40mm CPU cooler suggestions?

cameronpurvis · Post by **cameronpurvis** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 6:43 pm

I looked on the forums and didn't really find anything that answered this: is there a decent 40mm fan for a CPU? I picked up one of the gPC mainboard/CPU combos from ClubIT - PC2500E with a little 1.5 gHz Via CPU. It's sufficient for the task to which I've applied it (file server), but the CPU has a little 40mm fan that's a bit annoying. I was considering going with a passive heatsink and boosting the case airflow - ducting and som 80mm fans, perhaps. But does anyone know of a CPU 40mm fan? Or have a 40mm CPU cooler they like?

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Sat Aug 02, 2008 7:19 am

Scythe Minikaze is pretty damn good for 40mm fan. 40x40x10mm dimension. Minikaze Ultra is 40x40x20mm's but I have no experience of that. I am not that sure if Minikaze is enough to cool solution. Its 3500 rpm's and around 4,1 CFM's.

Vicotnik · Post by **Vicotnik** » Sat Aug 02, 2008 8:42 am

If I got such a system I would try to cool it passive, or failing that find a way to attach some old 80mm fan and run it at low RPM. Or perhaps a 120mm fan. The CPU and NB heatsink looks to be about the same height so it might be possible to remove the CPU fan and let a 120mm fan cool both heatsinks.

cameronpurvis · Post by **cameronpurvis** » Sat Aug 02, 2008 11:51 am

Thanks! I'll probably just pick up the Scythe and then see if there is a way to mount a big ban over the whole board. Looks like this board doesn't want to boot without a CPU fan, so I'll have to trick it to run passive. Just replacing the fan is probably my best short term step - especially in the heat wave we have in the Southeast.

Thanks again...

Vicotnik · Post by **Vicotnik** » Sat Aug 02, 2008 12:52 pm

Let us know how it turns out.

crispyfish · Post by **crispyfish** » Sat Aug 02, 2008 9:18 pm

You might also consider chaining together some fan adapters to allow for a larger fan:

http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g36/c12 ... Page1.html

40mm-->60mm
60mm-->80mm
80mm-->120mm

Done!

cameronpurvis · Post by **cameronpurvis** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 5:31 pm

I'm going to start out a little conservative - a scythe 40mm replacement fan, and a 40->60 mm adapter with a 60mm fan. We'll see which one is better...

yukon · Post by **yukon** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 9:41 pm

LOL, wow. Good adapter setup.

I'm going to have to agree with the removal of the 40mm fan. Those things are always loud, even at low airflow, since they have to rotate so fast. Screechy little devils.

VIA CPUs run cool. I'd suggest getting a far larger passive heatsink if they exist for that mounting system, and using a larger fan (120mm or 140mm, or 80mm if you have to) to cool the case. Passive is the answer for noise reduction.

Modo · Post by **Modo** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 9:46 pm

I'd try to put a 120mm fan on it by attaching it to multiple heatsinks and/or motherboard mounting holes (think long screws or zip ties). The amount of air moved at 500rpm should be more than enough compared to the 40mm fans, while allowing for complete silence.

cameronpurvis · Post by **cameronpurvis** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 5:52 am

I'll have to get a little more clever than I am now for a passive setup - the mainboard doesn't want to boot unless it detects a fan. There's some sort of way to work around that but that's a project for a later date. Hopefully I'll be able to get the $$$ together for an Atom system soon, and I'm much more likely to get adventurous with the Via if I prefer the Atom.

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 6:25 am

Those funnel adapters are bad news. Increasing backpressure to the point that your larger fan is running at the same speed as the smaller fan used to in order to push the same amount of air. Not to mention it increases the height of the HSF assembly needlessly.

Zipties and/or sticky foam are good ways of mounting a "too-large" fan directly to a heatsink that would not ordinarily fit it.

This is how I mounted an 800rpm Slipstream to my Asus EN8800GT. You can see the stickyfoam as a small white square underneath the fan in the middle. It keeps the fan from vibrating against the heatsink and makes a HUGE difference.

The fan overhangs the HS by quite a bit on the other side, so it's not as close of a fit as it might seem.

I have an 80mm Globalwin mounted on my 4850e (70mm stock) in my HTPC using only the stickfoam. However that setup is rightside-up.

cameronpurvis · Post by **cameronpurvis** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 12:44 pm

So, I got in the plastic 40->60mm adapter, a mini-kaze Scythe 40mm fan, and a 60mm (I forget at the moment who makes the 60mm). The old 40mm came out, and the new 40m Scythe went on.

Muuuuuch improved. There's none of the 'crunchy' fan sound the original fan hand, nor any of the low rumble. The scythe has a high-pitched whine that I can hear if I listen for it or get too close, but so far it's a major, major improvement.

When I get an hour or so that I can spend monkeying around with just mounting a 60mm over the CPU, I plan to do that; I just got a new Big Boss at work so most of my off time has been tied up with 'homework' for new stuff I'll be doing. THANK YOU for the Scythe recommendation though; I was only running the system when I really needed data from the drives, now I can leave it running as a readily-accessible file server.

For what it's worth CentOS 5 runs like a champ on this, and starts up much quicker than XP.

Ethyriel · Post by **Ethyriel** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 2:48 pm

Thanks for the impressions on the Scythe 40mm. I've been thinking about replacing the little 40mm fans in a couple switches at work.

cameronpurvis · Post by **cameronpurvis** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 5:46 pm

I have nothing but positive to say right now. I don't think I'd notice the TINY whine if the fan wasn't in a thin-walled aluminum case, with a straight air-line to my ear. Cheap, too!

ronrem · Post by **ronrem** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 7:37 pm

cameronpurvis wrote:Thanks! I'll probably just pick up the Scythe and then see if there is a way to mount a big ban over the whole board. Looks like this board doesn't want to boot without a CPU fan, so I'll have to trick it to run passive. Just replacing the fan is probably my best short term step - especially in the heat wave we have in the Southeast.

Thanks again...

Usually there is SOME way to mount a 120 or 80 mm fan,either to the case with a duct or a bracket you can do based on a shelf bracket or a home made wood bracket. You could make a "bridge" that spans the mobo and puts the fan right where you want it. The slowest possible stick 120 at about 500 rpm is silent. the slowest 40 mm at 2000 rpm is not as quiet and actually moves a bit less air.

ronrem · Post by **ronrem** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 7:52 pm

and of course a 120 that's both the case and CPU lone fan can be wired up as the CPU fan,even if you need to splice to extend the wires (not likely) The Scythe HS itself is gonna be efficient for it's size-which is a plus.

Total passive is fun as a challenge but generally a small case needs some airflow,so I figure the silent choice is a good slow 120. I'd rig it to pull heat OFF the CPU and vent directly out,which on a desktop tower would be the side,and on a Home entertainment horizontal case would be the top.

A slice of a plastic jar/bottle and some gorilla glue should do a good duct.

cameronpurvis · Post by **cameronpurvis** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 6:58 am

I think a 120 would be a great way to go; right now the system is in an old aluminum unit with a silly plexi window that means ducting will be more hassle than I would like. I still have the 60mm, and am looking at some replacement cases that might let me be more clever.

Or, y'know, I have lots of zipties, cardboard, gorilla tape, hot glue and some miscellaneous plastic tubing. If I don't like the case, there's no real reason not to mutilate it. It's not like it's pretty right now...