninja in stock, if you're in the U.S. As Shadow mentioned, it sounds like it won't be as difficult/dangerous to mount as the XP-120.

ExpertNovice · Post by **ExpertNovice** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 6:53 am

I completely missed the Scythe review. Thanks!

Given that I'm getting the Antec P180 case this heatsink should work in a fanless mode.

The plan was to seal off the top fan opening but now I probably won't.

One minor thing in the review that bothers me. It kept saying we were unable to test (even mounting procedures) on the K8 (Socket 939, etc.) but then makes this statement as being factual. "It is far easier to mount than the XP-120, on any of the three major processor sockets currently in use: 478, 775 or K8. "

However, the cost of the heatsink is not great so I will try it. Of course, the cost is not great only if the installer does not destroy anything during the installation.

This is starting to look good! A fanless PSU and CPU heatsink. Now, for the northbridge and video cooling solutions.

Of course, given that the LCD monitor is a 1650x1080 native resolution and "requires" better than a 6600GT (for games with all settings turned high) the fan for the video adapter will probably drown out the noise from any other fan on this system.