any good ideas for a quiet (shhhh) hs/fan?

[Guest]

Currently, I have a Volcano II on a 1.33 Athlon... not too smart, I've been told. The temps right now are sort of high (maybe because I'm using an A7A266 - idle 60° and full load 69° - A7A temps are hot), and I wanted to shop for another, better heatsink/fan. Any ideas, anyone? I'm looking to get a nice, not too expensive, not too loud one that can possibly handle a little overclocking.

I'm also shopping for some case fans also, but my crappy AOpen case only has one spot on the front for an intake fan. Good thing I have an Enermax power supply with a two fans (one in the conventional spot, one on the underside of the power supply) to keep some kind of airflow in my case. I guess I'm open to any ideas on a quiet case fan too.

Thanks to everyone in advance.

<i>sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken</i>

 

[atavus]

I have Thermaltake case fans, and they are pretty quiet. Head to <A HREF="http://www.nexfan.com" target="_new">http://www.nexfan.com</A> or <A HREF="http://www.sidewindercomputers.com" target="_new">http://www.sidewindercomputers.com</A>. Nexfan has noise comparisons between fans, and I think that sidewinder actually lets you hear them.

As for the CPU, I have a Noisecontrol Silverado. Very excellent, I can't hear it run with all of my sidepanels off. It will cost you $89 if you live in the states however. It also does an excellent job cooling. Tom did a review of coolers not too long ago, you might want to check that out because it had noise and cooling comparisons. The link for Noise control's English site is <A HREF="http://www.noisecontrol.de/international/oversea/order.htm" target="_new">http://www.noisecontrol.de/international/oversea/order.htm</A> I believe.

<b>P</b>eople for the
<b>E</b>ating of
<b>T</b>asty
<b>A</b>nimals

 

[Edison]

Sorry you're having those troubles with the Volcano II. I'm using one now with my TBird 1.4, but I do have an exhaust fan at the rear to go along with my front intake and Enermax 350. I, too was somewhat unhappy about going back to my Volcano II, but the highest temp I've enountered is 54C (27C ambient). I'm pretty sure about the CPU temps since I get the same reading with MB5, ASUS Probe and SiSoft Sandra on my A7V133. My A7V always read 10C hotter with ASUS Probe, so I think AusTek fixed the problem. Right now I'm at 51C with the ambient temp at 24C

FYI, I'm back to the VolcanoII because my wife complained about the noise from my Vantec 6035D. This is a copper cooler with a 7k fan. You definitely hear this puppy when it's running. I had convinced myself it was bearable, but my wife thought something was wrong with my computer. <sigh> The highest temp I saw with the unit was 49C (typically 43-47). I did not want to switch from the Vantec, but my computer is in the bedroom and I need to keep the peace. <BSEG> I had never used a Vantec before, but if you can stand the noise, I'd say go for it. Super nice mounting clip. The Vantec blows down on the processor which probably contributes to its "whooshing" sound.

My question is, did you use a thermal paste when you installed the VolcanoII? Mine has been on and off so many times the thermal pad is long gone. I'm using Radio Shack thermal paste and it seems okay.

"...you can always tell a pioneer, he's the one with the arrow in the back."

 

[Schmide]

Cross posting but it seems to apply

This is a cool thing I plan on building…

<A HREF="http://www.overclockers.com.au/techstuff/a_thermalfans/" target="_new">http://www.overclockers.com.au/techstuff/a_thermalfans/</A>

Another simple manual way is to build a switch so you can run your fans on the red 5v line instead of the yellow 12v. That way you only have to crank it up when you run at load.

Schmide

 

[BigRat]

Add a nut under each screw to create a 2mm gap between the fan and hs? you have to change to a longer screw of course but its a lot quieter this way.

:redface: :frown: :lol: :tongue:

 

[camieabz]

Go <A HREF="http://www.quietpc.com/cpucooling.php" target="_new">here</A> and scroll down to the bit about Socket A CPUs.

<b><font color=blue>Change the</font color=blue><font color=red> sig of</font color=red><font color=green> the week!</font color=green> :tongue: </b>

 

[Guest]

Well, problems... not really. I'm running hot, but stable. Haven't had a crash or any abnormalities at all, even though I'm running that hot. I guess I should be so lucky, after all.

I have a question though. Since you've got a pretty similar setup to what I have (same hs/fan, same power supply), I was wondering what kinds of rpms you're getting for your fans. MBM 5 tells me that one fan (I think it's the Volcano) runs at 5000 ish, while another fan (I think it's the power supply fan) runs at 3000 to 3400. Isn't the Volcano rated at 4500? That worries me right now.

But like I said, other than that, I'm a-ok in my system... just looking for cooling solutions. Maybe a new motherboard... but cooling first.

<i>sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken</i>

 

[funkdog]

what's funny to me is all these guys I see posting about changing their heatsinks because they are too loud??? Man if the Vantec is too loud it's because of the fan (prolly a Delta). I'm pretty sure heatsink for heatsink the Vantec is most likely better quality than the Thermaltake. If you want quiet, just take the fan of the Volcano and put it on the Vantec Heatsink.

By the way Thermaltake got something right, their 60mm heatsink fan is outstanding. Blowing 31cfm at 25db. Outstanding fan, have one mounted on my Alpha Pal6035 (yes over a year old) and idle temps don't go above 33C, load is mid 40's. And I can hear my Hard Drive being accessed.

So please fellas, stop blaming you heatsinks, they do not make noise. Find a quality peice of aluminum/copper or aliminum with copper insert, and find a good fan that meets your cooling needs and your noised limits. Find your medium.

<b>"These are my thoughts, your mileage may vary."

*Edited for grammar.<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by funkdog on 08/17/01 09:35 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Edison]

No argument, I just haven't gotten around to changing the fan yet. I just changed the entire HSF in the interest of time.

 

[Edison]

My CPU fan is running at 4787 rpm per ASUS Probe. The Power fan is running at 6490 rpm and the chassis fan is running at 3325 rpm.

As Funkdog suggested, I'll probably change back to my Vantec, but with a different fan. I don't think I'll see my sub 50C temps with a slower fan however.

 

[Guest]

I appreciate your input, funkdog, but I am not simply complaining about a loud heatsink. Heatsinks do not make noise, and I am well aware of that fact. All I wanted were some opinions. I got someone saying go for a Silverado. Another said to raise the fan off the heatsink. Okay, nice suggestion.

What it is right now is I'm just a little displeased with my heatsink/fan. You say the Thermaltake fan is a good one. Yay! But I still have to get a better heatsink, no? And I'm still worried that it's running too fast for its rating. I've peaked at 52-- rpm on that fan... it's supposed to be 4500 +/- 10%!

I'm not going off on a rant... I do not want to do that. Just wanting some good advice on a quiet heatsink/fan. That's all. I certainly won't be getting rid of the Volcano. I'll test the quietness of the fan, for sure. Plus, I want to see if I can get another motherboard (the A7A is one hot potato).

I bet I can make a cup of coffee on the northbridge alone!


<i>sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken</i>

 

[funkdog]

what kind of temps are you talking about? And it's not just you, it's everyone lately, talking about having to go and buy a whole new $50 heatsink/fan combo for the noise.

Honestly I run over a year old Alpha Pal heatsink, with the Thermaltake fan and maintain a 31-33C idle cpu temp. The load temps are alittle high 45-50C range, but I don't run loaded much, cept for the occasional game.

Where my cooling comes from is my spacious case, Antec 8030SX, and the 4 antec 80mm case fans inside. Also have a slot cooler. These case fans are not silent but well within my range of tolerance. So I'd have to ask what kind of case, how cramped are you parts? I also run rounded ATA cables for airflow. In my opinion case airflow is way more important in cooling than heatsink/fan.

Any decent heatsink will bring repectable temps. Hell look at the reviews. The top 20 percent are always 1-5 degrees difference.

Try lapping your heatsink, maybe it's not flat enough. I highly reccomend the Alpha Pal, costly $30 yes, but the quality is there. Perfect matting surface and the press copper base is beautifully done. And anodized fins to boot. I can't wait for the new Alphas to appear.

Hope this clears up aything I said, cuz I'm rambling now.

<b>"These are my thoughts, your mileage may vary."

 

[Guest]

Well, funkdog, my temps are high.

58-60° idle (min 55)
62-66° full load (max 68)

Now, before y'all start dropping your jaws and wondering why my chip isn't fried like a good ol' bucket of KFC, listen to my setup:
-ASUS A7A266 - it reports temps 10 degrees hotter than reality, at least that's what everyone says
-Volcano II hs/fan - rated to 1.3 GHz, it said 1.5 on the box
-AOpen case - real crap, and it's a middy tower, so it's kinda cramped. No spot for a rear exhaust fan, so I'm relying on my Enermax and a salvaged 80mm NMB fan for airflow

So, my case and setup kinda sucks. However, I've done the whole "open up the case and point fans at it" and the thing is still at 60 something. Therefore, I've concluded that it's the heatsink. Hell, I'll salvage the Thermaltake fan, but the heatsink has got to go.

For solutions, so far, I need another heatsink. And a slot cooler, great idea funkdog, do you know if you can fit one on top of the graphics card? There's a slot open there, but the onboard audio connectors are there too.

So that's it so far... and all I've heard in terms of heatsinks/fans is
1. Silverado
2. anything but put a Thermaltake fan on it

I'm still looking around though.

<i>sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken</i>

 

[funkdog]

honestly, the silverado is prolly for a quiet setup, and I think you'd get no better temps from it.

You'll prolly be ok with the slot cooler, same situation here about the audio connectors, just moved it one slot away.

Honestly I'd say your within spec, temp wise, and stop worrying. If you pleased with the noise your ok. About the only thing left to do is to buy a roomier case and add a couple more exhaust/intake fans. After all it doesn't matter about airflow if the air your flowing is hot.

<b>"These are my thoughts, your mileage may vary."

 

[Guest]

Well, I would stop worrying about the temps, but... I had my first beeps of death the other day. I was running a fairly non-stressing D3D game, and I heard the beeps notifying me that something was hot. I got worried.

So now I'm running underclocked to 1 gig. I assume it's just the motherboard (A7A is one hot mofo). But heating/cooling is somewhere in this mess too.

That's why I wanted to get a slot cooler, and I was trying to fit it on top of the graphics card to try and draw heat away from the northbridge and cpu. But if it don't fit, I guess it'll have to go under the gfx card.

So funkdog, Alphas, huh? Which model did you get? And what about the new ones?

<i>sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken</i>

 

[funkdog]

I got an Iwill KK266 board, doesn't seem hot at all.

I have an Alpha Pal-6035 MFC. Believe the stock fan is a Sunon, or Sanyo Denki. Both around 25cfm at 30db. I bought a Black Label Delta but it was a screamer, so I went with the Thermaltake fan.

I have rounded ATA cables, 4 80mm antec case fans (2 intakes in the rear(closer to the cpufan), one intake inthe front in front of my HD for a HD cooler, and one exaust at the lower front. Also have the slot cooler, 2 pci slots down from my Radeon.

I like the Alpha because of the quality. I emailed them and asked when they were going to come out with a new Slot A cooler, reply was a few months, that was a month ago. So hopefully by the time the A4 and Crush hit the desktop area, Alpha will be back on top of the cooler market. Hope that helps.

<b>"These are my thoughts, your mileage may vary."

 

[Guest]

Well, here's my findings after a night of researching:

I think I will go with a Thermalright SK-6. The thing is all copper and it performs very well. However, the fan is something else. Deltas are screamers, huh? At 46.5 dB, that is loud! So, I was thinking, I saw a Sanyo Denki, but I'm worried. That thing is quiet, sure, but it moves less than 20 cfm. That sucks, am I right?

So, I don't know what to do again. By all means I'll have the Thermaltake fan from the Volcano. So I'll try that. But I think I'll order the Delta just to see how loud it gets.

But an alternative is to get an 80 mm fan with an adaptor. I saw an Enermax one that seems real quiet, changes rpm with temperature. Could that be a solution? Any thoughts, anyone?

<i>sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken</i>

 

[funkdog]

I was also looking to go the route of an 80mm with a fandapter. But a quiet 80mm fan has like 40cfm of airflow, now cut that down to a 60mm opening and your running like 35cfm'ish without the force of a 60mm fan. All the reviews I've seen have the 60mm fans performing slightly better than an 80 with adapter.

I chose the Thermaltake 60mm fan at 31cfm and 25db. Silent and efficient, quieter than both the Sunnon and Sanyon Denki. There is supposed to be a 30cfm Delta at like 40db, and I believe Evergreen makes a 32cfm fan at like 38db. If you sit right next to your case a Delta will cause headaches, no kidding. I could stand it for a month or so, then it had to go.

I started looking for alternate methods of cooling, blowholes, cutting my case. I'm still not completely where I want to be (silent,without watercooling) but the day will come.

If I was to buy a heatsink again, I'd choose the OCZ Gladiator. I like the idea of a thinfin heatsink that is all copper, and if you strap a good 30cfm fan on it, it should do the trick. $25 is cheaper than the SK-6 I believe.

<b>"These are my thoughts, your mileage may vary."

 

[Guest]

hey funkdog, is there anyway I can tell what kind of fan I have on my Volcano II? No sense in tossing it if I get a different heatsink, might as well give it a shot over a Delta screamer...

So is there any product number, etc, I should look for? Where did you get your fan from?

Just prodding for answers.

<i>sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken</i>

 

[funkdog]

should be able to tell by the label on it. Does it have anything on in it?

Got my thermaltake fan from www.so-trickcomputers.com


<b>"These are my thoughts, your mileage may vary."

 

[Guest]

I used to race Rc cars (they were cheaper and less dangerous than the planes) and one thing there that got stuck in my mind were the wheels (yeah I know bear with me on this one). Standard cheaper cars used plastic bushes in the wheels these made a loud noise and wore away fairly quickly. Now mine was slightly more expensive and had metal wheel bearings in - these were called ball races. They have a small metal ring surrounded by tiny ball bearings which in turn were surrounded by another metal ring so 1 ring spun inside the other. Quite and fast and no drag. Use them with silicon grease and you have a silent car doing 40mph. Just an idea that you guys may be able to incorporate into your fans. Never tried it as my comp has blown up so I've no need but if you give it a go as these bearings are available in all sizes then let me know how it goes.

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