Fanless PSU & Thermalright XP-120 vs Fanless103 vs CNPS7

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 11:39 pm

Hi, I am new to these forums. I'm glad to finally see more sites devoted to silent PC cooling.

I'm building a new system, and want it to be as quiet as possible without over spending with watercooling. After I found out my stock AMD fan is so hella noisy, I did some more research and found the following 3 solutions to be the most popular right now ...

1. Thermaltake Fanless103 Heat Pipe CPU Cooler w/ Zalman ZM-F1 80mm fan in silent mode (5.5V) <-- will this work with my 3000+ cpu at 5.5V???

2. Zalman CNPS7000B-AlCu CPU Cooler

3. Thermalright XP-120 Heat Pipe CPU cooler w/ Nexus 120mm fan

(I understand some 120mm fans including Nexus have trouble starting at <7V)

I would like it to be as silent as possible, and I will not be overclocking at all. As you see from my parts below, I will be having a completely fanless and noiseless solution except for the CPU cooling and hard drive. That Antec fanless PSU is really awesome by the way .. tried it for a few minutes and there is NO NOISE whatsoever! best $200 I ever spent!

My setup will be :

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ S939 1.8Ghz 512KB L2 Cache CPU retail box 90nm Winchester
DFI LANPARTY nF4 Ultra-D S939 motherboard w/audio
1.0GB Corsair Value Select Dual Channel 1024MB Kit PC3200 DDR CAS2.5 (2x512MB)
Seagate Barracuda V 120GB hard drive ST3120023A
eVGA e-GeForce 6600 128M PCI-E DVI S-Video out video card
BenQ DW1620-BK 16x4x16 Dual Layer (Black) OEM
Samsung SFD-321B Rev.T4 floppy drive
Dell Enhanced Multimedia PS/2 keyboard
Dell USB Optical Mouse
Soyo Dragon Mid-Tower ATX Case CX-5959OM
Klipsch Promedia 2.1 THX computer speakers 200W RMS
17" Samsung SyncMaster 712N LCD monitor

Silent PC & cooling parts ..

Antec Phantom 350 Fanless 350W power supply
Zalman ZM80D-HP Fanless VGA Heatpipe cooler
Zalman ZM-NB47J Fanless Northbridge chipset cooler
CoolerMaster Musketeer (LLC-U01) Black Fan Control Panel
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound

burcakb · Post by **burcakb** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 11:51 pm

Of the three the Zalman 7000B will be "enough" (read not the best but will do the job). When run at 5V, it may be quiet enough unless you suspend your harddisk. If you do suspension, further undervolting the fan to 3V or a fanswap with a Nexus 92mm would be a good idea. I believe the Zalman is also the cheapest solution

I'm using the smaller sibling of the XP120 (XP90). Coupled with a Nexus fan undervolted to 8V, it gives me about the same cooling as the Zalman with 5V. The XP120 should do better of course.

I have a distinct distaste for Tt products (this is in addition to my hate due to their shameless copycatting practice). IMO their products sport the material but not the thought to make their products work.

frankgehry · Post by **frankgehry** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 12:01 am

Hello again P,

My choice would be the thermalright xp-120/nexus 120. I think the nexus will start at less that 7v. Each fan is slightly different so it might vary a little. At 5.5v the nexus will be running a lot slower than other fans that are considered quiet like a globe. At the same speed they're going to be about the same as far as noise goes. What kind of case fans are you planning to use? You have to make sure the xp-120 will fit on your motherboard - I think there was a post by someone else using a your mb and there was no problem. You can always search for xp-120 and your mb to find the post or maybe you have already checked the thermalright web site. - FG

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 12:05 am

Really? According to the NCIX forums the XP-120 should fit my motherboard.

I'm aware the Zalman is the cheapest solution at half the price of the XP-120

. But considering I've already spent $300 (CDN) on my fanless parts, I figured what's another $40.

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 12:11 am

burcakb : are you saying the Zalman will run fine at 5V with my 3000+ cpu if I don't overclock?

ckolivas · Post by **ckolivas** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 12:20 am

poohbear wrote:Really? According to the NCIX forums the XP-120 should fit my motherboard.

I'm aware the Zalman is the cheapest solution at half the price of the XP-120 . But considering I've already spent $300 (CDN) on my fanless parts, I figured what's another $40.

If cost is no issue then the XP120 can't be beat.

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 12:26 am

So you are sure the Nexus 120mm fan will boot and is quieter than the Zalman at the lowest settings for my CPU?

ckolivas · Post by **ckolivas** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 12:28 am

poohbear wrote:So you are sure the Nexus 120mm fan will boot and is quieter than the Zalman at the lowest settings for my CPU?

I have the 7000Cu and the Zalman fan at its lowest setting in my very quiet setup was positively noisy! I had to do a fan swap to get it quiet. Of course it's all relative but the Nexus120 at full speed is quieter than the Zalman92mm in the 7000 at lowest setting.

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 12:43 am

really? The Nexus 120mm at 12V is quieter than the Zalman in 7000B at 5V? Wow. Well that's suprising to hear. From what I read the Nexus should be around 22.6 dbA at 12V .. which to me is pretty loud already.

Oh, I also have the following fans so maybe someone can comment on these for comparison ...

Papst 8412NGL 80mm case fan
Zalman ZM-F1 80mm Fan w/ Quiet Mode Adapter

The Papst is rated on the chart to be around 20 dbA (they stated it's not 12dbA as advertised ... and I certainly agree).

The Zalman ZM-F1 in quiet mode is what is acceptable to me ... it's 5.5V which is good enough for me so if I can get my cpu cooler to be as quiet I'll be happy.

wumpus · Post by **wumpus** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 12:48 am

If cost is no issue then the XP120 can't be beat.

Wait a minute. If you're running the antec fanless PSU, how exactly is heat getting out of your case?

Surely you're running a rear case exhaust fan. Wouldn't it be logical, then, to mount the Thermatake Fanless 103 in front of your existing rear case exhaust fan? This has two benefits:

1. You don't have to install ANOTHER fan in your system. Fan = noise.
2. You immediately exhaust any CPU heat from your system, rather than blowing it around inside the case.

That's my vote, anyway. Just make absolutely sure the thermaltake fanless 103 orientation works for your system, eg, it aligns with the rear fan properly.

ckolivas · Post by **ckolivas** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 12:49 am

poohbear wrote:really? The Nexus 120mm at 12V is quieter than the Zalman in 7000B at 5V? Wow. Well that's suprising to hear. From what I read the Nexus should be around 22.6 dbA at 12V .. which to me is pretty loud already.

Oh, I also have the following fans so maybe someone can comment on these for comparison ...

Papst 8412NGL 80mm case fan
Zalman ZM-F1 80mm Fan w/ Quiet Mode Adapter

The Papst is rated on the chart to be around 20 dbA (they stated it's not 12dbA as advertised ... and I certainly agree).

The Zalman ZM-F1 in quiet mode is what is acceptable to me ... it's 5.5V which is good enough for me so if I can get my cpu cooler to be as quiet I'll be happy.

The Nexus sound rating is about the only one you can trust. Everything else is pretty much bogus so don't think that 22.6 is as loud as other components you've heard claiming to be the same loudness. Remember that being a 120mm fan you can afford to undervolt this even further and it will be truly inaudible compared to anything else in your pc. I can't speak for the Papst fans apart from the comment from users on these forums that it makes a clicking sound.

burcakb · Post by **burcakb** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 1:01 am

WOW! That's some fast posting going on here

poohbear, if you'll check my sig, you'll notice that I've slowed down my Zalman fan to insanely low levels. It's got a fanmate and an inline resistor, plus is being undervolted to 8V by the motherboard. At the extremely slow speed it's running, the noise it makes stays below the idle whine of the two suspended seagates so for practical purposes it's dead-silent. Also note that the CPU (a 130nm Newcastle 3000+ - definitely hotter than a Winnie) is undervolted AND slightly overclocked.

I also have another zalman running on an overclocked Barton (running at 185 MHz instead of 166). On that one, I did a fanswap with a nexus fan. The noise "volume" of the nexus at 12V was the same as the Zalman original fan at 5V. However the whoosh was more pleasing. I also undervolted the nexus and again it dropped below the idle whine of the suspended samsung (JVC motor).

So the stock zalman at 5V is a bit on the noisy side BUT can be undervolted further that you won't have problems with it.

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 1:01 am

now my decision is even harder ..

The thing is if I get the Thermatake Fanless 103, I can only use the 80 mm fans since my case only has a cut out for 80mm fan at the back.

So since I don't know if it will work at 6V-7V with my cpu, I don't know if it would even be as effective as the Zalman with the 92mm fan ..

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 1:15 am

Now I really wish I didn't have the extra case and bought the ANTEC SONATA instead (although it's so damn ugly

). That one is suppose to be super quiet and has 120mm cut out at the back. My decision would be a no brainer then.

frankgehry · Post by **frankgehry** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 1:31 am

The thermaltake idea seems like a good one, but systems have been built with fanless xp-120's especially if you can orient the fins toward the rear fan. - FG

wumpus · Post by **wumpus** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 1:34 am

Don't sweat it. I really think any of these options will work. You made an excellent choice in the Winchester (90nm) A64 3000+ ; this CPU doesn't produce that much heat. An 80mm fan should be plenty to cool this CPU.

I still like my thermaltake fanless 103 suggestion best, of course. There's just something so.. logical about exhausting CPU heat directly out of the case instead of blowing it back down on the mobo

wumpus · Post by **wumpus** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 1:39 am

fanless systems have been built with fanless xp-120's especially if you can orient the fins toward the rear fan

True, but the design doesn't encourage that-- it's clearly designed for a fan mounted on top blowing down. You might need a duct for that to work.

Only the heatpipe towers (Hyper-6, Thermaltake Fanless, etc) are expressly designed for fans blowing out of the case.

Blowing the hot CPU air out of the case is, and will always be, a better solution.

frankgehry · Post by **frankgehry** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 1:54 am

I just looked at a couple of reviews for the 103 and they are not favorable. They recommend using a fan anyway, its heavy, and I can't really see how you mount the thing. I'm obviously an xp-120, but you might take a look at the silverstone product like this. I would have a lot more confidence in a silverstone product. - FG

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 1:57 am

You're right. You've convinced me .. I'm going to get the Fanless103 and try and see if my Zalman 80mm will sound alright at 6V-7V. Then if not I'll have to buy the Antec Sonata and a Nexus 120mm fan for a hopefully quieter solution.

I've also read about some concerns with XP-120 + Nexus incompatibility .. so maybe it's safer to stick with the Fanless103 especially since I don't know how to mod things like I don't even know what a dremmel is.

http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?t=16965
http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?p=135518
http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?t=18190

Wow, you guys reply really fast and it's 5 am here!

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 2:06 am

frankgehry wrote:I just looked at a couple of reviews for the 103 and they are not favorable. They recommend using a fan anyway, its heavy, and I can't really see how you mount the thing. I'm obviously an xp-120, but you might take a look at the silverstone product like this. I would have a lot more confidence in a silverstone product. - FG

Which Silverstone is that? I don't think any stores here in Canada carry that yet (we're the slowest to get everything!)

From the reviews I thought the Fanless103 is comparable or even slightly more effective in cooling than the XP-120 when used with the same fan ..

http://www.tweakers4u.de/artikel/therma ... 4,,936.htm
(it's in German, found it from another forum)

teejay · Post by **teejay** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 2:22 am

With all the linkage you've found, I'm surprised you missed this one: Tibors' excellent "Nexus 120mm fan corner cutting guide"... you don't even need a Dremel (single 'm'

), you can use a simple handsaw, a pair of pliers and a file. Very easy, even for non-modders...

About the Thermaltake, burcakb said it all: "their products sport the material but not the thought to make their products work." Couldn't have said it better... that Tt looks silly: heatpipes are meant for transporting heat, yet on this contraption they only transport the cpu heat halfway, leaving the rest of the distance to the VERY closely packed fins. Perhaps it cools as well as an XP120 with a 100cfm fan but I'd be highly surprised if it would still beat the XP with something like an undervolted Nexus.

frankgehry · Post by **frankgehry** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 2:28 am

Go to www.silverstonetek.com. I think your design is a little more complicated now that it was pointed out that you have a fanless psu even though your first post mentions it. Maybe you could start a new post like "computer design with a fanless psu." I know that some machines have been built using the silverstone cooler and you would be able to find out if this is something that is really practical. I know I would hate to spend a lot of money and try something out of the ordinary without some more opinions. Go here:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article203-page4.html
There is a review of this heatsink in the review of the silverstone case that it was designed for. - FG

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 2:40 am

Oh I see. Yeah I don't think I can get that at all. No one seems to have it. Does it really perform better? Besides the brand?

Edited the title also. Do you think it's better now?

frankgehry · Post by **frankgehry** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 2:58 am

Its better. That was a quick edit and definitely the way to work the forum.

Fanless PSU & Thermalright XP-120 vs Fanless103 vs CNPS7

Fanless PSU & Thermalright XP-120 vs Fanless103 vs CNPS7

hi poo

thermaltake

thermaltake 103

Re: thermaltake 103

silverstone

its better