Need quick heatsink advice.

[prostetnic]

My girlfriends PC are driving me mad or rather it’s the Intel heatsink that came bundled with the cpu that’s feasting on my sanity. I need to replace it ASAP and unfortunately I don't have any spare time to read reviews and such at the moment. So my question is if anyone can recommend me a quiet heatsink?

The MB is a P4i45GV R5 http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?M ... V%20R5.0&s
And I think the cpu is a 3 GHz Prescott P4.
The casing is a standard casing with a PSU at the top back corner.
The computer is manly used for surfing and office applications and will not be running more than a couple of hours each day.


Please save me and suggest a relatively cheap quiet heatsink.

[tehfire]

Noise is such a relative term, but here are my 2 suggestions:

Scythe Katana 2. Will cool your processor sufficiently, and has gotten good reviews as to how loud it is. I haven't used it personally, however.

Thermalright XP-90 with a Scythe Minebea 1400rpm fan. I use this and it's not Silent, but very quiet - definitely quieter than the stock Intel HSF. XP-90 is pretty old though and may be a little hard to find. It'll cool your processor adequately, though.

Katana 2 sells for around $25 online, $20 at Newegg.

XP-90 sells for about $30, plus you need to buy a fan for it.

I'd go with the Katana 2, but I haven't tested it personally, so the XP-90 is there just in case.

[prostetnic]

Thanks for the advice!
I will take a look att the avaliability of the Katana 2 in sweden.

[SebRad]

Hi, not sure what available in your area or how much you want to spend.
You could look at QuietPC.com's Intel cooling section (s478 column obviously) as they ship internationally and have a few options. The Zalman's have an advantage that mostly they come with a fan speed controller allowing you to set the noise/cooling balance. The 7000 will be OK on your CPU but work fairly hard, the 7500 should be a bit better and the 9500 should be good but more money. Some Scythe heatsinks come with fans that are quiet enough at 12v so nothing to do but fit and forget. I don't like the design of the Kama Cross, to me too much air can escape sideways and do no cooling, some tests I've seen bear this out as the cooling isn't great. The "Mine", got good review here on SPCR, the Katana 2 is slightly cheaper and comes with the same good fan. The Samurai Z is cheaper still but it's fan runs to 2000rpm and may need to be slowed down, doesn't look like your motherboard supports fan control so you may want another way. 7v or 5v trick is free but in flexible, Zalman Fanmates are not too much money nor are other basic fan controllers.
Arctic Cooling Freezer 4 also a possible and should be low price, if you can get one.
Also have a look at the Recommended Section for s478 compatible options and a read through the Cooling section reviews
Regards, Seb

[prostetnic]

Once again, thank you ever so much!
Im sorry to ask these these noob questions but as I said I dont have the time or energy to spend on research right now.

[thejamppa]

Don't worry about asking questions. One reason SPCR is to help fellow persons who want silence their computers. And still a lot reviews are faulty. SPCR have recomendations and lot's of peoples in community have more than fair share of experience in various products.

I think asking questions in SPCR is best way to get information about silent products without being deceived by manufacturers advertisement.

[djkest]

generally speaking, the arctic cooling Freezer Pro is better than stock heatsinks in both cooling capacity and noise, and costs $19.99 at newegg. Not silent though, esp. not at full voltage.

[scandium]

I'll second the recommendation for the Scythe Katana 2, its what I'm using on my 3.2 GHz P4 641. The HSF is relatively small (compared to other heat pipe sinks), light, quiet, and inexpensive. I likewise bought it to replace the stock Intel HSF, and it is truly night and day... that thing was up there with the Vantec Tornado I bought years ago.