Roundup of Eight Horizontal CPU Coolers 92
ThinSkin writes "ExtremeTech has done a roundup of eight sideways-gusting CPU coolers under fifty bucks to see if they can keep an overclocked Athlon FX-60 from welding itself to the motherboard. In addition to temperature testing, much emphasis was placed on noise reduction, which with some coolers can be improved by adjusting fan speed or even removing the fan from the cooler."
yeah, um... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:yeah, um... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:yeah, um... (Score:1)
Re:yeah, um... (Score:5, Funny)
If you mean "very little money" then you can get a lot of quiet out of those gaskets and some inexpensive ($12) fans.
If you mean "no money", then there is this little switch on the back. You flip it into "quiet" mode and your webserver will stop making any noise and will not generate any heat. Even better, it consumes no electricity in quiet mode.
Re:yeah, um... (Score:5, Funny)
If you use a quantum computer... (Score:2)
Re:yeah, um... (Score:1)
PING!!! Re:yeah, um... (Score:1)
Re:yeah, um... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:yeah, um... (Score:2)
Here you go: http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=372297 [ocforums.com]
Re:yeah, um... (Score:1)
Re:yeah, um... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:yeah, um... (Score:1)
Re:yeah, um... (Score:2)
oops, I forgot the "...how do I shut that up, without spending money". My bad.
how about just switching it off ?
ok, without money you don't make it cool'n'work. but what you can do is buy an Arctic cooler for the thing, costs around 15$, not much. a nice big big fan that won't spin even at 1000rpm on that cpu, therefor is practically noiseless.
for the case
investment of 50$ (thermal paste, quiet fan, quiet psu) is worth it.
Re:yeah, um... (Score:2)
Re:yeah, um... (Score:2)
I got it for free and put a 120v dimmer switch on it (to control the speed of the fan). That kept my Dual Pentium Pro 200Mhz (oc 233MHz) running cool. (by cool I mean ~ 70c). I could for some reason NEVER get that CPU under 60c no matter what I put on it.
Since then ive upgraded to a Dual 450MHz [solosoft.org] and the heat issues have dissapeared. Don't be afraid to hack up your case a little for cooling. You can put big 120mm fans all over the place on there and not rack up the noise (it's the
Re:yeah, um... (Score:3, Insightful)
Find another place to put it, or find a bigger place to live. Why exactly is it under your bed? Why not put it the furthest spot from your bed?
Re:yeah, um... (Score:2, Funny)
Um, crapping on it probably won't help.
Re:yeah, um... (Score:2, Informative)
There's really a lot of variables going on with computer noise. You can have noisy fans and noisy components (like hard drives). Also, both of these two things can rub up against the other parts (usually the case) causing vibration noise.
I think a good way to start is to try and isolate the noisiest part, or the perhaps the part that drives you nuts the most. Then, you can replace or adjust that part. But be careful: it's important to watch out for heat. If you clock down your fans, they will move les
Re:yeah, um... (Score:2, Interesting)
In the end, watercooling everything including the powersupply has been my only fully successful solution in silencing a PC overclocked about 20%. Removing all fans, trading for a
Re:yeah, um... (Score:2)
And there was I thinking that you were talking about what goes on atop the bed, not underneath it....
Re:yeah, um... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:yeah, um... (Score:1)
Simple the same as you do with anything noisy (Score:3, Interesting)
It is the simplest way to get a PC to queit down. Put it 2 doors away (old fashioned thick doors not the modern crap) and enjoy the total silence. Oh and the healthy walks to change the cd.
Cooling a PC requires a couple of things. Getting cool air in and getting the hot air out while keeping dust down. The easiest way of doing this is to just turn your PC into a windtunnel. That is never going to happen with a nice looking tiny case. My solution? Rip of the sidewalls and replace them
Re:yeah, um... (Score:2)
cool (Score:1)
I downgraded my CPU fan a while ago, it was just to noisy to (now) have in my bedroom.
Plus, if my old XP2800+ kicks the bucket then it's the perfect excuse to upgrade.
What Noise? (Score:2, Interesting)
Such an insightful article (Score:5, Insightful)
I have a suggestion for the testers: Next time you're trying to compromise between noise and temperature, don't turn every fan on to maximum. Instead, decide a set temperature and measure noise levels when the CPU reaches that temperature.
Re:Such an insightful article (Score:2)
No kidding (Score:5, Interesting)
Well the net effect is I can't hear my CPU fan. When my cores are mostly idle like web surfing, it runs at like 800RPM and is totally inaudible over other noise. During intense work it spins up to like 1500RPM and you can hear it, but just barely. When told to run to maximum (something like 300RPM, don't remember) it gets to be moderatly noisy, though not annoying.
The point is that no, it doens't keep my processor ultra cool, but I've seen no reason as to why I should care. CPUs can run quite hot with no problems. What it does do is maintian my processor at a safe temperature with a minimum amount of noise. To me, that is golden.
Also something to note is that often the biggest, baddest heatsinks aren't safe. They are too heavy and can crack the motherboard. Won't happen right away, but there's maximum stresses you are supposed to put on them. It's like 500g in Intel's case. So if you buy some massive copper job that weighs a kilogram, don't be supprised if your board cracks a few months down the road.
Re:No kidding (MOD PARENT UP) (Score:2)
I've got friends who have the 64 Pro, and they also agree, load/idle temps are *far* lower than anything they've tried. Only water cooling gets lower.
Better than that, Custom PC, a UK mag for 'peformance hardware & customisation' agrees, rating both the Arctic Cooling 64 Pro & the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro in their CPC Elite. Have a read
Re:No kidding (MOD PARENT UP) (Score:2)
At what voltage? My Freezer 64 Pro cools the system very well at 12 V, but gets a little noisy. When I set the RPM to a half of the maximum value (so I suppose the voltage is about 6 V), it cools a little worse and is a lot quieter. It pays to have a fan regulator.
Freezer is a great cooler for the money, but I don't think that "only water cooling gets lower".
Re:Such an insightful article (Score:1)
Re:Such an insightful article (Score:1)
Loaded statement. (Score:1)
Different stock AMD coolers? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Different stock AMD coolers? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Different stock AMD coolers? (Score:1)
Well i personally have a 3000 Venice and my brother has a 3200 Venice. I must say, i was highly impressed with the stock cooler. between it and some AS5, stock temps were around 28-30C. I have since picked up a Thermalright XP-120 and a low-speed 120MM red LED fan. more for the looks than anything, the stock cooler really wasnt all that loud. Now it runs a flat 25C. But to answer your question, yes. the stock coolers on the higher end
Re:Different stock AMD coolers? (Score:3, Interesting)
If you didn't pull so much air past the fins, I'd say that the d
Re:Different stock AMD coolers? (Score:1)
Re:Different stock AMD coolers? (Score:2)
A cpu will work at 50C exactly the same as at 40C. It just shouldnt cross the maximum temperature allowed.
Just notice that those coolers alone cost near as much as an amd stock cooler WITH the sempron together, so you might get an idea why the stock fans arent that fancy.
Re:Different stock AMD coolers? (Score:2)
Flaw in Article (Score:5, Insightful)
I have the Hyper 6, if I were to ever travel with my box I would take it off. Right now it is sitting comfortabley but driving, moving this thing might crack the mainboard around the CPU.
They should institute a "wiggle test" to see how much wiggling it takes to break the mainboard when one of these monsters is connected.
How old is this idea? (Score:3, Interesting)
Come to think of it, I have an old Alpha that uses side cooling, draws in fresh air from the front, that was made in 1997. I guess the "enthusiast" market is just behind the times.
Every 1U rackmount server out there uses this (Score:2)
Whether or not this is better depends on the specifics of the airflow in your case.
Re:Every 1U rackmount server out there uses this (Score:2)
Those servers can be packed with 3GHz CPUs, 64GB memory and 4 disk drives and still run cool.
Re:How old is this idea? (Score:4, Insightful)
The cheapo Dell desktops are much quieter than most comparable DIY systems. This is because they use several temp controlled 120mm fans spinning slowly and have gigantic heat sinks sitting near the fans (the CPU heat sink is a heat pipe cube about 4" on each side). Most of the DIY cases I've seen only come with mounting holes for noisier 80mm fans, and it's expensive to buy quiet cpu fans and gpu coolers.
Re:How old is this idea? (Score:4, Insightful)
Many newer DIY cases are coming standard with 120mm fans and/or mounting holes for them. For me, this was a big requirement in buying my last case, and led me to getting Gigabyte's new case, which has two 120mm fans in the back, and one in the front. Combined with a Thermaltake Super Tornado, which also has a 120mm fan, and my Seasonic 600W power supply which also has a 120mm fan, my system is pretty quiet, even with a power-guzzling 3.6GHz P4.
The main problem with DIY cases with regard to systems like Dell's is that the DIY cases have to adhere to the ATX standard, and can't do anything special which might cause some motherboards to not fit properly. So places like Dell can come up with more efficient cooling solutions using plastic ductwork, while we're stuck with crazy (and expensive) CPU cooler designs. For Dells and many servers I've looked in, they don't even have CPU fans at all, just heatsinks. These heatsinks are then covered with ducts which lead to or from fans which force air through the heatsinks and then out the back of case. This gives you a big benefit not just in having well-directed airflow, but also you get better use out of fewer fans: instead of a case like mine with fans in the front, fans in the back, a fan on the CPU, and yet another one in the power supply, you just have one or two fans in the front, and that's it.
DIY cases just don't have this kind of thing because it wouldn't be compatible with much, and DIYers of course love to mix-n-match their components.
Re:How old is this idea? (Score:2)
Bah! I have a standard ATX single-fan system myself.
Start with a dual-fan PSU. Open it, block all other air-intakes, and remove the second fan. Attach ducting [bestbyteinc.com] where the second fan is supposed-to go. Now attach the other end to your CPU heatsink, and you're done.
That won't work too well for your high-powered monster P4 systems, but it's fine otherwise.
Besides
Re:How old is this idea? (Score:2)
Why compare a singly alphy cpu with the total power required by a whole dual cpu server?
And FYI, the alpha 21264 peaked at about 150W, and this is still not beaten even by dual cpu xeons (although they really try to).
Thats one reason alpha beat everybody in performance back then... they just burned 4 times a much power as a p3 back then
Well... (Score:3, Insightful)
Rather than spending cash on changing the stock cooling, consumers would be better off spending that $50 on getting better ventilation for their case since recently, the biggest producer of heat
By the way, if you're looking for a good place for help on building a computer, I find that the steam hardware forums are the best place to get help.
Steam Hardware Forums [steampowered.com]
Re:Well... (Score:2)
The tempurature chart shows you how hot the CPU is, but it doesn't say anything about ear-piercing decible level, which is the real reason most people buy these products.
I guess only gamers buy computers, then...
No, for most people, the CPU is, by-far, th
Thermaltake Sonic Tower (Score:3, Informative)
GPU Fans... (Score:1)
Re:GPU Fans... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:GPU Fans... (Score:1)
As long as you keep all of your fans on that "Fan" power line everything just purrs... I have 4 standard fans, the standard Gigabyte northbridge f
You might be in luck (Score:3, Informative)
Silent video cards (Score:2)
ASUS and Gigabyte both make video cards with big heatsinks/heatpipes instead of fansinks. The fastest such card I'm aware of is the ASUS 7800GT TOP Silent [asus.com]
Use of your fingers. (Score:2)
The metal brackets don't have much flex, so locking down the thumb latches requires some effort and finger strength. But once they're in place, the cooler is very secure. You can do it all with your bare hands, but having a set of pliers handy will keep your fingers pristine for more important things like typing and clicking.
Typing and clicking? As I was reading that last sentence expecting something like, "inner thighs," or, "breasts."
Remember, chicks dig guys with soft hands. ;
No Zalman?? (Score:4, Informative)
http://www.zalman.co.kr/usa/product/view.asp?idx=
I haven't used this exact model, but I put their "CNPS7000" CPU cooler and their "VF700" Gfx card cooler in my PC. Combined with an Antec Phantom power supply and AcoustiPack case dampening material, acoustically it went from "this is really annoying" to "is this thing turned on?" (and is running a lot cooler, too)
Re:No Zalman?? (Score:1)
Re:No Zalman?? (Score:2)
And the blue LEDs are really cool! At least my SATA cables think so, being that they're only ones ever to see them...
Under $50??? (Score:2)
Scythe Ninja (Score:2, Informative)
A great site to check out, which I based my purchase on the reviews from, is SilentPC Review [silentpcreview.com]. It has a lot of in depth reviews and what not on cooling devices.
Brief misunderstanding (Score:1)
I read this and thought "You round up eight, you still get eight. What, are we working in a math system where eight is considered a fraction? How does this earn an
Re:Brief misunderstanding (Score:2)
Also you could have been asked to roundup the kids, and ended up spraying them with weedkiller ( http://www.roundup.com/ [roundup.com] )
Nasty.
Not silent options (Score:3, Informative)
If you're a mad overclocker who plays FPS games with sound through your stereo system with volume on 11, this is a useful review. If you want quiet, go to SPCR.
I use a Scythe Ninja passive (fanless) heatsink. Until about 10 days ago, I had a nearly inaudible, single fan system. (I upgraded my video card to be able to play Oblivion, and I'm waiting a few months for it to fail before I void warantee by replacing the active heatsink it came with.)
Re:Not silent options (Score:2)
Are you comparing measurements from the "roundup" cited here directly with the SPCR measurements? It may be misleading, maybe they put the dBA meter so close that 45 dBA is in reality not so much noise as you think?
(I upgraded my video card to be able to play Oblivion, and I'm waiting a few months for it to fail before
Coincidentally I've been thinking about cpu coolin (Score:1)
Here's my new setup:
Antec Sonata II (1x120mm fan, thinking about adding a second 120mm for good measure)
MSI K8N Neo4F Motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+
2gig Kingston
250gig Western Digital SATA-II
Sapphire Radeon X800 GTO2 (so far I love! this card, haven't tried to unlock the extra 4 pipelines to make it 16 pipe
I can't wait... (Score:1)
Re:I can't wait... (Score:2)
You have a target number of computations to do in a given period of time. That would the measure of "performance". No matter HOW you slice the computations, they need to flip bits. Each high to low bit flip requires dumping energy. That energy HAS to somewhere, and ends up as heat.
Also, as gates get smaller (which we want, because that allows us to increase speed), leakage increases.
But, if we decouple the computations, and use larger gates (in order to try to decrease the leakage, wh
Re:I can't wait... (Score:2)
Standarized safe joints, approved standard cooling units, CPUs designed to be watercooled like that etc. And, say, whole side of the PC case for a radiator.
Billco's official endorsement (Score:1)
The cheap solution is the Sonata case with its modified SmartPower 450w supply, a bit labor-intensive to assemble but very quiet and just the power supply alone is worth the price of the whole kit. The downside is that apparently, some poor schmucks don't like the shiny black finish. It's around 130-140$ here in Canada, so prob
Re:Billco's official endorsement (Score:2)
Re:Billco's official endorsement (Score:1)
Hell, just having the 3 year warranty on a power supply is a godsend.
Re:Overclocking obsession (Score:2)
Thermaltake Big Typhoon (Score:2)
http://www.thermaltakeu [thermaltakeusa.com]