![[H]ard|Forum](/styles/hardforum/xenforo/logo_dark.png){kind=logo}
Spare-Flair
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2003
- Messages
- 7,471
Ever notice how the newer ICE systems from Shuttle have no heatsink structure at all on top of the CPU assembly? It's just a thin piece of metal with heatpipes going back to the radiator.
vs.
&
The older systems (like the SN95G5) had larger, bulky CPU blocks with fins on them. This helps greatly in passive cooling and should alleviate some pressure on the thermal capacity of the heatpipes. I'm running an 3800+ X2 at 2.6GHz (stock is 2.0GHz) at 1.4V. Before I did this, my CPU temperatures at idle were roughly around 50° C and at load it would even goto 65°. Yikes! It also doesn't help that my ICE system only had 3 heatpipes versus the 4 heatpipes in other systems. Following this really easy mod, my CPU temps are down to 35° C idle and doesn't exceed 55° C at full load for hours.
Step 1: Find an old heatsink you have lying around. I had an old Zalman flower from the Athlon XP days.
Step 2: Stick it on your heatsink with some thermal compound. If you don't want to use thermal epoxy to get a firm attachment, find some way to keep it pressured and pushed down. Fortunately for me, the Flower is perfect because the copper fins act as a giant spring and compressing them against the drive cage (compress as you install the cage, don't bend before) keeps it very firmly against the CPU. I've carried this Shuttle in a backpack across the country and it's never slipped. I realize that the design of the fins makes it look like it might impede airflow but there are actually 4 vertical slots cut into all the fins. Unfortunately, I only had silicone grease with me at the time, I'll change this to silver later (but I'd have to rebend the fins up so it has spring tension again if I want to reuse it). It's also kept in place because I slotted cables through the center horizontally.
The idea is not that this heatsink needs to be particularily effective, but just gives you that extra passive heat capacity, absorption, and heat disipation so your cooling system doesn't have to work so hard and that not too much latent heat is left sitting on the CPU cooking it. You'd be better with a cut to fit heatsink with good directional fins and epoxy, but hey, this just a cheap fix with some junk I had around.
The older systems (like the SN95G5) had larger, bulky CPU blocks with fins on them. This helps greatly in passive cooling and should alleviate some pressure on the thermal capacity of the heatpipes. I'm running an 3800+ X2 at 2.6GHz (stock is 2.0GHz) at 1.4V. Before I did this, my CPU temperatures at idle were roughly around 50° C and at load it would even goto 65°. Yikes! It also doesn't help that my ICE system only had 3 heatpipes versus the 4 heatpipes in other systems. Following this really easy mod, my CPU temps are down to 35° C idle and doesn't exceed 55° C at full load for hours.
Step 1: Find an old heatsink you have lying around. I had an old Zalman flower from the Athlon XP days.
Step 2: Stick it on your heatsink with some thermal compound. If you don't want to use thermal epoxy to get a firm attachment, find some way to keep it pressured and pushed down. Fortunately for me, the Flower is perfect because the copper fins act as a giant spring and compressing them against the drive cage (compress as you install the cage, don't bend before) keeps it very firmly against the CPU. I've carried this Shuttle in a backpack across the country and it's never slipped. I realize that the design of the fins makes it look like it might impede airflow but there are actually 4 vertical slots cut into all the fins. Unfortunately, I only had silicone grease with me at the time, I'll change this to silver later (but I'd have to rebend the fins up so it has spring tension again if I want to reuse it). It's also kept in place because I slotted cables through the center horizontally.
The idea is not that this heatsink needs to be particularily effective, but just gives you that extra passive heat capacity, absorption, and heat disipation so your cooling system doesn't have to work so hard and that not too much latent heat is left sitting on the CPU cooking it. You'd be better with a cut to fit heatsink with good directional fins and epoxy, but hey, this just a cheap fix with some junk I had around.