CPU/Mobo Phenom 955BE Stock Cooler - Keep or upgrade?

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thetoxicmind

thetoxicmind

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Forerunner
I understand that the processor is comparatively cheaper than it's Intel equivalent, but why in the world would they offer a whiny *bleep* stock cooler with it? :no:

I believe it's a really good processor and deserves a much better stock cooler.

My problems with the processor:

It's annoyingly loud and whiny
Makes a fair attempt to cool the processor or so I presume

To give you an indication of the temperature:

@ 12% Load, according to the Win7 Widget (Room temp: ~ 30 *C)



Bottom-line: I don't mind putting up with the noise, as long as the cooler is effective for the most part and ensures longevity. If not, for around 2K, which would be my best option?

Other details:

CM Elite 334, Gigabye GM880-USB3, 2 out of 4 mem. slots occupied, Front 120mm, Rear 120mm, PSU fan blowing downwards. :)

Looking forward to your valuable inputs.

TIA!
 
^^

The standard cooler that comes bundled with AMD Black Edition processors is noisy agreed but with the right air-flow characteristics can keep the CPU in sub 40 degree easily (friend has this setup of NZXT Tempest EVO + 1090T on stock HSF, will try to arrange for a screnshot for validation), in the end it is upto you if you plan to run on stock and can stand the noise keep the stock HSF if not, and you plan to mildly OC the system later go for the Cooler Master Hyper 212+. hOPE THIS helps :).
 
Thanks for the input!

1. I was guessing 32-35 *C would be ideal on idle/low load. Mine's 40+ at idle, normal?
2. No OC, period.
3. Yep, did consider the CM 212+. Was wondering how much of an improvement it would provide and if it would fit in well?
4. Noise, can put up with it, if the cooler is going to serve it's purpose well, on a long term basis.
 
Yes that cooler does turn into a jet engine as you temperature goes past 55c but I guess its just doing its job and trying its best to keep your chip cool. IMO the Hyper 212+ would be overkill considering you are not going to OC, hence the CM Hyper TX3 should be keep things cool and quiet at a reasonable price (1.1k)....
 
Buy Hyper 212+... if u dont mind spending and if in the future u wud overclock the CPU... If u r a person who like silent rig and temp under 50 degrees then go ahead and buy 212+... i've heard that onload even Hyper 212+ fan starts making loud noise... but it is good at cooling the CPU... So its upto u... :)
 
Hades. said:
Buy Hyper 212+... if u dont mind spending and if in the future u wud overclock the CPU... BE cpu's are made for overclocking... The warranty wudn't get void even if u burn the CPU while overcloking... If u r the person who like silent rig and temp under 50 degrees then go ahead and buy 212+... i've heard that onload even Hyper 212+ fan starts making loud noise... but it is good at cooling the CPU... So its upto u... :)
Click to expand...
Agreed go to 212+ if you can go with the sound, also if you are not gonna OC your processor, the cooler wont be much of a use.... think before you buy stuffs as you are the one who is going to put money in it :P
 
Thanks for your inputs so far! Appreciate it. :)

A few questions:

1. How much of an improvement will either of the CM coolers offer in terms of cooling, compared to the stock one?
2. Are the temperatures I've specified, normal for this proccy?
3. While there is a question of sound Vs. cooling efficiency, I'm primarily thinking about longevity of the proccy.
 
The temps seem normal for the proccy mentioned.

The stock cooler should be fine as long as you don't plan on overclocking.

Do make sure you use a good thermal paste though. Preferably Arctic Silver 5 (expensive) or Tuniq TX-2 (cheap).
 
Relax thetoxicmind

Did you ever tried applying after market paste on it? Becoz i did a greedy mistake some time back.:ashamed:

On stock amd hsf with its amazing stock paste i was getting temps like 28c-31c. But i applied AS5 so that i can get even lower temps and can oc much. But in the end what happened? After applying AS5 my stock temps without oc ran between 36-41c :(. I applied it using all methods and even tried ocz paste bt all in vain.

Was left pretty sad and upset. Then got same new stock hsf exchanged from the shopkeeper for free!! (good relations with him :) ) and voila the nice temps were back again.

So now decided i will never ever apply/try any outside pastes on my amd cooler.:clap:
 
ronit said:
Relax thetoxicmind

Did you ever tried applying after market paste on it? Becoz i did a greedy mistake some time back.:ashamed:

On stock amd hsf with its amazing stock paste i was getting temps like 28c-31c. But i applied AS5 so that i can get even lower temps and can oc much. But in the end what happened? After applying AS5 my stock temps without oc ran between 36-41c :(. I applied it using all methods and even tried ocz paste bt all in vain.

Was left pretty sad and upset. Then got same new stock hsf exchanged from the shopkeeper for free!! (good relations with him :) ) and voila the nice temps were back again.

So now decided i will never ever apply/try any outside pastes on my amd cooler.:clap:
Click to expand...

I am not really sure what went wrong in your case but did you ensure that the thickness of applied paste is bare minimum? I seriously doubt that there could be a variance of ten degrees just because of thermal grease. The only purpose is to ensure there are no gaps between the heat sink and the processor.
 
thetoxicmind said:
Thanks for your inputs so far! Appreciate it. :)

A few questions:

1. How much of an improvement will either of the CM coolers offer in terms of cooling, compared to the stock one?
2. Are the temperatures I've specified, normal for this proccy?
3. While there is a question of sound Vs. cooling efficiency, I'm primarily thinking about longevity of the proccy.
Click to expand...

Improvement depends upon the overall air flow inside the cabinet, adding a HSF itself won't do wonders. Ofcourse you will see a drop in temperature but don't think it will drop around 10+ degrees.

2.tu The temperare that your processor is running at is decent. Considering you haven't touched the vcore or anyother BIOS option its fine. AMD processors generally have higher vcore so reducing the vcore will suddenly help in reducing temps and power usage.

3. Well spending in a 3rd party cooler in must, not only it keep the system cool but enhances the life of product as well :) Even if you are not in OC I will suggest you to get a decent aftermarket cooler. Haven't read much about the CM counterpart but the Sunbeam CCF 120mm is a decent option as well, if you can keep up with the tight installation.
Hades. said:
Buy Hyper 212+... if u dont mind spending and if in the future u wud overclock the CPU... BE cpu's are made for overclocking... The warranty wudn't get void even if u burn the CPU while overcloking... If u r the person who like silent rig and temp under 50 degrees then go ahead and buy 212+... i've heard that onload even Hyper 212+ fan starts making loud noise... but it is good at cooling the CPU... So its upto u... :)
Click to expand...
From where did you get that info :lol:
 
^^ Sorry... I thought that BE CPUs warranty doesn't get void even if the CPU gets burned while overclocking... but i was so wrong... i thought AMD's BE CPUs carry warranty like Corsair RAMs :(

Edited the above post
 
Thanks again for all you inputs! :)

Think I'll make some observations with the stock cooler for sometime, before I get the CPU Cooler+Thermal paste combo.
 
Quick Update:

Replaced stock HSF with the CM Hyper 212+ and things are looking good! :cool2: (TW)

ATM: Idling at 34*C ; Max at 45*C ; Whispers from the cabinet :P

(This should improve with time, when the thermal compound sets in)

Replacing the HSF was tricky, but fun. ;)

Cheers,

T.T.M
 
Looks good, I got a 550BE recently and you should see the dinky cooler it comes with. Worse than the one on the 955. I havent seen such a tiny heatsink since Athlon XP days.

Using a noctua c12p and get 33 @ idle which is the same as the room temperature.
 
^ I guess we get what we pay for. They (AMD) include a good CPU, bundle it with a so-so HSF and top it off with a sweet price tag. :P

The worst part about the stock HSF: Average cooling + a whole lot of noise!

Being in Chennai, one has to do something about the temperatures. :)

Using a noctua c12p and get 33 @ idle
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've heard they're pretty good.
 
The first Athlon BE's never even came with a HSF :P : Newegg.com - AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Black Edition Processor ADO5000DSWOF
They're targeted primarily at overclockers, so they assume you guys won't be using stock HSFs.

No idea how good the non-BE HSFs are. Can someone with a non-BE comment?

ronit said:
On stock amd hsf with its amazing stock paste i was getting temps like 28c-31c.
After applying AS5 my stock temps without oc ran between 36-41c :(
Click to expand...
While your case looks a bit odd and I'm guessing there's something else at fault, the stock thermal paste is Shin Etsu stuff - supposed to be really good.
So while it may look like some silly chewing gum, don't replace the stock pad unnecessarily. AS5 tends to dry up earlier as well.
 
i had picked up a 1055T recently for a secondary rig, the fan noise was horrible, replaced it with a spare ocz vendetta 2, even though i dont OC, the drop in noise levels are really appreciated
 
Crazy_Eddy said:
The first Athlon BE's never even came with a HSF :P : Newegg.com - AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Black Edition Processor ADO5000DSWOF
They're targeted primarily at overclockers, so they assume you guys won't be using stock HSFs.

No idea how good the non-BE HSFs are. Can someone with a non-BE comment?
Click to expand...
Hmmm, didn't know that. :P

In that case, they shouldn't have bothered including one, knowing that it would eventually be replaced.

While my old Athlon X2's HSF was dead silent, I never did observe its cooling efficiency. Perhaps, those HSFs are pretty decent?

Anyway, this thread ought to help folks under similar circumstances. :)

cyber_cat said:
i had picked up a 1055T recently for a secondary rig, the fan noise was horrible, replaced it with a spare ocz vendetta 2, even though i dont OC, the drop in noise levels are really appreciated
Click to expand...
True that!
 
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