Thermal probs with Sempron 2800+

[tarper]

Hello,

last year I applied a boxed Sempron 2800+ with the original heatsink/fan as
recommended by AMD. After a month I discovered that my machine was getting
thermal problems when it had to work heavily during night batches. Thermal
problems escalated slowly to nearly non-productivity. In the end the fans
even moaned on startup and landing the OS and 60°c while "doing nothing"
was normal.

Now I changed the original AMD heatsink/fan with a spare part for 10€. The
heatsink itself is bigger, has a copper base and the fan's diameter covers
all the top of the heatsink. Problem solved.

IMHO the original AMD heatsink/fan shipped with the processor is dimensioned
to simply make the set survive the warranty, not more.

Is this a known problem with boxed AMD Semprons or did I simply pick a
"monday car" with this CPU?

Greetings
Tarper

 

[Mike T.]

Hello,

last year I applied a boxed Sempron 2800+ with the original heatsink/fan
as
recommended by AMD. After a month I discovered that my machine was getting
thermal problems when it had to work heavily during night batches. Thermal
problems escalated slowly to nearly non-productivity. In the end the fans
even moaned on startup and landing the OS and 60°c while "doing nothing"
was normal.

Now I changed the original AMD heatsink/fan with a spare part for 10?. The
heatsink itself is bigger, has a copper base and the fan's diameter covers
all the top of the heatsink. Problem solved.

IMHO the original AMD heatsink/fan shipped with the processor is
dimensioned
to simply make the set survive the warranty, not more.

Is this a known problem with boxed AMD Semprons or did I simply pick a
"monday car" with this CPU?

Greetings
Tarper

That processor should never hit 45C under full load, no matter how long you
thrash it. If you hit 60C with an AMD-supplied heatsink, the most likely
explanation is that the original heatsink wasn't seated properly. It might
have been slightly tilted, not making good contact with the chip. AMD
heatsinks work just fine. -Dave

 

[Eric]

AMD's cooling units work fine in the PCs I have built.

I use thermal paste.

You should also make sure that the hot air inside the case is being
expelled, because otherwise the cooling unit's cooling efficiency
deteriorates.

Eric,
PC Buyer Beware!
http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

last year I applied a boxed Sempron 2800+ with the original heatsink/fan as
recommended by AMD. After a month I discovered that my machine was getting
thermal problems when it had to work heavily during night batches. Thermal
problems escalated slowly to nearly non-productivity. In the end the fans
even moaned on startup and landing the OS and 60°c while "doing nothing"
was normal.

Now I changed the original AMD heatsink/fan with a spare part for 10€. The
heatsink itself is bigger, has a copper base and the fan's diameter covers
all the top of the heatsink. Problem solved.

My 90nm Sempron 2800+ runs cooler than my retail boxed 130nm Athlon
XP1800+, and the retail heatsink/fan seems fairly hefty, although not
quite as substantial as the hotter Athlon's. And if your 10€ HSF
fails under warranty, will its manufacturer replace the CPU if that
also fails as a result -- as AMD will?

Actually I don't like AMD HSFs much because the fans vibrate, and I
once bought five K6-2 CPUs with fans that squealed badly because their
sleeve bearings hadn't been oiled (fan had ball bearing in front,
sleeve in rear). AMD replaced all of them, but I wish they'd switch to
something other than Delta fans