Fan to use with ALX-800?

[JeffreyY]

Hey everyone, I'm thinking about picking up the Thermalright ALX-800 for $16 at svc.com to overclock an Athlon Mobile 2600+. Any recommendations for the fan (preferably not too expensive) to put on there? I'm looking to overclock to around 2.4Ghz. This will be my first overclock.

 

[mechBgon]

How about an adjustable-RPM Enermax 80mm fan? They're cheap and their speed range is from very quiet to medium-ish. I'm sure it would get you to the point of decreasing returns with a decent heatsink like that. Recommendation: power it from the PSU using the included 3-pin-to-4-pin adapter... at lowest RPMs, its RPM signal may be low enough to make your motherboard look like this -->

 

[Jaxidian]

I would recommend against getting a low-rpm "quiet" fan and go with a medium'ish fan. I've heard people say that this heatsink is awesome for good fans but not so good for the "quiet" group of fans.

Also, be sure you use that $3 off coupon (or whatever it is).

 

[JeffreyY]

Hmm... what do you consider low-rpm? So I've been researching these 80mm fans for the past 2 hours or so and I was leaning towards the Panaflo H1a (I think also known as the 12H?) Noise is a concern to me, though I'm not sure how loud 32 dB is. How loud are generic case fans?

Specifications:

* Rated Voltage: 12 V
* Operating Voltage: 7-13.8 V
* Rated Current: 173 mA
* Rated Input: 2.08 W
* Speed: 2950 rpm
* Air Flow: 39.6 CFM
* Noise: 32.0 dBA

I've read a few reviews that claimed that since the ALX-800 is part aluminum it does not require as much air to cool. Is 40 CFM pretty respectable? This will be my first overclock, so I don't think I am going to push the CPU to the limits. I would be satisfied with about 2.4Ghz I think. Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[JeffreyY]

Hmm... what do you consider low-rpm? So I've been researching these 80mm fans for the past 2 hours or so and I was leaning towards the Panaflo H1a (I think also known as the 12H?) Noise is a concern to me, and I've read good things about the Panaflo line when it comes to noise.
Specifications:

* Rated Voltage: 12 V
* Operating Voltage: 7-13.8 V
* Rated Current: 173 mA
* Rated Input: 2.08 W
* Speed: 2950 rpm
* Air Flow: 39.6 CFM
* Noise: 32.0 dBA

I've read a few reviews that claimed that since the ALX-800 is part aluminum it does not require as much air to cool. Is 40 CFM pretty respectable? This will be my first overclock, so I don't think I am going to push the CPU to the limits. I would be satisfied with about 2.4Ghz I think. Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[Jaxidian]

Here is how I generally think about noise:

<20dB - essentially unhearable
20-25dB - If you try, you can hear
25-30dB - Still pretty quiet but you can hear
30-35dB - Some people still consider this kinda quiet but this is starting to get up there
35-40dB - You're getting loud
>40dB - It's pretty loud.

However, there's something else about noise that you can't get from a specification - Does it have a high-pitch whining? It could only be about 25dB but if it has a high-pitch whining sound, then it's quite annoying.

So for the fan you're looking at, that's not really that loud and some people consider that still in the quiet range. And since you're towards the lower end of 30-35dB, then good.

As far as air flow, I'm probably the wrong guy to ask. But a general rule of thumb that I use when I select a fan is that I'll select what noise range I'm looking for and then basically find the best combo of noise/air flow that I can find. For example, if I want 30-35dB and I see a 32dB fan give 39.6CFM and also a 35dB fan that gives 40.1CFM, I'm probably going to choose the quieter of the two. But if I were to see a 32dB fan give 39.6CFM and a 35dB fan give 49.6, I'm gonna choose the louder fan because that's a big difference.

I hope that helps!

 

[L00PY]

I agree with Jax in theory, but disagree in practice.

Your fan for the ALX won't be the only thing you hear. There are other fans causing noise in your case. Just having one Tornado as a case fan and a 40 dBA fan on your HSF will be inaudible over the racket of the Tornado. Or if you already had four 31 dBA case fans (say an intake, two exhausts, and PSU fan), you wouldn't be able to hear the difference between adding a 22 dBA HSF and 32 dBA HSF.

So your best fan will depend on your current setup and your tolerance for noise. Since RPM, dBA, and CFM are all closely related and follow the basic fan laws, the best way to figure that out is by adjusting your fan speeds. This is probably better than blindly following manufacturers' specs as they can differ tremendously.

 

[mechBgon]

I own a couple of Thermalright SK-7's, which are similar in structure (meaning, densely-packed fins), and use them with low-RPM Panaflo L1A's That's enough cooling for any stock-clocked AthlonXP in a reasonably-ventilated case, and the blowby helps keep the RAM and northbridge cool too. The adjustable-speed Enermax I've suggested can run slower or faster than the L1A, just dial it up or down to where you prefer it. Peak output, I'm going to guess about 40cfm

 

[xbassman]

Originally posted by: JeffreyY
Hmm... what do you consider low-rpm? So I've been researching these 80mm fans for the past 2 hours or so and I was leaning towards the Panaflo H1a (I think also known as the 12H?) Noise is a concern to me, and I've read good things about the Panaflo line when it comes to noise.
Specifications:

* Rated Voltage: 12 V
* Operating Voltage: 7-13.8 V
* Rated Current: 173 mA
* Rated Input: 2.08 W
* Speed: 2950 rpm
* Air Flow: 39.6 CFM
* Noise: 32.0 dBA

I've read a few reviews that claimed that since the ALX-800 is part aluminum it does not require as much air to cool. Is 40 CFM pretty respectable? This will be my first overclock, so I don't think I am going to push the CPU to the limits. I would be satisfied with about 2.4Ghz I think. Any thoughts? Thanks!

The H1A you mentioned is very quiet for the amount of airflow it produces.
I used to have 6 of the Enermax adjustables. They are also rated @ about 39cfm, but are MUCH louder than the Panaflo.

Since you want to overclock, I would suggest the Panaflo U1A over the H1A since it flow is rated @ 46.9cfm. It also isn't very anoying loud. This model is a little harder to find, but you can find the whole line of Panaflo's @ DigiKey.

Well I just checked DigiKey and the U1A is out-of-stock.
Here is the Panasonic part number: FBA08A12U1A

Remember, if you are buying Panaflos be sure to buy the proper 3 or 4 pin tails.
You can get them @ DigiKey or Casecooler.com

 

[JeffreyY]

Cool, thanks for the help everyone! I decided to go with the Panaflo U1A for now. Found it at 2cooltek for $9 + $4.50 shipping, comes with the 3 pin connector.

 

[L00PY]

The RPM sensing H1A might have been a better choice. Some mobos require it and for a HSF it's nice to see that the fan's spinning. Unless you already have a way of slowing the U1A, since you said noise is a concern, its loudness and no way of the monitoring RPMs make it a not-so-good choice in my book.

 

[Zap]

I personally went with the 12H on my ALX-800. Works well. In fact, lower temps and lower noise than the 50CFM Sunon and 48CFM YSTech that I also got at SVC. The only thing that beat the Panaflo 12H temperature-wise in my collection of fans is this old Sanyo Denki (I think, it's at home and I'm posting at work) 80x80x38mm fan that was off a Swiftech heatsink. However, that thing was noisy. I'm impressed enough with the Panaflo that I ordered another one (UPS tracking said I should receive on Monday). There's just something about the way the air comes out of the Panaflo that works with the ALX-800. The Sunon and YSTech feels like there's more air coming out.

I think the ALX-800 is a bit worse using low CFM fans because the fins are thicker than the all copper units, and have less space between the fins.

 

[L337Llama]

I bought the ALX800 and a smart fan 2, and I'm having trouble getting the fan. From the pictures ive seen, the clips go on into the fan holes, but that doesn't work on my SF2. Any help would be greatly apreciated...

 

[xbassman]

Originally posted by: L337Llama
I bought the ALX800 and a smart fan 2, and I'm having trouble getting the fan. From the pictures ive seen, the clips go on into the fan holes, but that doesn't work on my SF2. Any help would be greatly apreciated...

That's what 's on my son's comp. Too bad they changed the clips a bit from the SLK's. It was easier to clip them to the TOP of the fan.

I got his to stay on though. I had to work it a bit since the fan clip kinda bends around the curviture of the fan. After putting on the first side I had to hold that in place while I put the second one on. It hasn't come off though. (That was my biggest worry!)

You could make cuts in the plastic if you don't have any luck getting the clips to stay. or possibly clip it on and run a zip-tie through hole and around the clip....

 

[L337Llama]

Thanks alot. I emailed Thermalright, and the guy said I wanted to keep the fan, use pliers or something to take away the plastic. Ill try to mess around more with the slips, if it doesn't wrok, then I'll zip tie. I'ts only a temporary mod for the moment, I'm gonna be putting a thermaltake ducting mod on the alx, which will fit much better.

 

[xbassman]

Ya know...if you have an old fan lying aroung, you could try the homemade ducting mod trick to attach your SF2.... (assuming that the old fan's lower holes are accessible)
Just take the old fan and cut out the guts leaving an empty housing. Then you could attach your SF2 to that fan housing with bolts or zip ties. Then attach the ALX fan cilps to the cut out fan housing.

 

[JeffreyY]

Hmm, does anybody know what kind of temperatures I should be getting with the ALX-800 with a panaflo u1a? (I think around 48cfm). mobile 2600+ OCed to 210x12 @ 1.75V.

 

[xbassman]

Originally posted by: JeffreyY
Hmm, does anybody know what kind of temperatures I should be getting with the ALX-800 with a panaflo u1a? (I think around 48cfm). mobile 2600+ OCed to 210x12 @ 1.75V.

Well, it is kinda hard to say what temps you will get since there are so many variables involved, but here is what my son's PC is getting.

MBM5 readings: (all fans running @ 12V)
CPU 44-45C @ 2135mhz (100%load)
case 27C
vcore 1.76-1.78 (1.775 bios)

ALX-800 w/80mm Panaflo U1A
Fong Kai FK-320 case 90mm Panaflo H1A intake (rear fan shroud), 120mm L1A intake (lower front),
2-80mm H1A exhaust (side blow holes)
NF7-S mobo with Barton 2500+

It ran a couple of degrees cooler with the Thermaltake SF2 at the expense of quite a bit of noise.