What's the best inexpensive quiet CPU heatsink?

[DLimmer]

I've made a multi-purpose machine that resides in my living room next to my HDTV. It serves as a NAS and a HTPC (and will be able to do light gaming once the video card arrives).

However, it currently makes a little too much noise. I think that my video card (Radeon x1950 Pro) is to blame, so I'm replacing it with a silent HD 5750.

My case is an Antec 200 v2 with 4x120mm fans and a 140mm fan at low enough speeds to essentially be silent, yet move massive amounts of air.

My power supply is an Antec True Power 650W, and is very quiet, at least I havent' heard it.

The one last item I haven't replaced is the stock CPU cooler. I bought the Phenom X2 555 and unlocked it to an X4. However, that increased the TDP from 80 to 125. I'm thinking I may need to purchase a better heatsink/fan in my pursuit of (near) silence.

What do people recommend? Hyper 212+, Hyper N 520, Zalman 9900? I'm looking for the least expensive option that will keep my CPU near silent and potentially allow for overclocking from 3.2 to 4.0. (or is that too much to ask?)

 

[dma0991]

I would suggest the CM Hyper212+ as well although it is far from being the highest performing cooler it still gives a good cooling performance for the money. Another option would be the Xigmatek Gaia which should be about the same as the CM Hyper212+

 

[DLimmer]

The CM Hyper 212+ seems to be available from Fry's for as little as $13 (after $10 rebate) in store, or 19.99 online (after rebate). Gaia seems to be near $30. I looked at the Gaia as well. I think I'd be happy with either. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Petey!]

Hyper 212+ hands down.

 

[dweilbacher]

Hyper 212+. I was surprised how quiet the fan is.

Advice: First make sure your case is wide enough for this HSF. It is very tall. Second, when you mount the back plate (4 screws), ensure you tighten them firmly. I did not and when I tried to remove my HSF, I was not able because the mounting screw turned. So had to remove the entire motherboard. Lesson learned.

 

[Fallen Kell]

Depends on how you define quiet....

I personally wouldn't run any heatsink/fan at full speed and would always undervolt it. Look at the Scythe Mugen-2, and use a Nexus 120mm fan undervolted to 7V. It will be only 12db. It is also only 1-2 degrees hotter than a Prolimatech Megahalems or Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme Rev.C and just $40.

 

[Zap]

Depends on how you define quiet....

This.

I don't consider the Hyper 212+ to be quiet. However, what I consider quiet, the adepts at SPCR consider noisy. It's all up to the individual.

DLimmer, the problem is that you created a "typical gaming rig" and then tried to make it quiet. Would have been a lot easier if you had purchased your parts while keeping noise in mind.

Then again, since you consider an Antec 200 with five fans to be quiet, you probably aren't expecting too much. :hmm:

So, what is most important to you at this time, quiet or benchmarks? I say "benchmarks" and not "performance" because you probably won't notice any performance gain from your unlocked cores and overclock in most (but not all) games, plus HTPC and NAS duties won't stress it at all.

Here are my recommendations. Note that I almost always build a system to be quiet, so I'm not just pulling stuff out of my rear.

Run the CPU as a stock dual core, with no overclock. Leave power management (Cool & Quiet?) enabled. Whichever CPU fan you use, make sure Smart Fan (or whatever your BIOS calls it) is enabled. This reduces the amount of power it draws (especially while you are not gaming), thus reducing heat, thus reducing the need for noisy fans.

Remove three of your case fans. "Massive amounts of air" is not needed, especially at stock speeds. Your CPU does not need to stay under 40°C, and should be able to handle 65°C just fine. Your HDDs can handle up to 60°C. Your GPU can handle up to 85°C. These are load temperatures. Does not matter what idle temperatures are. Your side panel fan is not needed. Decide on positive or negative air pressure in your case, and remove either the exhaust fans or intake fans, respectively.

 

[deimos3428]

Zap speaks the truth, but the stock AMD cooler is just plain loud. I'd do everything he said above and get a 212+ as well.

 

[DLimmer]

So, what is most important to you at this time, quiet or benchmarks? I say "benchmarks" and not "performance" because you probably won't notice any performance gain from your unlocked cores and overclock in most (but not all) games, plus HTPC and NAS duties won't stress it at all.

Thank you for your insight. I should have explained my setup further.

My primary purpose wasn't gaming, it was to house a 4-disk RAID (5.5TB at 5400RPM) and stream any format to my PS3. I use the box for both ripping my DVDs and transcoding them on the fly. Both of those tasks are CPU intensive.

As long as the noise can't be heard from 6 feet away, I'll consider it quiet enough. I'll ensure that "cool & quiet" is enabled, and use your numbers for max temps as a guide. If I'm surpassing your max temperatures by too much, I'll consider removing a fan at a time until I've gotten closer.

Which would you recommend, positive or negative pressure? The case came with a top (140) and rear (120) fan, both exhaust. I added three intakes (two up front, one on side, for GPU). The aftermarket fans are 1200RPM +/-10%, advertised at around 18 dBA.

 

[Zap]

Which would you recommend, positive or negative pressure? The case came with a top (140) and rear (120) fan, both exhaust. I added three intakes (two up front, one on side, for GPU). The aftermarket fans are 1200RPM +/-10%, advertised at around 18 dBA.

The side fan shouldn't be needed.

If the case has functional front fan filters, then I'd recommend positive pressure (remove exhaust fans).

 

[Ketchup]

I would like to give my 2 cents here as well. This is just my opinion, and I believe experimentation is the best way to get the results you are looking for.

1. I always use negative pressure in a build. The only time to use intake fans is when there is a particular component running too hot.
2. Use an aftermarket cooler. The ones already recommended will be fine. The stock heatsink will be far too noisy with the type of load you will be putting on the CPU
3. Leave the other two cores unlocked only if it results in lower CPU usage.
4. Do not overclock the CPU. It will cause way more heat and give you very little in return.
5. If you have a spare external 5 1/4 bay, invest in a fan controller. It will make it much easier to find the trade-off you want between noise and temps.
6. Whenever I have tried a side case fan, it is the noisiest part of the build, and it messes with the temperature controlled fan on the video card. I would see if your temps are decent without it.

Good luck with your build and keep us updated!