PCA Forums

Ok Guys.. I'll be the first to admit I know NOTHING about a P4.. BUT, I know that when I touch the HSF it shouldn't be hot enough to blister my G'DAMN FINGER!! I don't even know how this thing is still running.. It's using the stock cooling and instead of the air blowing into the HSF it's pulling air through it which is then being pulled into a fan in the PSU and exhausted from the case. But when the case is closed there is very little airflow out of the case. They're experiencing random reboots and lockups. I was asked to check the RAM by the "main" computer guy that services their computers, the RAM was fine (as I was sure it would be). Every time I mention systems getting too hot to this guy he thinks I'm full of $h1t and dismisses the idea. What do you guys think? Should I beef up the cooling on this HSF? The fan will have to be one that pulls instead of blowing. Or will any fan work I just have to turn it upsdie down? I'm really at a loss here.. But I know it shouldn't be that damn hot. Thanx for your thoughts.. eGo

just a thought !
maybe they screwed up at the factory and never added any sink paste or didnt take the paper cover off the sink tab on the cpu ~
first sounds more of what happen !

P4's work a bit differently when it comes to heat. they don't fail heatwise, they just throttle down. You should also set the heatsink fan so it blows down onto the heatsink. Heatsink fans don't move enough air off of the heatsink when blowing away from the heatsink.

maybe they screwed up at the factory and never added any sink paste

That would affect the heat transfer from CPU to heatsink. The fact that the heatsink is damn hot tells me that this isn't the case.

It's using the stock cooling and instead of the air blowing into the HSF it's pulling air through it which is then being pulled into a fan in the PSU and exhausted from the case.

What stock cooling? The retail Intel CPU cooler doesn't pull air up through the heatsink, it blows down onto it. Is this a system someone built for themselves, or a purchased system? What other components are in there?

There's nothin' else in there.. Just a CD-ROM, and a Floppy and a 30/40GB HD.. I'm sure the air is blowing away from the CPU and not into it. If it's not, then the placement of the PSU is lousy and it's preventing the CPU fan from getting any air through the HS because it's pulling all the air away. They were built by IBM. The thing that really gets me is that they run like ASS.. I'm guessing these things are underclocking like crazy because of the heat. (I forgot they did that) Because the 2.4ghz runs slower than my Celeron 900 it's pathetic. My XP1700+@2.1ghz runs like a raped ape compared to both of these P4s.. I may try to get in there this weekend to tear one of them down and see what is up. But I doubt highly that anything I can do is going to help if the fan on the HS is in deed blowing air into the CPU and the fan on the PSU is pulling it away as i can't change their placement.. eGo

maybe they screwed up at the factory and never added any sink paste.

I think that is actually logical....but

That would affect the heat transfer from CPU to heatsink. The fact that the heatsink is damn hot tells me that this isn't the case.

I kinda agree, but I have had many times where I buy a new rig and they slap it together at the store to make sure it works fine before I take it home (http://www.cbit.ca) *where I get all my new stuff* and when they put it together they don't take the HS thermal tab off... sure it works... but paste is better...IMO

one time the HS was gettin super hot and I wondered why, so I took the HS off and saw the stock Thermal crap on there, replaced it with cheap paste and it was WAY cooler...
so check that out for sure...

is the HS copper cored? or all Alum?