The most important thing.... (General Comments on Processors)

Member Name: kr087mdx

Product:	General Comments on Processors
Date:	15/12/00 (24 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: AMD Chips are great, But quality heatsinks are a must

Disadvantages: An ill fitted heatsink can ruin it for you.

If you are using a socket A Athalon Thunderbird or Duron chip, the most important thing is to remember to buy an approved heat sink.

Why you may ask, as you can get a heat sink, which will fit for £3, and an approved one may cost £9.

Well if you look at these chips, you will see that they are not flat, the central surface of the chip is raised. If you are lucky the chip may have 4 soft rubber feet in each corner, which will help to balance the heat sink on the chip, but not all of the chips have these feet, and they have been known to fall off.

If a 'generic' heat sink is incorrectly fitted to one of these chips without these feet, it can crush the corners of this delicate piece of silicon, which sits on the top surface of the chip. This usually has the effect of completely knackering the whole thing! I have seen many such chips, and each one brings a tear to my eye....

Approved heat sinks generally have either raised sides which protrude the correct amount to sit the heat sink perfectly on top of the raised silicon, whilst maintaining contact with the edges of the chip, whilst others have hollows designed so that the protruding silicon can sit within them.

Both reduce the risk of the chip becoming damaged from the heat sink!

So Invest in a heat sink by a manufacture such as ORB, or Cooler Master, but remember to check that they are AMD approved or at least have a look at the bottom of the heat sink first !.

This does not apply to the Slot A processors, which are contained in a SECC capsule similar to that of the PII.

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