Best/Quietest CPU fan for Athlon 1.8G ?

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Skycries57

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Hello, was wondering what fan is the best and quietest fan out there? I would assume that the stock fan that comes with a retail Athlon cpu is cheese. Was needing something thats not so loud but cools really good. Thanks! Peter ><>
 
Yes, the stock fan is cheese.

This one is supposed to be pretty damn quite (works with both Intel and AMD):
http://www.zalman.co.kr/usa/product/cnps7000cu.htm

not sure how much it cost.

and I quote from a user of it:
"I chose the Zalman CNPS7000-Cu. It's easy to work with and doesn't intrude on valuable case space. I can barely hear the 7000-Cu running, even without a case cover."

this is not some lame-o comment from the site to say "look what are users say." This is a unbiased user who is well around the realm of computers.
 
I just switched my stock P4 fan to the Zalman CNPS7000AlCu heatsink/fan combo. I can't hear it anymore...the only fans that I hear are coming from my PS...hopefully I can change those fans. If I listen closely, I can hear a very low frequency hum. It cools my CPU quite nicely as well. After running a benchmark, the cpu is between 100F and 110F.

I bought the Zalman for $38 at www.newegg.com. I believe the all copper one is $10 more, and twice as heavy. Make sure you check the manufacturers website to see if it fits in your mobo since this thing is huge! The diameter's pretty much the same as a cd. They have a list of mobo's that this will not fit into.

Good luck!
 
I second the Zalman. I use it on an AMD 2,200+ (=1,800) with success.

The DAW has
- Enermax 431W controllable PSU, fan set to quietest.
- Zalman CPU and nortbridge cooler with stock fan set to slowest.
- Matrox video card without cooler.
... and it is basically silent.

This thing is together with a non-quietised PC (AMD1,400) inside a homemade isobox (with 2 80mm fans intake and 1 outtake, set to 6V for quiet operation).
When both machines are running you can hear a faint sound, when the DAW is the only machine running you won't hear it.

Regarding temperatures: both machines never reach 50°C according to the BIOS when operating a full day.


Things that could've been better:
- special quiet fans for in and out of the isobox. The ones inside are spares from some old computer cases.
- quiet 120mm fan to replace stock Zalman one, it'll move more air for even less noise.
- the isobox was kind of quickly put together from 18mm MDF and some 2" foam. Design and construction are not flawless (service lid at the back, real box-in-a-box construction, leaking, glas door with rubber seals,...), but then again it cost like 50$ in total.
 
DeadPoet, How'd you wire your fans to get 6v? I'm always a little wary of the 7 volt trick since it's been known to make PSUs release their precious internal smoke. Are you using resistors or something else to drop your voltage?
 
Clarification. The new Zalman 7000 does NOT work in current AMD platforms. It's made for Intel P4s and the upcoming AMD 64 bit platform. In any case, it looks to be an AMAZING heatsink, for both silent and extreme cooilng.

While the Zalman 6000s are good, I don't think they are quite as good as the even beefier heatsinkis, The Alpha 8045, the Swiftec MCX462, the Thermalright SLK-800. A lot of heatsinks that are marketed as quiet heatsinks simply are not up to task to actually cooling the processor. Instead look at the heatsinks that are marketed as EXTREME COOLING type heatsinks, ones that huge and copper and typically shipped with piercingly loud fans...and simply swap the fans. A Vantec Stealth 80mm, a low-noise NMB 80 mm...these fans are not hard to come across.

I do not recommend the arctic cooling heatsinks that others have placed links to in here. I've tried them and the only thing that I can say about them is "WIMPY." While they are quiet, I would be SCARED to put it on my processor. It's just doesn't have the heat capacity I'm used to. A well-designed, big and beefy heatsink coupled with a quiet fan will always do better than a less beefy heatsink paired with the same quiet fan.
 
complexprocess the three fans are powered by a small 600mA transfo that can do anything between 12V and 1.5V.
If found 6V to be a good setting between too much noise and too little cooling.
Above 6V they get really noisy, below it they don't cool anymore.

Sklathill you're right, didn't check, I'm running a 6000-Cu. You could be right about the other coolers, but I'm happy as a fish with mine ;)


Herwig
 
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