A little help from the cooling experts

[Stunt]

Hey guys, i normally don't hang out here, im usually in Gen. Hardware.
But anyways, i was wondering if you guys could give mesome advice.

Here's my situation:
I have a 1.33 t-bird with an sk-6 and a delta.
i was planning on doing some good oc'ing when i bought this rig.
unfortunately, the board is holding me back.
so i figured that i would make my pc quiet if im not going to benifit from the speed boost.
hell i have a good heatsink to do so.
anyways i took a case fan (80mm) that came with my antec SX1030.
it made it a lot quieter than the delta!
my temps were 54C/34C cpu/case with that setup
now my psu fan died.
i put the same type of fan in there (i had 4 case fans when i bought)
but now the psu is loud, and the fans are stock antec..nothing special.

I've decided on quieting this thing down
now on the hsf i was thinking of putting an ultra-quiet panaflo (80mm)
for the psu, i was thinking of the same fan...but that would make it run at full speed
where as the fan i pulled out of the psu was a variable speed (i think) -its an antec PP-303X psu.

so my questions are,
Is the panaflo enough for my cpu?
Should i use the panaflo for my psu or get a variable speed fan?
if variable speed, which one? (quiet paramount)
is this enough for my system?

also i hate the loud fan on my radeon 64vivo, so i was wondering what i should do about it.
i shut the fan off but it was getting really hot, i dont want to invest a lot in cooling for this.
i was thinking this:
http://store.yahoo.com/directron/zmnb32j.html
i realize that it is a chipset cooler, but it's cheap, fanless, and i dont need the pci slots below my radeon.
besides the gf fx does it, 😉 seems like the in thing to do...

Any help is apprecited, thanks in advance

STUNT

 

[deerslayer]

I've used a panaflo on an SK-6 and it worked just fine.

I don't see why the panaflo wouldn't be sufficient for your PSU, but if you get a variable speed, I would suggest a YS Tech from SVC.

If it isn't enough for your system, you can always fall back on your old fans 🙂

I don't know anything about video cooling, sorry 🙁

Good luck!

 

[cheapgoose]

I'm no expert but if you want to passive cool your video card, maybe just replace the hsf with a much bigger heatsink. like those old pentium heatsink. it shouldn't cost more than a dollar or 2 at a old' surplus/ computer junk store.

and so you're using a 60mm - 80mm adopter for your sk6?

 

[BG4533]

If the PSU fan changes speed then it is likely that the PSU changes the voltages supplied to it. Therfore any fan you put on it would be variable. Either way, the Panaflo at full spedd is probably quieter than the stock fan at lower voltages. The Panaflo should be enough, but your case temperatures might have to come down a bit for a little extra security.

As for the graphics card, I dont think the Zalman would be enough, but i dont know much about that card. Personally, I am using this on my MSI GF4 MX440. It works fine as long as my case temps are below 35c. What I linked to is a little too big for the card though, there is a slight clearance problem between the slot and HS.

Brian

 

[Stunt]

wow fast posts...
thanks guys.

the sk-6 takes a 60mm normally but i did this mod to make it take a 80mm.
sk6 mod

the best part is that the fan fit snug on its own.
i didnt have to solder or mod in anyway.
just turned an 80mm 45 degrees.

how should i get my temperatures lower?
i cant do that without adding fans (noise) can i?

thanks for the suggestion on the black hef for the video.
but i think my radeon might run hotter than your mx...
also i like that the chipset cooler comes with clips as well as conductive apoxy, so i can just stick it on.

anyone know whether the PP-303X psu changes the voltage or whether the fan does that.
and do you honestly think a full speed panaflo is quieter than any other variable speed fans on lower speeds?

what if i connected the panaflo to the psu power connector (assuming its variable voltage rather than the fan)
i read over at silentpcreview that the fan might not start up from not having enough voltage.
Should i have issues with this?, would it work?

sorry for all the questions...heh

im not good at the elec side of things...
im a mech eng... and my elec buddys havent done the practical stuff yet...haha.

 

[deerslayer]

and do you honestly think a full speed panaflo is quieter than any other variable speed fans on lower speeds?

It will be close. It will most likely be more effective even if it is a bit louder. My YS Tech fan on it's lowest speed has a very low cfm rating and it doesn't move much air at all.

 

[BG4533]

Your PSU isnt like the new Truepowers. Even if it does regulate the voltages, it doesnt do it very much. Panaflos shouldnt have a problem starting up on the fan connector inside the PSU. If it does, just plug it into a regular plug.

What type of case fans are you using now and how many? The fans that came with the Antec cases kind of suck. I have 5 NMB 18cfm/18db case fans from SVC in my Antec Plusview 1000 (similar to your case) and my temps stay about 27c now. My next plans and even some ideas for you are to remove the stamped grills from the case and put in 92mm Panaflo L1A fans at 5V in place of the 80s. It should be quieter and provide nearly the same or better airflow. Plus, with a Rheostat I could have tons of airflow.

If your Radeon DOES run hotter than my GF4 than I wouldnt even consider the Zalman NB cooler.

Brian

 

[Stunt]

im not using any case fans at present
i have just the 80mm on the sk-6 and the 80mm on the psu.
my sk6 wont take anything more than an 80mm without a mod...
plus the larger fan would be useless b/c the majority of air gets pushed at the out edge of the fan.
there is already enough of the fan sticking out (useless b/c air flows beside the hsf rather than into it.)

what do you suggest for a passive vga cooler?
i have been running the radeon with fan off for quite some time
since i dont game, it doesnt get that hot...
but it has been on occasion...(long periods being on)

considering that the hs under the radeon fan is a flat piece of aluminum.
i figured that the NB hs would be better than taht.
btw i took the fan off the radeon because it was squeeling.
anyways, ya, what do you guys think...
passive zalmann for a non-gamer...
or something else ---> no oc'ing
also, i have oem version so it runs 164 rather than retail's 183 core speed.

also thanks for the advice lynx, ill try the panaflo in the psu with the 3 pin connector... and not run it out to the 4pin connection.
i'll keep an eye on it. see if it starts up...

do i need any case fans if my temp stays the same?

 

[Stunt]

also i looked at the old school pentium hsf, they look ghetto.

i think the zalman is better than those.
good idea though, i dont think it'll work...
plus i have to develop a method to mount that sucker

 

[BG4533]

If you have been running with no fan for sometime, then the Zalman would of course be better than that. Be aware however, that running the graphics card like this will most likely shorten its life. By the time that happens the card will probably be a couple of bucks anyway. I mounted my HS on my graphics card using Artic Alumina Adhesive. I didnt think it would hold, but it has done great so far.

I would at least throw in one or two case fans. They will probably lower your case temps a good 3 or 4 degrees at least. Even 2 Panaflo L1As at 5 or 7 volts would be good. They wouldnt even really be audible.

Brian

 

[BG4533]

I just noticed the IBM 60GXP in your profile. Have you had to RMA this yet? My old case was running at about 35c with the HD idling around 45c. I went through 4 deskstars in under a year. I believe they are rated at around 55c, but they obviously die at lower temps. Now, with a fan blowing over my deskstar it was at 27c. Hopefully this one lasts a while.

Brian

 

[Stunt]

what is special about the L1A?
i've heard it listed specificly before.
the panaflo i was looking at is this one:
Panaflo
i think its the one you are talking about.
apparently the L1A is the same as a L1J?
anyways.
i'll throw in the zalman
adding a panaflo for a case fan will not add noise?
or minimal you are saying?
how would i use 7v/5v?
is that pluging it into the 3 pin connectors on the mobo instead of the 4 pin from the psu?

regarding my hd, no rmas here, i've rma'd maxtors and wds but this is my first ibm and i love it.
no issues here.
im not scared about it dying, that was more the 75gxps, the 60's are a lot better, not perfect but an improvement.
*knocks on wood*

 

[BG4533]

That is the fan i have been talking about. It is a quiet fan that has decent airflow and runs on lower voltages quite well. Using a Panaflo at 12V (just on a normal connector) will add some noise, but not a whole lot. The Panaflo at 5v or 7v will provide less airflow, but it probably wont even be audible outside the case.

To run a fan at 5v, take a 4 pin molex connector from the power supply and remove the yellow 12v wire, then move the red (5V) wire to where the Yellow 12V wire was. For 7v, move the red wire next to the yellow one. Take a look at OverClockers Hideout -- 7 volt fan mod. It gives good pictures, but it makes it look much more complicated then it really is. You dont need to make an adapter like they show, just make sure you dont plug in a HD or something else after you switch the wires.

Brian

 

[OulOat]

It's like I'm reading a poem.

Don't bash old pentium hss. The big ones are awesome for cooling video cards. Radeons don't produce much heat, as the 9700 Pro can testify, so the Zalmon should work fine for you.

 

[Jhhnn]

The pp303x has a small fan controller module screwed to one of the heatsinks inside the psu. You may have inadvertently left it out of the circuit when installing the new fan... an 80mm L1a panaflo would be a good replacement for the psu fan, I wouldn't recommend anything less powerful. Connect it thru the temp controller or not, your choice.

Svc sells some ultra quiet 80mm nmb fans, they work extremely well in an easy breathing case like your antec. Nice price, too, they're so cheap that you might as well get the price break on five of 'em. Start with two exhausting out the back, add more if you feel the need. Not really strong enough for the psu or the cpu. Order a gc69 hsf while you're there- good performer, quiet, might even get away with using another panaflo on it.

One of these will do the job on the vidcard-

Zalman Vidcooler

Might want to mount one of the nmb's on a bracket, blowing in the general direction of the sink.