Intel CPU Fan Mounting; Interchangeable?

[CDsDontBurn]

From experience, I've never seen my computer go over a certain mark (which, of course, changes given the voltage, etc.). I'd argue that if it's sitting pretty at, say, 60 degrees Celsius, then it's not going to shoot up to 100 overnight.

Agreed.

The only way this would happen would be if the active cooling suddenly stopped working. Otherwise, once the load temperature is reached for the particular component being stressed, say CPU or GPU, the temperature will remain there +/- 3 degrees.

[PP Mguire]

You guys ever folded before? Once you saturate the air in or around your system and it starts heating things up (think a car in the summer) the temps start to slowly rise. This is why server CPUs are binned so high so they can withstand an environment like that if cooling isn't proper to the load. So in other words, if you don't constant cool airflow in and around your case your temps can actually start increasing over the hours. Not to mention the possibility of voltage leak, CPU overwork, ect ect.

[najiro]

folded? I tried doing that but my bandwidth is killing me.. I do run my PC overnight for torrents but those don't do a lot of activity. Does folding do a lot of activity to both processor and memory?

[PP Mguire]

Folding hardly touches internet bandwidth but maxes your CPU and GPU (if capable) in different ways than gaming. It's comparable to say putting IBT and Furmark and leaving it on 24/7.

[CDsDontBurn]

You guys ever folded before? Once you saturate the air in or around your system and it starts heating things up (think a car in the summer) the temps start to slowly rise. This is why server CPUs are binned so high so they can withstand an environment like that if cooling isn't proper to the load. So in other words, if you don't constant cool airflow in and around your case your temps can actually start increasing over the hours. Not to mention the possibility of voltage leak, CPU overwork, ect ect.

Which is why you control the ambient temperature of the room. Nobody is going to just get something like this up and running and stick it in a closet without any moving air unless there was no other choice. And even then, attempts would be made to somehow get the temperature cooled down some.

[PP Mguire]

My PC with the case closed is in my living room with my AC set to 68f even with temps dipping below the 50s right now. My temps still start to slowly rise when I'm folding regardless. This still goes back to my point previously made, if you need absolute stability for something obviously more important than gaming then you don't need to be OCing and should probably purchase a faster CPU. I have my CPU at 4.7 right now as a test (of many things) and I guarantee you that if I put IBT to it I would BSOD or overheat. So far during browsing, movie watching, Skyrim/BF3 gaming, Handbrake encoding, and Photoshop its been perfectly stable. It's a give or take.

[najiro]

Folding hardly touches internet bandwidth but maxes your CPU and GPU (if capable) in different ways than gaming. It's comparable to say putting IBT and Furmark and leaving it on 24/7.

really?!?! O____O
ack! that would skyrocket my already-huge electric bill.. X__X

[PP Mguire]

Not entirely. You have to be pulling a ton of watts per item to really make your bill go above 5-10 extra dollars a month with one PC.