Alternative (better) to Intel cooler

[erixx]

My wife's mini-ITX computer needs a better cooling solution because, idle, temps get close to 100ºC!
(Not sure for the reason, it has been fine for some years, now we get some fan high speed noises, and it could be ... Windows build (no Insider) or thermal paste needing a change....) But stock Intel fan is very basic.
There is room for something a little bigger... not much... but a better fan/heatsink was always on the list but never really needed until now.
here some pics for the case:

In Win H-Frame Mini mITX Aluminium Chassis Review - Page 4

We have another funky little chassis in the eTeknix office today, and while it was only a couple of weeks ago that we took a look at the truly epic H-Frame from InWin, we now have something a little…

www.eteknix.com

 

[FreedomEclipse]

youre probably looking at something like a CRYORIG C7 or Noctua NH-L9i

 

[newtekie1]

Something else is wrong if you are idling that high. I'd make sure it is clean of dust and all 4 of the pins are secured properly.

 

[27MaD]

temps get close to 100ºC

I had a Pentium Dual Core E2200 and it used to idle at 80C , it turned out i was running it with a little amount of dry thermal paste , so as @newtekie1 said , change your thermal paste , make sure to clean all the dust and make sure that you cooler is installed correctly.

 

[erixx]

thanks! As I just checked, I got 75 mm, and so I ordered the Noctua NH-L9x65

still worried WTH caused this heat!

Tekie: yeah, it is regulary cleaned like a babies poopoo. (air gun, lol)

 

[jsalpha2]

I have been wanting to try one of these "
Thermolab CPU Cooler LP53", but they have to be shipped from Korea.

 

[erixx]

Thanks jalpha2. But it doesn't look revolutionary. It is very similar to the above mentioned CRYORIG C7 or Noctua NH-L9i. btw, there is a "C7 cu" also all made of copper.

 

[jsalpha2]

The all copper C7 is hard to find, maybe discontinued. The closest I can find is on E-Bay....the
CoolJag DEN-A (B) JAC7L07C-0. Why do my letters change size?

 

[erixx]

The Noctua arrived and was installed.
Temps went from 105 to 75 ºC under load and from 75 to 50ºC idle. (CPU is i7 3770K, no OC)
Renewed the thermal glue (it was not dry, no visible issues, no dust in case), it may not be all thanks to the cooler, but still huge improvement!
Thanks all for the suggestions.

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[vega22]

temps like that, the stock cooler was not fitted correct. that or the case is an oven.

but yeah, new one is miles better, enjoy

 

[Vayra86]

Its a push pin cooler, so if that case was bumped into in some bad way it may very well have broken the thermal paste bond = air pocket = abysmal thermals.

That also explains why a reseated (or new) cooler 'fixed' it.

 

[silentbogo]

My personal favorite for SFFs is Noctua NH-L9i, but if you need something cheap, here's what you can get:
1) Intel Box HSF with copper core. Those work much better and keep temps reasonable
2) Deepcool HTPC-200. Cheap as hell and performance-wise rivals my Noctua.
3) Arctic Alpine 12 LP. I'm currently running it on Celeron G3900 in my home server 24/7 for the past 4 months and so far I'm very happy.
Which CPU did you use in that system?

 

[P4-630]

Which CPU did you use in that system?

The Noctua arrived and was installed.
Temps went from 105 to 75 ºC under load and from 75 to 50ºC idle. (CPU is i7 3770K, no OC)

 

[bonehead123]

IMO, whoever designed those stock intel coolers should be shot, tarred & feathered, hung upside down by their toenails, and then shot again slowly and repeatedly until they beg for death

 

[John Naylor]

The high idle temps (before and after) are indicative of case ventilation being less than ideal..... the rule of thumb we use is:

One 120mm, 1250 rpm fan for each 50 - 75 component watts
One 140mm, 1250 rpm fan for each 75 - 100 component watts
1.3 - 1.5 intake fans for each exhaust fan

 

[erixx]

it's an open micro case, so no fans whatsoever besides PSU and CPU fan.

 

[bmacsys]

My wife's mini-ITX computer needs a better cooling solution because, idle, temps get close to 100ºC!
(Not sure for the reason, it has been fine for some years, now we get some fan high speed noises, and it could be ... Windows build (no Insider) or thermal paste needing a change....) But stock Intel fan is very basic.
There is room for something a little bigger... not much... but a better fan/heatsink was always on the list but never really needed until now.
here some pics for the case:

In Win H-Frame Mini mITX Aluminium Chassis Review - Page 4

We have another funky little chassis in the eTeknix office today, and while it was only a couple of weeks ago that we took a look at the truly epic H-Frame from InWin, we now have something a little…

www.eteknix.com

Pretty much anything. Intel skimps on everything and anything they can get away with. Maybe with AMD bundling good stock coolers this may eventually change.