Dear Silentpc users,
I recently purchased the Zalman 8900 quiet version due to its low profile (60mm) design.
Even with the quiet version I am somewhat unpleased with the noise of this fan. I've been reading on this forum that swapping the fan on this heatsink is possible.
The dimensions of the CNPS8900 quiet is:
-Total heatsink diameter 120mm
-Total fan diameter 110mm
My questions are:
- What best performance per noise ratio fan do you recommended?
- What fan dimensions would fit in this heatsink (120mm or 92mm)?
Much appreciate your help!
Advice on swapping Zalman 8900 fan
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee
Re: Advice on swapping Zalman 8900 fan
You may be able to adjust the fan speed to achieve acceptable results. According to Zalman, the fan spins at 1500 rpm with 12V. The fan has a PWM connection, so it can be controlled by many (not all) motherboard CPU fan header/controllers, which vary the fan speed as needed (based on system load) if set up in the bios. If you do not have that option, I would suggest getting a fan controller of some type to adjust the voltage to achieve the results you desire. The Zalman Fanmate II would work fine. There are also in-line resistors that lower 12V to 7V. 5V may be too low to start the fan reliably. According to Zalman, that fan is rated for minimum 1000 rpm (but probably will work a little bit lower if that is still too loud).
If you cannot adjust the fan speed with your mothboard bios or other software fan controller, you may have to bypass the CPU fan header, in which case you may need to disable the CPU monitor in the bios. Some fan controllers will control the fan separately, but also provide a wire to the PWM fan header on the mb to report the speed to the bios.
If you cannot adjust the fan speed with your mothboard bios or other software fan controller, you may have to bypass the CPU fan header, in which case you may need to disable the CPU monitor in the bios. Some fan controllers will control the fan separately, but also provide a wire to the PWM fan header on the mb to report the speed to the bios.