Will this be enough cooling?

[jkrohn]

I'm thinking of purchasing a T-bird 1.33 system and am curious how much cooling is needed.
here's what i have lined up

ASUS A7A266 Ali magic 1 chipset
AMD 1.33b Ghz 266FSB
DUO 462-7 Volcano2 Fan
256 DDR pc 2100
40 Gb HD
Voodoo 5

will the Volcano be enough? I'm taking the Vid card, sound, CD-ROM (RW and normal) form my old computer. I have no clue when it come to cooling. Right now i plan on getting a mid tower. Would a full tower be better? And will i need more cooling? I can take any parts from my current 700Mhz pIII. Its a Dell configuration so im not sure what fans it comes with.

Thanks in advance

[smartxtai]

just get a mid tower, and dont' worry bout cooling if you aren't overclocking and stuff. if you are reusing your old vid card and sound card, you won't have to worry about the heat. save some money and dont' worry abotu buying fans. everything will be cool enough. if you do decide, just buy 2 80mm fans, one in front and one in back. and make sure you buy the 4 pin fans unless your mobo can support three 3 pins fans. the 2 case fans and the cpu fan.

[Szech]

T-bird 1.33? That baby runs HOT at regular speed. You should seriously consider getting a better heatsink/fan than the Volcano II. I would personally recommend a Millenium Glaciator: http://millennium-thermal.com/dimensions.htm . They are really good performers, and the cost is low, compared to other heatsinks in its caliber.

[RamonGTP]

I have a T-bird 1.333 with a volcano II... The volcano II is adequate, but its just that... Adequate, its not great. I have a new heatsink/fan on order and it should be installed tonight providing it gets delivered today. My tbird runs stable, but it also runs hotter than I'd like it to.

-Ramon

[Brangwen]

My advice would be a full size tower if you can afford one. Much better for air flow, which is very important with most 1+ Ghz AMDs. My midsize was <u>adequate</u> for a 1.2 and 1.3 T-Bird. But under load, those babies run hot (130F CPU temp). I now use a full size case, 4 120mm Panaflo fans (2 intaking air onto cards from left side of case), 1 exhausting out of the rear and one intaking from the lower front. I have two 80mm Panaflo fans: 1 exhausting through the top of the case and one exhausting through the top rear above the power supply. My 1.33 Ghz @ 1.54 Ghz runs 20-30 degrees cooler than it used to. Under gaming high video load I stay under 115F.

Ventilation is a must.

Brangwen http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif

[jkrohn]

Couple of questions,

How hard is it to install a HSF if i've never done it before?
How does leaving the side off the case effect cooling?
Would investing in a bay fan be a good call? Do they work or just hype? What brand / models do you suggest if so?

Chances are good i'll go with the aforementioned HSF as it sounds like the Volcano won't cut it. with that fan and case fans (just stock from my pIII) will the temp be ok or should i look into the bay cooler also.

I want to try to stay mid-size as opposed to full case because i'm pretty cramped for room and would like it to fit under my desk, though if necessary will go full.

Thanks again.


[This message has been edited by jkrohn (edited 07-28-2001).]

[Szech]

Well, most HSFs come with installation procedures, but if you need help, you can post a question and someone can answer. Leaving the side panel helps if you don't have good case airflow, but I personally don't like doing it. A bay fan would help with airflow, but a good sized case fan would move more air.

The glaciator is definitely a top notch heatsink/fan. You do, however, need good airflow to keep the air moving through your case in order for it to do its job.

Another thing I've dabbled in with air cooling is ducting. I've only ducted one computer, but it works really well because the processor gets fresh air from the outside as opposed to the air that has been heated by everything else. I have some pics here: http://fordpinto.homestead.com/CpuAirDuct.html