General advice for upgrading/cooling pls guys..

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OK guys, 2 days ago i got my second pc ever after 4 months of what can be described as a "nightmare" with my original pc.

So this new one Im tryin my hardest to get things right and have this Pc specced up decently with NO problems.

SO graphics is now 5900XT and ram is 1gb Kingston, sound is 5.1 - all no problem.Just ugraded power supply to 550Wt from 280.

Now my questions start, Thermal coolers and the whole discussion of cooling confuses me somewhat - I went into a shop the other day looking at all these fans they had, only to find they were all AMD, I have P4. No good there then.

So how easy are these to fot? Is it just physical space on yur pc thats an issue apart from getting a P4 one for me and not a AMD one.

And whats all these thermal coolers I see that look like fancy HEAD units in car stereo systems?? How do they work, what do they do (apart from the obvious) how/where do they fit and most importantly how much difference do they make on a performance and maintenance pspective?? I have the money here to keep my machine upgraded and (more importantly) running at 100%

Im looking at optimizer programmes as well (had a demo of system mechanic 4) to help me along with my maintenance so any other advice on this front is greaty appreciated.

Many thanks guys
 

Reefsmoka

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The best P4 heatsink out there is the Thermalright SP-94. Its pretty pricey and doesnt come with a fan (which you need).

You can see it here: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Thermalright_120.html (the top one)

And you would have to pair it up with a fan: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Coolermaster_fans.html (3rd one down onwards ;) ).

So it will get expensive. But it will keep your processor cool and be pretty quiet (depending on the fan you buy with it).

There is a good alternative thoug ! A Gigabyte 3D Cooler Pro Ultra. Its around £30 and it pretty simple to fit. It will do the job nearly aswell as the thermalright SP-94.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Other_Coolers_18.html (4th one down)
 
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I actually have one of those SP-94's fitted in my machine - its a beast. One time the fan cut out and it still didnt overheat!!

Its fairly easy to fit providing you know what your doing. You need to put a stregthening plate on the back of the motherboard because the thing is so heavy...

if you are skilled with hardware its a good choice :) the stock cooler would do you fine unless your overclocking.
 
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i hav a good websyte but its american so it might not help u but its tigerdirect.com,u can git a bay freezer 4 $8(u put it in any 5.25 openin 2help cool any drives or sum of the system,instead of horizontil flow(on towers)it uses vertical flow)
 

floppybootstomp

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As reef said. SP-94 with a medium flo fan can't be beat for cooling an Intel chip, apart from water cooling I suppose.

For fans, consider Pabst, Panaflo and Vantec.
 
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im using a Thermalright SP-94 with a £1.88 80mm case fan that lights up. its about 25-30cfm of airflow something like that. I used Arctic Silver 3 compound too...

Computer overclocked to 3.1GHz (with increased voltage too) and the temperature idles at between 38 and 42 degrees.

now i dont think thats bad.
 
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Cheers for the advice guys..im afraid to say alot of what u said went over me abit - ive looked at that unit from the first post tho - the (joined) unit with the fan already with it??


Im a complete NOOB at hardware and ill e gettina shop to fit it - my question is though 0 before i buy it - are there any outside panel like for on the front of ur pc tower? I have a Packard Bell 7207 i Extreme - if any of u can look at the front of this machine on a web page land let me knw if ill hav probs getting this fitted.

Any other advice to get my pc really up to top spec?? with that Pc in mind??

Cheers again guys.
 
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I'm not quite sure what you mean by the front panel but if you mean what i think you mean there is nothing that attahces to the front panel if thats what you mean.

The only limiting factor to high performance coolers is how close the PSU is (whether its in the way or not) and also if the motherboard supports it - most performance boards do but i doubt a packard bell uses anything special.#

What are your reasons for getting a new cooler?
 
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er basically cos im greedy and i want a top end spec on my machine!


no as in the "front end" yeah i mean at the front of my machine as in ike the disk drives power on buttons etc.

The thermal coolers look like head units on a stereo and im assuming they run out of the front of the machine so u can press buttons to adjust things etc...

Ive got a ASUS motherboard on my Packard Bell im told?
erm other than sayin its a 7207 i cant really tell u anythin about the space i have inside?? which is the issue i have co obviously I dont wanna buy a piece of hardware - to take it into my mates shop to fit for him to tell me ive got no room?? Ive got a double space taken up by my 5900XT card and a single space taken up by my 5.1 trust sound card so im not sure how much other room i have?

Ive changed th power supply but thats the same size - its now 550watt.

Any ideas??
 

Reefsmoka

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Your talking about those control units, where you can control your fan(s) speed and veiw the temprature of your GPU, CPU and inside your case hey. They fit in the same size slot as what your CD drive would fit in. If you have an empty slot there, then you can put one in.

Theres a great multi reveiw on the Toms Hardware site, im sure you'll like it.

Click Me! <---- Clicky clicky
 
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Yeah thats it - i dont really understand all these different types of coolers - controllers etc.

Im runnin a standard Packard Bell cooling system in here at the mo - whatever that is - so as far as cooling goes - upgrade-wise what would b the best way to go?? like the ones in the top post here??? as i said before im looking at the "alternative" system that was posted below the one where u have to buy added fan.

Cheers
 
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Why do you need to upgrade the cooling system - is there something wrong with the one you have?

it wont give any real performance boost...
 

Reefsmoka

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I dont blame you, its a little more hassle than a novice would want to take on. And its pricey too!

Well here are some alternatives:

The Thermal Take Spark 7+ is a good alternative, and cheap too: Spark 7

Also the Spire QuieTude IV is very silent, but wont cool as good as the Spark 7.

Or you can look for the one you want yourself by using this very handy guide to coolers and there performance!
 
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No No theres nowt wrong with my cooling system - I have the money to upgrade my system so its top spec so im wondering what direction to go with it now thats all.
 

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