WTB: Your spare AX-7

GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
edited November 2003 in Trading Post
I'm trying to upgrade my sister's PC to last her a few years at decent performance level when she goes away to college. Right now it's got a really cheap aluminium basic 80MM heatsink on there. I want to give it a good AX-7 so I can cool a stock XP2100+ without a high noise level. Anybody have one to sell or know where I can pick one up cheap? And yes, the PC is folding!

Also, does SVC still have the SLK-900A on sale with the coupon code for $19.99?

Comments

  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    I just went there and put in the code from the last one I bought and it showed the discount. The code is vf900a. I still have my Alpha PAL8045 if you wanted to buy or trade.
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    Thanks for letting me know about the code still up. As for the Alpha, I'm going to have to pass, since I'm trying to stick with Thermalright. But thank you for the offer.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    GH, don't limit yourself to any particular brand or even for high performance. I doubt you're sending Sis off to college with an overclocked system. I sure hope not. Sure, swap out the junk; but you don't necessarily need a high end cooler.
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    True, but I'm looking for something a lot like the AX7 if not the AX7 itself... something good for a low-CFM 80MM fan, using a mounting clip instead of the four holes, since this mobo has zero holes.
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited November 2003
    How about a Thermaltake Volcano 11 or 12? They're both very good heatsinks (regardless of what Thrax says)... I've seen a Volcano 11 perform within 2*F of an SLK-800, reading from the CPU's internal diode.

    Regardless of the heatsink you get, do your sister a favor and use a Thermaltake SmartFan2 on it if you use an 80mm fan, and use them for all your case fans. They're really quiet at low speeds (just the bearings clicking), but they've got the headroom to cool the system down in a more extreme situation. What I'd suggest is using them as both the case and CPU fans, and setting them up with thermal control. Depending on how many of them you have, here's how I'd set it up:

    CPU fan- thermistor taped to CPU, right next to core, or under the CPU (the wires are thin enough to go between the CPU and the socket)

    Rear exhaust fan 1 (the top one, if there is more than one)- Thermistor taped next to core on the CPU, or to the bottom of one of the inner fins on the heatsink

    Rear exhaust fan 2- Thermistor taped next to core on the CPU, or to the bottom of one of the inner fins on the heatsink, or the back of the video card right above the GPU

    Front intake fan 1- The controller chip on the bottom of the HD that gets really hot (turn the comp. on, leave it that way for a while, and then feel around... you'll find it w/o a problem)

    Front intake fan 2- The controller chip on the bottom of another HD (if you have multiple drives) the back of video card (if it'll reach), the CPU heatsink, or manual control

    Front intake fan 3- The controller chip on the bottom of another HD (if you have multiple drives) the back of video card (if it'll reach), the CPU heatsink, or manual control

    Why should you use thermally controlled fans?

    Say the CPU fan fails. If your rear exhaust fans can vary their speed with CPU/heatsink temperature, you may very well save that CPU.

    7200rpm hard drives get extremely hot under long periods of continuous access with no active cooling. With the thermally controlled fan, you can keep the computer quiet, but when it's defragging or doing a virus scan, the fan can speed up should the drive need more cooling.

    Finally, what if the A/C in your sister's room goes out? You think a Vantec stealth and an AX-7 will handle 100*F room temperatures (which means say, 110-120*F intake temperatures @ the CPU fan)? I think not. In fact, I'm positive they won't. I can do the calculations if you'd like, but I can virtually guarantee that they won't, especially with low noise case fans. Thermally controlled fans would allow your sister to use her computer in this situation, while low-flow fans may not.

    I'm telling you, for non-overclocked systems, or people who don't want the noise of high-speed fans, thermally controlled fans are the way to go. You get low noise, with the extra cooling power in reserve if you ever need it. And this is coming from someone who has gone through at least 45 80mm fans for his SX-1240 in the process of trying to find the "perfect" one for a combination of low noise and high performance. The SmartFan 2 is the only one I'm happy with, and the only 80mm fan I recommend.
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    Thanks for the advice, Geeky. I may get the SmartFan2, but I try to stay away from anything with "Volcano" in the name... ;)
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    this is coming from someone who has gone through at least 45 80mm fans for his SX-1240 in the process of trying to find the "perfect" one

    And I thought I had problems! You need help. ;D
Sign In or Register to comment.