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Newbie question about fan cfm and db...

LongCoolMother

Diamond Member
help me out people! im looking for a new fan for my CPU, simply because its too loud right now. i think its keeping my athlon 1.4Ghz running okay at 59C usually everytime i check. when i look at my fan, its a "coolormaster" fan from http://coolermaster.com/home.html and the heatsink is just a silver metal color..i dont know much and im looking for a new fan and maybe a new heatsink if that will help with the loudness. What DB ratings should i look for? I know lower is better but how low is quiet? and how much CFM should i be looking for? Recomendations are welcome, thanks
 
I would say that under 35dba is pretty good. As far as getting a new heatsink goes, that wouldnt help with noise unless you got a really good heatsink and a really quiet fan. I would say that the high 30s for cfm is good enough, but it depends on how good your heatsink is. I would highly recommend the SVC GC-68. The fan is only 28dba, and it still cools great. You can get it at www.case-mod.com or www.svcompucycle.com for like $18.00 shipped. Hope this helps.
 
what about the alpha pal8045? Its expensive, but if its good, i can spare the money for it (im just looking for quietness, but still being able the keep my CPU stable). Also, whats the diff between those thermal compounds? [artic silver3 etc..]
 
Arctic Silver 3 is the best. If you want a really cool and quiet cpu, then go with an Alpha 8045, a quiet 80mm fan, and arctic silver 3. What speed is your cpu and are you going to overclock?
 
I've got an Alpha 8045 with a Panaflo L1A. The L1A is one of the quietest fans, but it only blows 24cfm.....the 21dBa noise level is nice though!

I recommend getting a new AX7 heatsink (~$30 and they perform better than Alpha 8045 heatsinks) and a YSTech 29dBa 38cfm fan. Here's Gizzo's fan page, where you will find that this YSTech fan is model FD1281255B-2N. And for reference, the AMD stock heatsink's fan is 32dBa, I believe. Every 10dBa increase means a 10fold increase in noise, so don't go above 35 no matter what (Yes, Delta Screamers can (almost) cause deafness... 😱)
 
If you are looking for the AX7, it can be found here. The Alpha PAL8045 is tried and true and will cool a 1.4 bird with a Panaflo L1A if you case isn't too hot--very quiet. Make sure you check motherboard compatability before buying (these HS's are big and the nearby capacitors on some boards won't allow them to be installed).
 


<< I've got an Alpha 8045 with a Panaflo L1A. The L1A is one of the quietest fans, but it only blows 24cfm.....the 21dBa noise level is nice though!

I recommend getting a new AX7 heatsink (~$30 and they perform better than Alpha 8045 heatsinks) and a YSTech 29dBa 38cfm fan. Here's Gizzo's fan page, where you will find that this YSTech fan is model FD1281255B-2N. And for reference, the AMD stock heatsink's fan is 32dBa, I believe. Every 10dBa increase means a 10fold increase in noise, so don't go above 35 no matter what (Yes, Delta Screamers can (almost) cause deafness... 😱)
>>




Umm... no. If 10dB was a 10-fold increase in perceived sound, then anyone who uses a 54dB Delta EHE would have their ear drums instantly ruptured, not just deaf. A 10dB increase is a doubling in perceived sound.
 
I've got an XP1800 with an Alpha PAL 8045, an Enermax 80mm adjustable RPM fan (from 1000-3000rpm) and some AS3. This setup is a bit more expensive, but the quality is excellent, the fan is big and quiet and adjustable for different needs. Spend the money to invest in cooling, it is worth it!

Epsil0n
 
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