Quiet CPU fan recommendation?

[gvarko]

I second that...

I use quietpc too, but the local CompUSA has started to stock some good stuff. Check out this pack, it has gaskets for your PSU & fan, plus silicon washers, plus enough extra silicon washers for two HDs:

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=306801

I have used this pack and it works great!! Quiets the fan nicely.. Circuit City has them as well...

 

[punkin]

Power supply fans are notoriously loud...for a totally silent power supply, have a look a this

http://www.xoxide.com/fanlesspsu.html

 

[Deluks]

Maybe its the air holes in the case - I'm going to enlarge them - or maybe I have it blowing the wrong direction?

Well you'll need it at the back and blowing outwards. If you just have the 'drilled holes in chassis' type vent then I'd recommend cutting the whole thing out (carefully) with a dremel or similar, and getting a wire fan guard instead.

and I'd still get a fanmate, even the slightest reduction in fan speed can make a whole lot of difference!

 

[dejacky]

Listen to me carefully young grasshopper... DO NOT take any1's advice so far hehehe! Why? Because you can see the specs for yourself HERE --> http://gizzo.8m.com/fans/

 

[Deluks]

Wow, really useful link, cheers.

You will notice though, that the fans with the low noise also have the lowest RPM's, it all comes back to fan speeds.

My zalman cpu fan is currently at 1430rpm and my case exhaust fan is at 1288. Both are very quiet, and both have been adjusted with a fanmate.

My CPU (Athlon XP2800) rarely goes above 50 degs, and my motherboard rarely goes above 30 degs. Job done, get a fanmate, er mate

 

[punkin]

dejakey posts some usefull info...beware the "quiet" fan hype...they may not flow enough to keep the machine cool...I've got a fan sitting on my desk. It doesn't make any sound at all...it runs on 0 VDC and the CFM is 0 but hey...it's quiet.

Bottom line, the manufacturers don't make it easy to compare apples-n-apples. Good thing most of the fans are cheap. I'm waiting for my Zalman case to show up. I'll let you all know how it measures up.

 

[dejacky]

it all comes back to fan speeds.

Actually, this is not true in its entirety. Here's why. Different fan motors produce different annoying pitch "whines" or "noise" if you will... Also, the balance of the fan design inclusive of the motor affects it's noise. As you can see from my link, there are fans that are TREMENDOUSLY quieter at the same RPM's as others. It comes to the Fan Design. Sanyo Denki has some neat design that keeps the fan in balance when moved or hit. Another high quality fan I use are Pabst...Very durable and the 60mm one I'm using is completely inaudible. If you want my recommendations here's what I use:

60mm pabst fan...VERy quite = was used on my older Cpu heatsink
92mm Panalfo (30dB) exhaust fan = VERY quiet = not annoying sound and cools more than my stock 80mm exhaust fan..although i had to make the exhaust hole larger..if you're all interested in pics of my Small/Fast/but Quiet DAW project that is ALMOST finished u can read up on it here with pics:

http://forums.sudhian.com/messageview.aspx?catid=46&threadid=70419&highlight_key=y

It's not finished and I need to trim/polish it up nicely, but you'll get some ideas....i researched fans a lot a long time ago and i'm very happy with these two. just my $0.02 i truly hope it helps!