# AMD Phenom 955 Heatsink



## Daniel184

I'm in desperate need of a new heatsink for this processor. My idling temperature is around 40 degree C and full load temperature is around 75 degree C. Can anyone recommend a good heatsink for the AMD Phenom X4 955? I have read about the cooler master V8, but i'm not sure if it is compatible with this processor.

Sorry... please move this to the right section of this forum.


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## linkin

yes, the coolermaster v8 is compatible with your cpu.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...03055&cm_re=cpu_cooler-_-35-103-055-_-Product

You'll also want some thermal paste:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_re=arctic_silver_5-_-35-100-007-_-Product

And just so you know how much thermal paste to use, look here for some good info:

http://www.computerforum.com/104641-how-build-computer-step-step-photos.html


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## Daniel184

Will the Tuniq TX-2 Thermal Compound do?


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## 87dtna

The V8 is HUGE, very heavy, and a real pain to install especially if you already have your motherboard installed.

If you want something economical, and is a direct swap out for a stock cooler yet cools well, this is THE best bang for the buck cpu cooler hands down-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...5125&cm_re=freezer_pro-_-35-185-125-_-Product

That cooler uses the stock style AM2/3 clamp brackets.  It will take 5 minutes to swap to this cooler.  A V8 will take 1/2 hour minimum, and thats if you know what you are doing so if you don't plan on an hour.

Oh, this cooler comes with thermal paste already on it, but the paste Linkin93 suggested is good stuff and highly recommended.  Or the stuff you have will work fine too.


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## ganzey

my friend just got one of these  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...m_re=zalman_cpu_cooler-_-35-118-046-_-Product

it performs almost as good as my v8, but its really easy to install


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## Daniel184

ganzey said:


> my friend just got one of these  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...m_re=zalman_cpu_cooler-_-35-118-046-_-Product
> 
> it performs almost as good as my v8, but its really easy to install



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103055&cm_re=v8-_-35-103-055-_-Product

Newegg has the V8 for $50 + free shipping, which is pretty much the same price as the one you link me. Is this the best bang for the buck?


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## linkin

for the price, yes.


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## ganzey

Daniel184 said:


> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103055&cm_re=v8-_-35-103-055-_-Product
> 
> Newegg has the V8 for $50 + free shipping, which is pretty much the same price as the one you link me. Is this the best bang for the buck?



what linkin said. but if you get the v8, you have to take out your motherboard and install a new mounting bracket, with the zalman, it just goes in where the old one was.


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## 87dtna

^same with the freezer pro.  The freezer pro is half the price of the V8, without sacrificing much if at all cooling plus as explained does not require removal of motherboard for install.  If fact it's even easier than tha zalman to install because it comes with the AM2/3 clamps already on it.


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## Jamin43

87dtna said:


> The V8 is HUGE, very heavy, and a real pain to install especially if you already have your motherboard installed.
> too.



It's not too bad.  I was concerned about that too - but the install is a piece of cake.  You just need to get the heat sink installed before putting your MOBO in your case.  

I've got an antec 300 and it was a tight squeeze to get my fingers in to the screw one of the Motherboard fasteners to the case - but doable - and plugging in the CPU power cable was a knuckle buster.  I wonder if a full sized case would be easier to install.  

How often do you remove your heatsink anyway.  Unless / until the heatsink fan goes out on me - I'm happy with my V8 :good:

And yes it comes with a Universal backplate - that adjusts to AM3, 1366, 1156, 775, and AM2.  You just push in the spring loaded screws and move them to the proper position where the screws line up with the holes in your MOBO. Your Phenom II 955 should fit fine :good:


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## linkin

that's why you get a case where you can take the other side panel off and access the back of the mobo, specifically the backplate for heatsinks


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## Daniel184

So the V8 is the best cooler in terms of performance?


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## linkin

yes, and it's on sale, so that makes it the best bang for buck too.


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## anbo369

you could get the cooler master tx3. i don't think its the best cooler, but it should do the job, and you can add another fan to it if you feel like it!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103064&Tpk=cooler master tx3

its nice and cheap aswell


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## Jamin43

linkin93 said:


> yes, and it's on sale, so that makes it the best bang for buck too.



Amazon has it selling for * 56 Bucks - Free Shipping * - and you don't have to wait for rebates


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## Jamin43

linkin93 said:


> that's why you get a case where you can take the other side panel off and access the back of the mobo, specifically the backplate for heatsinks



I went for cheap for my first PC build.  What price range do you get the access for backplates and heatsinks like that?  

I couldn't see myself paying more than 100 bucks and am kindof partial to Antec and Cooler Master cases.


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## 87dtna

Daniel184 said:


> So the V8 is the best cooler in terms of performance?





linkin93 said:


> yes, and it's on sale, so that makes it the best bang for buck too.



No the TRUE is the best air cooler, but very hard to find anymore.  I have 2 of them 

The V8 is not even close to the best bang for the buck cooler.  Look at how many reviews the V8 has, and look at how many the Freezer pro has.  V8 has 650, FP has a couple thousand reviews.  You don't get thousands of reviews unless it's really good.  And guess what, it's HALF the price of the V8 with 7/8 the cooling ability.  Bang for the buck right there with MUCH MUCH MUCH easier installation.


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## 87dtna

Jamin43 said:


> I went for cheap for my first PC build.  What price range do you get the access for backplates and heatsinks like that?
> 
> I couldn't see myself paying more than 100 bucks and am kindof partial to Antec and Cooler Master cases.



An Antec 200 and 300 both have the opening in the back, but thats not gonna help you much anyway because they are designed for intel not AMD.  The hole in the back was not in the correct area, so I had to remove the motherboard anyway.  This is back when I owned my Phenom II setup.

I would stop listening to Linkin, he has never owned nor installed a V8 based on the comments he's made here.


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## Daniel184

87dtna said:


> The V8 is not even close to the best bang for the buck cooler.  Look at how many reviews the V8 has, and look at how many the Freezer pro has.  V8 has 650, FP has a couple thousand reviews.  You don't get thousands of reviews unless it's really good.  And guess what, it's HALF the price of the V8 with 7/8 the cooling ability.  Bang for the buck right there with MUCH MUCH MUCH easier installation.




Well, the cooler is only $50 after rebate. It's kind of a good deal since the original price is $69.99. $50 is somewhat within the price range of most high end freezer pro coolers. Plus, reviews are overrated  (i.e. Arctic Silver 5 vs. Tuniq TX-2). These two thermal compounds perform very well in terms of performance. In fact, I think the Tuniq TX-2 outperforms the AS5 even though it has less reviews. Here are the links:

http://www.tuniq.com.tw/images/product/TX-2/TX-2-2.jpg

http://www.cluboc.net/reviews/cpu_accessories/thermal_paste/tuniq/tx2/2.asp

How hard is it to install a V8? I have watched a youtube video of this guy who installed it in 5 min. Is it hard because the screws they give you are bad quality and can break really easily or something else?


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## 87dtna

Whatever man waste your money.  Seems your mind is already made up so just do it already and regret it later.  Did you not see the freezer pro I linked too?  It's $28 with free shipping.
And about the reviews, it's not what they are saying it's the amount of reviews it has.  I'm saying, an item that performs poorly isn't going to sell very well.  I honestly think the freezer pro is THE most sold HSF on newegg.  And thats because it's THE best bang for the buck hands down.  The V8 HSF in general is whats overrated.  The only thing it has is the bling factor.

Sounded like your system was already built.  You have to remove the mobo to install a V8.  Yeah maybe 5 min to actually install it to the board thats already out of your case.  Takes a good 1/2 hour for total install.


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## Daniel184

Someone said that it will work on a phenom 955, but how come (http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0299478) says that it's only compatible with AM2+ and AM2 socket? It will work on the AM3 socket right?


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## 87dtna

Daniel184 said:


> Someone said that it will work on a phenom 955, but how come (http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0299478) says that it's only compatible with AM2+ and AM2 socket? It will work on the AM3 socket right?



If I say no does that mean you won't get it? 

You already had your mind set on the V8, so why bother posting?  It's sad when a 16 year old that doesn't have 3 computer builds to his name can convince you so easily.


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## Jamin43

Daniel184 said:


> Someone said that it will work on a phenom 955, but how come (http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0299478) says that it's only compatible with AM2+ and AM2 socket? It will work on the AM3 socket right?



The current ones - yes they work on AM3 socket.  If Microcenter sits on inventory for a very long time - maybe not - but if you're buying locally, you can read the side of the box and it sayswhat sockets the product supports.  The one I got from Newegg as a Black Friday sale had a universal plate for core Socket 775, i5, i3, i7, AM2 & AM3 on their instruction sheets


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## Aastii

linkin93 said:


> yes, and it's on sale, so that makes it the best bang for buck too.



Linkin, the V8 is very VERY over rated.

Can I throw a curve ball and say, even though it is more expensive, seriously consider

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835242001

+

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835242003

+ 120mm fan of your choice

It is more expensive, but it is expensive for a reason, it keeps the CPU effing cold. I built a system for a friend with a 965BE in, OCed it to 4GHz with that on and isn't going over 45 under stress


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## bomberboysk

Aastii said:


> Linkin, the V8 is very VERY over rated.
> 
> Can I throw a curve ball and say, even though it is more expensive, seriously consider
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835242001
> 
> +
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835242003
> 
> + 120mm fan of your choice
> 
> It is more expensive, but it is expensive for a reason, it keeps the CPU effing cold. I built a system for a friend with a 965BE in, OCed it to 4GHz with that on and isn't going over 45 under stress


Definately, the V8 is at best a mediocre cooler unless you get a very good deal on it, although these days the venomous-X by thermalright outperforms the megahalems by a small margin but is a good bit more expensive.


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## Aastii

bomberboysk said:


> Definately, the V8 is at best a mediocre cooler unless you get a very good deal on it, although these days the venomous-X by thermalright outperforms the megahalems by a small margin but is a good bit more expensive.



don't think we got them over here yet. Do you have a link to any benchmarks of it that have been done? I say the megahalems temps and was shocked, would like to see it be outperformed


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## Daniel184

I have found so many useful information. One last question:

What makes any heatsink a good heatsink?
They all use the same concept. Copper for the base because it has a high heat transfer rate and aluminum for the body of the heatsink because it has a high heat retention status. This frame http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835242001 is almost the same as the V8's structure in terms of surface area for the aluminum body. They all redirect the heat away from the core and store it in the aluminum body in a higher up place. So is it the fan that plays a major role in determining how good a cooler is? Right now, I don't have my mind set on the V8 yet. Some of you said that my eye is set on the V8. Just need more information before I buy anything.

PS: atm, I have a hose running from outside (28 degree F) to my processor to keep it cool


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## 87dtna

Will someone else agree with me that the freezer pro is a good cooler, because the OP apparently doesn't like listening to me.  

It's basically a smaller TRUE, or venomous X (which is the newer version of the TRUE) for $28 with free shipping.  It's more than enough CPU cooler for a Phenom II.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...5125&cm_re=freezer_pro-_-35-185-125-_-Product


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## Aastii

Daniel184 said:


> I have found so many useful information. One last question:
> 
> What makes any heatsink a good heatsink?
> They all use the same concept. Copper for the base because it has a high heat transfer rate and aluminum for the body of the heatsink because it has a high heat retention status. This frame http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835242001 is almost the same as the V8's structure in terms of surface area for the aluminum body. They all redirect the heat away from the core and store it in the aluminum body in a higher up place. So is it the fan that plays a major role in determining how good a cooler is? Right now, I don't have my mind set on the V8 yet. Some of you said that my eye is set on the V8. Just need more information before I buy anything.
> 
> PS: atm, I have a hose running from outside (28 degree F) to my processor to keep it cool



It is about fin design, pipe design, quality of metals used, lots of factors basically. Some do it better than others, and these are generally more expensive because of the higher quality of the production (which makes it more expensive to produce) and becauase people will pay extra for the better cooling.



87dtna said:


> Will someone else agree with me that the freezer pro is a good cooler, because the OP apparently doesn't like listening to me.
> 
> It's basically a smaller TRUE, or venomous X (which is the newer version of the TRUE) for $28 with free shipping.  It's more than enough CPU cooler for a Phenom II.
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...5125&cm_re=freezer_pro-_-35-185-125-_-Product



It is good for its price, but if the OP plans on overclocking he will be able to get much further on a better CPU. If not though, on stock it will be fine for it, heck the stock HS+fan would be, especially if lapped


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## Cams

Dont let the fact that it's not coolermaster or prolimitech or the fact that it's $28.00 mislead you. This cooler is great. My buddy just got one for his first build. No OC yet but his temps are low and very stable/consistent.


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## Aastii

Cams said:


> Dont let the fact that it's not coolermaster or prolimitech or the fact that it's $28.00 mislead you. This cooler is great. My buddy just got one for his first build. No OC yet but his temps are low and very stable/consistent.



That is what I said, it is good for its price, however if you plan overclocking, you won't go as far on that as it will on the more reputable heatsinks.

And I am not saying AC aren't reputable, they have some very good cooling products, however that particular one isn't as good as the megahalems or venomous-x or the other "big boys" of the CPU cooling


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## 87dtna

Aastii said:


> It is good for its price, but if the OP plans on overclocking he will be able to get much further on a better CPU. If not though, on stock it will be fine for it, heck the stock HS+fan would be, especially if lapped




Phenom II's don't create that much heat.  My Phenom II quad overclocked to 3.8 ghz took 1.50 Vcore to get stable.  I actually removed my coolermaster GeminII heatsink to put a stocker on (the best stocker from a 955be, the one with 4 copper heat pipes) and temps maxxed at 65c prime95 small fft at 3.8ghz 1.50 Vcore.  The freezer pro will keep it MUCH cooler than that, at minimum 10c cooler if not 15.
With the TRUE, temps stayed BELOW 50c at 3.9ghz which took 1.575 Vcore to achieve stable.  The freezer pro is just a smaller TRUE, so I'm very confident that it will stay cool enough no matter what he does.


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## Aastii

87dtna said:


> Phenom II's don't create that much heat.  My Phenom II quad overclocked to 3.8 ghz took 1.50 Vcore to get stable.  I actually removed my coolermaster GeminII heatsink to put a stocker on (the best stocker from a 955be, the one with 4 copper heat pipes) and temps maxxed at 65c prime95 small fft at 3.8ghz 1.50 Vcore.  The freezer pro will keep it MUCH cooler than that, at minimum 10c cooler if not 15.
> With the TRUE, temps stayed BELOW 50c at 3.9ghz which took 1.575 Vcore to achieve stable.  The freezer pro is just a smaller TRUE, so I'm very confident that it will stay cool enough no matter what he does.



I would rather buy a megahalems or vememous and have it never go over 40 than buy a cheaper one and never have it go over 50. To state the obvious, more heat=shorter life span for CPUs, so the cooler, the better in the long run. You may have to dis out 2, 3 times as much in the short term, but in the long run you are saving the cost of a new CPU a year or 2 earlier than you otherwise would have to. Yes, that may come when phenomII's are well and truely outdated for an every day PC, but you can stick one in a server PC or whatever "low" CPU load systems are required in the future.

As much as you are having a go at linkin for liking the V8, I think you need to think about yourself for a moment thinking that the cooler you put up is the be all and end all, a little bit of hypocracy going on here me thinks


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## 87dtna

Aastii said:


> I would rather buy a megahalems or vememous and have it never go over 40 than buy a cheaper one and never have it go over 50. To state the obvious, more heat=shorter life span for CPUs, so the cooler, the better in the long run. You may have to dis out 2, 3 times as much in the short term, but in the long run you are saving the cost of a new CPU a year or 2 earlier than you otherwise would have to. Yes, that may come when phenomII's are well and truely outdated for an every day PC, but you can stick one in a server PC or whatever "low" CPU load systems are required in the future.
> 
> As much as you are having a go at linkin for liking the V8, I think you need to think about yourself for a moment thinking that the cooler you put up is the be all and end all, a little bit of hypocracy going on here me thinks



Those two you mentioned are no better than the TRUE I have.  No air cooler will keep a quad core at 1.575 Vcore and 25% overclock under 40c.  You are just as misinformed/unexperienced as he is to make that statement.

99% of people won't crank the juice like I do either.  Most people get scared to go above 1.4 Vcore.  And at 3.6ghz and 1.4 Vcore, the freezer pro will keep it as cool as any other air cooler you can buy.  So guess the real question should be directed at the OP, how much is he going to be overclocking and what Vcore would he be comfortable using.

There's also nothing hypocritical about my statements.  I'm saying that the freezer pro sounds to me like the best cooler for his situation.  If he was building at I7 rig and planned to overclock to 4ghz+, than yeah I would be recommending the same coolers as you have if not water/dice/ln2/etc.  But again for his situation, anything more than a freezer pro is simply a waste of money and install time.


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## Aastii

87dtna said:


> Those two you mentioned are no better than the TRUE I have.  No air cooler will keep a quad core at 1.575 Vcore and 25% overclock under 40c.  You are just as misinformed/unexperienced as he is to make that statement.
> 
> 99% of people won't crank the juice like I do either.  Most people get scared to go above 1.4 Vcore.  And at 3.6ghz and 1.4 Vcore, the freezer pro will keep it as cool as any other air cooler you can buy.  So guess the real question should be directed at the OP, how much is he going to be overclocking and what Vcore would he be comfortable using.



you do realise that those figures were for illustrative reasons, rather than actual figures from a system, right  ?

the whole point is that yes, the cooler you have is good and has good costerformance ratio, however there are better out there that will keep his chip cooler, even though they may cost more; the one you are on about yes, is alright, but it isn't the ONLY option and it isn't the best option


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## Jamin43

Everything's relative here to what you want it to do and what you're willing to pay.  I wanted a Noctua - wanted a Megahelms with 2 fans - but put off buying either b/c of price.  I was interested in the V8 too - but wasn't willing to pay 70 bucks for it.

I just kept an eye on sales as they came about - and used my stock cooler.  On Black friday I picked up a V8 for 39 bucks and couldn't be happier with it - well unless I picked up a Noctua for similar price 

There was another I almost picked up - but I missed the sale price so waited a bit to pick up the V8


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## 87dtna

Phenom II's simply don't produce as much heat as comparable intel cpu's, thats a fact.  I ran my Phenom II quad at 3.8ghz with the stock cooler 24/7 with no issues.  Yes like you said if for some strange reason you think you are going to use the CPU for a server down the road (umm which 98% of PC users don't do) the AF64 will keep the CPU plenty cool for longevity.


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## Daniel184

Is it necessary to lap these high end heat sinks or are they good enough because they're expensive?


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## 87dtna

Daniel184 said:


> Is it necessary to lap these high end heat sinks or are they good enough because they're expensive?



Most are fine.

Can you answer this question though....what are your overclocking goals and how high of Voltage would you feel comfortable putting to the CPU?


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## StrangleHold

Forget both of them. The A/C Freezer 64 pro is a ok cooler, pretty much a lowerend one. The C/M V8 is overpriced for it cooling ability. 

You can get a Zerotherm ZF120 for 7 bucks more with free shipping then the Freezer 64. And the ZF120 will lay waste to it, kick it around and spit on it. You dont have to take the board out and you can mount the cooler in any direction you want to. Even comes with pretty good compound.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10008565


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## 87dtna

^I did think of the zerotherm but I've never seen it that cheap.  Good find.  I'll +1 for the zerotherm!


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## Daniel184

I didn't get the V8. Anymore recommendation on what to get? Right now, I'm looking at 

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...3&cm_re=Xigmatek_S1283-_-35-233-003-_-Product

and

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134


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## 87dtna

Freezer 7 is for Intel CPU's, the freezer 64 is for AMD....it's also cheaper and the one I've been recommending all along.

EDIT- Holy cow it's dirt cheap right now!  How can you beat $24 shipped!  This isn't a huge investment here that you'll regret for trying it out.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185125&Tpk=freezer 64


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## NCspecV81

Megahalem's are nice if you can spare the change.


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