What cpu/cooler for no moving parts pc?

[houe]

With SSD now taking off building a pc without a single moving part seems like it might be within reach. I plan to use some kind of brick power supply and a SFF case to build this. But what cpu and cooling option can i get that does not use a fan? I'm really not up to date on the lower powered cpus right now. Any recommendations for this build would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[boran]

you will probably have to look at a heatpipe case, where the case itself is a gigantic heatsink. do not forget the PSU. An external powe brick might not be a bad option.

Do not expect stellar performance, I doubt you will be able to house much more than 120 watts of heat this way (that is CPU+GPU+PSU)

 

[alyarb]

what kind of performance do you need?

 

[Keysplayr]

Look into some Zalman cases. I believe they make a case that doubles as a HUGE heatsink. I believe it's quite expensive though.

 

[Yowen]

or maybe one of those zalman reserators from back in the day, they still make those?

edit: They do have moving parts though, dont they?

 

[MalVeauX]

With SSD now taking off building a pc without a single moving part seems like it might be within reach. I plan to use some kind of brick power supply and a SFF case to build this. But what cpu and cooling option can i get that does not use a fan? I'm really not up to date on the lower powered cpus right now. Any recommendations for this build would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Heya,

PicoPSU is silent and affordable for your fanless PSU.
SSD is great for silent disk.
As for the CPU, any dualcore will work. Slap a Mugen 2 ($35) or any other large heat sink and it'll likely be fine without a fan. If you're worried about it overheating, slightly undervolt and slightly underclock the chip to reduce it's heat and you're set. A 65watt Regor DualCore for example (2.9Ghz) can be undervolted and underclocked down to around 2Ghz and go fanless with the thing and it won't overheat at all.

Very best,

 

[dawza]

Your options depend on what size build you want, your budget, and your performance (GPU/CPU) needs. Fanless systems can be quite tricky, and can become very expensive very quickly.

If you can afford it/justify the cost, a MODT (mobile on desktop) system packaged within a heatsink case would work. Here are some examples:

http://www.logicsupply.com/categories/fanless_systems

 

[PCTC2]

If you have a grand, pick up a Zalman TNN-500AF and some coolers for the Power Regulation circuitry, such as Thermalright's solutions.

 

[houe]

I actually don't need much cpu power. Just the basics. Web/email/word processing etc. And onboard video card is fine. I figured if i put a huge heatsink on a low powered processor I probably would be ok. Thanks for all the recommendation so far I am checking into them. Is a celeron the lowest powered processor these days? amd?

 

[Soulkeeper]

as one of the guys above suggested, you might consider undervolting/underclocking a athlonII X2 or core2 duo 45nm chip
if run below 2GHz or so you can get the heat output really low.
That'd be my bet if I was attempting this
also the atom or via nano systems are designed for hardly or no active cooling if the heatsink is large enough.

good luck

 

[Ayah]

Pineview Atom. Completely fanless and more than enough to web browse.

 

[Zebo]

CPU's can be cooled passively with one of the huge piped upright HSF as long as there is some airflow like a Corsair PSU. But you always must have airflow even just a little. Problem is high performance video cards. They produce upwards of 200W and there is simply no way to dissipate that much power without major fannage or remove heat away to larger area like a radiator. Sucks.


In this case I have a GTX280 and Processor pumping heat away and into a radiator which is cooled by two silent fans at 500-700 rpm. I have found it's the best way to silence.... after hundreds dollars of trial and error.

EX

Another thing to consider are dynamatting all interior surfaces of case. Sound blocking needs mass and aluminum cases today provide very little. Dymanmat extreme is heavy and will block most sounds.

I have not fiqured out how to silence 5 1/4 drives yet. But the key here is to use nocd hacks so you don't have to use cd player but for installs.

 

[Zap]

or maybe one of those zalman reserators from back in the day, they still make those?

edit: They do have moving parts though, dont they?

Yes, the pump.

I actually don't need much cpu power. Just the basics. Web/email/word processing etc. And onboard video card is fine. I figured if i put a huge heatsink on a low powered processor I probably would be ok. Thanks for all the recommendation so far I am checking into them. Is a celeron the lowest powered processor these days? amd?

Lowest power draw? That would be "Pineview" Atom, followed by the older Atom, then CULV mobile chips (don't know if you can get those for desktop), followed by regular mobile chips (you can get mini ITX boards that use them). After that, you can get low end Core 2 Duo/Pentium Dual Core/Celeron or low end Athlon II and undervolt them.

A couple of recommendations:

#1 If this is your only system, get something faster than an Atom, and something that is dual core. The reason is that sooner or later you will run across something that will need more than a single core or an Atom. I own an Atom powered netbook and two Atom powered mini ITX boards. I've also (a while back) switched from dual core to single core for a while. It is noticeable. You don't need anything super fast, just as long as it has two cores and is a current platform, and not an Atom.

#2 I know there is a certain allure with having a "no moving parts" setup, but trust me when I say that it is 100X more difficult than to have a "barely moving parts" setup. By this, I mean that a really low RPM and undervolted fan that you positively, absolutely cannot hear from more than an arms reach away can be the difference between runs great and overheating.

For regular desktop CPUs, the best heatsinks for running "passively" (they still require some airflow) are big ones with lots of heatpipes... AND... lots of space between the fins. Likely units are the Scythe Ninja series, Cooler Master Hyper Z600, Thermaltake Sonic Tower (AFAIK not being made anymore) and Thermalright HR-01.

 

[Zebo]

Yup ZAP you always need *some" airflow. ICs on motherboards demand it - but it can be 3am silent by undervolting and choosing right fans.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

At least one fan would be a good idea, else you would want a case with vents on "top" for hot air to escape. A low RPM and virtually silent fan will be enough to keep the case from overheating. If you don't get the hot air out then it will just sit there and get hotter and hotter, and the only way heat gets out is through the case wall itself. And this is a poor way to do it, as air is a very poor conductor of heat. Which is why even a single fan will make a difference, as the heat will escape through "convection" instead.

 

[Soulkeeper]

nice case Zebo !
I was looking in the cases/cooling section kinda disappointed by the lack of pictures