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Lookin' for a new CPU heatsink! (PC hardware-related)


Matt E. Waldman
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Edit: Oops, wrong forum, probably. Sorry!

EditEdit: Also, my CPU is an AMD Athlon II X4 620 @2.60ghz (stock speed)

Hey guys! So earlier today I was running the Dolphin emulator and thought, "Hm, this could go a lot faster! But first I must check my temperature before I overclock." So I checked it and HOLYBANANAS it was at 95C! I thought my computer was about to blow up, so I shut everything down. I attempted to reseat the processor and heatsink, but that was to no avail. Idle temperatures are at 64C, so...

What heatsinks would you guys recommend for AM3 processors? Also, I figure I'm gonna need some good thermal compound, so any recommendations there? I'm gonna do some shopping tomorrow first thing in the morning.

Thanks in advance!

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Xigmatek Dark Knight? Make sure you can use it first and that your case can support it, though I think it should work, I'm using AM3 and I have it. Also arctic silver is good, but it can be kinda difficult to use sometimes and it takes a while to set in. There are better thermal compounds but I can't remember the names at the moment.

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Lol, pc building! Sorry, I'm sleepy. I was using speedfan and CPU-ID hwmonitor to check temps. Also my bios indicated my idle temps were at 60-something. When I originally built my machine, I had reasonable temps. Whether the readings were right or not, better safe than sorry! :) besides, it's about time I invest in an aftermarket cooler!

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That cooler should definitely help, though I'm not sure how much of a difference it'll make when your max temps were 95C! Even if it were to lower your temps by 20C it would still be past the recommended maximum. Make sure you research some good thermal compound and that you keep your PC case well ventilated. Maybe even get yourself some fans for the case if it can support it.

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That cooler should definitely help, though I'm not sure how much of a difference it'll make when your max temps were 95C! Even if it were to lower your temps by 20C it would still be past the recommended maximum. Make sure you research some good thermal compound and that you keep your PC case well ventilated. Maybe even get yourself some fans for the case if it can support it.

lol, recommended maximum for intel cpus is 85 degrees, and amd cpus are hotter.

i always recommend the cooler master hyper 212, but i don't know if it has a bracket for am3 sockets.

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You really have a temp problem, if you can, add liquid cooling(if you can afford it and know what you are doing), if not, buy a good fan and heatsink, not a factory default, look for cooler-master, also may want a new more, ventilated case as well, what are your specs? It may help us determine your problem, and are you using a single, duo, triple, or quad core?

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liquid cooling's a pretty bad idea, all told, when you've only got a processor that costs less than a hundred dollars. who wants to flush their system out every six months for that? he'd be better off buying a new system. he could easily buy a new motherboard and cpu for less than even a reserator1 v2 would cost, let alone a real loop.

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  • 2 weeks later...
liquid cooling's a pretty bad idea, all told, when you've only got a processor that costs less than a hundred dollars.

Liquid cooling's a pretty bad idea in general. The only real reason for doing it is to support extreme overclocks where air cooling simply will not suffice, and the amount of money you spend on such a system invariably evens out with just buying a faster stock-clocked processor and doing a milder overclock on it.

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  • 1 month later...

Believe it or not, there's a compound out that outperforms AS5, and it's called Tuniq TX-3. It's less a grease and more a gummy substance, and thus more difficult to apply (you'll need something like a credit card or your driver's license to spread it about, and it takes a steady hand, about an hour, etc etc), but once you get it on, it's awesome. It's non-conductive, so if you "colour outside the lines" so to speak, it won't hurt, but it's still a good idea to clean up. It's specifically designed for Direct Touch type sinks, like the Sunbeam Core or the Prolimatech Megahalems (I use the Xigmatek THOR'S HAMMER [Yes, the package has it in all caps]), and has an easier time filling in the gaps and stuff. Another good sink is the Ultra Chilltec.

[EDIT]

Apparently, Tuniq just released TX-4, which has all the benefits of TX-3, but cools all of a whole degree cooler than the it's predecessor.

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