Okay, so i run an Intel Xeon X3210 but i have...problems.... I have a coolermaster 690 chassis with a single Noctua 120mm fan (blowing out back) with an additional 2 in the roof (again, blowing outwards). The processor is fitted with a Freezer 7 Pro, which was only just coping with the cpu at stock (hence the extra fans). With everything at full whack, i can get the chip up to 3.2Ghz with load for a period of time. Eventually, the temp gets to the high 90s so i drop it back. Now i'm wondering a couple of things: Would rotating the Freezer7 to blow out the top help with the cpu (i'm conscious that the VRMs are not heatsink-ed therefore i'd imagine i lose airflow and experience issues) Would replacing the freezer7 with the......expensively expensive NH-U12 from Noctua help? What VRM coolers will fit on an evga 650i Ultra board? I know i really should of got a Q6600, but a supplier offered me this X3210 a while back for less than half what a Q6600 went for at the time. Oh, and its a B3 stepping (which IIRC is the 'Napalm' edition ) I dont wanna spend £70 on vrm coolers, the Noctua northbridge cooler, and the NH-U12 for no real increase.
I'd ghetto rig an 80mm fan or an Antec Spotcool over the MOSFETS, and then get a Scythe Infiniti or strech to a Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120. It might be costly, but It'll last longer than most of your hardware.
From what i'd seen on review sites, the NH-U12 is better than those two coolers, so would i not be better to go down that route? The problem is everyone tests on mid-range C2Ds these days, where as what i want to hear is that someone who has a flame-thrower-CPU cooled with one.
Looking at Coolermaster's 690 page: Cooling System Front :120 mm Blue LED fan x 1, 1200 rpm, 21 dBA, Rear : 120 mm standard fan, 1200 rpm, 21 dBA, Top : 120 or 140 mm fan x 2 (optional), Bottom : 120 mm fan x 1 (optional), Left: 120mm fan x 2 (one is optional)-up to 140mm fans Get some more fans in there! If all you've got is one at the back and two at the top, try putting one at the front as an intake and maybe one on the side as an intake. Other than that, try a Xigmatek HDT-S1283 or Thermalright Ultra 120.
More airflow is all very well and good, but the noise created is kinda a b*tch. The main reason i suspected the NH-U12 is better is the amount of fins and heatpipes vs the Freezer7. I already have substancial airflow, i just want a heatsink that'll use it better. For the record, i have 2x Noctua 120s in the roof, 1x 120mmb Noctua on the rear, 1x coolermaster 120mm cooling the GPU on the side panel, 1x 120mm coolermaster at the front.
Are you using a fan speed controller? I think a chunkier hsf would help - it looks like the Freezer 7 can't handle the amount of heat being generated.
