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quietest HSF

M

memo

Golden Member
Not sure if this belonged here or in general disc but i wanted to know which HSF out there creates the least amount of noise. I have an old Athlon XP 1800+ so it doesnt need to be very extravagant. I've been looking at the Zalman's which are about 18dB on their silent mode. On a side note is anyone familiar with the Zalman brand? They have just about two different types of every model, a xxxx-Cu and xxxx-AlCu. How much of a difference does having a AlCu base make over just a Cu base, dollar wise? i.e. how much more should I expect to pay for an AlCu?

Also, I am not sure if my case or mobo could support it, but are there any feasible options pasively that are still affordable?

My mobo is in Epox 8RDA+ just in case someone had a suggestion. Are there any other HSFs that you guys can recommend? Thanks in advance.
 
Cheap passive solutions? No. But the Zalman 7000 series is close enough to dead quiet. Zalman is well known to specialize in quiet computing and have a had good history of products.

AlCu versions are generally cheaper, much lighter and perform just as well.
 
Originally posted by: WobbleWobble
Cheap passive solutions? No. But the Zalman 7000 series is close enough to dead quiet. Zalman is well known to specialize in quiet computing and have a had good history of products.

AlCu versions are generally cheaper, much lighter and perform just as well.
Click to expand...

cool, thanks for the help, and clearing things up
 
does anyone have any other suggestions besides the Zalman series? turns out the dimension of my mobo wont fit the Zalmans.
 
The Arctic Cooling Copper Silent 2M is exactly what you're looking for. Forget those expensive Zalmans.
The copper base may need slight lapping. But after that, you're good to go. :laugh:
These HS don't get the respect they deserve.

I'm running the blue LED version on my XP-M. It's quiet and cools VERY well for a sub-$20 HS.
 
Originally posted by: Blain
The <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http:// [L=http://store.yahoo.com/svcompucycle/ac2mcopsil.html]http://store.yahoo.com/s
lt;b">compucycle/ac2mcopsil.html">Arctic Cooling Copper Silent 2M</a> is exactly what you're looking for. Forget those expensive Zalmans.
The copper base may need slight lapping. But after that, you're good to go. :laugh:
These HS don't get the respect they deserve.

I'm running the blue LED version on my XP-M. It's quiet and cools VERY well for a sub-$20 HS.
Click to expand...

oh wow, 13 db on its quietest setting. and for 12 bucks id be stupid not to get this 😀

seriously, not a big investment, so i'll give it a go see what happens.
 
Originally posted by: memo

oh wow, 13 db on its quietest setting. and for 12 bucks id be stupid not to get this 😀

seriously, not a big investment, so i'll give it a go see what happens.
Click to expand...

Remember, you're first priority is adequate cooling. You can get 0dB noise level if you turn off the fan, but you'll burn out your CPU. I seem to recall reading a review that referred to that 13dB number as basically fraudulent. The actual noise level is MUCH higher.

A true low-noise, effective solution would be to use the Nexus 92mm fan on the XP-90 HS. Cooling would not be as good as with a higher-CFM fan, but it would still be adequate if you're not planning on doing extreme OC'ing. Here's a link to the XP-90 review that includes the Nexus fan:

XP-90 review

 
Originally posted by: shira
Originally posted by: memo

oh wow, 13 db on its quietest setting. and for 12 bucks id be stupid not to get this 😀

seriously, not a big investment, so i'll give it a go see what happens.
Click to expand...

Remember, you're first priority is adequate cooling. You can get 0dB noise level if you turn off the fan, but you'll burn out your CPU. I seem to recall reading a review that referred to that 13dB number as basically fraudulent. The actual noise level is MUCH higher.

A true low-noise, effective solution would be to use the Nexus 92mm fan on the XP-90 HS. Cooling would not be as good as with a higher-CFM fan, but it would still be adequate if you're not planning on doing extreme OC'ing. Here's a link to the XP-90 review that includes the Nexus fan:

XP-90 review
Click to expand...

definately want to worry about adequate cooling first, but the specs says it meets up to a 2400+ on the quietest setting so i think i should be in the clear with a 2100+. Also, not sure if the 13db is a myth, i guess i'll find out soon enough. I was looking at the nexus as well, but it was quite a bit pricier since i saw it around 35 shipped. So i guess im either shooting myself in the foot or making a decent decision 🙂
 
Originally posted by: memo
Originally posted by: shira
Originally posted by: memo

oh wow, 13 db on its quietest setting. and for 12 bucks id be stupid not to get this 😀

seriously, not a big investment, so i'll give it a go see what happens.
Click to expand...

Remember, you're first priority is adequate cooling. You can get 0dB noise level if you turn off the fan, but you'll burn out your CPU. I seem to recall reading a review that referred to that 13dB number as basically fraudulent. The actual noise level is MUCH higher.

A true low-noise, effective solution would be to use the Nexus 92mm fan on the XP-90 HS. Cooling would not be as good as with a higher-CFM fan, but it would still be adequate if you're not planning on doing extreme OC'ing. Here's a link to the XP-90 review that includes the Nexus fan:

XP-90 review
Click to expand...

definately want to worry about adequate cooling first, but the specs says it meets up to a 2400+ on the quietest setting so i think i should be in the clear with a 2100+. Also, not sure if the 13db is a myth, i guess i'll find out soon enough. I was looking at the nexus as well, but it was quite a bit pricier since i saw it around 35 shipped. So i guess im either shooting myself in the foot or making a decent decision 🙂
Click to expand...

13db is definitely a myth.

If you really want a cool and quiet HSF, you need one with at least a 92mm fan and you need to be able to manually adjust the speed.
 
Originally posted by: WobbleWobble
Cheap passive solutions? No. But the Zalman 7000 series is close enough to dead quiet. Zalman is well known to specialize in quiet computing and have a had good history of products.

AlCu versions are generally cheaper, much lighter and perform just as well.
Click to expand...

 
Guys.....We are talking about an 1800+.

If the Op isn't overclocking, just about any decent heatsink with an adjustable or quiet fan will do.
I have a couple of the 1.5v 1800+'s, both overclocked and overvolted (1.7v). One of them is even running 2.3ghz! but neither presented a problem to keep cool.
 
Originally posted by: xbassman
Guys.....We are talking about an 1800+.

If the Op isn't overclocking, just about any decent heatsink with an adjustable or quiet fan will do.
I have a couple of the 1.5v 1800+'s, both overclocked and overvolted (1.7v). One of them is even running 2.3ghz! but neither presented a problem to keep cool.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup: Sometimes common sense just doesn't kick in.........

m 🙂


 
Originally posted by: xbassman
Guys.....We are talking about an 1800+.

If the Op isn't overclocking, just about any decent heatsink with an adjustable or quiet fan will do.
I have a couple of the 1.5v 1800+'s, both overclocked and overvolted (1.7v). One of them is even running 2.3ghz! but neither presented a problem to keep cool.
Click to expand...


actually its going to be put on a 2100+. i dont know why i said 1800+ is my original post, i must have been thinking of another system 😱 anyway, the 2100 is still within the same parameters with the HSF, and i don't overclock at all, so i think i should be ok. delivery should be today 🙂
 
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