Page 1 of Athlon cooling advice

My girlfriend`s brother owns a small PC shop and he recently gave me a few bits and pieces for helping him out. Now while I`m fairly good with hardware, I haven`t had a lot of experience with cooling the higher end Athlons so I`m after a bit of help.

I have an XP 1800+ (not overclocked) and the standard retail fan/heatsink. The chip seems to run a little too hot for my liking (and from what I`ve read), idling at about 60C and getting up into the 70-75C area when running (according to the monitoring software)! I run my PC with the case open, and it`s still overheated twice, but I shouldn`t have to do that at all (it`s just so I have easy access to the hardware).

After getting some new mem, a graphics card and a 2400+ from the girlfriend`s brother, the system went a bit mental. It would be (mostly) fine during idle, but when I tried to play any game the system would go tits up after a few minutes and re-start itself, coming up will all manner of critical errors when I finally got back into Windows XP. It did random reboot a few times when I did some stuff in XP (like adding an oeminfo.ini and oemlogo.bmp). I must admit to not checking the temp before I removed the 2400+ and put the 1800+ back in, but it would seem likely that the chip was running too hot, hence the instability (can`t be the mem or graphics card as system runs fine with them and the 1800+).

I (obviously) want to put the 2400+ (T`bred) back in as it`s a lot quicker than the 1800+ (Palomino) that I currently have, but I don`t want the instability or a fried chip. I`m guessing that the AMD retail heatsink/fan that came with the 1800+ isn`t up to the job of the 2400+, so can anyone suggest the best solution for cooling a chip of that spec? I`ve seen a few for around a tenner that claim to support up to 3000+ chips, but I`d like a few opinions. System specs below:

AMD Athlon XP 2400+ (well, 1800+ at the moment)
ASUS A7V333 m/b
1GB DDR RAM
Leadtek Geforce 4 Ti4800SE 128MB
Creative SoundBlaser Live 5.1
Aopen 10x DVD Rom
Liteon 40x12x48 CDRW
Maxtor 80GB 7200rpm ATA133 HDD
SMC Etherpower 10/100 NIC

All this is hooked up to a 300watt PSU. So, should I invest in a 350watt> PSU and a case fan in addition to a new heatsink/fan, or will that alone be enough? I have a feeling it`s the AMD retail fan that is the reason it runs so hot, but I could be wrong. All helpful suggestions appreciated. and thanks in advance.

This item was edited on Sunday, 23rd February 2003, 22:41

Chris.
My system is based around an XP1500 (clocked to XP1800 and measured by Sisoft Sandra) and the CPU has never hit 65-70C. I fitted a Volcano C6+ along with a case exhaust fan which going by various utilities runs between 42-45C. I have set the M/Board to trip at 55C and have never had a shut down yet as a result of the temp.
The clip on fan usually supplied are only fit for the bin and it is always better to run the CPU as cool as you can by getting a superior fan/ heatsink assembly.
Invest in an exhaust fan at the very least. They are round about £5-10 and are the cheapest and quickest way to reduce temperatures.Keep the case closed if you fit an exhaust fan and you should see a difference.
I cannot remember the correct address but try searching for overclockers in Google. They have lots of information and tips relating to cooling fans etc.
I hope to get a 2000+ chip in the next week or so and will probably buy a new fan/ heatsink assembly before I install it.
HTH
Choagy :-)
PS Try Thermaltake or Super Orb. You would probably be about £25 for a really good CPU fan/ heatsink.

This item was edited on Sunday, 23rd February 2003, 22:59

suddenly experiencing whooshing noises around my head...

Cheers Choagy. I`ll investigate the heatsinks you mentioned. I`m guesing the heat thing was the problem with the 2400+ judging by the symptoms. AMDs tend to lock up or become unstable around 75C or higher, but I guess I won`t know if it`s a duff chip until I get the new fan (there no way it`s gong back in until I have that!). I`ll have to clean all the flipping grease off of it now...

Idling at 60C and going over 70C really does seem excessive to me, so perhaps I`ll see a decrease in temp with the new setup. Hopefully the chips arent damaged as they`re rated to take 90C and 85C respectively.

Still, I supposed I shouldn`t moan too much as I got half a gig of DDR RAM, a 128 MB GF4 Ti4800SE and the 2400+ for free (well, for building a few systems). It`s just a pain not being able to use them! I also have to get a new shielded cable for my switch box, as for some reason there`s loads of ghosting using the new video card even though the old Ti4200 was crystal clear.

On a sad note, the fact that a lot of this stuff was available was because my girlfriend`s broher couldn`t sell it. Poor sod had a fire in the office (the PDQ machine apparently started it), which he thankfully caught before it got out of hand. Most of the damage was smoke related, so a lot of the kit wasn`t in a fit state to sell (even though it was sealed retail stuff). Shop has to be completely re-decorated though, and he has loads of orders he can`t fulfill because of the damaged kit and no workspace etc.

My learned friend Mr Choagy has summed it up, I`ve alway`s fitted decent case fans on Athlon builds, and touch wood, I`ve had no failures.
btw, that is a mighty fine machine you have, I suspect the proverbial sh*t of a shovel. ;-))

Cheers P.

This item was edited on Monday, 24th February 2003, 03:39

Aye, it does shift a bit when it`s all put together, until it has a fit and falls over ;) Still pretty tasty even with the 1800+ in it. Now all I have to do is find somewhere selling the Thermaltake Volcano 9 at a decent price with speedy delivery. I very much doubt there`s anything in Bristol, so it`s gonna have to be mail order. Need a decent SVGA extention cable that won`t break the bank as well.

Just a couple of things - try and use those round ide/floppy cables - they allow far better air flow. Also make sure you set up the airflow properly - and the case fan is really a must.

Also, be aware that if the tempreture sensor you are using is on the motherboard it could be out by up to 30 degrees.

There are plenty of online shops out there - one of the betters is supposed to be www.overclockers.co.uk although i`ve never used them.

Agree with you Craig.
If you cannot find a stockist of round IDE cables try splitting/splicing the IDE cables you have fitted at present.
Leave the last 3" intact at either end and slice the cable between the centre two ribs on the IDE cable.
You can slice it in more than one or two places which will allow you to create a round cable effectively by doing so.
Use small cable ties to keep cables wrapped in place.
This way you can use small cable ties to create a cable that allows for better air flow and is easier to handle.
A bit cheaper and every bit as effective as buying new round IDE cables.
HTH
Choagy :-)

This item was edited on Monday, 24th February 2003, 14:31

Got round IDE cables as when I built the system I did it at his shop and that`s all he stocks ;) The cheapest I`ve found the Thermaltake Volcano 9 (which seems a decent buy and is rated up to 2800+) is on Dabs, £12.76 inc 1-3 day delivery. Arghhh! I have to wait 1-3 days! ;)

On another note, does anyone know where I can get a decent (and cheap) SVGA extention cable (male to female)? PC World and the like want upwards of £20, which seems a tad expensive. I need it as the standard cables that come with the Belkin OmniCube KVM I have are not good enough for this new Ti4800SE. I get a lot of blurring/gosting, which wasn`t present on the Ti4200. I`m skint at the moment and I thought I was going to be ok with all this new kit, but I still have to spend money to get it to work! ;) Hehe

This item was edited on Monday, 24th February 2003, 14:38

I would be slightly suspicious that it isn`t just a heat problem. The 2400+ is a Tbred B, which is supposed to run generally cooler than the Tbred A (the 1800+) anyway.

My first thoughts would be to get a better PSU, and to check very carefully that your motherboard (and the BIOS it has) support the 2400+ fully.

Most BIOSes have had recent updates to take the Tbred B`s, and a lot of 300 watt PSU`s aren`t enough to carry both a power-hungry top-end Athlon, AND a thirsty 4800...