[dogbiscuit]

Maybe Samm doesn't love us anymore!
I'm sorry to bother u again but I've had a bit of an emergency. My CPU fan has stopped working and I don't know why. Yesterday my pc got so hot it crashed and it had only been on for about 20 mins. I need a new one fast. Is it possible to get a new fan for the processor or is it part of the processor? If I can get a new fan for it, do I need to get a particular sort or will any CPU fan work?

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uh oh, thats not good. dont try to run the machine without that fan, it will fry the cpu.
might be hard to find a fan for that, since the cpu is integrated into the mobo. really need to know what socket its supposed to be.
Samm, if your reading this, info plz!

[audioboy]

uh oh, thats not good. dont try to run the machine without that fan, it will fry the cpu.
might be hard to find a fan for that, since the cpu is integrated into the mobo. really need to know what socket its supposed to be.
Samm, if your reading this, info plz!

[dogbiscuit]

I had to take some drastic action and order a fan not knowing if it is right for my pc. Is there such thing as a universal fan because the one I bought doesn't say what type of processor it is for? I read the reviews and most of the people have put it on an AMD athlon but one guy put it on a duron and one guy a semperon. I have a duron so Im hoping it will work. It should arrive by the weekend. I hope my pc lives till then, I can't avoid using it occaissionally in the mean time.
Here is the link if u have time to check it out:
http://www.ebuyer.co...oduct_uid=58513

[audioboy]

the fan will fit a certain socket type, and each of those different types of processors are made in various socket types. thats what you saw mentioned about the different cpu's.
if you absolutely have to run the system, open the case up, and set a fan to blow in there, making sure you get a good amount of air moving over the heatsink on the cpu.
the heatsink will do its job of increasing surface area to dissapate the heat from the cpu, and the air movement will help cool it. its far from ideal, but if you have to run it for short times, this should help make sure you dont damage the chip.

still no word from samm? she must be taking a few days afk...hopefully she will catch this soon!

[dogbiscuit]

You mean you can get different cpu's with the same socket type? For example can you get a duron and an athlon both with the same socket type and therefore both can work with the same fan?
I could run everest to see what sort of socket I have if I know what I'm looking for.
In the meantime I do have the case open and am using a little portable fan!

[audioboy]

correct on the socket question.
good thing with the fan, it should help, but dont leave the machine running for long periods.

please do run everest and see if it lists the socket type.

[audioboy]

Hey dog, I just heard from samm, she says its a socket A chip you have, and it looks like the hsf you ordered is socket A!
just read a bit about those artic cooler hsf's, they do pretty well, good choice.

please still run everest to confirm the socket.

dont worry, samm hasnt abandoned you, she had comp problems of her own- just goes to show it happens to everyone!

[dogbiscuit]

Nice one audio, thanks for taking the time to check that out for me. I ran everest and it does seem to be socket A. I hope Samm's comp gets well soon.
Hopefully the fan will arrive tomorrow so I'll see how I get on with it.

[audioboy]

sure thing, keep us posted

[dogbiscuit]

Ok the fan arrived. On the box it says 'uncompromisingly easy to fit'. What a joke! When I took the old fan off there was all this silver goo on the back of it. I think it was like the glue that held the copper pad thing on the back in place but there was no such pad. Maybe it disintegrated! The CPU is covered in this goo and I couldn't get it off. Then the strap off the new fan snapped when i was trying to attacth it so I had to take the one off the old fan (and it was too small and I had to hammer it to shape and so on).
Anyway I finally got it on after about 2 hours and it seems to be working ok. There are three speed settings (High/Med/Low) and I don't know which one it should be on. It's currently set to Med. Couple of things I'm unsure about: What does the number refer to when it says (on the box) 'up to Athlon XP 3400' and how do I find out my spec? And what is the optimum temperature I want to be running at? What temp is too hot?
The CPU seems to be unaffected by all the silver gunge!

[audioboy]

all that goo is the thermal paste. hsf either use a thermal pad, which is a 1 use item, or paste, which is also single use.
you will need to clean the old stuff off and apply some new. artic silver 5 is highly recomended, and their website will tell you how to apply it. did the new fan come with any thermal paste?
to clean the old off, you will need some alcohol, and use something plastic like a credit card or something to clean stuff up.

the rating for "up to athlon 3400" means it can properly cool a chip up to that model. you are well below that, so no worries.

I dont know exactly what temps you should be looking for, but in general, idle speeds should be in the low 40s celsius, and under load up to maybe mid 50s. it would be of concern if you start getting into the 60s.

that fan will be quite effective for your chip, so you may see idle speeds in the 30's and loaded around mid-high 40s. if so, that would be great!

[Samm]

Hey guys, I'm back!
Have beaten my pc into submission by threatening it with the wrong end of a screwdriver & putting the fear of 'upgrade to XP' in it.

Hows the hsf install going dog?

[dogbiscuit]

Argh!!!
My CPU burnt out and took the mobo with it!!!!
I need a new mobo and CPU fast cause I'm in the middle of a course which requires a pc everyday. I'm going for a bundle. How do I know what to look for? How do I know if it's gonna fit my case and if my power supply will be adequate?

[audioboy]

oh the fun just keeps coming for you dog!

a standard ATX mobo is what you generally get, so see if the dead one was ATX form factor. if not, you may need a new case too. check out barebones kits, they will include mobo, cpu, hsf (even though you have one that will fit socket A), and ram typically.
you might be able to just buy a new mobo and cpu, making sure to go with a socket A setup so you can use your new hsf. you will need ram too...
hey, if you still have that agp card that wouldnt work on the dead system, get a mobo with agp.

since your in a hurry, if there is a store you can go to, that might be your best bet- can get what you need, make sure it will all work together, and build it fast that way, instead of waiting for shipping.

[dogbiscuit]

Well I had to take pc 20 miles just to get it checked out and they quoted me £380 to have it fixed!! So in another crazy act of desperation I bought a mobo with cpu from ebuyer. It can be found here: http://www.ebuyer.co...oduct_uid=91696
I got RAM too. Do you think I'd be nuts to try and fit it myself? I don't even know if i got the right thing. I can't seem to be able to find any info on my dead one so I dont know if it's ATX. All I have to go by is the one I've ordered looks to be the same shape and size as the dead one. If necessary I will get a new case too (but I'm hoping I wont have to cause I've grown attatched to my stylish case!). Am I gonna lose my files? The guy in the shop said I need to reinstall windows. I can't lose my files! I've also been told I may need to buy a new power supply to run a new mobo.
As you may have guessed by now I don't actually know any real-life geeks to help!