ThermalRight SP-94

Dempsey

Im thinking of replacing my standard Intel Heatsink fan with a ThermalRight SP-94 during the summer. I was wondering about "Because the SP94 weighs 600 grams it is secured to the motherboard via the 4 holes around the CPU socket". Do this pose a big problem?
I have a Abit IC7-G and im wondering what ill have to do to the board to get this to fit? Remove the fittings for the Intel HSF? What fan should I attach to the Heatsink. I was thinking of a Vantec 92mm Tornado but that might be a bit loud:D Ill probably end up getting Vantec 92mm stealth instead. How loud is 56dB's anyways?

Woden

the weight thing is fine for the thermal rights if you use the mounting holes on the motherboard. you will however need to completely dissemble your pc to do this iirc a you have to get to the back of the motherboard which is a bit of a pain in the tits. my thermal right was installed (cheers loki) on the build so this didn't pose a problem. there is a kinda X shaped piece that sits on the back of the board and the instructions on the website for installation are clear enough but it will be a big job for ya i suppose. it would be made easier if your case had a removable motherboard tray.

with regards to fans the tornado may be a bit too loud the stealth may be sufficient if you are not overclocking or not overclocking much. but i presume you ain't getting a fancy heat sink to keep it at stock speed. i went for a trade off between cooling and noise and got myself an adjustable 92mm enermax fan was available at
www.hitide.ie at the time, also check out the forums on www.overclockers.co.uk there should be a number of threads about matching fans with a thermalright

good luck

data

Dempsey

Didnt think that I'd have to remove the motherboard but wont be too much hassle. The 2.8c gets up to ~63'C (I think this is actually 53'C cos AFAIK Abit/Winbond is offset by ~10'C). I'll probably overclock a bit if the temperature is low enough to begin with.

Like you ill want a good noise performance ratio. At the moment the case has two Vantec Stealths 80mm and the HSF. The Antec TrueBlue 350W being the loudest thing in the case. Will be adding two more hard drives too so the case temperature will go up a bit and that probably have a knock on effect to the CPU temperature.

Like to put a tornado onto the Heatsink just to see what difference it could make:D
Another thing, is the SP-94 the best that is available?

Woden

to the best of my knowledge the thermal right is widely regarded as one of the best intel air cooling solutions on the market

unkel

Originally posted by Dempsey
How loud is 56dB's anyways?

LOUD

Nah only kidding. For a PC it is very loud but it compares like this roughly:

20dB - quiet whisper, in PC terms considered to be Silent
40dB - sound of modern refrigerator, in PC terms considered to be Noisy
60dB - sound of conversation, in PC terms considered to be Screaming / Tornado

If you want to sleep in the same room as the PC, you'll need to keep it around the 20dB mark although this is very tough too achieve with a modern PC

Did you consider the Zalman 7000 series? You can regulate the speed from silent to quiet

Dempsey

The Zalman looks very nice but im concerned about its weight, probably the only thing putting me off it. Any info on this? Can you use the BIOS to go from Silent to Performance instead of the FAN-MATE? Any good reviews done with the ThermalRight vs Zalman?

ChipZilla

I think Zalman say you shouldn't use the fanmate with any kind of BIOS speed limiting. I'd use the fanmate anyway as you have better control over the speed.

Dempsey

Can ya leave out the FAN-MATE altogether?

ChipZilla

I spose you can if you want to use the BIOS control...

Adeptus Titanicus

Originally posted by Dempsey
Can ya leave out the FAN-MATE altogether?

Absolutely. Mine is plugged straight into the mobo at the moment. I'd normally use an Aerogate controller so I can adjust the speed from the front, which is great (it's in RMA at the mo). When turned down it's really quiet. So you could just get a fan bus to avoind having to open up to adjust the speed. Noise is noticable at full revs though, but extremely effective cooling (seldom goes above 50 under load afair).

Dempsey

At the moment im more likely to get the ThermalRight cos of the way its fitted. I like the design of the Zalman and the fact that there is a fan on it and the speed can be controlled but i was looking at the way its fitted, looks like it could do with more support for its weight. Are the fittings for the Zalman perfectly ok or does it come loose often?

BeatFreak

Here's another vote for the Zalman HSF, Personally I've found all the Zalman products that I've worked with to be of the highest quality. I know it's nearly twice the recommended weight but once you strap on the extra brackets and screw it down tightly it wont be easy to move it, trust me, I had the same concerns as you but after some of my high tech testing procedures ( I.E me pulling the HS ) it seems completely sufficient. Infact I generally turn off the fan in the Zalman when I'm idling/browsing and just leave the 120mm beside it do all the work keeps my 3.2ghz @ ~3.7ghz well below 45degrees.

One thing I would recommend with either of these HSF is to take extra care when your lanning, just don't chuck the case around too much and you'll be fine. You can't really go wrong with either of these but I'd side with the Zalman tbh

BeatFreak

Oh yeah forgot to mention, as regards the Fanmate. Exactly what Adeptus Titanicus said but I use Speedfan to regulate the fan because I haven't yet decided what fan controller I want. It's alot handier than using the Fanmate which normally involves opening the case to change the fan speed.

Adeptus Titanicus

Agree completely. It's a very sturdy mount, and easy to fit. Go for the AlCu if weight is an issue. All in all, a very solid piece of kit.

Woden

i think i read somewhere that the AlCu gave better results then just the pure Cu. the site couldn't think of any paritcular reason related to the heatsink but they thought perhaps that the AlCu one may have just had a better fan.

did anyone else hear/read about this?

data

Dempsey

I wont be moving the case around much. The FanEQ on my Abit doesnt seem to adjust the speed of the Intel HSF, why is that?

Id like to so see comparisons between the AlCu and the Cu myself.

Them extra brackets come with it?

BeatFreak

Have you got the fan connecter attached to the mobo? Because it should work then. Maybe you should give Speedfan a try can't get a link at the moment but Google will, I think it's on V4.11 atm. Like Data said if the weight really is a problem go for the alcu it's quite a bit lighter but I find it hard to believe the alcu is better than the pure cu, well in terms of simple physics the pure cu must be better, but I suppose if the fan is stronger it's possible. But seeing as I rarely run the fan on full speed that's not really an issue for me. Check the Zalman site for a detailed blueprint of the installation, there's 2 aluminium brackets which spread the weight between the plastic brackets on the mobo.

I was just thinking about how much abuse it could take and I thought of PPC, he's had one for a good while and if anyone has tested the Zalman it's him, he lumps his pc around nearly every weekend all over the country and he's never had any problems so far

Creamy Goodness

Originally posted by Dataisgod
i think i read somewhere that the AlCu gave better results then just the pure Cu. the site couldn't think of any paritcular reason related to the heatsink but they thought perhaps that the AlCu one may have just had a better fan.

did anyone else hear/read about this?

data

i heard something like that too, but i think it was more of that the difference bout 1 or 2 degrees isn't worth the price difference of the the coolers.

ive the CU atm cooling a p4 3ghz (stock) it's doing okay at stock at 38degrees idle (it's warm today) and the highest i've seen it was 50degrees.

Dempsey

The fan on the Intel HSF is connected to the CPU Fan connector. I set it to 60% and the rpm doesnt change. I wont be lumping the PC around the place much at all so I probably get the Zalman Cu

Adeptus Titanicus

Have a look here. If I was you I'd go for the AlCu, save a few bob, a lighter HS, and most likely the same performance. Mine tops at 50c under heavy load with an overclock.

unkel

Originally posted by Beat Freak
take extra care when your lanning, just don't chuck the case around too much and you'll be fine. You can't really go wrong with either of these but I'd side with the Zalman tbh

Nothing to add to that and since you're not really lanning, you can't go wrong

Most happy with all my Zalman products and I have a few

Dempsey

The AlCu I'd rather get, even though I wont be lanning I do be putting it out on it side to fiddle with its insides and i could be bringing with me to college next year so it will get shaken a small bit.

How do ya calculate Temperature knowing the thermal resistance of the Heatsink. I cant remember where I saw it.