Is the Arctic Cooling SILENTCER 64 ULTRA good?

[imported_thedave]

Im looking for a quiet HSF for a Athlon64 3000+ for less than $40.

Is the Arctic Cooling Silentcer 64 ultra as quiet Im going to get for less than $40? The specs of 12-23 dba seem pretty good, but is that accurate?

Does it have effective cooling capability as well? Im hoping to overclock a little bit in the future, so is this sufficient for stock and minor overclock?

This should at least be better than the stock one, right?

 

[cyberknight]

This fan spins at about 2200RPM constant, so it's not gonna be silent. If possible, I would look for the "TC" (thermally controlled) version.

It is an okay heatsink though, definitely will cool better than stock. The fan has a nice unique design too, and is likely to improve your case temps.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article211-page1.html

Review on the Super Silent 4 Ultra, which is the S478 version of this heatsink.

 

[imported_thedave]

Thanks for your reply. I can't find the 64 Ultra TC, I just see the 64 TC, which may be an option, but not as good.

Would I be better off with spending more and getting a Zalman, Like a 7000B or 7700B? The 7700 has lower rpms (1000-2000) and controlled, so it should be better.
Or what other options are there?

 

[Drostie]

I've got a Silencer 64 TC in my compy back home. They're a very quiet breed. I'm running an Ath 64 3500+ off of it, and the cooler has no problems with that.

I avoided Zalman for a couple reasons: Real heavy, and real huge. I've mounted the Silencer 64 TC in a uATX case which didn't have room for the Zalman.

They're right; the fan mount eliminates most of the noise. The loudest component in that case is the Antec power supply, which isn't particularly loud, but I've been thinking of swapping it for an Antec Phantom... ^_^;; or maybe a Neopower to free up some cable space.

Eh, I can free up cable space with some wire cutters and a glue gun, though.