Are there any HSF units quieter than FOP32-1?

[agould24]

I have an AMD 1.2Ghz that I do not overclock, and have no intention to in the future.

The fan/heatsink I have on it is a GlobalWin FOP32-1. The problem is -- the thing is too loud for me. The case actually vibrates a bit with it! The case is not a cheap one either (Antec SX830).

What I'd like to know is, what is the most quiet HSF unit available to safely cool an AMD 1.2? I don't want to spend too much (hopefully under $25US).

 

[Witchfinder]

Try the Thermaltake Volcano-7 these should be cheap now the all-copper 7+ is out, on a 1.2TB you should be ok with the sensor controlling the speed of the fan, if not cut it loose and drop it into the heatsink but the RPM goes up to 5000 though the whine should be as annoying as the FOP32..

For the record, you wanna hear the FOP38 which is a FOP32 with a 7000RPM Delta on - sheesh that makes an unbelieveable racket! - in fact I repaced my case and replaced the Delta with one from a FOP32-1 to gain a bit of sanity.. I`m going the AX-7 and 80mm fan bliss route now for my 1800+, I want this thing as silent as a Mac 😀

 

[agould24]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm just comparing the specs on the FOP32-1 and Volcano 7. Maybe you or someone else can verify what my conclusions are...

FOP32-1
Max CFM: 26
Noise Level: 36dB
RPM: 4200

Volcano 7
Max CFM: 46@2900RPM / 53@5000RPM
Noise Level: 27dB@2900RPM / 39dB@5000RPM
RPM: 2900 / 5000

If my current HSF unit (FOP32-1) operates at 26CFM and screams at 36dB, then the Volcano 7 operating at 2900RPM moves MORE air, at almost 10dB less!

Is my math correct, or am I crazy? Can I *force* the Volcano 7 to operate at the lower RPM to keep the noise level low, and cool at the same (or better) level as my FOP32-1?

Finally, and this one is important -- I have an A7V133 motherboard. Will the Volcano 7 fit?

Thanks for the help guys!!

 

[Shaorinor]

Thermaltake stats on their fans are exaggerated last I checked. I'd probably pay a liiiitlle bit more and just get an AX-7 with a Panaflo or something.

 

[agould24]

I just did a price check on the AX-7 w/Panaflo. It would run me about $75CDN. The Volcano 7 is $30CDN. Is the difference really worth $45?

I noticed the Panaflo L1A (low speed) is 24CFM and 21dB. Would 24CFM be enough to cool a 1.2Ghz AMD?

 

[Watson]

I use the FOP32 on one computer and the Volcano 7 on the other (see myrigs). My Volcano 7 is definitely quieter and less annoying than the FOP32 (and I even have a case like yours - mine is the Chieftec version). On my XP1700 the rpms hover around 3100 with a couple of case fans running (case temp of 26) and around 3700 without the case fans running (case temp 31-32). In either case the CPU runs around 36-37 idle and 40-41 under load. If I overclock to 145 FSB (1.6Ghz), it only runs 2 or 3 degrees hotter. Case cooling seems to be the key to keeping the thermal sensor happy and the rpms lower (and the CPU temp changes very little). Even at 3700 rpm, the Volcano is not terribly loud, but at 3100 it is remarkably quiet AND the 80mm fan is much lower pitch than most 60mm fans.

Good luck

 

[agould24]

Well, if it's noticeably quieter, I'm all for it. Especially at such a low price. I have two fans on the back of the case running all the time, and in the summer (when heat is high -- we don't have air conditioning) I plug in a fan on the front of the case.

I would assume I have enough case cooling, so that should be good enough!

If the machine is still too loud, I'll just replace the case fans with quiet Panaflo's or those new Vantec stealth fans...

 

[Confused]

How about do what i have done...

take the fan off and place a quieter 80 or 92mm fan on the heatsink.

I have a quiet Adda 92mm fan on the FOP heatsink, and with an Athlon 1.0 @ 1.467 @ 1.85V on an ECS K7S5A i get 48 degrees, and on a KT7 i got about 52 degrees (that was with lower cfm Adda 80mm on the KT7)

Very quiet and cools well too 🙂

ConfusedBW

 

[agould24]

Let's say I pursued the 80/92mm idea. What kind of adapter is required to mount a bigger fan to the FOP32 heatsink?

I'm almost ready to go with the Volcano 7 (since it's only $29CDN), but I'm still listening to ideas...

 

[conlan]

There are no adapters availible for mounting an 80mm fan to a FOP-32 as they use clips for fan mounting. You could try This for mounting an 80mm fan to your FOP-32, just be careful not to break the clips.

 

[agould24]

Ah, ok. I didn't realize that's all that was required.

I guess I'll see what I can come up with in the way of inexpensive fans.

What is the minimum CFM/RPM rating I should be looking for with this setup?

 

[agould24]

Hey guys, just a follow up...

I tried the 80mm mount for my heatsink. I had a cheap 3200RPM sitting unused at the front of my case so I thought what the heck.

I pulled off the attached 60mm Y.S.Tech and managed to get the 80mm attached like the picture linked to above. I had to bend the clips a little (to make them more straight). Everything is running great! Both my CPU and motherboard temps actually dropped 1-2 degrees Celsius. Not much, but at least it didn't get worse!

Unfortunately the cheapo fan I used isn't all that quiet. It might actually be a tiny bit louder than the 60mm Y.S.Tech. :frown: So I think I'll go hunt down a good quiet fan now. Obviously 3200RPM is enough for a 1.2Ghz AMD, so just need to find one with a lower dB rating...

Thanks for the link conlan, and all the input from others!

 

[mcvan]

As you may have already discovered, the fan on the FOP 32 is impossible to silence -- even at half the voltage, it's noisy. It's simply a noisy fan.

The quietest widely available fan is a Panaflo 80mm - the "L" (low power version) -- 21 dBA, 24 cfm.

The best heatsinks for low airflow fans are the ZALMAN flower heatsinks. These are really quite effective with minimal airflow fans, and come equipped with a pretty quiet 80mm fan that kind of suspends over it.

Another option is just to get a BIGGER HS -- almost anything with a larger surface area that is not too tightly packed together and put the quiet Panaflo over it, Zalman fan style,.

You could experiment with a 12V/5V switch as shown here: Build a Simple 12V/5V Switch for Fans

Hope that helps

 

[RobSay]

I've put a Panaflo L1A on my FOP32 cooling a Duron 600@900 in the past and it worked fine. I don't recall the temps but I do remember them being a bit higher than normal. I didn't care because my computer was almost silent.