intel.microprocessors.pentium, comp.sys.intel, comp.hardware, alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt, alt.comp.

I have been purchasing AMD CPUs for many years now. However I may have
to switch to Intel because of the following:

On Pentium type motherboards (such as Dell & some IBM), a case fan
blows onto a large heat sink which is attached to the CPU.

I know of no AMD motherboards which support this or cases set up to do
this. If you know of any let me know.

So anyway here are my questions:

1. What Pentium motherboards are designed to allow a large heat sink
over the CPU which is designed to have a case fan cool it?

2. Are there cases specifically designed for such motherboards which
have a properly placed fan?

3. Who would supply the plastic tube thing which diverts the air from
the case fan onto the CPU heat sink? The motherboard manufacturer? The
case manufacturer? A third party?

I've found that case fan cooled systems (such as the Dell towers &
desktops) are much quieter than systems which require a fan mounted
directly over the CPU heat sink.

I know there are water cooling systems for AMD, but I wonder if it
would in the long run be cheaper to simply go with a Pentium and a
case fan CPU cooling solution?

I could just buy a Dell I suppose since it has such a setup and is
much quieter than heat sink mounted fan solutions, but I prefer to
build my own systems. So I guess I have to switch to Intel, even
though I would prefer not to. But I will if it means getting less
noise without having to pay a lot of money (for water cooling).

 

That is a reason to "have to" switch?
Hopefully English is your second language.

So you're choosing the hotter running CPU and ignoring that factor, only
focusing on a more expensive new platform for no good reason?

All of them. All of the AMD boards do too. 80x80mm qualifies as a case
fan, and just about any motherboard will accept a heatsink that uses that
size.

Possibly what you meant to ask, is which boards use the BTX design?

You seem to be making assumptions without all the necessary info. Primary
consideration for your system selection should be the jobs you run.
Secondary considerations are cost, size, noise, etc. Trying to choose a
system based only on what you've mentioned, is madness... you might as
well try to base it on sytsems with blue-colored PCBs.

What you might've meant to ask is, "Who has the best selection of BTX
cases, and which are best for [insert system description here] ?".

Apparently you saw a picture somewhere and have fallen in love with an
idea. If you want the tube you saw in the picture, you'd better ask the
(source of the pic) who made it. Otherwise you may find a tube bundled
with the case, but you'd have to research a specific case to see what
parts are included. A plastic tube cannot come with the motherboard or a
3rd party and be expected to fit (some random case), except perhaps if a
case manufactuer uses same tube mount on a whole line of cases, or a model
becomes popular enough that a 3rd party makes such an add-on tube. In
other words, you can't really narrowly focus on this tube for optimal
results, instead focusing on what case you need for the parts you need,
for the apps you need, etc.

Not true. There is no reason such a design must be quieter, only that
some manufactuers pay more attention to noise levels than others. Since
you've already demonstrated that you're willing to spend some time
optimizing for low noise, you could buy just about any platform you want
and achieve that result.

It would seem you're comparing the worse active heatsinks to an optimized
OEM setup. Of course the OEM seems better, but only until you compare to
a good active heatsink.

The water cooler would sooner be needed on the Pentium, assuming your
vague reference is to the now-current P4 Prescott. Best advice I can give
is to forget what you "think" you know about optimal cooling and start
over. Your assumptions about heat, noise, and cooling requirements are
incorrect. Don't choose cheap junk heatsinks or fans with medium to high
RPM, regardless of the platform you choose... either way it'd be noisey.

Don't guess. There are tons of people who provide examples of many, many
different system configurations that run near if not completely inaudibly.
The easier way to achieve that is to start out with only the performance
you need.

If you want a Dell, buy one, but if you want to build your own and end up
with low noise, do more research first, about what creates the noise, WHY
something is noisey. Pick the parts you need, THEN figure out how to cool
them quietly... it really isn't hard but experience helps, and so I
suggest doing some online searches for tips from those who have already
gone down this road instead of trying to reinvent the wheel. There are
even whole websites devoted to quiet systems, parts reviews, etc.

 

Wow, how much do you overclock?!! I have seen no problems with Athlon,
Athlon-64, or Opteron. You start with a case which supports dual 80mm
fans in the back and a side mounted fan. Yes, those glitzy glass side
cases with a fan in the side do seem to cool better.

I think you are buying FUD on the need to go to a new case form factor
to solve a problem which doesn't exist.

 

Those are first tier OEM systems, which happen to be Pentium

The motheboard and cases in the above systems are designed together,
or at least with consideration for each other.

A: BTX B: Those for those OEMs which practice that form of cooling

A: BTX B: Those for those OEMs which practice that form of cooling

A plastic moulder contracted by the OEM, if not the OEM themselves.