Just how loud IS the Sk6 with a YS Tech 40 cfm fan? Need a recommendation.

[NeoSiramed]

Hi all. This is my first post on the board, I'm glad to be here. You all seem like an intelligent and informed crowd.

So, I'll begin with an annoying newbie-like question

I am going to be putting together an Athlon XP 1800+ with Asus K7v266-E rig here shortly, and I find myself unable to decide on a proper heatsink. So far my top choice seems to be the SK6 - but I'm somewhat worried about the noise it puts out. I'll be housing it in a big Antec 1040 case, will this help dampen the noise somewhat? I don't have much experience working with high performance heatsinks, so I don't know what to expect.

Does anybody have any recommendations for a newbie like me? Good performance is an issue, but overclocking is not really my prime concern - so I'm willing to sacrifice some brute power for extra noise tolerance.

Oh, and given that I AM a newbie, installation ease is also a factor for me. The easier the clip is to install, the better!! I will admit that I'm kind of worried about slapping one of those monsters on my brand new fragile CPU!

Ideally, I'd pick up the Alpha 8045, but alas, it won't fit on the motherboard I'm getting.

Thanks for any help/ideas/recommendation/feedback!

 

[L00PY]

Here's my $0.02 on the topic.

The SK-6 itself isn't the loud part, it's the fan that you slap onto it. So long as your ambient temperatures aren't too high, you'll probably get acceptable temperatures with quieter fan that outputs around 30 CFM. For that, the fan of choice seems to be the Thermaltake TT-6025. I'd suggest that over using an offset 80mm just to keep your installation simple. You probably won't be getting sub 40C temps with that setup, but under 50C at full load is well within specs.

Your case won't make a obnoxiously loud fan 40 CFM bearable, but loud case fans could mask it somewhat. That said, I'd stay away from the all the loud fans and go with a bunch of quiet Panaflo case fans instead. The Antec case layout is really good for cooling (among other things) so you can probably get away with lower CFM but quieter case fans in it. IMNSHO, your PSU fan should be one of your loudest fans, but it's all relative. If you're a real noise freak, you can always swap out that fan and apply some sound dampening material to your case.

The SK-6 installation isn't that hard. Make sure you use a screwdriver with a large handle that has a tip that fits the notch in the clip just right; there's a standard tip size (7/32" maybe?) that does the job. The two things to look out for when installing are: the clip being backwards (the bend in the clip needs to be over the CPU core), and the SK-6 not clearing the socket edge.

It sounds like you're being careful so I don't think you need to worry too much. To be on the safe side, do a dry run installing the heatsink in your mobo without the CPU in place, and you can get a feel for how much pressure you need to place on the clip. If you're really paranoid, after you install the SK-6 for real, uninstall it and look at the imprint in the thermal interface material (Artic Silver II hopefully). If you've got a perfect imprint you're good to go.

 

[NeoSiramed]

Thanks for the input, it's much appreciated.

I have also been considering the Taisol 760092 heatsink with stock fan - it sounds like it's a pretty effective cooler, and it has two major advantages from my standpoint, low noise level and good clip design.

Anybody have any experience using this heatsink?