2500k CPU cooler...quietness over coolness

soundasleep

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May 11, 2011
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I'm putting together a new build that will mostly be for music production so I'm going for stability and relative quietness. No overclocking and no video card (at least at first), so the system should be fairly cool and quiet. I want to replace the stock CPU cooler with the intention of lowering the noise volume (and keeping it at least as cool as the stock cooler, of course).

I really just want to go with the Hyper 212+ and be done with it. I know it has two speeds. Would they both be noticeably quieter than the stock cooler?

Planned configuration:

i5 2500k
Gigabyte H67
8GB Corsair Dominator
Intel 320 120GB SSD
Samsung F3 1TB
Another HDD
Cooler Master Silent Pro PSU
Ante P183 case

THANKS!
 

996GT2

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Jun 23, 2005
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I'm putting together a new build that will mostly be for music production so I'm going for stability and relative quietness. No overclocking and no video card (at least at first), so the system should be fairly cool and quiet. I want to replace the stock CPU cooler with the intention of lowering the noise volume (and keeping it at least as cool as the stock cooler, of course).

I really just want to go with the Hyper 212+ and be done with it. I know it has two speeds. Would they both be noticeably quieter than the stock cooler?

Planned configuration:

i5 2500k
Gigabyte H67
8GB Corsair Dominator
Intel 320 120GB SSD
Samsung F3 1TB
Another HDD
Cooler Master Silent Pro PSU
Ante P183 case

THANKS!

Hyper 212+ has a PWM fan, which can control speeds within a range continuously from 30% (about 600 RPM) up to 100% full fan speed (about 1900 RPM).

It is very quiet unless the CPU is under heavy load. If you don't overclock, you can use your motherboard's software (Gigabyte Easy Tune 6) to set the maximum fan speed to say 50% of max.

See the image below. The fan speeds will follow the line between those two points.
et6pwm.jpg
 
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soundasleep

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May 11, 2011
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Ok, that looks cool (so to speak). I assume this will be quite an improvement over the stock cooler, though I haven't heard it yet.

I also assume that, even if I don't tweak the settings myself, by default it will be set in some similar fashion (going all the way up to 100%)? I don't have any experience with after-market CPU cooling so I'm not sure if I'd want to put a ceiling on the fan speed.
 

996GT2

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Jun 23, 2005
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Ok, that looks cool (so to speak). I assume this will be quite an improvement over the stock cooler, though I haven't heard it yet.

I also assume that, even if I don't tweak the settings myself, by default it will be set in some similar fashion (going all the way up to 100%)? I don't have any experience with after-market CPU cooling so I'm not sure if I'd want to put a ceiling on the fan speed.

Default is 100% fan speed at 66C. If you don't overclock you should be OK with setting the max fan speed to 60% or so. Alternatively you can set the temperature for 100% fan speed really high, like say 70-80C (which your CPU will not reach if you don't overclock it and you have good case ventilation).

I set mine to run 100% fan speed at 55C because I'm OC'd to 4.4 GHz. When I'm stress testing my max CPU temps are in the low 60C range.
 

996GT2

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Jun 23, 2005
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Also, get a couple of low RPM (< 1000) 120mm case fans if you don't have them already. Will improve your temps greatly while still being very quiet.
 

soundasleep

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May 11, 2011
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Thanks. I like the idea of setting 100&#37; at 70C or something like that, just in case it gets up there. The P183 comes with top and rear 3-speed fans so I'll try those out first. If they're not quiet enough for me, I may replace them and set up a fan bus controller.
 

eelw

Diamond Member
Dec 4, 1999
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I'd be tempted to get a massive heatsink and run it passive.
 

996GT2

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Jun 23, 2005
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I'd be tempted to get a massive heatsink and run it passive.

Thermalright HR-02 for that.

But you'll still need some quiet case fans to get airflow into the case so the gain in quietness is really not much, if anything. And then there's the issue of the PSU fan.

To really get a silent computer, you'd have to get a fanless PSU, undervolt the CPU, etc so that you could go completely fanless.
 
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alyarb

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Jan 25, 2009
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there are no benefits to passive cooling compared to silent fans. even at 20&#37;, well below the audible level, a pair of 120's will perform better and cheaper on some cheap xigmatek than on a passive $90 sink.
 

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
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I want to replace the stock CPU cooler with the intention of lowering the noise volume

Have you actually tried the stock CPU cooler? It can be fairly quiet when it is on a quiet fan profile and you aren't running a continuous full load on the CPU.

there are no benefits to passive cooling compared to silent fans. even at 20%, well below the audible level, a pair of 120's will perform better and cheaper on some cheap xigmatek than on a passive $90 sink.

I agree. Passive is a lot more difficult to do than with really quiet forced air.
 

soundasleep

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May 11, 2011
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Yeah, I considered passive for a second but I'm really not trying to go silent, just quiet - and I don't want to risk having too much heat. Stability!

I haven't built anything yet, so I guess I could try the stock cooler at first (like how I'm trying the on-board graphics first). Maybe I'll do that. Though I like the idea of having control.
 

dma0991

Platinum Member
Mar 17, 2011
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You could either get a silent case with sound dampening material or go passive if you're very sensitive to noise the Hyper212+ produces. The Thermalright HR-02 is a good choice for a passive heatsink.
 

soundasleep

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May 11, 2011
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Those both look pretty good too. Price for the Hyper TX3 the same for me (I'm in CA so there's $2 tax plus $3 shipping = $25) but the HR-02 is kinda out of my price range.
 

Zap

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Oct 13, 1999
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I haven't built anything yet, so I guess I could try the stock cooler at first (like how I'm trying the on-board graphics first). Maybe I'll do that. Though I like the idea of having control.

Funny that...

it has a PWM fan that you can set to run as slow as you need.

This could be describing the stock 2500K fan. It too has a PWM fan and you can control it to your heart's desire. Sure, temperatures won't be as good as a decent aftermarket HSF, but it doesn't matter at stock speeds. At stock speeds and with the stock cooler, you will not have overheating or noise problems unless you:
1) Install it wrong.
2) Forget to plug in the fan.
3) Forget to enable fan control.
4) Wipe off stock thermal compound and forget to put more on (just use the stock stuff - it works).
5) Totally forget to install the cooler.
6) Have zero case fans and no PSU fan to circulate air outside of the case.
7) Run the system in high ambient temperatures like in a sealed metal shack with no climate control in the middle of Death Valley in the Summer.
8) Accidentally leave the fan power wire tangled in the fan, preventing it from spinning. This isn't as strange as it may sound because the stock cooler comes with the fan wire wrapped around the open cage fan. If you pull the fan wire tight, it can restrict the fan.

Expert tips and hints:
1) When installing the stock cooler, make sure the tip of the push pins go into the hole all the way before you push down on the black part. Oh yeah, it is 100x easier to install the stock cooler with the motherboard outside of the case.
2) It is okay if your CPU runs at 85&#176;C under a full synthetic load at stock speeds. "Normal" usage will be a lot lower. Unless your "normal" usage is to use your system to see how many years it can run at 100&#37; load using synthetic torture tests, in which case you should use an aftermarket cooler and find a distributed computing cause worthy of the wasted electricity.
3) Allow the motherboard to control CPU speed and voltage - AKA leave voltage on AUTO and leave EIST enabled.
 
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alyarb

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Jan 25, 2009
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Most people understand that the intel fan is plenty audible and performs unsatisfactorily when the fan speed is reduced manually. A $20 coolermaster heatsink will get you better-than-stock temperatures with no noise ever.
 

Bill Brasky

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May 18, 2006
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Most people understand that the intel fan is plenty audible and performs unsatisfactorily when the fan speed is reduced manually.

FWIW I found the stock intel fan to be *very* unpleasant compared to a nice 120mm PWM fan. The difference was night and day.
 

soundasleep

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May 11, 2011
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I was thinking I could probably control the stock fan, too - but I can just imagine that distinct frequency of CPU fans past, cutting through the case. I'd rather just spend the 25 bucks now and not have to wonder.
 

Zap

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Oct 13, 1999
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Dunno, you guys must be getting different fans than I have, or be using different BIOS settings. Heck, even the crappy Athlon II stock fan in the build I'm doing for my aunt is really quiet - I can't hear it over the 7200RPM HDD in an open case (not seeks, just it having power) or the case fan (80mm sleeve bearing running at 1000RPM-ish, fan motor has very slight chuffing noise).

I do understand that some stock coolers are noisy no matter what. For instance, I have a stock cooler from a Core i7 965 and it pretty much can't get that quiet, plus full speed is near 4000RPM. Also, stock AMD coolers used to be pretty bad noise-wise. However, once a fan profile is enabled in BIOS (AKA "Smart Fan") the latest coolers for lower end AMD processors aren't bad, and neither are Intel socket 1155/1156 coolers, or Intel socket 775 coolers that came with 45nm chips. I guess the other thing is that some motherboards don't have very good fan profiles built in.

I'm not just pulling opinions out of my nether regions either. I probably work on more hardware than most people (even around here) ever sees, plus I'm pretty well versed in quiet computing. Heck, as I type this, I have somewhere in my place four Scythe Ninja heatsinks of various versions, plus two Thermalright HR01. Those of you who are really into quiet systems should know what that means.
 

soundasleep

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May 11, 2011
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OK, well that may change things then. Since I didn't have any reliable info about the stock 2500k fan specifically, and I didn't want to have to potentially mount it, then remove & replace it, I wasn't gonna risk it. Even when you ask people if some specific component is noisy, you don't know what they consider noisy. But you (Zap) seem like you're on the same wavelength as me noise-wise, so it sounds like I'd probably be OK with stock.
 

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
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The 2500K stock fan is capable of being quiet - depends on how your motherboard's fan control works with it.

The Cooler Master TX3 recommended above by alyarb, for instance, comes with a 2800RPM fan. It will also need motherboard fan control to tame the noise it is capable of putting out. The ever popular Cooler Master Hyper 212+ that you mentioned in the OP has a 2000RPM fan that is also not suitable for quiet computing if not tamed.

It also depends on your budget. If you are totally fine with the cost, then go for one of the SPCR Recommended Heatsinks. You will not be disappointed. My stance with the Intel stock cooler is because too many people automatically dismiss it as "crap" or "noisy" when that just isn't true for stock clocks. I would consider it "sufficient." It is like considering a Honda Civic as "crap" because it isn't as fast as a Dodge Viper. Once you are at legal speed limits, who cares if the Viper is capable of higher speeds. Of course if the limits were raised (let's say, transport them to an autobahn) then of course it changes, just like overclocking changes the cooling needs of a CPU.

Note that the SPCR link is a heatsink recommendation, not fan recmomendation. Some of the recommended heatsinks may not be suitable with the stock fan. Also, just make sure it comes with socket 1155 or 1156 specific mounts.
 

ElFenix

Elite Member
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Mar 20, 2000
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i swapped the stock hyper 212 fan for the fan off a mugen 2 (mugen 2 is soon to get 2 TY-140s methinks). quiet. now just to get a flooring tile to block off the blow hole in the top of the P180 (what was the point of that thing?)

fans are passive. air conditioning is active.
 

sm625

Diamond Member
May 6, 2011
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If you want quiet then you undervolt and underclock until the thing can run either fanless, or very very low fan speed. If you have a decent fan, it is near dead silent at 800rpm.
 

Zap

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Oct 13, 1999
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If you want quiet then you undervolt and underclock until the thing can run either fanless, or very very low fan speed.

Stock Sandy Bridge probably runs cooler than undervolted older generations (except Clarkdale).
 

soundasleep

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May 11, 2011
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Yes, this is a good time for me to build a new system. Love that these new CPUs run so cool. Glad I don't have to go with an i7 950 or something.