Case Noise

[Chasim]

I just recently built a new system (P4 3.0 800, Asus P4S800D-E, Antec TruePower 430, etc. with an Antec P160 case). The system is quiet enough at "idle" but there is a very annoying whine once the system has been running hard for a while. I've pretty much isolated the noise (the whine) to the PSU or CPU fans, but I really can't tell for sure which it is.

Is it possible to (briefly) unplug the CPU fan to confirm which it is? Since the CPU fan speed jumps/increases over a 1,000 RPM (up to about 3,500 RPM) at load, while the PSU fan only jumps a few hundred (1,300 rpm to 1,600 RPM), I suspect the CPU fan.

If it is the CPU fan, can anyone suggest a new heatsink and fan? The catch is, while I want something quiet, I will be OC'ing at some point (possibly as much as 10%). I need something that will cool well. I also don't want to spend a fortune (although most heatsink and fans for CPUs I see aren't real expensive).

Thanks for any advice... this darn whine is going to drive me nuts.

 

[SniperMerc]

Won't hurt anything to try it for a few seconds, I've done it myself when trying to isolate sounds coming from my system.

As for a quiet replacement heatsink/fan, most around here will usually chime in and say Zalman CNPS CU or AlCu 7000. I have one myself and love it, even at its highest rpm it is barely audible above my hard drive noise, let alone the fact that I have it on a fanbus and only turn it up when necessary during heavy gaming or other high cpu usage. Link

Here's what it looks like installed. Pic of my case.

Oh and as for overclocking, I have an Athlon XP 2600+ Mobile cpu clocked up at 2500 MHz 166/166 x15 (stock is 2000 133/133 x15 @ 1.45 Vcore) Sitting here idling while writing this the cpu is sitting at 45C with the system fans and cpu fans just above minimums.

 

[Cheetah8799]

Yes, you can briefly unplug the cpu fan, but only for a few seconds to check the noise level. Don't leave it off for too long, just to be safe.

For an upgrade you could look at the Thermalright heatsinks, then add the fan of your choice. That way you can use a quiet fan and still have good cooling. I think the SLK-900U is a good start. There are newer models as well.

The Thermalright heatsink will give you plenty of room to OC as well.

Price is a little steep for some people, maybe $30 - $35 for a decent priced one. I think Karaktu still has his SLK-900U for sale in the FS/FT forum.


EDIT: SniperMerc beat me to the 1st post... The Zalman heatsinks are good, but make sure the one you buy is P4 compatible. I think most guys use them on AMD cpus as SniperMerc is.

 

[Chasim]

Thanks for the advice... I'm going to try to confirm tonight that it's the CPU fan and if it is I'm going to go with the Zalman.

SniperMerc - I noticed you have a Zalman GPU cooler with a slim fan attached - that's the other reason I want to upgrade my CPU HS&F because I just ordered a 9800 Pro Ultimate and I'm going to add the slim fan also. I assume that will be some new hot air near the CPU so I figure better cooling will be a good idea.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: Chasim
Thanks for the advice... I'm going to try to confirm tonight that it's the CPU fan and if it is I'm going to go with the Zalman.

SniperMerc - I noticed you have a Zalman GPU cooler with a slim fan attached - that's the other reason I want to upgrade my CPU HS&F because I just ordered a 9800 Pro Ultimate and I'm going to add the slim fan also. I assume that will be some new hot air near the CPU so I figure better cooling will be a good idea.

The Zalman will heat up your case. Try it without the slim fan if you're going for a quieter case, it's not absolutely necessary if you have good airflow in your case, despite what Zalman says. Sapphire wouldn't sell it without the fan if it couldn't run without it.

I have a Zalman 7000cu, and it's really not that great of a performer. It has somewhat poor design. I'm looking forward to the new Thermalright XP-120, which will be easy to install via the stock intel retention clip, and should provide the best performance of any air cooling to date.

 

[Chasim]

I've decided to go with the Zalman - I have heard before it's not the best performer but my CPU and system temps aren't my biggest concern right now. The stock HS&F is just so noisy (I'll pulled the plug and sure enough 90% of the system noise seems to be teh stock CPU fan).

Just one other question - I also ordered some Arctic Silver 5. I've never used thermal compound before so I read the guide on Arctic Silver's site... but it's a little confusing. Do I need to put some on the heatsink and the CPU heatsink/heatspreader? The directions seem to suggest I just put a small bead on the center of the CPU heatsink? Should it also be on the fan heatsink? Do I spread it on either?

Any suggestions appreciated... thanks.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: Chasim
I've decided to go with the Zalman - I have heard before it's not the best performer but my CPU and system temps aren't my biggest concern right now. The stock HS&F is just so noisy (I'll pulled the plug and sure enough 90% of the system noise seems to be teh stock CPU fan).

Just one other question - I also ordered some Arctic Silver 5. I've never used thermal compound before so I read the guide on Arctic Silver's site... but it's a little confusing. Do I need to put some on the heatsink and the CPU heatsink/heatspreader? The directions seem to suggest I just put a small bead on the center of the CPU heatsink? Should it also be on the fan heatsink? Do I spread it on either?

Any suggestions appreciated... thanks.

I think you put it on the heatsink (it's been a while...), but try to only put it in the area where you think the processor will touch. Use a notecard or something rigid and slim to spread the AS into a very thin layer.

 

[0roo0roo]

buy a fan speed controller. something you should probably have anyways if you care about noise. that way you can really test. if the fans are the culprit, lowering rpm would affect the noise. if its your harddrives, ...well damn.

 

[jpeyton]

If it's a low-pitched whine, it's probably a fan. If it's a very high pitched whine, it could also be some of the electronic components on your motherboard. Try disabling onboard LAN in your BIOS and see if it goes away.

 

[SniperMerc]

Originally posted by: Chasim
Thanks for the advice... I'm going to try to confirm tonight that it's the CPU fan and if it is I'm going to go with the Zalman.

SniperMerc - I noticed you have a Zalman GPU cooler with a slim fan attached - that's the other reason I want to upgrade my CPU HS&F because I just ordered a 9800 Pro Ultimate and I'm going to add the slim fan also. I assume that will be some new hot air near the CPU so I figure better cooling will be a good idea.

Yep, and while the GPU cooler is big, it cools better than the stock hsf and is much quieter that the stock FX 5900 hsf could ever hope to be.

The Zalman CPU cooler comes with one of the Zalman fan controllers but there not very convient to use so I control it with my fanbus. At its highest speed it is barely audible over the whine from my hard drives.

Nebor The Zalman will heat up your case.

Thats the idea Nebor yeesh. Take the heat from the GPU core, pumps through the heat pipe and disipate it over a larger area with lower speed fan than what is on the stock heatsinks.

I have a Zalman 7000cu, and it's really not that great of a performer.

That depends on your idea of performance. If its to remove massive ammounts of heat over large surface area with a low speed quiet fan then no its not. If your looking to keep your ears from ringing due to high speed noisy fans it's a fantastic performer. I've been using mine for overclocking sience last year and have been extremely impressed with what it can do at such low noise levels.


Temps Pic from MBM 5

 

[Nebor]

That depends on your idea of performance. If its to remove massive ammounts of heat over large surface area with a low speed quiet fan then no its not. If your looking to keep your ears from ringing due to high speed noisy fans it's a fantastic performer. I've been using mine for overclocking sience last year and have been extremely impressed with what it can do at such low noise levels.

First off, my computer is quieter than yours. Second, the zalman fails both as a heat remover, when turned to full speed, it's beaten by many many other heatsinks, and as a quiet solution, because even at 5v, the thing is noisy, clicky and rattly. Replacing the fan on it with a quieter 92mm did help, but the structure of the heatsink is poor. THere's a large chunk of copper at the bottom that is just solid, with no fins or heatpipes or anything. That part heats up and stays hot. That's why with the Zalman you'll find that idle and load temperatures don't differ as much as with other heatsinks.

 

[GreatBarracuda]

Uh...I would NOT recommend taking off your CPU fan for any longer than 8 secs! I recently went through this experience, and I advise you to be very very careful. These modern CPU's generate tremendous amounts of heat. P4 Thermal Throttling and Arctic Silver 5?...thank you! thank you! thank you!!