shopping for a CPU cooler

[Scott.Prive at storigen.com (Scott Prive)]

Hello. I had to read up alot on CPU cooling, because I ran the Abit BP6 SMP board with a nice 40% overclock. :-D

An aftermarket heat sink would cost more than a faster replacement CPU, so I assume you'd want cheaper do-it-yourself cooling tricks.

Case cooling is more effective than a bigger CPU heatsink.

More case fans will help, especially if you add your own venting ports. A common case mod is to add an intake hole in the side panel above the CPU or video card, and/or an exhaust blowhole at the case top (blowing straight up). Obtain a Dremel tool ($40).. you may be able to borrow one. Safety grills for fans are $2 on pricewatch and 80-92mm case fans are ~$10. Seal the fan to the case using some foam strips or caulking (improves efficency and can lower noise). If you want to avoid noise, some websites list case fans by model along with fan cfm and db levels (Pabst, Panaflow fans are reportedly quiet).

If your P2 is a socket (not slot) CPU, you can install an OEM CPU & fan from a faster rated P3 or AMD. I have a some OEM heatsinks from 1GHz P3's, with 60mm fans, if you're in the Lowell area. Note that larger CPU sinks will "mount" to a P2, but because they extend beyond the CPU there may be interference with the motherboard (avoid shorts!). Sometimes this can be fixed by applying a Dremel tool to the heatsink :-)

-Scott


-----Original Message-----
From: Seth Gordon [mailto:sethg at ropine.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 05, 2002 12:54 PM
To: discuss at blu.org
Subject: shopping for a CPU cooler


My Linux box, "petunia", is a 350 MHz Pentium II.  Last summer, the
temperature in its room got up to 95 degrees (F), and while I didn't
notice any changes in the machine's performance, now (a) it has more
hardware inside it, and (b) my work group's ticket-tracking system is
running on it.  So I should probably install some kick-ass cooler
inside it between now and June.  What products should I look into, and
how much should I expect to pay?

-- 
"[A]lmost all interesting economics is about institutions 'that never were,
and ask[ing] "why not"?'...  Unfortunately, the reasons why not are usually
convincing.  Thus, 'the Dismal Science.'"  --Stephen J. Turnbull
== Seth Gordon == sethg at ropine.com == http://ropine.com/ == std. disclaimer ==
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