vB Easy Archive - what heatsink should i buy for my P4?

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what heatsink should i buy for my P4?
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Posted by: mobilefreak

I want to lower my cpu temps... so I'm looking into getting an aftermarket heatsink for my Pentium 4 2.53ghz. Anyone have any recommendations?
I heard that thermaltake spark 7 is pretty good...

i want something that will lower the temps and also be relatively quiet... esp with a manual/auto adjustable speed fan.

Posted by: Maxideus

well i use the volcano 7+, it has a variable speed fan controller

on medium fan setting my cpu temps are as follows:

33-35 degrees celcius idle
40-45 degrees celcius max load

Pure copper heatsink, with the "tiny fin" technology.

EDIT: my cpu processor is the P4 @ 2.6ghz, 512kb L2 cache, northwood.

Posted by: Evan

Spark 7+ looks really good, well, you can always do a refund right?

Posted by: Maxideus

Quote:

Originally posted by Hidea
Spark 7+ looks really good, well, you can always do a refund right?

get your system yet?

Posted by: ShadowDragon

Quote:

Originally posted by Hidea
Spark 7+ looks really good, well, you can always do a refund right?

if i was a p4 guy i would go with that or water cooling

Posted by: CiCi

excelletn coolers:

thermalright slk800U or 900

swifttech mcx4000 or mcx 462-U

Posted by: ZildjianB

Quote:

Originally posted by mobilefreak
I want to lower my cpu temps... so I'm looking into getting an aftermarket heatsink for my Pentium 4 2.53ghz. Anyone have any recommendations?
I heard that thermaltake spark 7 is pretty good...

i want something that will lower the temps and also be relatively quiet... esp with a manual/auto adjustable speed fan.

The thermaltake spark 7 look nice. Looks like you can get one shipped to you for under $25 online... not bad. I'm looking into getting a replacement fan/heatsink combo (my Intel fan is slowly dieing) and this may be just what I was looking for.

Posted by: mobilefreak

Quote:

Originally posted by ZildjianB
The thermaltake spark 7 look nice. Looks like you can get one shipped to you for under $25 online... not bad. I'm looking into getting a replacement fan/heatsink combo (my Intel fan is slowly dieing) and this may be just what I was looking for.

where?

Posted by: ZildjianB

Quote:

Originally posted by mobilefreak
where?

Go to Pricewatch.com and do a search for "thermaltake spark 7". It will return a list of results. Check the product and description for each item listed, as all of them will probably not be a thermaltake spark 7. Also, make sure you research any reseller before buying from them. Services like ResellerRatings.com are useful for this. The reseller with the lowest price is not always the best reseller.

When I did this search I came up with a listing for Openlinx.com ($24.00 & free shipping). You may want to pay a little more $$ and upgrade the shipping.

Posted by: pikake069

Don't use a fan submerge your cpu in a fish tank filled with NON CONDUTIVE liquid hook a condenser to it and wala 3M makes a great solution

Posted by: mobilefreak

so is the spark series the best for the P4? whats the difference between the spark and volcano series?
man the thermaltake aquarius II liquid cooling looks tempting... but then i would have to buy a bigger case

Posted by: ZildjianB

Quote:

Originally posted by mobilefreak
so is the spark series the best for the P4? whats the difference between the spark and volcano series?
man the thermaltake aquarius II liquid cooling looks tempting... but then i would have to buy a bigger case

It looks like the Spark series is the best traditional fan/heatsink combo that thermaltake offers for the P4. From what I've seen on the thermaltake website the volcano series is mostly for AMD and P3 chips.

Posted by: ZildjianB

If you decide to get the Thermaltake Spark 7, I'd recommend getting it from Ajump.com. They're a great company that I've ordered from before and never had a problem with. Price is currently $25 w/free ground shipping.

Posted by: ShadowDragon

also note that if u want a cooler looking fan go with the spark 7+ not the spark 7

i think they pretty much perform the same with one difference which is the deisgn

Posted by: ZildjianB

Just had my Thermaltake Spark 7 delivered back home yesterday, but I won't be home to install it for another week or two.

Will let you all know how it goes and how much my temps are lowered.

Posted by: mobilefreak

an update...

so i got the thermaltake spark 7 and installed it. I'm not too happy about my purchase.

The cpu temp is pretty much the same... NO DIFFERENCE!!!!

I followed the directions to the dot... applied the thermal paste correctly, and even tried putting different amounts of paste on to see if it would make a difference.

wasted $25 on something that doesnt make a difference

did i do something wrong here?

Posted by: ZildjianB

I'd say that, if you installed it correctly, and still are having issues, perhaps it's just a general airflow problem in the case?

(ie- not blowing enough cold air in and hot air out)

Posted by: mobilefreak

i already have
1 rear exhaust
2 side intake

i guess thats not enough...
maybe i'll get some more fans and make more holes in my computer case...

probably
1 top exhaust
1 front intake

who here has an aftermarket heatsink and are getting lower temps than the intel one?

maybe i should try the artic silver 3 paste... how much lower should i expect from using that?

Posted by: nomis_nehc

I have a different CPU, AthlonXP, but it's suppose to run hotter than P4...

Anyways, I am using Vantec Aeroflow. Very quiet and damn effective. I was using Thermaltake Coolmod Volcano 9 before, Aeroflow dropped the temperature by 5 degrees when idle and 8 degrees on full load. Amazing piece of art. And it's not pricey either.

Posted by: Evan

Well, here is what I got, Vantec TMD AeroFlow fan, it keeps my P4 at 26-28 degrees celcius while idle

Posted by: the_Hurricane

I also have the Vantec Aeroflow on my 1700+. Actually, I still found it a little loud... so I run the fan off 7V now, and it's MUCH better. The coolest thing about this fan is when you turn off your computer, you can hear the TMD slowing down.. takes a few seconds.

Posted by: ZildjianB

Quote:

Originally posted by mobilefreak
i already have
1 rear exhaust
2 side intake

i guess thats not enough...
maybe i'll get some more fans and make more holes in my computer case...

probably
1 top exhaust
1 front intake

who here has an aftermarket heatsink and are getting lower temps than the intel one?

maybe i should try the artic silver 3 paste... how much lower should i expect from using that?

Using a good thermal paste is always a good idea, but I'm not sure it will make much of a difference in your case. There are a couple of things I would look into:
(1) Make sure the Thermaltake Spark 7's fan speed is set to high.
(2) Try experimenting with the fans on the side of your case. Try reversing their direction to see if that makes a difference.
(3) Make sure your case fans are not being blocked by an object outside of your case (ie- part of your desk, etc).

Airflow can be tricky. Ambient room temp also has an effect on your CPU temp.

I'll think about this more to see if I can come up with some other reasons why your CPU temp has not lowered. Do me a favor and post the CPU temp at startup (first time you start it during the day), while idle, and while under load if you get the chance.

Posted by: Evan

Quote:

Originally posted by the_Hurricane
I also have the Vantec Aeroflow on my 1700+. Actually, I still found it a little loud... so I run the fan off 7V now, and it's MUCH better. The coolest thing about this fan is when you turn off your computer, you can hear the TMD slowing down.. takes a few seconds.

But it's a very good fan isn't it

I love this HSF, if keeps my P4 really cool. Even at maximum load, it's at 38 degrees (torture test from Prime95)