Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Purchasing a Heatsink
With the variety of processor designs on the market today, you also need to match the
thermaloutputoftheprocessortothethermal-handlingcapabilityoftheheatsinkyouplan
to use. The heatsink performance required by a given processor depends on two main fig-
ures: the maximum allowable case temperature as well as the maximum power output.
Refer to the upcoming section titled “
Heatsink Ratings and Calculations
” to see how you
cancalculatethemaximumthermalresistanceyouneed.Youcanalwaysinstallaheatsink
withalowerthermalresistance,whichwillonlyimprovethecooling,butyoushouldnev-
er install a heatsink that has a higher thermal resistance than your processor requires.
Processors sold as boxed or retail versions from Intel and AMD include high-quality act-
ive heatsinks designed to work under the worst possible ambient conditions. One of the
main reasons I recommend purchasing boxed processors is that you are guaranteed to get
ahigh-qualityheatsinkwiththeprocessor,onethatisdesignedtocooltheprocessorunder
the worst conditions and that should last the life of the system.
If you purchase an OEM processor that comes without a heatsink, you can expect to
pay anywhere from $25 to $60 for a high-quality active fan heatsink, with some of the
