Upgrading Cpu - Will I Need A New Heatsink/fan?

I will be upgrading from a single core AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (1.8 GHz) to what will likely be a AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4200+ (2.2 GHz)

The motherboard will support the CPU but will I need a new heatsink/fan? Since it's not a huge upgrade I am assuming the default heatsink/fan will suffice but just want to make sure.

 

It should be fine. But when I ordered my AMD Athlon II it came with a new heatsink and fan.

 

It all comes down to the TDP -- Thermal Design Power.

I'm assuming given the procs we're talking socket 939?

939 A64 3000+ == 89 Watts TDP
939 A64 X2 4200+ == 89 Watts TDP

You should be good to go. Just be sure to clean all the old compound off the old sink/fan and apply something fresh. Pine sol on a lint free rag (or semi-lint free paper like Kleenex Viva paper towels -- I CANNOT sing high enough praises of Viva!) works wonders for dissolving old compound.

I still use arctic silver 5 for most procs since it's simple. There are fancier ones out there that when applied properly work a fraction better, but usually they take too long to apply... and remember, you are not frosting a cake! A thin, almost transparent layer from one tiny bead is all you need as you're NOT using it to replace surface to surface contact, it is there to plug the microscopic holes in each surface! A little 3.5g tube of AS-5 should be enough for a dozen systems! Also, I find thinning the arctic silver with a tiny, tiny, TINY drop of pine-sol makes it apply smoother/easier and works better in the long run, just be warned it's gonna stink a bit the first time the system heats up.

I open up one more system where there's enough compound for two dozen computers oozing all over the board, I'm going on a man-hunt.

 

Thanks. I will likely be getting a used one. Not much point in spending more when it's a dinosaur computer that I will probably upgrade in the next 2 years and the fact that CPUs don't really fail on you so why buy it new?

What did you upgrade from/to? And was there a notable performance increase? I am mostly getting it to support newer games that require a dual core. Obviously not the latest games but the games I like to play and the performance boost when multi tasking will be nice.

Yeah it's a socket 939.

 

In plain words, are you going to tweak with your processor you'll obviously be needing a Heatsink or a water cooler would be even better but then if you are not looking to Overclock, you are good to go without it as AMD Athlon 64 3000+ has it's own and brilliantly working fan ! Hope it helps

 

There is no overclocking capability available.

 

Then for normal ( day to day activity or even a bit more) functions, you woudn't need a heatsink . But just to let you know, it's always great to have a heatsink. It technically elongates your machine's life. And you can always get some great coolers under $5 !

 

Great thanks for your reply.

 

not a problem The pleasure is always mine

 

dude... best be safe and buy a third party CPU fan/heatsink or one that fits a CPU. AMD's do usually run hotter than Intel, and as always when using a new fan/heatsink on the CPU, invest in some thermal compound/gel which makes the CPU even cooler.

try something along the lines of ;
http://www.walmart.com/ip/20449158?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227000000000&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=&wl3=21486607510&wl4=&wl5=pla&veh=sem

(sorry for the long url, cant seem to include links).