CPU heatsink fan

[RickyBobby]

I like to build computers as a hobby and have been doing it for some years
now. I have some family and I have generally handed down my year old
computers to them so that I would have a reason to build me a new one.

When I am done building one I look at the hardware monitor stuff in the BIOS
and like the CPU temp to be below 120 F. Not that I think that it matters
all that much but 120 is just an arbitrary value I picked.

So when Intel came out with this i7 CPU I just had to have me one. It makes
no difference because I am not building a suspension bridge or doing any
video editing. It is just a hobby where I waste my spare time and money.

So I get it all put together and check the temperature and it is like 141 F
with the stock Intel heatsink fan. That is not so bad but it is nowhere
near my beloved less than 120. So I goes looking on the internet for HSF
and see that a lot of the super premium ones are like 70 dollars which seems
to be a lot. Then I see this Kingwin XT-1264 heatsink fan for like 29
dollars and I decide to try that one. It has the copper heat pipes that
actually touch the CPU and a big old 120mm aluminum radiator and 120mm fan
that is fan speed adjustable in the BIOS.

So I am looking at the i7 computer now and it says CPU Temperature 37 C/98 F
and M/B Temperature 42 C/107F.

Now that is some cooling. And it is quiet. Right now it is still sitting
on my desk and not even in a case yet. When I put it in a heat trapping
case the temperature will most likely go up some.

I am not even sure that it will fit in any case I have because it is like
two inches higher than the video card. Also because I am half nuts I cut
off the plastic push pins and attached it with #8 by half inch machine
screws and nuts and flat washers. You can get those things at Home Depot
for less than two bucks and attach any HSF by replacing those stupid push
pins. And you can tell that you got it right just so long as there are just
as many threads showing on each of the four screws.

So that is my story and I am not running an advert for this particular item.
I am just saying that the stock Intel HSF is not all that good and you do
not have to spend a fortune to get a much better one. And if you ever do
try #8 machine screws and nuts and flat washers you will never go back to
those iffy push pins.

I have also read customer reviews where they said they used the stock Intel
HSF and Artic Silver thermal compound and got perfectly fine results. So
there is that.

If you are running stock speeds with any Intel CPU and you can get those
four push pins all the way pushed in you can disregard all of this
aftermarket stuff. But if you are an overclocker you may want to think
about an aftermarket cooler and in addition some aftermarket attachment
hardware. You will definitely get your two bucks worth of value from some
#8 machine screws and nuts and you can even skip the washers.

I am not jumping for joy and turning cartwheels over my low temperature
readings but I did get some good value for what I spent. And you do not
know anybody any cheaper than me.

In some curious way newegg.com discontinued that item about two day after I
bought it. That is too bad because it does give a lot of bang for the buck.

 

[igotsaurus]

A little knowledge and a screwdriver are dangerous things.
Unless you are using liquid cooling the CPU heat sink is only part of the
cooling system.
Unless you pay attention to the air flow through your case even the best
heat sink will have no way to get rid of the heat it pulls off the CPU.
Many amateur builders do not pay enough attention to how haphazard wiring
interrupts air flow or how the fans in their cases are actually working and
whether components like the chip set are seeing moving air.
It is unwise to use anything other than the screws/plane/whatever that the
vendor of the heat sink provides because even these risk cracking the
motherboard or CPU, when tightened.
There are may guides to where to aim for maximal CPU temps under load. The
number you are aiming for is a bit high for an idling CPU and not high
enough for a CPU under heavy load, as in gaming.

 

[peter]

They discontinued it because it's a crappy heatsink
for $29 you got what you paid for.
Most aftermarket heatsinks do a better job than the one that
comes with the CPU.
peter

 

[RickyBobby]

A little knowledge and a screwdriver are dangerous things.
Unless you are using liquid cooling the CPU heat sink is only part of the
cooling system.
Unless you pay attention to the air flow through your case even the best
heat sink will have no way to get rid of the heat it pulls off the CPU.
Many amateur builders do not pay enough attention to how haphazard wiring
interrupts air flow or how the fans in their cases are actually working
and whether components like the chip set are seeing moving air.
It is unwise to use anything other than the screws/plane/whatever that the
vendor of the heat sink provides because even these risk cracking the
motherboard or CPU, when tightened.

Only if the assembler is a complete idiot who does not know how to work a
screw and a nut. Half inch machine screws are perfect. You want to see the
same number of threads under the nut on each screw and a half turn past
finger tight does the trick.

A lot of the higher end HSF come with a screw and threaded bracket type
connection rather than the push pin friction connection. I just refuse to
use those plastic push pins but that it just me.

I am not trying to sell more 1/2 inch #8 machine screws and nuts on behalf
of Home Depot but I just bet that anybody who builds their own PC and tries
them once will never go back to trusting those push pins again. Most
everything that goes into building a custom PC is over a hundred dollars for
each part and spending one more dollar on a secure way to attach the HSF to
the motherboard is not going to bust the budget.

Open the hood of your vehicle and you will see hoses that connect the
radiator to the engine block. Are those hoses attached with zip locks or
are the attached with a secure threaded mechanical connection? My bet is
that the radiator hoses are attached with a secure threaded mechanical
connection on every vehicle ever made.

If a person is taking the time and trouble and expense to build a custom PC
for their needs they should not use those retarded plastic friction pins to
attach the HSF.

Case and PSU over a hundred bucks
Motherboard over a hundred bucks
CPU over a hundred bucks
Memory that could be under a hundred
Hard drive that varies also
Video Card over a hundred bucks for a good one
DVD drive those are pretty cheap unless you want Blu Ray

#8 1/2 inch machine screws and nuts one buck

Look at the wheels on vehicle. Are they attached to the hubs with plastic?
No, because your life depends on them being attached properly and staying
attached,.

Same thing with the life of your CPU. Attach the HSF to the motherboard the
same way the the wheels are attached to your vehicle. With steel, not
plastic.

I have said all I have to say on this subject and a few words to the wise
should be sufficient. Just because a HSF came with those worthless plastic
push pins does not mean it has to go on the CPU that way. There is an easy
upgrade path. If some lame cannot operate 1/2 inch machine screws and nuts
they should not be building anything in the first place. So there.

 

[RickyBobby]

They discontinued it because it's a crappy heatsink
for $29 you got what you paid for.
Most aftermarket heatsinks do a better job than the one that
comes with the CPU.
peter

It is back on newegg.com in both 120mm and 92mm sizes. It pulls away heat
from the CPU like a screeching demon from Hell and the only way it could be
crappy is if the fan burns out. But unlike those super high zoot premium
air cooling solutions this one has fan that is easily replaced with some
toolless wire brackets.

On the completely other hand a lot of builders will pay 70 dollars for some
Zalman or Thermaltake with plastic push pins and be just as happy with their
build as I am with mine.

There is a thirty dollar solution to a seventy dollar equation. Twenty-nine
dollars for a no-name and one dollar for machine screws and nuts to attach
it properly.

If you are walking along the sidewalk some day, take a look at the vehicles
parked along the curb. How many do you see with plastic fasteners attaching
the wheels to the vehicle? Exactly none. That is because it is a critical
function with no margin for failure. So they use threaded steel nuts so
there is no failure. As do I.

I am not on some sort of fanactical crusade against the Intel design plastic
push pin friction fit but I will say that there is a better way to do it.
It is cheap and it is easy. That makes it elegant.

 

[peter]

I have nothing against your screws...you can screw whatever you like
My Thermalright is screwed onto a back plate
using cork washers and stainless steel screws/nuts from Home Hardware
I am telling you that for OCing that heatsink would not be sufficient...
I use almost silent 120mm Fans that are replaceable.
If you were to do a little research on Various heatsinks you
would find the one you bought to be in the lower 1/4 for cooling efficiency.
Yes it cools better than the OE Cooler that came with the CPU at the CPU's
normal
speed but can it handle the same task when you are OC'ing by 15% 25%
50%???
Can it handle the CPU running at 25% OverClock full tilt all nite long???
Cooling the CPU is just one aspect of running cool. Air Movement throughout
the case is important, not impeding the airflow with a messy wiring job is
important, You ran the temp test on your desktop with plenty of room temp
air
all around now that you have it inside the case...inside an enclosed space
with other
parts producing heat as well....what temp is it running now???
peter

 

[RickyBobby]

I have nothing against your screws...you can screw whatever you like
My Thermalright is screwed onto a back plate
using cork washers and stainless steel screws/nuts from Home Hardware
I am telling you that for OCing that heatsink would not be sufficient...
I use almost silent 120mm Fans that are replaceable.
If you were to do a little research on Various heatsinks you
would find the one you bought to be in the lower 1/4 for cooling
efficiency.
Yes it cools better than the OE Cooler that came with the CPU at the CPU's
normal
speed but can it handle the same task when you are OC'ing by 15% 25%
50%???
Can it handle the CPU running at 25% OverClock full tilt all nite long???
Cooling the CPU is just one aspect of running cool. Air Movement
throughout
the case is important, not impeding the airflow with a messy wiring job is
important, You ran the temp test on your desktop with plenty of room temp
air
all around now that you have it inside the case...inside an enclosed
space with other
parts producing heat as well....what temp is it running now???
peter

Just for you I restarted it and checked and it is at 102. I just leave the
left side cover off of the case so I do not worry a whole lot about airflow.
As far as I am concerned the case it just there to prevent static
electricity from zapping anything. I would be just as happy with everything
sitting on the desktop but there is that.

I am not much concerned with overclocking. I waste enough time without
wasting any more time on something that is just a pure waste of time.
Everything runs fast enough as it is.