Without wishing to sound stupid... wouldn't a 3600 fan blow less air? Making
it less good at cooling?
There are no stupid questions.. the only thing stupid would be NOT
asking when you have a need to know.
It's true, a fan of same dimensions (including thickness) will have a
lower airflow if a 3600 RPM fan. However, beyond a certain airflow
rate there is diminishing return for each additional RPM... axial fans
are very poor at creating pressure to force air through the 'sink,
beyond a pressure level they can sustain, their noise & turbulence
increases far more than the airflow. Even 3600RPM isn't needed on a
good heatsink, but 3600RPM is likely needed for a 'sink designed to
use a smaller higher-RPM fan. In other words, by using a heatsink
marketed as high-performance, something an overclocker might use,
you're getting a hunk of metal with better performance, so the fan
doesn't need to more as much air, and with a larger fan, the RPM
needed for same airflow can be lower.
This, and your desire for a faster CPU, is why I suggested a
replacement heatsink in the first place, not just the fan, mentioning
a fan as the low-cost option. If it were as effective an option as
(replacing the entire heatsink with a version using an 80x25mm fan) I
would not even mention the significantly higher-cost option of
replacing the entire heatsink. Even so, a 25mm thick 3600 RPM fan may
be enough airflow... it depends a lot on the heatsink under it. I
don't have your heatsink so I can't test it's effectiveness at any
given CFM airflow.
The northbridge fan it right jammed up against some bobbly bits
(capacitors?) :-(
If it's the same as that picture I linked previously, that's a pretty
standard size for a northbridge heatsink, almost any replacement
should fit.
I 'd like to get a new heatsink copper one as well as a new fan, but I'm not
sure how to put one on... *shame*
Hell if I'm doing that, and there is a BIOS upgrade available, I may as well
get another CPU too!
Yes, if you're thinking of upgrading the CPU anyway that would be a
good time to do it. The BIOS upgrade should be done before swapping
the CPUs, make sure the system is still running correctly after the
BIOS update before changing the CPU.
The important part of putting on the heatsink is to be able to see
what you're doing and take your time. Given your apprehension, and
the location/orientation of the CPU socket, it might be best to remove
the motherboard from the case, or if the case's motherboard tray is
removable, just remove the whole tray with the motherboard still
mounted on it.
Putting the heatsink on is pretty straightforward, the reverse of
taking one off. Remove the old thermal interface material between the
CPU and heatsink (might require a petroleum-based solvent like
"Goo-Gone" or WD-40, etc, if it's a hard gummy substance rather than a
greaselike compound that can be wiped off). Before installing the new
heatsink apply a fresh, paper-thin coating of thermal compound on the
core (raised center only) of the CPU.
Attach the side of the clip to the bottom of the socket first (on your
particular motherboard) with the heatsink oriented so the raised area
on the bottom corresponds to the raised area on the socket.
If you mount the heatsink backwards it's possible it wouldn't even be
in contact with most of the CPU, so be sure it's not mounted in 180'
reverse direction. On your motherboard that means the side of the
clip that has a tab for hand-pressure or a slot for the screwdriver,
should normally be mounted facing up, towards the power supply.
Try to keep the heatsink bottom as parallel to the CPU as possible,
not letting it put too much stress on a corner of the CPU.
There are more detailed instructions on installing heatsinks available
on the 'net, though I don't remember where, which are best... a Google
search should find enough information, but it's a pretty
straightforward process.
Dave
