Hi All:
___This will be slightly OT but …
___There are already very quiet but very efficient cooling solutions for the 1.4 GHz T-Bird and the ~ 5 W less output XP 1800+ when using either the Silverado or Alpha 8045 w/ any low rpm 80 mm fan. The Silverado in particular can handle either a T-Bird at 1.2 GHz in its lowest 6 V settings as well as the new XP 1800+ given they both have ~ the same thermal output. These fans are so quiet as to be inaudible inside a std case IMO. The Alpha 8045 can be fitted w/ a variety of low rpm/quiet 80 mm fans and will cool a 1.4 Ghz T-Bird as well but at temps that can approach scary if you ask me. Being below a manufacturers temperature spec when you are measuring the space under the DIE of any T-Bird and XP CPU today is gambling at best. Even the calibration of this method for CPU temps with the AMD CPU’s can run all over the map. I do not know of any boards available just yet for the XP in particular that can actually use the newest XP’s internal Diode for temperature monitoring just yet …
___Now on to the subject … I was playing w/ a PIII 700E clocked to below 500 MHz. w/out a fan whatsoever and it certainly worked. I could run the voltage to just 1.6 V core and everything was stable but anything above 500 MHz, and the temps rose pretty fast. I was using the older but still quite capable GlobalWin FOP-32 HS on the PIII at the time. This HS w/ a Delta screamer placed upon it can and has indeed cooled 1.4 GHz T-Birds but at completely insane noise volumes. The capability to run T-Bird’s is why I chose this HS maybe a year and a half ago for this experiment. Even though the internal temp measurements of that PIII were well below Intel’s spec’s, I did not feel comfortable beating that CPU like that. There are many companies that simply duct the PS fan(s) output to a PIII and have no problems whatsoever with the std. PS fan noise to contend with. With a T-Bird, you can pretty much forget passive cooling as you have about an 8 second window before the CPU burns up w/ the HS placed upon it, let alone being pulled off as the Tom’s HW article did. I am sure 1.33 GHz XP’s clocked to just 1.0 GHz (1.6 V possibly?) via 100/200 MHz FSB may be capable of a passive cooling arrangement given their 41 W or less depending on V Core but AMD CPU’s are simply to fragile for this kind of activity. If you were to use the XP 1500 in this fashion, I have a number of very quiet solutions that will work including the 2 listed above if that is what your after but they work w/ these CPU’s maxxed out w/ the same dB output as long as your case temps/air flows are reasonable. The Alpha 8045 w/ a low dB output Sunon can drive a 1.4 GHz T-Bird to 1.6 GHz without breeching 60 degrees C under DIE temps. When I was using lesser fans, 1400 – 1450 is about all I could achieve before my previously drop dead 64 degree C maximum limit was hit and MBM would auto SD the system.
___Finally, the PIII’s can be cooled passively without much fanfare if you duct from the PS all the way up to their rated frequencies and beyond. The latest .13-micron core based 1.26 GHz PIII Tualatin’s are even better in that they only thermally output what a 933 MHz PIII outputs. The T-Bird’s and just available XP Palomino’s are best air cooled with the best cooler you can purchase and using a quiet fan solution. The Silverado’s in their low flow (quiet setup) will cool the Palomino’s at their max spec (1800 +/1.53 GHz) with under DIE temps below 60 degrees C fully loaded. The Alpha 8045 solution is just a bit better but I had to use faster and faster RPM fans for any kind of OC on a std. T-Bird. The PIIIs can be cooled almost silently w/ an SVC GoldenGate/60 to 80 mm funnel/PC Power & Cooling Silencer, 7 V modded low RPM Sunon sleeve bearing, Panasonic low flow/low RPM Panaflow (I do not have the Panaflow fans in yet to try it so I am guesstimating) … All in all, why risk your brand new $115.00 - $260.00 AMD XP CPU when there are extremely quiet forced fan solutions that are as quiet as you can ask for both protection and at very reasonable costs.
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___
[email protected]