BTX misery?

Captain John · Post by **Captain John** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 1:20 pm

Hi,

I'm new to the list, so please forgive me if this is a topic that has been repeatedly covered, but I suspect not as I have a somewhat unusual situation.

I recently was able to purchase a intel 820 & microBTX motherboard cheaply, but, unfortunately, the processor does not come with the required heatsink... As a result, I'm going insane trying to find appropriate cooling solutions. I've been able to find a ThermalTake solution, but have not seen any reviews (or at least reputable ones), and at ~40 I'd rather not try it out and have it be junk.

Does anyone have any BTX suggestions? I've very seriously considered the heatsink from a Dell Dimension 9100, which is a tower design looking slightly similar to an Artic Cooling Freezer (without the fan), but that's going to cost ~60 when all is said and told... If a Ninja could fit... I'd be much happier.

Please let me know any advise or suggestions.

Thanks!
John

qviri · Post by **qviri** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 1:54 pm

Does BTX require a special heatsink? I'd have thought that it would be just a normal Socket 775 mounting system or something...

Post by **MikeC** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 2:24 pm

Yes, BTX has its own form factor, different from all others. The HS in this Shuttle is a standard BTX: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article230-page4.html Go through the whole page to see how it fits. You need a BTX case to make it work; two of the bolts for the HS go through the board into the mb mounting tray, and two go directly into the mounting tray, off the edge of the mb.

See the 2 pairs of mounting holes above?

AFAIK, the ThermalTake BTX HSF is pretty much "stock" or standard. They all look the same. No variants from the Intel reference HSF because there are virtually no BTX boards on the retail market -- although lots of big system brands are using them -- Dell, Gateway, etc.

The best you can do is go ahead and get that Thermaltake -- and modify as necessary to make it quiet. It won't be easy -- the HS itself is high impedance, which means it won't cool well with low airflow (ie, slow quiet fan). The duct is a PITA, too, as it resonances along with the fan -- not only the plastic but the AIR inside the duct as well.

hans007 · Post by **hans007** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 4:09 pm

i did the same thing, bought a 820 cpu and d945gcz motherboard.

had to go on ebay to get an intel btx retail heatsink at the time (from someone who mistakenly bought a btx retail box package for his atx system).

as it stands now, there are 2 thermaltake units out there , the allegedly more quiet heatpipe one, and the normal one.

and there is also a coolermaster one that is available at sundial micro's site (its like $35 i think)

Captain John · Post by **Captain John** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 6:23 pm

I actually found a workable solution. I ordered a Dell Dimension 9100 replacement heatsink. It cost ~$20, had 3 U shaped heatpipes, and a shroud which takes a 120mm fan. I placed a Nexus 120 connected to the front fan header (labeled rear on my board) which is automatically regulated by cpu temperature. The fan is inaudible at more than 3 inches distance, and cools the processor nicely.

I'll post pictures as soon as I find the camera.

John

rrando · Post by **rrando** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 3:46 pm

I also have a BTX board. Am considering the Scythe Ninja.
Anyone who owns a Ninja have an idea if it will clear the capacitors?
The layout looks very similar to the photos in the posts above.
CPU is oriented at 45 degrees to the board, and caps are pretty close to
the CPU socket.

Robert