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Guess I'll be the first... quiet CPU coolers

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Posted on June 13, 2004 at 02:55:13
Peterloplop
Audiophile

Posts: 106
Location: Auckland
Joined: January 23, 2003
 Anyone have any opinions on what is the best quiet CPU cooler? It’s for an AMD XP2600 that has a pretty low load life so I don’t need super cooling. I already have a quiet zalman PSU, 21db MSI graphics card, Acoustifan case fan and near silent SATA drives. I've also binned my northbridge fan and replaced it with a chunky heat sink. So now my only annoyance is the cpu cooler.
I don’t want to spend too much since I've done everything else on the cheap and it’s not all that important that have a quiet PC. At the moment I'm leaning towards a zalman CNPS7000A-ALCU but every manufacturer seems to think their cooler puts out 21db it’s hard to make comparisons.

Thanks in advance

 

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Re: Guess I'll be the first... quiet CPU coolers, posted on June 13, 2004 at 04:10:20
Dad
 I cannot recommend a particular cooler fan but one thing I have noticed over the years is this: Dust makes a fan louder over time. Dust clings onto the fan blades and eventually throws off the balance of the fan to the point where is starts to resonate or makes a whining or whizzing noise. This noise is far louder than the fan itself. Get a case that has built in air filters or forever battle this problem.

 

Re: Guess I'll be the first... quiet CPU coolers, posted on June 13, 2004 at 12:37:28
ketchup
Audiophile

Posts: 624
Location: Pennsylvania
Joined: February 29, 2004
 I have heard that that Zalman cooler is very quiet. i'm not sure if it comes with an adjustable fan or not, but you can easily add one and adjust it so it cools effectively at the lowest setting. use cpu temp. software to do this. the only problem might be that if you try to get away with very low fan speeds. with the fan adjusted really low it will not start when you start the system. why? they take more power to begin spinning than they do to remain spinning.

another option would be water cooling. since you dont overclock your system you will probably be able to get away with a very small system and have very, very low noise. water cooling is very common these days and is nothing to worry about. leaks are rare.

if you're really serious, you can get zalman's new fanless water cooling system. it's big and probably expensive, but if you're serious you at least have options.

also look at some heat pipe coolers. they are very efficient and can probably work well at very low fan speeds on a cpu that is not stressed like yours.

 

Re: Guess I'll be the first... quiet CPU coolers, posted on June 13, 2004 at 14:56:36
ludwigvan968
Dealer

Posts: 208
Location: Austin, Tx
Joined: January 25, 2001
 I would get a Cooler Master Silencer Fan, you can get them at Altex electronics (www.altex.com), or most any computer store for about 8 to 9 dollars. I have used everything from passive coolers to Copper Cores with Vantec Tornado Fans (50dB) and these cooler master fans really get the job done. Make sure you get some Artic Silver 5 to put between the Heat Sink and Chip.

 

get the Zalman CPU cooler, posted on June 13, 2004 at 16:58:59
kh6idf
Audiophile

Posts: 1490
Location: Texas
Joined: May 2, 2001
 I have one (CNPS6000, I think) and it's very quiet. The only noise I hear is from my video card fan. Be sure it has the adjustable speed control on the fan. Then you turn it down until the noise goes away. My CPU fan is running at 2122 RPM right now. I'm using a Athlon XP2200.

 

Re: Guess I'll be the first... quiet CPU coolers, posted on June 13, 2004 at 20:36:56
Peterloplop
Audiophile

Posts: 106
Location: Auckland
Joined: January 23, 2003
 Thanks, you must be right about the dust. The case fan that I replaced with the acoustifan was caked in grey dust.
My computer lives under my desk on thick carpet by an even thicker rug so it is a problem. I think I'll buy some of the filter stuff that looks like what sony use on the front grill of the PS2. It lets a good air flow through and my PS2 is clean as a whistle inside (its cheap too).

 

Re: Guess I'll be the first... quiet CPU coolers, posted on June 13, 2004 at 21:11:23
Peterloplop
Audiophile

Posts: 106
Location: Auckland
Joined: January 23, 2003
 I thought about water cooling at first but decided against it mainly because I move my puter around a fair bit and I was worried about having to check pipe connections and the liquids sloshing around while travelling (and I’m cheap).
I’ve looked at a few heat pipe coolers but most of them are for more extreme cooling with noisy stock fans and they are about twice the price of more conventional ones so by the time I add a better fan and controller it could get expensive. Also most of them are for newer athlon 64 or intel chips (other than the thermaltake which silent PC review gave a bollocking).

I think my next computer will be fully liquid cooled though.

 

Re: Guess I'll be the first... quiet CPU coolers, posted on June 13, 2004 at 21:31:20
Peterloplop
Audiophile

Posts: 106
Location: Auckland
Joined: January 23, 2003
 The coolermaster ones on that site all look pretty simple and 8 bucks seems too cheap. I’ll have a look around to see if I can find any reviews of them, thanks for the heads up on them.
I like the look of their new hyper 6 and ultra vortex but sadly they are only made for P4 and optertron chips.

Oh and I’ll steer well clear of that Vantec Tornado.

 

Re: get the Zalman CPU cooler, posted on June 13, 2004 at 22:09:54
Peterloplop
Audiophile

Posts: 106
Location: Auckland
Joined: January 23, 2003
 Thanks for the review.
The CNPS6000 looks cooler than the 7000 but I hear the 7000 has a quieter fan and less finicky clip. Just checked and they both come with the "fan mate" controller so thats good. I was pretty well set on the zalman but now I’m going to look into the coolermasters ludwigvan968 suggested and some Thermalright coolers that cost more but are getting good reviews.

 

Re: Guess I'll be the first... quiet CPU coolers, posted on June 14, 2004 at 08:56:14
ludwigvan968
Dealer

Posts: 208
Location: Austin, Tx
Joined: January 25, 2001
 yeah I will admit the Cooler Master does look too simple and too cheap to be good quality, however I will tell you again I have used many fans from Thermal Take, Thermal Right, Vantec, Cooler Master, Stock AMD fans and others I can't remember, I am currently using mine on an overclocked Barton 2500@ 3200 speeds(2.2Ghz), this fan gets the job done.

 

Re: Guess I'll be the first... quiet CPU coolers, posted on June 14, 2004 at 09:01:46
ludwigvan968
Dealer

Posts: 208
Location: Austin, Tx
Joined: January 25, 2001
 Also, not to knock our forum, but if you check out www.anandtech.com thier forum section will have so many case studies for you to look at about each model people have mentioned. Look under the CPU/Overclocking forum and Case forum.

 

Re: Guess I'll be the first... quiet CPU coolers, posted on June 15, 2004 at 22:33:49
Peterloplop
Audiophile

Posts: 106
Location: Auckland
Joined: January 23, 2003
 Looks like I'll have to try it.
I just found that the zalman isn't compatible with my mobo so I'll give the coolermaster a go and maybe get a Thermalright SLK-900U/A or Kamakaze Rev B if I don't like it.

Thanks again for the suggestion.

 

Zalman coolers, posted on June 16, 2004 at 22:21:02
danj
Audiophile

Posts: 3286
Location: Near Salem, Oregon
Joined: December 11, 2001
 I used a Zalman 3100 copper cooler when I had my Athlon XP 2000+ and was very happy with it. It was very quiet and cooled better than the Cooler Master HC-1 I had previously used. I don't know if the 3100 is up to the task of an Athlon 2600, though.

My current computer is a 2.66 Nothwood core P4 and I use the Zalman 7000AL-CU and am thrilled with it. It's exceptionally quiet and my CPU never goes above 40C, even after a gaming session. My version won't work with an Athlon XP (P4 and AMD 64, only) but the version that will work with an Athlon is similar. Performance is better than most other air coolers and it's very quiet BUT it is big and may not fit your mobo. I suggest you check the Zalman website for their list of boards it won't work with.

Oh, I had a Thermalright on my P4 before the Zalman 7000. The Thermalright is an excellent cooler but needs a fan with a good airflow so it is much noisier than the Zalman.

And my old Zalman 3100 is now in my wife's computer. It's a PIII/733 and the Zalman keeps it plenty cool at minimum fan speed, which is virtually silent.

The Zalman company has a loyal customer in me. The only negative is the fact that they are somewhat costlier than most other brands, but not so much that their excellent performance makes that an important factor for me.

I've heard that the Cooler Master Aero 7 is a fine cooler for the AMD processors. They aren't quiet but aren't screamers like a Volcano 7 or the old HC-1.

 

For absolute dead silent CPU cooling – WATER COOL, posted on July 7, 2004 at 04:49:27
dwill123
Audiophile

Posts: 2162
Location: Philadelphia
Joined: September 7, 2003

Without a doubt the quietest way to keep the temperature down on a cpu is to water cool. No moving parts = super quiet environment. The technology has improved greatly over the past few years and is considered pretty safe (provided you follow instructions). Venders to research and look for are Swiftech, Asetek, Zalman and Danger Den.

 

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