OK, got to get a heatsink now. Can't wait any longer.

RLiu818 · Post by **RLiu818** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 1:34 pm

I am orderig my parts tomorrow night and i gotta pick a heatsink for an A64.

I need to pick the one that will be the best performing but also inaudible.

Notice: this will be inside an Antec Sonata with acoustipak so its ok if the heatsink/fan produces noise as long as its inaudible inside the case.

my choices

1) Thermalright SLK948U w/ 80mm panaflo.
2) Thermalright SLK948U w/ 92mm Papst w/fanmate.
3) Zalman 7000A-AlCu
4) Zalman 7000A-Cu

which one would provide the best performance and be inaudible inside my case? and depending which one i get, what voltage would i have to adjust it to? the price difference between these heatsinks does not matter to me.

Thanks

SpyderCat · Post by **SpyderCat** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 3:18 pm

Ok, one more time......

There is no "best heatsink". It depends...

How did you DESIGN your airflow?
Ducted or Not?
What will the case-temp be like?

Do you understand we can't give you the right answer to this question?

You have to regard your whole rig as a complex system, and any component has it's effect on other components.

BTW, you don't need to order tomorrow. You can order when the design looks right.

RLiu818 · Post by **RLiu818** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 4:28 pm

SpyderCat wrote:Ok, one more time......

There is no "best heatsink". It depends...

How did you DESIGN your airflow?
Ducted or Not?
What will the case-temp be like?

Do you understand we can't give you the right answer to this question?

You have to regard your whole rig as a complex system, and any component has it's effect on other components.

BTW, you don't need to order tomorrow. You can order when the design looks right.

i will not be ducted. i have no idea what the case temp is since i have not ordered any of hte parts yet.

i gotta order tomorrow cuz i need to get teh computer built or else i wont have a computer to do HW on cuz my current computer is going to get taken away.

Is it not possible to pick the best performing one out of the list that will also be inaudible?

TheWesson · Post by **TheWesson** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 5:20 pm

Panaflo 80mm L1A on SLK948, unless you like tinkering with knobs, in which case get a stronger 80mm of some sort and a fan controller like the fanmate on the SLK.

...

Why?
The 80mm Panaflo L1A's are really good. I love them. They are close to inaudible (outside the case) and are rated at 24CFM. 92mm fan on SLK is a waste.

The fan that comes with the Zalman isn't all that inaudible, so I've heard.

Also if you do end up ducting the SLK may be easier to work with - a rectangular and small (compared to the Zalman) form factor.

The only time I'd get the Zalman would be if I had plans for a 120mm duct or something - I don't know ... it's harder to change the fan as well (tho doable) ... if you do, cu better than alcu by a little bit.

There's no point to getting a 92mm on the Thermalright heatsinks; the extra airflow goes over the sides and is kind of wasted, and the 80mm fans fit more snugly to the HS anyhow. Less noise with an 80mm as well; why pay more noise for wasted airflow?

the wesson

sganimefan · Post by **sganimefan** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 6:33 pm

You're missing the Alpha Novatech heatsinks as well as the Swiftech AMD64 series of heatsinks, namely the Alpha PAL8150T, the Swiftech MCX64-V and the MCX6400-V.

You probably should consider these heatsinks as well since they're performance seems pretty good...

danielvh · Post by **danielvh** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 8:13 pm

I'd suggest the Coolermaster Hyper 6 with Panaflo 80mm L1A.

From the reviews I've read it performs better than the Thermalright 948U. Downside is that it's heavy (but it's bolted to the metal backplate behind the mobo so shouldn't be a problem)

Daniel

RLiu818 · Post by **RLiu818** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 9:49 pm

TheWesson wrote:Panaflo 80mm L1A on SLK948, unless you like tinkering with knobs, in which case get a stronger 80mm of some sort and a fan controller like the fanmate on the SLK.

...

Why?
The 80mm Panaflo L1A's are really good. I love them. They are close to inaudible (outside the case) and are rated at 24CFM. 92mm fan on SLK is a waste.

The fan that comes with the Zalman isn't all that inaudible, so I've heard.

Also if you do end up ducting the SLK may be easier to work with - a rectangular and small (compared to the Zalman) form factor.

The only time I'd get the Zalman would be if I had plans for a 120mm duct or something - I don't know ... it's harder to change the fan as well (tho doable) ... if you do, cu better than alcu by a little bit.

There's no point to getting a 92mm on the Thermalright heatsinks; the extra airflow goes over the sides and is kind of wasted, and the 80mm fans fit more snugly to the HS anyhow. Less noise with an 80mm as well; why pay more noise for wasted airflow?

the wesson

thanks that was really helpful. so i can go ahead and run the 80mm panaflo at stock voltage without a fanmate right?

Putz · Post by **Putz** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 9:57 pm

RLiu818 wrote:so i can go ahead and run the 80mm panaflo at stock voltage without a fanmate right?

Of course you can. It will just be noisier than if you did use a FanMate. Best advice is to try it without and get one if the HSF noise bothers you. Panaflos at stock voltage are not loud, but they aren't silent, either. During that trial time, at least you'll have a functional computer with which you can do your homework

TheWesson · Post by **TheWesson** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 11:30 pm

If you do end up with heat problems, by the way, your best solution may be to improve the Sonata's airflow "by hand" before you get a bigger CPU fan. I hear case airflow could be improved quite bit in those things - tho they have many other great features, like quietness and looks.

Some simple options for the Sonata case:
http://htpcnews.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3584

the wesson