drsmith Posted September 20, 2008 Posted September 20, 2008 Browsing through a PC retailer's website I note there are now 9 bladed CPU fans. For noise the one below from Coolermaster is rated at 17dBA. http://www.coolermaster.com/products/produ...ail&id=2569 I'm interested in replacing the stock CPU fan with one of these as it is the noisiest component in the PC. The problem with the Coolermaster fan however is that the attachments to the heatsink are different to the Pentium D stock cooler. I would prefer to replace just the fan not the heatsink. In any case the stock Pentium D heatsink has a copper core whereas the coolermaster heatsink above does not. To that end I'm interested in a CPU fan of the above type but one that will attach to the Pentium D stock heatsink (link for Pentium D stock cooler below). http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2025
Pixels Posted September 21, 2008 Posted September 21, 2008 Doc, it seems that the mounting of the coolmaster fan is a two piece affair, with the fan frame screwing/clipping to a circular adapter that looks to be secured into the fins of the heatsink. Swapping it to your heatsink may not be too much of an issue.
Mr.Bitey Posted September 21, 2008 Posted September 21, 2008 (edited) Doc, Ive put one of these badboys in my HTPC: http://www.tuniq.com.tw/Cooler%20Info/Tower-120.htm Its pretty much silent on its lower settings - it is noisy when on its max setting (it has a knob for adjusting its voltage) flat out... However even on its lowest setting it provides excellent cooling if youve got the space (its big). If you have a powersupply that has a large (120) fan on the bottom, you might not even need to use the tuniq's fan (the fins face towards the powersupply). Other than that, id' recommend something like: http://www.zalman.com/ENG/product/Product_Read.asp?idx=312 i have the smaller (92mm fan) version and have just replaced (custom mod) the Zalman fan with a nexus 92 real silent fan (its pretty much silent too).. www.Silentpcreview.com has some good info too. Is there a particular reason you want to keep the stock heatsink? - theyre usually not that good compared with the aftermarket versions... Some decent thermal compound also makes a difference (arctic silver 5, or the tuniq stuff which is very similar in performance - arctic silver is easer to apply tho).. a little differece with thermal compound means you can run the fan a little slower = a little queiter. On my HTPC with the Tuniq 120, the noiesy thing now is the power supply fan when it starts to crank up as it warms up/under load.. it really is very very quiet.. Ive got 4 fans in my HTPC: 1 x Case fan: Scythe Slip Stream Fan 800rpm SY1225SL12L (hooked into the fan-only connector on my sonata case) - inaudable 1 x Tuniq Tower 120 - inaudable on its lowest setting 1 x VGA Silencer - custom mod to run through a zalman fan mate - is getting noisier as its getting old, but still very quiet 1 x ANTEC TRUE380S PSU - loudest fan in the case when under load At idle - this setup is very very quiet, i can only hear the HDD seeking (which is suspended with rubber staps) I'll probably replace the PSU with a corsair unit at some stage which means i should be able to remove the fan on the tuniq (not that it makes any noise).. Cheers, Bitey Edited September 21, 2008 by mr.bitey
myrantz Posted September 22, 2008 Posted September 22, 2008 Throw away all HSFs you own and get a Noctua. Pretty quiet.
Mr.Bitey Posted September 22, 2008 Posted September 22, 2008 (edited) I'd recommend a Themarlright 120 extreme over a noctua, and the tuniq over the thermalright check out some benchmarks/tests (cooling and noise).. I still like the zalman 7000's (with the 120mm fan) cos they provide cooling of the components aroudn the CPU too (and sit flatter) - but they dont cool the cpu quite as well as the tuniq/thermalright.. Theres a big-arse scythe cooler (looks like a big X from the top) that can be run passive (with a 120 nearby to suck air through it) - might be a good alternative but unsure if it sits tall enough for this (ie. tall enough so a rear 120 case fan can suck air through it) the tuniq sure sits very very clost to the bottom of the powersupply, but you'd need to have a 120 fan in the BOTTOM of the p/s to run the tuniq in passive mode... from 'feeling' the airflow of the fan on a low setting i'd rekon a psu would suck as much, or more air through it... EDIT: After some more research it would seem the Thermalright HR-01 Plus can be run in passive mode and faces the rear case fan on intel systems, it'll probably perform similar if not better than the Tuniq 120 but cant find any comparasons atm. EDIT2: Looks like the Tuniq 120 is ment to face the rear case fan, but I couldnt install it that way on my DFI board (the cpu must have a different orientation on the DFI - the rear-plate could only be installed in one direction (its slightly rectangualr, not square and has to go on one way - maybe i'll have another look as in my case it'd be better to have it facing the rear fan... EDIT3: My DFI board has a different CPU socket orientation - hence why its facing the PSU rather than the rear fan Cheers, Bitey Edited September 22, 2008 by mr.bitey
myrantz Posted September 23, 2008 Posted September 23, 2008 I'd recommend a Themarlright 120 extreme over a noctua, and the tuniq over the thermalright check out some benchmarks/tests (cooling and noise).. I still like the zalman 7000's (with the 120mm fan) cos they provide cooling of the components aroudn the CPU too (and sit flatter) - but they dont cool the cpu quite as well as the tuniq/thermalright.. Although the Noctua is not as effective as the Thermalright and Tuniq in cooling, it's quieter I think.. Important for a HTPC setup.
glenncol Posted September 23, 2008 Posted September 23, 2008 I'd recommend a Themarlright 120 extreme over a noctua, and the tuniq over the thermalright check out some benchmarks/tests (cooling and noise).. I still like the zalman 7000's (with the 120mm fan) cos they provide cooling of the components aroudn the CPU too (and sit flatter) - but they dont cool the cpu quite as well as the tuniq/thermalright..Theres a big-arse scythe cooler (looks like a big X from the top) that can be run passive (with a 120 nearby to suck air through it) - might be a good alternative but unsure if it sits tall enough for this (ie. tall enough so a rear 120 case fan can suck air through it) the tuniq sure sits very very clost to the bottom of the powersupply, but you'd need to have a 120 fan in the BOTTOM of the p/s to run the tuniq in passive mode... from 'feeling' the airflow of the fan on a low setting i'd rekon a psu would suck as much, or more air through it... EDIT: After some more research it would seem the Thermalright HR-01 Plus can be run in passive mode and faces the rear case fan on intel systems, it'll probably perform similar if not better than the Tuniq 120 but cant find any comparasons atm. EDIT2: Looks like the Tuniq 120 is ment to face the rear case fan, but I couldnt install it that way on my DFI board (the cpu must have a different orientation on the DFI - the rear-plate could only be installed in one direction (its slightly rectangualr, not square and has to go on one way - maybe i'll have another look as in my case it'd be better to have it facing the rear fan... EDIT3: My DFI board has a different CPU socket orientation - hence why its facing the PSU rather than the rear fan Cheers, Bitey Personally i ran the Thermalright HR-01 Plus , Tuniq120 and Scythe Ninja on my gaming rig prior to going to Swiftech and found the Ninja to be fantastic, can highly recommend this unit
orrelljet Posted September 24, 2008 Posted September 24, 2008 (edited) If you're not interested in spending more on the HSF then the cpu than the Thermaltake Golden Orb II gets my vote - not silent but pretty darn quiet. Edited September 24, 2008 by orrelljet
drsmith Posted September 25, 2008 Author Posted September 25, 2008 Doc, it seems that the mounting of the coolmaster fan is a two piece affair, with the fan frame screwing/clipping to a circular adapter that looks to be secured into the fins of the heatsink.Swapping it to your heatsink may not be too much of an issue. Upon a second look I saw that myself and so took the punt. Unfortunately the fan proved unsuitable for a number of other reasons.
Pixels Posted September 25, 2008 Posted September 25, 2008 (edited) Upon a second look I saw that myself and so took the punt. Unfortunately the fan proved unsuitable for a number of other reasons. Doc, are you still running the pentium D 930 as per your sig? If so, you could consider the lower power [65w v 95w] of the core 2 processor. I'm running the stock cooler on an E6700 with no case fans and it's superbly quiet as it never gets of idle. It does emit a low level, low frequency induction buzz from commutation but you need to be close to the computer with the sound muted altogether to hear it. With regard to this mechanical/magnetic buzz, I had found that after a motherboard switch, that this noise was initially much worse due to the heatsink and fan assembly not sitting quite as well as it did on the previous board, causing the board to act as an amplifier. I eventually got it quiet by gentle twisting and stressing the assembly till I found the 'sweet spot'. To that end though, I note that the stock fan does not have the quietest and smoothest commutation as compared to other fans I have tried. edit: Intel's processor spec finder is handy for comparing processors Edited September 25, 2008 by Pixels
drsmith Posted September 26, 2008 Author Posted September 26, 2008 Doc, are you still running the pentium D 930 as per your sig? If so, you could consider the lower power [65w v 95w] of the core 2 processor. Yes. Is the power usage something that can be changed in the bios ?
Pixels Posted September 26, 2008 Posted September 26, 2008 Yes.Is the power usage something that can be changed in the bios ? Only in laptops that I know of and then only by speed stepping the core [performance, low power etc] which is all aimed at battery conservation. Under clocking and/or under voltage via bios or m/b links if available could yield a cooler running core. The core 2 duo's @ 65 watts are a cool running processor at defaults.
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