Interesting points! The board i'm using is an MSI KT6 DELTA - I have not
modified/installed any heatsink fan on the chipset since purchase of the
hardware and to be honest i'm not completely sure how well equipped it
comes. I have checked the website but haven't been able to establish either
way?
At this point it may be just something to keep in mind, no need to
change anything that works properly.
I see a picture, possibly of the heatsink it uses, here:
http://images10.newegg.com/productimage/13-130-428-03.JPG
If that's the 'sink it should be plenty sufficient and probably is
using heatsink compound. I doubt it'll be a problem providing you
have adequate case airflow.
I do however itend to run the board hopefully beyond spec' speeds which
I understand would definately require further cooling, possibly a case fan
sounds like an option. Have you any idea of the cost involved in installing
such a device.
thanks again for your help
It all depends on the particular case. Other than the fan in the
power supply, the next fan as per AMD recommendations is right under
the power supply. Most cases have a mounting point there but often
it's overly obstructed with a stamped-in-metal grill. The larger
part of getting another fan into a case isn't the expense, it's the
time, labor, unless you don't have tools like a dremel or sabre saw,
then I guess it does start to get expensive, though with today's
cheap/thin cases even a budget $5 pair of tin snips will cut right
though a fan grill if you don't care how pretty it turns out.
Typically a fan is about $6, more expensive if you're not buying
anything else and pay shipping for just a fan, or less expensive if
you buy in bulk or at electronics surplus vendors instead of computer
hardware vendors (though you decrease the odds of getting a fan with a
connector compatible to your needs, either the 3-pin for a vacant
motherboard header or 4-pin for a power supply. You can certainly get
a fan at most computer shops or stores, but be sure of the quality,
many places just overprice junk fans.
Most experienced builders really like Panaflo's fans, particularly the
L1A speed, which has a very good noise to airflow rating, long life,
and is usually quite a bit less expensive than the next-better fans,
Papst.
Most sleeve-bearing fans are junk, I usually only recommend Panaflo or
Papst's sleeve-bearing models.. there are others that aren't bad but
far less common. In any other make of fan you might seek a DUAL
ball-bearing model. If it's a cheap fan and doesn't specify "dual"
bearings it's probalby not a very good fan, though you may need to
visit the fan manufacturer's website to get reliable specs... if you
can't find the manufacturer's website with a simple Google search, it
probalby isn't a very good fan either. Nidec, Papst, Panaflo, NMB,
Sunon, Sanyo, Delta, Comair-Rotron, are a few of the better brands.
You'll have to measure your case to determine the fan size you need,
usually 80mm, sometimes 92 or 120mm, rarely only 60mm, though if it's
60m it might be better to find somewhere else to mount an 80m or
larger fan, as a 60mm barely moves any air at all in a model quiet
enough to be unobtrusive. Generally to end up with a quiet fan you'd
want something in the 1600-2300 RPM range, typically it needs to be
under 2000 RPM to be truly quiet unless something else is loud enough
to drown out it's noise.
Anyway, other than that it's pretty straightforward.. .only you can
see where a fan will fit and what needs done to get it in there, in
your particular case.
If you'll be wanting filters or need mounting screws and/or adapters
too, one of the best places to get all-at-once for a reasonable price
is here:
http://www.svcompucycle.com/
Dave
