need tech advice - installing new cpu fan

[Fake from State Jarm]

The reason I need a cpu fan in the first place is because I'm using a x6 core phenom II (normal processors have one core)

now, the reason I am replacing it is because I was cleaning it without an air canister so I used a very very soft (unused) toothbrush to remove dust, and ended up bending the fragile cpu fan a little bit. first it was snagging on some parts of the mount, so I went at it industriously with nail clippers, taking out chunks of the fan blades where it would hit the fan housing. but that bent it more. it still works but it rattles a bit and idk how much longer it has.

the problem is that the cpu fan in there now, the emotionally scarred one I did plastic surgery on, is a thermaltake maxorb, which instead of being screwed directly into the motherboard (AMD AM3+ or something like that), it sits on handy dandy little brackets that are themselves screwed in. the fan I ordered to replace does not use brackets, so I believe I may have to take the entire motherboard out to remove the brackets.

So, I need to know how to do that without destroying my computer, seeing as how my do-it-yourself cleaning adventure has already caused me more problems.

Also I am thinking about getting another nvidia gtx to go with mine since I have sli... the one I have now is 460... and I should probably get more RAM... MWO graphics are getting more demanding and I'm in a very large and active gaming group

[rlrcstrnthusiast]

How much clearance do you have? How much are you willing to spend?

Most of them are pretty much equally quiet, so...

[Fake from State Jarm]

How much clearance do you have? How much are you willing to spend?

Most of them are pretty much equally quiet, so...

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-RR-B10-212P-G1-Cooling-Heatsink/dp/B007W63JTO/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1376062655&sr=1-6&keywords=coolermaster+hyper+212+plus

I already ordered a new cpu fan... coolermaster hyper 212 plus, and an additional fan to mount on it, together a little over 35. very affordable. I found someone saying on a forum that these worked for the processor I'm using so I went with something that would have the least risk of incompatibility, seeing as I've never installed one before.

as for video cards, those shouldn't be too expensive, maybe around 200 if I save up. gtx 460 should be cheaper now than when I got the first one... I don't know anything about sli though, or about ram compatibility... what I do know is that sli requires two nvidia cards of the exact same type, so if I get something other than gtx 460 I may have to buy 2

[Buck Turgidson]

CPU Fan:

I recommend getting a tube of Arctic Silver - it might not seem like a big deal, but getting as near a perfect thermal seal between the CPU and fan base makes a huge difference for a hexacore proc.  It will last forever if it is well cooled.  Trust me I have fried a few on hot summer days, without overclocking.  If you get it, use at little as possible (about half the size of a pea), and for god's sake don't use your finger to spread it.  Or your tongue.

Case:

Which case do you have?  Many allow you to take off the panel behind the MB so you can unscrew the brackets without having to dismantle the whole machine.  If not, you may be able to unscrew the MB base plate for a similar, though more akward effect, though this likely means having to move a few other organs around to do this...

SLI:

SLI does not really deliver on the "more bang for the buck" promise.  It is more like "more bang for more bucks" when you want to build a hotrod.  I recommend trying to ebay your 460, then upgrade to the best single card you can afford.  SLI can cause a lot of thermal and stability issues, and you will wind up paying a premium for the 460 because the only reason anyone would want one today it to build an SLI rig, and needs exactly the same card as they already have.

RAM:

Sell your current RAM, and then buy a new RAM kit.  I have chased many a gremlin related to having un-completely-fucking-identical RAM kits in the same machine.  Over the years I have come to appreciate stability, and RAM plays a subtle but important role.

My god I am a nerd.

[Fake from State Jarm]

great advice

thx man, that was what I was looking for. I did order some arctic silver 5 with the rest of the order. the problem is removing the stuff that's already on there, apparently you're supposed to use goo gone and rubbing alcohol. and I can remove both sides of the case... I was worried I'd need some obscure tool to unscrew things but it looks like a basic phillips head will do.

I'll keep that in mind about SLI. 460 still does pretty well. what's your opinion on crossfire? and triple SLI? does any multiple graphics card setup work?

Amazon and my bank got into a tiff so the order won't come in til monday... but I'm glad it's soon because when I turned my computer on this morning it made a godawful racket. the fan has gotten looser. my solution was to poke it until it quieted down.

Half expecting it to fly off at any moment and blow up like something out of a michael bay movie. If you guys don't hear from me for a while, send help

[Buck Turgidson]

I have only ever used rubbing alcohol and a lot of Q-tips to remove the stock stuff.  Best advise here is to try to not remove the CPU from the cradle, for fear of bending pins (not sure if Phenom has these).

As for SLI, I have built 2 rigs, both duals.  You need a hell of a power supply for a 460 SLI rig.  My last one was a dual 480GTX, and to be safe, I have a 1200W behemoth, which is mosdef overkill (but was future-proofed for 3XSLI).  But the previous one was running into stability issues because I only had 650W.  The 400 series needs a lot of juice.  More juice, more money, more heat, more cooling, more instability, unless you have even more money.

To get a little more life of of the 460, which I agree should still do OK, go to the Nvidia control panel, and move the Physx processing to the CPU.  It's not like you are lacking spare CPU cores...  It will offload at least 10% from the 460 on most big titles.

As a temp fix for your fan problem, try harnessing the power of your home A/C if you have it, or blow a fan directly on the open case.  Having the CPU fan hang while you are taking a dump is a crappy way to lose a beautiful CPU.

[Brian]

listen to GS. also if you do end up putting more arctic silver on your proc, don't overdo it, a little goes a long way.
Apparently a middle dot will do http://www.arcticsilver.com/PDF/appmeth/amd/md/amd_app_method_middle_dot_v1.3.pdf

if you are going SLI keep in mind your power requirements. Oddly i can't actualy find the 460 anymore on newegg, but there are quite a few cards for less then $200 that are very nice.
http://www.newegg.com/Desktop-Graphics-Cards/SubCategory/ID-48

I mean hell, look at this beast. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130910

ram is a cheep and noticeable upgrade as well.

I wish you the best of luck llama

[Fake from State Jarm]

great tips guys, I appreciate it.

I mean hell, look at this beast. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130910

shitballs, I think the 460 cost more than twice that when I got it. are there any compatibility or installation issues to consider with those?

[Brian]

there shouldn't be any issues. Just make sure you will have room (the new cards are over a foot long in many cases) and possibly the power requirements will be higher.

Slot Width
    Dual Slot (2 slots poking out the back, not 2 PCIE slots)
System Requirements
    450W Power Supply
Card Dimensions
    9.5" x 4.37"

it seems this card is less then 10 inches long so shouldn't be a problem.

and shit, it even comes with a free in game money card for world of tanks, planetside 2, and hawken. quite the deal.

[Buck Turgidson]

Yeah.  At those prices really don't bother with SLI.  I have an EVGA 680GTX card and it rocks every title I play, in 2560x1440 with 8xAA to boot.  A 650 can't be that far off.

[Fake from State Jarm]

and shit, it even comes with a free in game money card for world of tanks, planetside 2, and hawken. quite the deal.

it'll likely be gone by the time I have the money /shrug

[Fake from State Jarm]

the deed is done. that fan is a boxy motherfucker, I was really frustrated until I removed the ram and gfx card and figured out how to use the screwdriver holes. then the screen wouldn't show anything and gave me a scare... but it was just the ram not pushed in all the way

googling bios beep codes on secondary computer ftw

[Buck Turgidson]

Beep codes will depend on your BIOS, and the BIOS can easily cross MB manufacturers.

http://www.bioscentral.com/

[Fake from State Jarm]

yeah, the beeps seemed to indicate a ram problem, which I solved.


also, I got a new completely programmable 11 button mouse. should make MWO a bit easier to play.

[Buck Turgidson]

Yeah, a macro mouse is the best thing all round.  I have a RAT 7, and I think it is a work of art.

[Pterrydactyl]

[Buck Turgidson]

should make MWO a bit easier to play.

What is your Nom de Guerre?  Mine is easy to guess.

I just got a Razer Blade 14 for use on business trips, so I plan to play a LOT more Mechwarrior and War Thunder...

[Fake from State Jarm]

in game I'm AeusDeif. I joined the-bwc.com and I have to be on ts3 with them if I'm in game (they have a military background) so I only group with outsiders if they get on bwc ts3 server

were you a battletech fan before mwo? have you seen project phoenix?

also I'm looking at affordable tablets for playing music. looks like nexus 7 (2012) or kindle fire HD are best

[Buck Turgidson]

You don't want my advice on tablets.  I have a pathological hatred of Apple, which I will never admit makes the best tablets.  Rooting for the underdog, I got a Blackberry Playbook, which I love.  Despite my greatest efforts to proselytize, I have failed to convert even one person to a Playbook owner, even if they had no tablet before.  I would get the Nexus 7 myself - I hope this does not put a damper on your interest in that machine...

Yes I was a Battletech fan - I played the board game 25 years ago, and used to paint the peuter play pieces - I played every one of the MW games from MP/MS as well.  Project phoenix is new to me, but they already got 120$ from me for the founder's package, and with the Blade, I am now tapped out for a near eternity...

[Fake from State Jarm]

right, I just figured an old BT fan would be excited to see the 'unseen' mechs final return. never got into BT myself but just being around mechwarrior means you hear about those guys

also apparently clan invasion happened months ago in game. they're kind of getting bogged down. and watchout for spiders, the hitboxes are bugged right now, so you can alpha strike it and hardly do much damage

Nexus 7 was looking like the choice for me simply due to affordability and reliability. I just have to figure where I can buy one cheap and with a warranty