Copper or Aluminum...Wish i remembered chem class

[JNasci7906]

OK so heres my latest question...i wanna replace the standard heat sink and fan on my P4...however, which metal conducts heat away faster/better etc? and what rpm fan should i look for that wont sound like a 747 is taking off but will give me solid cooling....also, if i do get a loud fan, is there a way to wire it to a fan controller so its only loud when needed to be?
Thankx

Nash

[rios__]

copper is a better conductor of heat than aluminum. copper heatsinks are usually more expensive however. as for a fan, a larger and slower spinning one (~2500 rpm, 80-92mm) will be quieter than a smaller and fast spinning one

[Spartan]

Copper conducts better but aluminium disapates heat quicker. I like copper best. If you are not a hardcore overclocker and want one that works great and is nearly silent look at this one

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...118-109&depa=0

I have it and my temps hover around 30-32 C (during normal use measured by AsusProbe). It is very very quiet also. You need to check the Mobo compatibilty chart to make sure it will work with your Mobo however.

-Spartan

[willboy]

Copper heatsyncs are a lot better than aluminum but they are more expensive, you can find some that have both are cheaper than pure copper and do a pretty good job, but if you have the money go with all copper. Good Luck!

[Force Flow]

There are HSF's that have a copper core, but have an aluminum heat spreader.

[mb26]

for a HSF, you want a thermaltake XP-120 or a Zalaman 7000 ALcu (it is just as good as the 100% copper version but cheaper). nothing better (other than watercooling) for what you want.

zalaman would be the easier option as it has a fan and fan speed controller with it, probably cheaper, and more likely to fit, but the XP-120 would be the ultimate giving you near silence and all the OC power you need at the same time. just add a 120-mm fan and undervolt it- no need to up the speed even for the highest OCing.