Best Silent CPU Cooler

[EdwardBu]

Hi,

I have recently built a gaming PC. However, I am still using the stock CPU cooler which came with my i5 4670K. I need an upgrade as I am aiming for a silent PC build. I am looking for a completely silent CPU cooler to keep my CPU cool for the Summer, but it has to fit into my silent build. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Cheers

 

[Someone Somewhere]

What's the case? Some get quite large.

You won't get the kind of OCs that you can with a fanned one, though.

 

[EdwardBu]

My case is the Fractal Design Define R4. What do you mean by a fanned one, compared to what?

 

[Someone Somewhere]

A fanless one...

 

[EdwardBu]

Oh right. So do you have any suggestions as to a silent CPU fan?

 

[4Ryan6]

http://www.performance-pcs.com/cata...oduct_info&cPath=46_557_778&products_id=34243

This is actually a rebadged or renamed Thermalright TRUE, if you are not overclocking or just slightly overclocking and have good case airflow you can actually run the heat sink without the fan.

With the fan it is very tolerable and not loud at all, this is my suggestion.

 

[EdwardBu]

If I replaced that fan with a Noctua NF F12 fan which is silent, then it will be a silent CPU cooling solution?

 

[4Ryan6]

If I replaced that fan with a Noctua NF F12 fan which is silent, then it will be a silent CPU cooling solution?

Edward that is a test you could run yourself as the fan that comes on the cooler is very quiet as well.

 

[EdwardBu]

Oh, I thought that you said that the fan that came with it was intolerable!

Have you used this cooler before? I just want to know if this will definitely be one of the most quiet coolers I could get, and would not lose any of the performance, especially for the summer.

 

[4Ryan6]

Oh, I thought that you said that the fan that came with it was intolerable!

Have you used this cooler before? I just want to know if this will definitely be one of the most quiet coolers I could get, and would not lose any of the performance, especially for the summer.

Yes I've used the cooler, and I'm using 2 of them right now but they have 110cfm fans on them which is much louder than your target goal but they are cooling peltiers as well.

I used one in the air cooling tests in the Thermal Compound Roundup I did for Toms Hardware back in 2011.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/274824-29-thermal-compound-roundup-2011

They are excellent high quality coolers and as I've already said if you are not overclocking and have good case airflow you can run it passively without a fan at all.

 

[EdwardBu]

Is this going to be a quieter or more efficient cooling solution to a closed loop water cooling solution like the H80i for example?

And another question, does the fan turn on loudly? Like, when you boot up, does the fan kick in and go really loud, and then quieten down when the PC is in use?

 

[EdwardBu]

I can't seem to find the cooler that you are talking about on Amazon UK. So I have looked on Scan. Is this the same cooler? http://www.scan.co.uk/products/thermalright-true-spirit-90-m-reva-heatsink-and-fan-cooler-intel-775-1150-1155-1156-1366-amd-am2-am2

 

[4Ryan6]

Is this going to be a quieter or more efficient cooling solution to a closed loop water cooling solution like the H80i for example?

Edward the H80i has a fan mounted on the radiator which produces 37.68dba and the pump makes some noise as well? Water Cooling does not mean silence.

And another question, does the fan turn on loudly? Like, when you boot up, does the fan kick in and go really loud, and then quieten down when the PC is in use?

Edward any fan is going to do that under motherboard control, the only way around that speed up and clock down at boot is powering the cooling fans from the power supply and controlling the fan speeds with a fan controller.

 

[4Ryan6]

I can't seem to find the cooler that you are talking about on Amazon UK. So I have looked on Scan. Is this the same cooler? http://www.scan.co.uk/products/thermalright-true-spirit-90-m-reva-heatsink-and-fan-cooler-intel-775-1150-1155-1156-1366-amd-am2-am2

This is the closest quality match it even comes with a quieter 140mm cooling fan!

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/ther...h-ty-140-pwm-quiet-fan-for-intel-and-amd-cpus

 

[EdwardBu]

This is great! I was looking at some water cooling solutions such as the H80i. However, that comes in at around £60. You seem to be saying that fan-based CPU solutions would work better in my case.

You say it comes with a quieter fan so I shouldn't have to replace it with a silent Noctua fan.

Thank you very much for your help.

 

[4Ryan6]

This is great! I was looking at some water cooling solutions such as the H80i. However, that comes in at around £60. You seem to be saying that fan-based CPU solutions would work better in my case.

You say it comes with a quieter fan so I shouldn't have to replace it with a silent Noctua fan.

Thank you very much for your help.

UR Welcome! Have a nice day!