HTPC cooling........

[Audiofight]

I am looking for a very low noise cooling solution for my HTPC

Unfortunately, it sounds like a small jet engine with the 60mm fan in the rear running. It doesn't have a place for any other cooling option.

The psu can't move the air out fast enough and the cpu hsf is loud as well.

Looking for some ways to quiet it down without running the cpu at 60C or higher. I am running at 40C or so right now with the coolermaster hs that is on it.

Current system config:

Athlon 1200
Asus A7N266-VM/AA
512MB PC2100
Radeon 9600XT 128MB
80GB WD hdd
16/40 Toshiba DVD-Rom

mATX case w/ 200w psu. 60mm exhaust fan. Spots for 2 fans, couldn't imagine the noise from both of them running simultaneously.

Does anyone know where to get a good 12v centrifugal (sp?) blower that I could rig up that is quiet or else where to get some really low dba 60mm fans?

I plan on getting a Zalman 6/7000 hsf to quiet the cpu down. The northbridge is already passive.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jagec]

sure there's no space for an 80mm? You'd probably be able to cut down on the noise that way...

 

[Audiofight]

I am looking at that option, but it is really tight in there. The 60mm fans sit on top of the I/O panel. That is all the space between the I/O and the top panel (desktop style case). Maybe angled or something....

I love the look and size of this case, but I don't know how well I am going to be able to utilize it with the temps this hot. It does most things without issue, but I can't play any games with the 9600 in there, too much power consumption.

After pulling the 9600 out, the psu has cooled down dramatically and the panel doesn't feel nearly as hot to the touch.

I may have to look into a slightly larger mATX power supply. The 200w isn't quite enough, may have to purchase a 235w or larger (if I can find it)

The other thing I need to do is find a mobile T-Bred to put in there with the Zalman.....that will lower power consumption and dba from the heatsink.

 

[mechBgon]

What case is it, audiofight? Can I guess? Inwin D500?

What I'd start with is a PCI slot fan next to the video card, to escort your video card's heat straight out the back before it can mess with the rest of the hardware. I've seen lots of people talk smack about PCI-slot fans, but they do move a fair amount of air, particularly if you port the rear slots into one big rectangle. Peel the label off the underside and put a drop of automatic-transmission fluid on the sleeve bearing for good lifespan. They're pretty quiet too.

Also, cut out the grillework over the 60mm exhaust fan and replace it with a chromed wire grille so the fan can breathe easily. This reduces the turbulence noise, and you may be able to 7-volt the fan and achieve the same airflow with less noise due to the lower restriction.

edit: I think I'll expand on this concept a little: what goes out, must come in. Make it easy for air to get into the case so the exhaust fans aren't working against restriction. Port out the underside of your bezel's front edge, chop out some grillework on the metal behind the bezel... make it easy for air to come in.

For a low-dB fan, Panaflo L1A 60mm comes to mind. I think Vantec has a Stealth model in that size range too. Hope that helps

 

[L00PY]

I was in love with my mATX case too, except the 60mm fans made it just too loud. I added a 80mm blow hole, tried different rear fans, and hooked up to a controller, but I couldn't get the temperatures or sound to reasonable levels. I bit the bullet, went with a mATX case that uses 80mm fans, and am much happier now. I wanted a case that was less than 6" wide and that limited my selection -- so there may be better cases out there for you.

The PSU in my old case used a bottom mounted fan, so I did consider just replacing it with a mATX PSU with a back mounted fan. Your choice in 60mm fans will be limited with the Vantec probably being your best bet as far as availability goes. Keep in mind that quieter fans in the same size will move less air and probably result in higher temps.

 

[Xeese]

For video - VGA Silencer this will put your video heat out of the case and help on cooling.

You can put a 60 to 80mm fan adapter on the back of the case (on the outside) and mount a fan on that. If your computer is in a cabinet this wouldn't be visible and/or much of a worry.

mechBgon has some good points on making sure you have decent airflow going in. For the most part you can ditch the fan grill altogether unless you are worried about hitting the blades.

Assuming this is a low profile case, you could duct the CPU fan to the top of the case if it won't be an aesthetic issue. This is also assuming this is a desktop or rack style cse, otherwise side = top.