CPU cooling fan noise level question

G

Guest

Guest
I am planning to build a gaming PC. I am getting the Intel i5-4670K. I don't have plans to overclock right now. The cooling fan that I have selected is the Cooler Master
Hyper 212 EVO with a decibel level between 9 and 36 at 600-2000 rpm. However, I want it to be as quiet as possible. The Scythe SCKTN-4000 and Scythe SCSMZ-2100 are both around the same price as the Hyper 212 but are rated between 7 and 31 decibels with the minimum and maximum rpms both lower and higher than the 212. How much of a difference in noise would I notice? is the Hyper 212 a good choice or should I go with one of the scythes? What are the differences between the two scythes? What other quiet reliable cpu cooling fans would you recommend? Thanks.
 
Solution
Fan noise comes primarily from running at higher rpm's.
There are second order considerations of efficiency and tonal qualities.

If a fan runs at 1000 rpm or less, it will be very quiet.
Near 600 rpm, it will be inaudible.

If you can spend $75 or so, the phanteks and noctua NH-D14 use 140mm fans which are very quiet.
There is nothing better in air cooling. If you eventually want to overclock, (that is why you bought a "K") I would buy one of them up front.



Depending on how old or young your ears are, you could hear the difference in those numbers. Generally, a sound will be twice as loud with a+10dB boost. If you can shave 5dB off your cooler, you might hear the difference..... I don't know that I could =)

I doesn't mean much if your Superman video card is smashing frames in BF4

What?!?
 
Fan noise comes primarily from running at higher rpm's.
There are second order considerations of efficiency and tonal qualities.

If a fan runs at 1000 rpm or less, it will be very quiet.
Near 600 rpm, it will be inaudible.

If you can spend $75 or so, the phanteks and noctua NH-D14 use 140mm fans which are very quiet.
There is nothing better in air cooling. If you eventually want to overclock, (that is why you bought a "K") I would buy one of them up front.



 
Solution
Scythe makes good fans, and good heatsinks. I think both of those models utilize 92mm heatsinks, so they'll generally be using higher RPMs and operating at a higher frequency.

You could buy the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO, and just operate the fan at a lower level of RPM. If you're not overclocking, I doubt you'd need much more than 1200-1500 RPM.

If you have the room, and are willing to spend $10 more, I would take a look at the Thermalright True Spirit 140. It's a stalwart cooling solution that utilizes a 140mm fan with a max RPM of 1300.