Quality of New P4 3.2 Ghz Stock HSF

Ozkar · Post by **Ozkar** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 9:48 pm

I'm ready to build a pc with a new Pentium 4 3.2 Ghz processor on an Intel D875PBZ Motherboard and an Antec SLK3700BQE case. Should I stick with the HSF that came with the processor? I was looking at the review of the P4 stock HSF, but that's not the same HSF i got. The one I got is bigger, and made with aluminum and copper. So I need some advice on what to do: should I use the stock HSF? or is there a HSF which will give me much better results in terms of cooling and noise, keeping in mind the following:

- I won't do any overclocking, overvolting, underclocking, or undervolting.
- I'm going to run a lot of cpu-intensive software.
- The stock HSF is thermally regulated by the motherboard.
- The Antec SLK3700BQE case will have 2 120mm fans (front and rear).
- I'll use Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound instead of the Thermal Pad.

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 6:24 am

The HSF that comes with the P4 3.0 and 3.2 CPUs is a good performer but it's incredibly noisy. It's by far the noisiest Intel heatsink/fan I've ever heard. I'd highly recommend that you replace it with one of the high performance heatsinks that have been reviewed and recommended here at SPCR.

Here's some reviews:

#1

#2

#3

#4

Of all those that have been reviewed, I'd recommend that you go with the Zalman 7000, either the AlCu version or the Cu version. That's the easiest HSF to work with out of all of them. It bolts onto the stock Intel retention bracket and comes with a very quiet fan intergrated into it. It's performance is excellent too. The others are either harder to mount, need a fan fitted onto them or are more expensive. For your needs, the Zalman 7000 would be the best choice.

If you look at the systems in my sig you'll note that I'm running an 875PBZ in a 3700BQE myself. I've used almost every heatsink in those reviews on this board. They all fit and work fine but the Zalman is the easiest to deal with.

Ozkar wrote:- The stock HSF is thermally regulated by the motherboard.

FWIW, the stock HSF is regulated by a thermal sensor that's built into the fan itself.

Ozkar · Post by **Ozkar** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 8:32 am

The Zalman CNPS7000-AlCu comes with the Fanmate 1, but I was reading the motherboard manual (D875PBZ) which says that the processor fan is:

-Wired to a fan tachometer input of the hardware monitoring and fan control ASIC.
-Closed-loop fan control that can adjust the fan speed or switch the fan on or off as needed.

Do you think I should use the Fanmate 1, or should I connect the HSF directly into the motherboard?

PaulShapiro · Post by **PaulShapiro** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 10:55 am

I have the D875PBZ motherboard, and while the manual says it controls the cpu fan speed, I have not been able to make that happen. The cpu fan is always on full speed when it is connected to the motherboard. I use a Zalman MFC1 to control the fan, with the rpm sensor passed thru to the motherboard. Works fine.

Intel offers a pre-release version of their Desktop Control Center, which allows for some fan control. But so far the CPU fan is still locked at 100%. The case fans can be set either to a manual speed or to vary linearly with temperature, where you can set the temperature range.

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 12:21 pm

Ozkar wrote:The Zalman CNPS7000-AlCu comes with the Fanmate 1, but I was reading the motherboard manual (D875PBZ) which says that the processor fan is:

-Wired to a fan tachometer input of the hardware monitoring and fan control ASIC.
-Closed-loop fan control that can adjust the fan speed or switch the fan on or off as needed.

That's not right. The only control over the stock Intel fan speed comes from it's built-in thermistor.

Ozkar wrote:Do you think I should use the Fanmate 1, or should I connect the HSF directly into the motherboard?

I would connect the fanmate directly to the CPU fan header on the mobo, that way you can monitor the fan's rpms. You should get perfectly good cooling for your 3.2 at about 1650rpm on the Zalman Fan.

Ozkar · Post by **Ozkar** » Tue Jan 06, 2004 7:31 am

Thanks for the replies. I got one more question: I am going to use Arctic Silver 5 to install the Zalman HSF. I was thinking of following the Instructions on the Arctic Silver website, but that method differs a lot from what I have seen in most websites. Should I follow the instructions on the Arctic Silver website, or do u have a better and more efficient method of applying AS5?

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Tue Jan 06, 2004 7:36 am

Ozkar wrote:Thanks for the replies. I got one more question: I am going to use Arctic Silver 5 to install the Zalman HSF. I was thinking of following the Instructions on the Arctic Silver website, but that method differs a lot from what I have seen in most websites. Should I follow the instructions on the Arctic Silver website, or do u have a better and more efficient method of applying AS5?

Closely and carefully follow the Arctic Silver directions and you'll be just fine.

Ozkar · Post by **Ozkar** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 8:25 am

I noticed that if I install the Zalman CNPS7000-AlCu and the Fan Mate 1 on my D875PBZ motherboard, the speed of the fan will remain constant (unless I open the case and adjust the voltage on the Fan Mate). However, is it safe and recommended to use an external Fan controller like the Zalman ZM-MFC1 Multi Fan Controller, to easily change the speed of the CPU fan whenever it is necessary?

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 12:18 pm

Ozkar wrote:is it safe and recommended to use an external Fan controller like the Zalman ZM-MFC1 Multi Fan Controller, to easily change the speed of the CPU fan whenever it is necessary?

Safe, sure.

Recommended, I dunno. I never have to change the speed of my CPU fan. I guess everyone's circumstances are different though.

Ozkar · Post by **Ozkar** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 6:45 pm

BTW, doesn't the D875PBZ have integrated fan control for all the fans? What If I just control the CPU fan speed with my motherboard?? Have u tried that?

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 6:14 am

Ozkar wrote:BTW, doesn't the D875PBZ have integrated fan control for all the fans? What If I just control the CPU fan speed with my motherboard?? Have u tried that?

The manual says the CPU fan header is adjustable but that's not actually true. The only ones that are adjustable are the case fan headers so if you want to try and control your CPU fan you'd have to plug it into one of the case fan headers.

I haven't done it because running my case and CPU fans at 5V 100% of the tims is more than enough to keep my system cool, even during the hot summer months. I subscribe to the "KISS" principal (Keep It Simple, Stupid!) and if there's a simple way to do something I'll choose it over the more complex method. There's less to go wrong that way.

The fan speed is PWM controlled anyway which causes wierd noise problems, especially with our beloved Panaflos.

This thread contains a long discussion about Intel's mobo fan control system, it would be an enlightening read for you.

Quality of New P4 3.2 Ghz Stock HSF

Quality of New P4 3.2 Ghz Stock HSF

D875PBZ does not adjust the CPU fan speed