AMD Heatsink Fan

M

MrLip

New member
I have a 1.2GHz Thunderbird and the HSF I got with it is loud as hell (It's louder than my air conditioner!) It's aluminum (I think) and my CPU temps are still kinda high (around 60 C)

I'm looking for a nice quiet HSF (my computer is in the same room where I track.) Can anyone recommend anything?
 
Thermaltake Volcano 5

Good heatsink, 4500 rpm fan, very quiet.

Can be found as low as 9 dollars.

Beezoboy
 
I thought the retail fans on my 2 Athlon XP 1700+ were too loud too, and went with the ThermalRight AX-7 (http://www.kdcomputers.com/eui/xNuPJtVidHgswUAAUWlVIo/profile/679.htm) with a PC Power and Cooling 'Silencer' fan (http://www.directron.com/sil.html). That fan only produces 20db of noise and runs at 1600rpm (very quiet). The AX-7 is a big heatsink (77mm x 77mm), so make sure there's enough room around your socket if you decide to go this route.

If you don't have enough room, the ThermalRight SK6 (http://www.kdcomputers.com/eui/xNuPJtVidHgswUAAUWlVIo/profile/90/19/component.htm) is another one I'd suggest. It states that it will only work with a 60mm fan, but I know people who are using an 80mm fan turned diagonally and it works just fine. Again, the 'Silencer' fan would work on this one too.

These aren't cheap solutions, but they are quiet ones. Some food for thought anyway.
 
The Volcano 5 is rated at 31dB(A), 4550rpm and the Silencer is 20dB(A) but only 1600rpm.

Is 1600rpm enough?

And how much louder is 31dB(A) compared to 20dB(A)?
 
I installed a thermaltake volcano 5 on a chip yesterday. This is a loud fan! Are you sure it's that - exact - model Beezoboy?

'And how much louder is 31dB(A) compared to 20dB(A)?'

A lot louder.

I wish I could recommend something, but my processor was a retail AMD and although its fan is far from dead quiet, it's quieter than the volcano 5.

That AX-7 combined with the silencer' looks like the ticket, although a bit expensive.
 
Is 1600rpm enough?
Click to expand...

Since I get about 46C at idle, and 50C at full load, I'd say it's doing a fairly decent job. Sure, a faster fan (with more CFMs) would make the temps drop a few more degrees, but I'm well within specs, and the system is rock stable.

And yes, 31db is quite a bit louder than 20db. Here's a quote from a Acoustics/Physics website I found.

Intensity is a measure of a sound's power per unit area, measured in watts/m2, or in units called decibels (symbol: dB). The original unit was the bel, but that unit proved to be too large, and so the decibel, which is a tenth of a bel, is used instead. Since the decibel scale is logarithmic, large differences in the power of sounds are reflected as relatively small changes in decibels. A 10x increase in sound power is only a 10dB increase.
Click to expand...
 
I'm curious about thermal paste. Here in Bangkok, I see stores using silicon (or at least they call it silicon). Is this conventional? I've never read about anyone using silicon as thermal paste for mounting a heatsink.

Another thing, how difficult is it to install a heatsink/fan? Is this something I'm going to be able to do myself or is it safer if I get someone experienced to do it?

tdukex: can you let us know how that fan is once you've installed it?
 
The noise level numbers are logarithmic. Therefore 31db is not just 50% louder than 20 db, it is MUCH louder.
Volcano 5 is a quiter then 6 (39%), but still loud.
I am very happy having Athlon XP 1700+ cooled by Panaflo FBA08A12L fan (21 dba, 1900 rpm) running on PAL8045 heatsink. It is quite and provides sufficient cooling.
I also use another Panaflo fan as a case fan. Now my PSU fan is the loudest, but I don't want to fiddle with it.
 
MrLip,
Your shops are probably using silicon based paste, which is rather common cheaper compound. People rave about Arctic Silver paste being the best, better than silicon based. It probably is, but I think that if you don't overclock, it wouldn't matter that much, which one you use.
Difficulty of installing heatsink depends on the model. Molex is rather tricky, and you can easily chip your cpu. Some heasinks are heavy and springs are tight, so you gotta be careful not to crack the socket. In general, if you can put computer together, you can install the cooler.
 
Check out

http://www.quietpc.com

They ship all over the world (I think) and give great detailed instructions on how to quiet down your whole PC as well as your processor fan.

I don't work for the company though I wish I did because I might get a discount then, I want to silence my wife's new PC too!

Cheers,
Rich.
 
Solution: Don't record with an Athlon!! ;-)

Just kidding. Sorta.

A couple of things...

First, the whole "arctic silver" craze is nothing but a money trap. Don't get sucked in. Unless you absolutely need your cpu to be 1 or maybe 2 degrees cooler, don't waste your money. Go to your local electronics store and ask for thermal compound for heatsinks, and for $5.00 they'll give you a tub that will probably last the rest of your life.

Take a look at this: http://www.hardocp.com/reviews/cooling/compound/

For what it's worth, I use a Zalman CNPS-3000 Plus CPU cooler. I got it here: http://www.sharkacomputers.com/

Sharka and QuietPC are both Zalman retailers - I just found that Sharka had lower prices for what I wanted.

Now, this cooler can't be used with an Athlon. I record on a PIII due to the heat/noise issues caused by Athlons/P4s. The CNPS-3100 Plus is supposed to be okay for Athlons up to 1.4 GHz (with the fan running in silent mode), though.

(Quick note, for those of you running PIIIs or Celerons with Intel retail HSFs - the Intel retail units for these CPUs are very quiet, and I wouldn't worry about switching in those cases.)

Also, I run an Enermax Whisper 350W power supply. This PSU is BY FAR quieter than any other unit I have ever used. I highly recommend it if you're using a noisy power supply.

I've been talking with a friend recently about starting a website about products for quieting your computer. There are an awful lot of misconceptions about heat and noise that nobody seems to be willing to take the time to clear up. I'll let you all know if it ever comes to pass.
 
MrLip said:
Another thing, how difficult is it to install a heatsink/fan? Is this something I'm going to be able to do myself or is it safer if I get someone experienced to do it?

tdukex: can you let us know how that fan is once you've installed it?
Click to expand...

You can install them yourself. It's not hard.

Well... the Volcano 7 certainly is impressive looking--big, blue and silver and black, and shiney, and it's a favorite of overclockers, but if you are recording in the same room it is a loud mofo. I don't think you need to overclock a T-Bird 1600. So I don't recommend this CPU Heatsink/Fan. I'm going to replace mine and chalk it up to experience.
 
I am using a Volcano 6cu on a T-bird 1.4GHz. My temps are between 51-53C at load, a bit higher than I'd like but my ambient room temperature is pretty high (probably due to my space heater/monitor) so I think that's the cause. It's a pretty quiet cooler, I think if you stick with ~4500rpm fans you should be OK. Most of the noise in my case comes from the case/PSU fans anyway.

I am using Arctic Silver II, I don't know if it makes a significant difference but it's not like thermal compound is a major financial investment. Plus one tube will probably last you for all your CPUs.
 
My mainboard is an Asus A7V133-C. I've been doing some measurements and I don't think an AX-7 will fit :(

Can you explain how to mount an 80mm fan on the SK-6? I don't quite get it. Pictures?

Thanks.
 
i am using a volcano 7 and i think it is too loud. i was thinking of taking off the fan and using an enermax adjustable fan. would this cause any problems?

i am also going to take the heatsink off the cpu because i am getting extremely high temps (52 when idle). the guy in the shop may have forgotten or done a shit job of putting on the thermal paste, so i am going to use some artic silver III... can i chip my cpu with the volcano 7 heatsink? thanks...
 
MrLip,

I couldn't find any pictures of a SK-6 with a diagonally mounted 80mm fan, but I can try to explain a little more.

Normally you would mount a 60mm fan on the SK-6 so that the edges of the fan are aligned (parallel) with the edges of the heatsink, and then you pull the clips up and onto the fan like you've probably seen already.

With an 80mm fan, you just turn the fan 45 degrees so that it's angled on top of the heatsink. Then pull the clips over the corners of the fan.

I just made a crude drawing to show what I mean. The grey area in the figure is the heatsink, and the black area is the fan.

Hope this helps.
 

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