intel vs amd heat sink failure

["Steve Richter" <srichter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Off topic, but relative to those of us responsible for the pc's of our
organization ...

A very good pc hardware site, toms hardware guide,
http://www4.tomshardware.com/cpu/01q3/010917/index.html
has an interesting test of how the the intel and amd giga hertz cpu's handle
heat sink failure. ( the $8 fan stops blowing )

When the pentiium III overheats, the cpu is shut down but not damaged.

The newer pentium 4 automatically reduces its speed when it starts to
overheat. The pc continues to run, just a lot slower than normal. ( Very
well done by Intel )

The AMD Athalon however has no such protection. Seconds after removing the
heat sink from the Athalon, a literal meltdown occured. Quoting from the
article:

"The removal of the heat sink proves to be fatal. In less than a second
Athlon 1400 dies the heat death. It doesn't take long and the core reaches a
temperature of extremely hefty 370 degrees Celsius / 698 degrees Fahrenheit.
If the user of the Athlon system doesn't turn off his box immediately, the
motherboard will be destroyed too. There's even the risk of a fire.

AMD did not bless the Thunderbird core with ANY thermal protection
whatsoever. If the heat sink should come off, the owner is facing a
significant financial loss. He requires a new processor and possibly a new
motherboard too."

hth,

Steve Richter