AMD Duron Help!

[rtd2x]

I want to purchase an AMD Duron 800 MHz, I've been looking eveywhere for material about the processor but can't find what I'm looking for so maybe you guys/gals can help me out.
First question, will a 300w power supply be suitable for an overclocked Duron 800? I plan to hook it up with the ABIT KT7A RAID motherboard. I'm going to install a soundcard that I already have SonicImpact and i have high hopes of purchasing a VooDoo5 AGP card. I've been reading quite a bit of articles on Anthlon cpu and that they tend to heat up fast is this true for all types of AMD cpus?
Second the heatsink/fan combo I want to purchase is made for an AMD 1 Ghz Socket A cpu, will it be suitable for an Duron 800 overclocked an extra 200 Mhz? Check out the fan (http://www.directron.com/du0462.html) here.
That's about it. I know if i overclock i need to have good air flow. On the cases power supply the air vents are in the front instead of the bottom, will this affect the cpu's temp? On AMD's site they have an instruction sheet for choosing the right case, power supply etc. for their Anthlon processors but no info about their Duron cpu's. I'm going to install an additional fan in the back just below the power supply and it already includes the front fan. What do you think?

RTD2

[hiredgoonz]

Before you do anything, check out www.tomshardware.com (http://www.tomshardware.com) you can find out everything you ever wanted to know about athlons/durons, cooling, o'clocking...this is an excellent site, although some of the articles are at the level of advanced computer engineering degrees...

[Rick]

The First thing I suggest is that you use the link to the fan you have in your original post.
Then click on Customer Reviews.

Heres a few of them.
"This fan will not work on abit KT7 motherboards. There is not enough clearance.."
--Nicholas

"Great design, heat sink only gets warm to the touch & it mounts to the socket nicely.
Really quiet."--Steve S.

"This fan DEFINETLY will not work with the KT7-Raid. I bought 2 cause review sites
said this was the best fan for your tbird and it fits all boards. This fan ripped some parts
lose on the raid controller. IT IS TOO BIG!!!" --Arthur H.

"Very cool looking though I wish I could same the same about its thermal properties..If
all you want is looks go with this cooler otherwise I recommend GlobalWIN 32-I-its only
1 cent more and you get more than just looks. (Thermaltake cannot be installed
correctly on ABit KT7 or KT7-RAID)"

[tjaymadison]

Randy is the resident AMD guru. Wait a while 'til he sees your post; I'm sure he'll have some good suggestions.

[Randy_tx]

DONT DO IT http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Even Tom Pabst (founder of Tom's Hardware) doesnt recommend overclocking a Duron unless you are willing to lose your mobo, cpu and vid card and unless you are VERY experienced @ building computers.
In my studies of overclocking a Duron I found that in EVERY case I could buy the more expensive chip that I was trying to clock TO....for the same money it would cost to effectively cool the overclocked Duron !
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"As hard as a rock & dumb as a brick"...Windows CEMeNT

[This message has been edited by Randy_tx (edited 03-31-2001).]

[sleddog]

Well, I just *gotta* disagree here Randy http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

I look on a quality heatsink fan (hsf) as an investment, something to be passed on to the grandchildren... http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

I buy a Duron 600 OEM and a quality hsf and overclock to 900 (simply by changing the multiplier).

Now, next I might buy a Duron 800 retail. Put my quality hsf on it and overclock to a gig or so. Put the stock hsf on the 600 for a 2nd system and clock it to its default 600.

Now next I might buy.....

But, well, you see what I mean I hope http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif


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sleddog
[sleddog.f2s.com] (http://www.sleddog.f2s.com)

[sleddog]

To answer the original post:

300W is fine provided you aren't running a lot of additional hardware -- such as extra CD and HD drives. I run a Duron 600 overclocked to 900 on only a 250W power supply, no problem. But I have only 1 harddrive, 1 cdrom and a low-end video card. Some high performance video cards are very power hungry.

Yes, AMDs run hot. This includes Durons. The stock heatsink/fan is (in my opinion) *barely* adequate.

A standard setup for case fans is like this: bottom front intake (fan drawing air into the case), upper rear exhaust (fan blowing out of the case). Hot air rises, right?

DON'T BUY an orb cooler, they're crap. An excellent cooler for the Duron is the Alpha PAL6035 as seen here: http://2cooltek.safeshopper.com/1/cat1.htm?115

DON'T OVERCLOCK until: (1) your d*mn sure the system is rock solid at default settings. Run it for a week with all your software installed. (2) you're *sure* you know what your doing. Read, read, read... here's another good resource (in addition to Randy's link): http://www.overclockers.com/


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sleddog
[sleddog.f2s.com] (http://www.sleddog.f2s.com)