Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 BX80570E7300 User Manual

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Thermal and Mechanical Design Guidelines  

determination of the localized air temperature around the processor during system 

thermal testing.  

For active heatsinks, it is important to avoid taking measurement in the dead flow 

zone that usually develops above the fan hub and hub spokes. Measurements should 

be taken at four different locations uniformly placed at the center of the annulus 

formed by the fan hub and the fan housing to evaluate the uniformity of the air 

temperature at the fan inlet. The thermocouples should be placed approximately 

3 mm to 8 mm [0.1 to 0.3 in] above the fan hub vertically and halfway between the 
fan hub and the fan housing horizontally as shown in the ATX heatsink in Figure 

(avoiding the hub spokes). Using an open bench to characterize an active heatsink can 

be useful, and usually ensures more uniform temperatures at the fan inlet. However, 

additional tests that include a solid barrier above the test motherboard surface can 

help evaluate the potential impact of the chassis. This barrier is typically clear 

Plexiglas*, extending at least 100 mm [4 in] in all directions beyond the edge of the 

thermal solution. Typical distance from the motherboard to the barrier is 81 mm  

[3.2 in]. For even more realistic airflow, the motherboard should be populated with 

significant elements like memory cards, graphic card, and chipset heatsink. If a 

barrier is used, the thermocouple can be taped directly to the barrier with a clear tape 

at the horizontal location as previously described, half way between the fan hub and 

the fan housing. If a variable speed fan is used, it may be useful to add a 

thermocouple taped to the barrier above the location of the temperature sensor used 

by the fan to check its speed setting against air temperature. When measuring T

A

 in a 

chassis with a live motherboard, add-in cards, and other system components, it is 

likely that the T

A

 measurements will reveal a highly non-uniform temperature 

distribution across the inlet fan section.  

For passive heatsinks, thermocouples should be placed approximately 13 mm to 
25 mm [0.5 to 1.0 in] away from processor and heatsink as shown in Figure 

3-3. The 

thermocouples should be placed approximately 51 mm [2.0 in] above the baseboard. 

This placement guideline is meant to minimize the effect of localized hot spots from 

baseboard components. 

Note:  Testing an active heatsink with a variable speed fan can be done in a thermal chamber 

to capture the worst-case thermal environment scenarios. Otherwise, when doing a 
bench top test at room temperature, the fan regulation prevents the heatsink from 
operating at its maximum capability. To characterize the heatsink capability in the 
worst-case environment in these conditions, it is then necessary to disable the fan 
regulation and power the fan directly, based on guidance from the fan supplier.