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From: DustWolf on 10 Sep 2006 15:54
Hello,

I have a computer over which is a Pentium 4, 3 GHz, single core,
packaged in a particularly slim case.

The system used to be constantly overheating (with CPU essentially
running at 79°C all the time), so I put in two fans to draw the air
out. The CPU is now running at 60°C idle and thus I am still not happy
(room temperature 26°C).

Upon inspecting the inside of the computer, I noticed that the CPU
heatsink is not really all that hot, so I suspect poor contact between
the CPU and the cooler. I have attempted to refit the heatsink, but it
makes no difference, so I am getting myself some heatpaste.

However, my local store only supplies Akasa 450 heatpaste and since I
can find no comparative reviews on that thermal paste, I am wondering
how it compares to the mesh typically fited onto coolers of Intel and
AMD CPU heatsinks. Is it worse? Is it better? Is it much better?

The chipset is also running a bit hot and I am thinking of fitting a
4x4 cm fan onto it, however the gaps in the heatsink appear much wider
than the screws, so that might be a problem. Any ideas how to fit a fan
onto a heatsink that wasn't designed to keep one?

Thanks for your help in advance. :)

From: Rod Speed on 10 Sep 2006 15:58
DustWolf <jure.sah(a)bia.si> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I have a computer over which is a Pentium 4, 3 GHz, single core,
> packaged in a particularly slim case.
>
> The system used to be constantly overheating (with CPU essentially
> running at 79?C all the time), so I put in two fans to draw the air
> out. The CPU is now running at 60?C idle and thus I am still not happy
> (room temperature 26?C).
>
> Upon inspecting the inside of the computer, I noticed that the CPU
> heatsink is not really all that hot, so I suspect poor contact between
> the CPU and the cooler. I have attempted to refit the heatsink, but it
> makes no difference, so I am getting myself some heatpaste.
>
> However, my local store only supplies Akasa 450 heatpaste and since I
> can find no comparative reviews on that thermal paste, I am wondering
> how it compares to the mesh typically fited onto coolers of Intel and
> AMD CPU heatsinks. Is it worse? Is it better? Is it much better?

Anything will work fine.

> The chipset is also running a bit hot and I am thinking of fitting a
> 4x4 cm fan onto it, however the gaps in the heatsink appear much
> wider than the screws, so that might be a problem. Any ideas how
> to fit a fan onto a heatsink that wasn't designed to keep one?


From: Charlie Wilkes on 10 Sep 2006 16:39
On 10 Sep 2006 12:54:55 -0700, "DustWolf" <jure.sah(a)bia.si> wrote:

>Hello,
>
>I have a computer over which is a Pentium 4, 3 GHz, single core,
>packaged in a particularly slim case.
>
>The system used to be constantly overheating (with CPU essentially
>running at 79?C all the time), so I put in two fans to draw the air
>out. The CPU is now running at 60?C idle and thus I am still not happy
>(room temperature 26?C).
>
>Upon inspecting the inside of the computer, I noticed that the CPU
>heatsink is not really all that hot, so I suspect poor contact between
>the CPU and the cooler. I have attempted to refit the heatsink, but it
>makes no difference, so I am getting myself some heatpaste.
>
>However, my local store only supplies Akasa 450 heatpaste and since I
>can find no comparative reviews on that thermal paste, I am wondering
>how it compares to the mesh typically fited onto coolers of Intel and
>AMD CPU heatsinks. Is it worse? Is it better? Is it much better?

My own experience is that heat paste works a lot better than the mesh
supplied with a new cpu kit.

I use Arctic Silver, the king of the branding heap, but I doubt if
it's much different from or better than what your local store carries.

The main thing is, don't use much... just a thin smear on both contact
faces.

Charlie
>
>The chipset is also running a bit hot and I am thinking of fitting a
>4x4 cm fan onto it, however the gaps in the heatsink appear much wider
>than the screws, so that might be a problem. Any ideas how to fit a fan
>onto a heatsink that wasn't designed to keep one?
>
>Thanks for your help in advance. :)

From: Matt on 10 Sep 2006 20:11
DustWolf wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I have a computer over which is a Pentium 4, 3 GHz, single core,
> packaged in a particularly slim case.
>
> The system used to be constantly overheating (with CPU essentially
> running at 79?C all the time), so I put in two fans to draw the air
> out. The CPU is now running at 60?C idle and thus I am still not happy
> (room temperature 26?C).
>
> Upon inspecting the inside of the computer, I noticed that the CPU
> heatsink is not really all that hot, so I suspect poor contact between
> the CPU and the cooler. I have attempted to refit the heatsink, but it
> makes no difference, so I am getting myself some heatpaste.
>
> However, my local store only supplies Akasa 450 heatpaste and since I
> can find no comparative reviews on that thermal paste, I am wondering
> how it compares to the mesh typically fited onto coolers of Intel and
> AMD CPU heatsinks. Is it worse? Is it better? Is it much better?

Is the heatsink being clamped down snugly? The mesh you mention is
thicker than a layer of thermal paste. Maybe a thin polished metal shim
would improve the contact.

Radio Shack used to have a good ordinary thermal paste.

> The chipset is also running a bit hot and I am thinking of fitting a
> 4x4 cm fan onto it, however the gaps in the heatsink appear much wider
> than the screws, so that might be a problem. Any ideas how to fit a fan
> onto a heatsink that wasn't designed to keep one?

a few spots of superglue?

60 C is not so bad especially if the chip is a Prescott. What happens
when the CPU is working hard?

>
> Thanks for your help in advance. :)
>
From: do_not_spam_me on 10 Sep 2006 23:47

DustWolf wrote:

> I have a computer over which is a Pentium 4, 3 GHz, single core,
> packaged in a particularly slim case.
>
> The system used to be constantly overheating (with CPU essentially
> running at 79°C all the time), so I put in two fans to draw the air
> out. The CPU is now running at 60°C idle and thus I am still not happy
> (room temperature 26°C).

See if it cools down more than 10-15C when you remove the side panel of
the computer case. If it does, then you may need to reverse the fans.

> I noticed that the CPU heatsink is not really all that hot, so I suspect
> poor contact between the CPU and the cooler. I have attempted to
> refit the heatsink, but it makes no difference, so I am getting myself
> some heatpaste.
>
> However, my local store only supplies Akasa 450 heatpaste and since I
> can find no comparative reviews on that thermal paste,

Any thermal paste will be fine. Can't you find any at Radio Shack,
electronic parts supplies, or auto parts stores? It's often described
as "dielectric grease" or "transistor heatsink grease." Be sure to get
the thick type that's completely opaque since the transparent kind will
drip. For cars it's used on ignition modules and to seal water out of
electrical connections, especially for tail lights and spark plug wires.

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