Socket 370 CPU fan solutions? for a HTPC salvage job

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Waylo
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Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 5:04 pm

Socket 370 CPU fan solutions? for a HTPC salvage job

Post by Waylo » Tue Aug 08, 2006 7:08 pm

Hello all,

I've recently set to the moderately amusing task of converting an old Gateway PIII (933) into a HTPC. It lives in a micro tower. A very ugly beige micro tower. But does it do the job? Amazingly to me, yes!

I've popped in an ATI 9800 Radeon Pro along with an ATI HDTV Wonder for over the air HDTV signal. Works surprisingly smoothly. In addition to the stock 45gb HD that came with it, I just added a 320gb IDE HDD for all that massive DTV footage. 9gb/hour really makes you debate if its worth it or not.

I believe most of the racket from this computer comes from the stock 200W PSU (soon to be replaced with a Seasonic S12-330 on Thursday), with maybe 30-40% of the noise coming from the CPU fan, a 60mm Taisol sitting atop the heatsink. If after replacing the PSU the noise is still unbearable, I'm considering my options.

I've searched the forums, and if anything, maybe found too much information! I think there are 3 easy possibilities.

1. Replace just the 60mm stock Taisol CPU fan that sits atop the heatsink with another quieter 60mm fan. Any suggestions on specific models? The current one is just clipped on top. I tried just unplugging it (ala suggestions from this board with slower PIIIs), but after just a minute, I could feel (finger test) the heatsink start to warm up. This isn't my primary unit, but I don't want to spend any more money re-outfitting what is supposed to be a fun and cheap salvage job.

2. Replace the heatsink/fan complex. Any specific recommendations? Seems many manufacturers have forgone the socket 370.

3. Remove the stock CPU fan and attach a quieter, ?larger fan somewhere else in the case.

Thanks. This is by far the most complete reference forum I've found out there.

qviri
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Re: Socket 370 CPU fan solutions? for a HTPC salvage job

Post by qviri » Tue Aug 08, 2006 7:35 pm

Waylo wrote:2. Replace the heatsink/fan complex. Any specific recommendations? Seems many manufacturers have forgone the socket 370.
Socket A heatsinks are backwards-compatible with socket 370 provided that they use the lugs at the side of the socket for mounting. This should widen your search considerably. Pretty much every heatsink you can get out there for socket A today would cool the heck out of a PIII-933, allowing you to turn the fan down for quietness. If you invest a bit (hint hint, Scythe Katana, $25 at newegg if you're in the U.S.), you might be able to run it passive given the airflow from the S12 fan nearby.

truckman
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Post by truckman » Tue Aug 08, 2006 9:09 pm

If you're looking for a decent, inexpensive HSF, I've been pleased with the Masscool FalconRock aluminum/copper heat sink with its 80mm fan. It costs about $11 plus shipping @Newegg. It keeps a 1 GHz Tualatin PIII very cool even with the fan connected through a Zalman Fanmate that is cranked all the way down.

It looks like there are some other members of the same family under the Spire name available through Newegg for about the same price that I hadn't noticed before. The Spire WhisperRock IV and V appear to use the same aluminum/copper heat sink, but have plastic fans that run slower and/or quieter than the aluminum fan on the FalconRock, if the specs can be believed.

The Masscool WhisperRock II is a buck cheaper than the FalconRock and appears to use the same aluminum fan, but it is a solid aluminum heat sink, so it might not cool quite as well, and for some reason the fan is specified as running faster and louder than the FalconRock.

I've also tried the Masscool socket 370/A heat sinks that come with a 60mm fan. They are very inexpensive, but the fan bearings tend to rumble even when they are undervolted and they don't improve with age.

aidanjm2004
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Post by aidanjm2004 » Tue Aug 08, 2006 11:32 pm

truckman wrote:The Spire WhisperRock IV and V appear to use the same aluminum/copper heat sink, but have plastic fans that run slower and/or quieter than the aluminum fan on the FalconRock, if the specs can be believed.
I used Spire Whisperrocks (with the blue plastic fan) on several pentium 3 rigs. Coupled with a Zalman fan mate and run at 5-7 volts, the fan is very quiet - it's certainly better than the fan that comes with the Zalman 7000 Socket 478 coolers. It easily handles cooling all Pentium 3 chips (I used it with chips up to 1.4 Ghz with no problems). It is also quite inexpensive. I think it is a bargain!

Gojira-X
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Post by Gojira-X » Wed Aug 09, 2006 11:35 am

I have a Vantec Aero Socket A cooler thats effecient enough to cool an Athlon XP 2600+ running at 2Ghz at around 34degrees full load.

It comes with a 74mm TMD fan (40+dB at max....yikes!), but you could safely run it either without a fan or with a generic 70mm fan set at 5V or even 7V.

Waylo
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Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 5:04 pm

HDD temps!

Post by Waylo » Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:52 pm

Thanks all for the input!

After installing my Seasonic S12-330, it was quite a bit quieter, but still not enough. It actually did not feel like it was moving a whole lot of air either. Either way, it really brought out the CPU fan noise!

I dropped by my local Fry's which did not have any of the recommended parts. And newegg was on backorder for the one I had chosen. So I ended up removing that nasty stock CPU fan, and doing what is depicted on this thread:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article14-page5.html

-->Attaching a 80mm case fan to a PCI slot cover and positioning it directly over the CPU. Figure with something as puny as a 933mhz, it will work fine. It suffices quite nicely.

Only problem now is my 2 HDs run pretty darn hot (other things probably do too, but they're the only thing in the system with temperature gauges)! Or maybe they always did, but I never noticed until now. 53oC or so. I stuck another fan deep inside just to blow onto the HD, but I don't think it's doing much, especially since its just throwing hot ambient air onto the HD. Not sure if I can get those temperatures down quietly.

Is 53oC too hot? Any ideas for cooling HDs quietly?

Will re-positioning the HDs help with this? One is apparently forever trapped in the HD case that Gateway shipped it in (well, the screws are inaccessible without removing every DVD/CD/floppy drive in the case first).

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