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Looking for a recommendation for a CPU fan

R

RoamDog

Member
I am going to purchase an Athloin 64 3200+ and build a new system. But have never built from scratch before. How good/bad are the stock CPU fans that come with the retail boxed sets? I am probably not going to overclock but want to keep my options open. So, I think that I want to get a better and more quiet solution. I am NOT going to ever overclock enough that I want to go all the way to a water-cooled system or anything else exotic enough to be featured in Maximum PC. 🙂
Lack of noise is extremely important. What would you recommend as an ultra-quiet high quality CPU fan (that will not totally break the bank--do not mind spending a reasonable amount but do not want to spend more on the fan than I do on the CPU itself)??
Do I also need something called thermal glue or tape?? How does that work and is it hard to install correctly for a first-timer?
 
Thermalright XP-90/120 with a L or M Panaflow
Zalman 7000/7700AlCu

Neither are very hard to install if you follow the instructions, and both come with thermal paste.
 
Take a look at the Arctic-Cooling Freezer 64 HERE. It is fairly new, but google turns up some reviews that might help you decide.
 
XP-120 with a low speed fan is the best bet at this time. Not cheap however; expect to pay about $60 with shipping. Zalman 7000 series is best bang for the buck for $35 or so. The stock heatsink cools good enough but the fan is fairly noisey compared to the others mentioned.

Good luck.

Ed
 
get an xp-120 with a compatible motherboard, then get one of these fans: Yate Loon Blue LED fan. Although it's only 7 bucks, it doesn't break 2500 rpm, and it's quiet. if that's not your style, you can also try to get the non-led orange version that only goes to 1200 rpms. it's a big hit amongst silentpc enthusiasts. however, if you're gonna try to overclock, go all out with some giant delta fan or something.
 
The stock cooler is pretty noisy. When it's not running full it's not bad but when the fan speed kicks up to cool the CPU it is quite loud IMO. I have an XP-120 on order supposed to be delivered today.
 
Remember you can use speedfan to control your fans also. I have a xp-90 with a H1b panaflo, and it lets me adjust to cool and quiet you want it.
 
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