Fastest processor on a HP Aloe-GL8E motherboard

[MBNovice]

DxZen,

Thank you so much for this post.  I wish I had read it years ago.  I can only hope you're still active on this board and replying to posts.  I have a question for you (or anyone else for that matter that can answer this):

I have an HP p6520f with the Foxconn H-RS880-uATX (Aloe) AMD 785G motherboard from 2010.  I looked all over the motherboard for the HP Part Number to determine what version I have and this is what I found on a sticker near the RAM sockets: 618937-001.   So, according to your post, my motherboard is definitely not an Aloe#1, but a version of the Aloe #2 or Aloe #3 since the only discrepancy is the last digit - mine ends in 001, not 002.

I also verified the current BIOS version on my PC: it's American Megatrends Inc. version 6.03, 4/12/2010.  Once again, there's another discrepancy with the last digit - mine ends in .03 and not .09.  But other than those two discrepancies, the specs of my motherboard are exactly the same as the Aloe #2 and Aloe #3.

Therefore, I think I can rule rule out that it's not the Aloe #1 and so it must be compatible with the AMD Phenom II X6 processors, right?  Is it possible my PC won't recognize a 6 core processor because the BIOS version is 6.03 and 6.09?  I did a search for an update, but came up empty handed.  HP's website for my system seems to have been abandoned.  I'm getting the impression they want (me) consumers to buy new rather than tweak their older systems.

Thank you.  Any help would be much appreciated.

[DxZen]

It's not absolutely imperative to update the BIOS from 6.03 to 6.09 for the Phenom II X6 1090T to work. The 6.03 BIOS will allow the Phenom II X6 1090T to work just fine with your motherboard. You can update the BIOS through a 3rd party site like through Driversguru because HP apparently no longer has it -- they faze out drivers and even BIOS updates and 3rd party sites pick them up. Just make sure you click on the right link so you're not downloading something you don't need. The 6.09 BIOS is a Service pack (sp49851.exe)...

http://www.driversguru.com/driverdetail/2156268-H-RS880-uATX+Motherboard+BIOS+Update

I haven't priced out these CPUs in a while. The Phenom II X6 1090T (125W) operates at a good clip, but as far as wattage and as for cooling, I preferred the Phenom II X6 1045T or the Phenom II X6 1065T (both 95W).  

[MBNovice]

Thank you very much!  I was able to successfully download the 6.09 BIOS version, so I'm good to on that front. 

My next question is what fan would your recommend today?  I looked up the Deep Cool fan and I don't think it's made anymore.  I've also read good things about Zalman, Cooler Master and Noctua.

Also, I'm hoping to find the fastest 6 core for the price.  Is heat (wattage) really any issue with the right aftermarket fan considering the motherboard handles 125 watts?  By putting a 1100t or 1090t Phenom in it I hope to extend the shelf life of my system until it's time to invest in a new computer.

Thanks again for all your help!

[DxZen]

Logisys = Deepcool. I'm not sure of what 3rd party fan to use off the top of my head, but it has to be a 3-pin fan -- 4-pin CPU fan with PWM, if memory serves, will not work with the Aloe motherboard because it will fail at POST as the CPU fan will not be recognized by the system -- so the motherboard will power off immediately with a 4-pin CPU fan over that processor. So you're limited by 3 pin CPU fans and you want it to an efficient enough cooler for a beast of a 125W CPU -- and this can be a bit of a problem.  Some of the stock HP (OEM) 3-pin fan heatsinks with 4-copper heatpipes will work -- such as with AVC. 3rd party heatsinks for this board can be tricky because of that 4-pin fan snafu I mentioned & there's no way to work around this. I like Arctic Cooling products. I believe the Arctic Cooling 64 Freezer Pro (the original with 3-pin) would work well, but it's a bit dated so maybe harder to find now.  Stay away from 4-pin fans with PWM. They're not going to work.

[MBNovice]

Thank you. I understand why you went with the 1065t (95w) now. Not only does it run cooler and use less power, it's a lot easier to find a heatsink rated for it that's 95 watts and has a 3-pin connector. The fan probably runs a lot quieter too. Someone's got to make an aftermarket heatsink today with a 3-pin connector that fits this midsize case and can handle 125 watts. I'm sure I'm not the only one in this predicament. What I can't wrap my brain around is how these fans extend off their base and blow or suck air in a perpendicular direction rather than the parallel direction the stock heatsink/fan does. I mean, which direction are you supposed to mount these newer heatsinks so the hot air can escape the case? Or is the airflow just meant to blow over the motherboard? Anyway, thanks again for being generous with your time.

[DxZen]

Sorry I didn't answer this sooner. My time, due to work, is highly limited. Right now my own HP Desktop has an FX-8120 (8-core 3.1GHz 125W) AMD processor and I'm using an Arctic Cooling i11 Heatsink/Fan and the Fan points directly toward the case fan and blows the hot air right out of the slighly cramped HP H8-1200 case. The motherboard is basically an AM3b (AM3+ black socket) HP OEM Gigabyte M3970AM (Angelica2) - M397BM / M3970CM (970) micro-ATX motherboard -- basically slighly newer uATX boards compared to the HP RS880 (785G) AM3 Aloe in that they allow the 8-core (FX) and backwards compatible with AM3 CPUs like the Phenom II X6 1090T. So my Artic Cooling i11 CPU fan is set up in the same direction as the case fan - both blowing out the heat in tandem towards the outside of the desktop case. But honestly, I don't think it matters with the orientation of the CPU fan in the case with a 3rd party heatsink/fan -- you could have the fan blowing over the RAM slots & there's not going to be any difference in efficiency of the cooler -- these 3rd party heatsinks are highly efficient and you don't even hear them hardly & they keep the CPU cool. Not so with a stock fan like an AVC which is an AMD sleeve cooler that blows the air up off the CPU and not much more -- and you can hear that OEM fan cranking when you put some load on 4 or more cores of the 6.