Best Heatsink?

Cooling Processors quietly

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computergeek22
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Best Heatsink?

Post by computergeek22 » Thu Oct 06, 2005 3:29 pm

I'm planning to build a computer for myself. I'm on a budget and want to build the cheap/very quiet computer. Having not built a computer in awhile I just recently started doing research and wanted to know which would be the best heatsink to use. I'm not looking to overclock so much and I would prefer the quietest possible PC. I'm planning to get the following:

Antec P180
Antec Sp-500 power supply
Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego
7800 GT
DFI UT Ultra-D
2x 512 PC3200 ocz platinum dual channel
Seagate 80 gb SATA150

As you can see i'm on the limit and I'm only willing to spend at max 60-70 dollars on a heatsink/fan solution. I've narrowed it down to 2 heatsink solutions from reading reviews:
Thermaltake CL-P0114 Big Typhoon ("advertised 16 DBA 54.4 CFM" This seems a little too good to believe also I'm not sure if this can fit on/in my motherboard/case.

The second solution was running the Scythe Ninja in my case - passive cooling but from many reviews it seems this isn't a good idea and I can't find a cheap fan because the Nexus 120 is $20 on pricewatch. Any suggestions?

The third solution was the Blue ORB II but again thermaltake seems to advertise their products too optimistically with 17DBa and 78 CFM.

If you have any other possible heatsink solutions or suggestions on these two or comments on these two please post. Again I would like to mention that I want the quietest possible system without spending money for water cooling.

I'd appreciate it if you guys can give your views.
Thanks
Last edited by computergeek22 on Thu Oct 06, 2005 3:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

stromgald
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Post by stromgald » Thu Oct 06, 2005 3:46 pm

From your setup it looks like you're planning to overclock, possibly heavily. If so, I wouldn't recommend just a Scythe Ninja. It'd be better if you put a Nexus/Papst/YateLoon fan on it, to keep things cool. Also, I'm would recommend against getting a Thermaltake heatsink. They have a pretty bad rep around here for being loud, poor quality, and misrepresenting numbers (such as the 16dBA and 54.4cfm).

I'm also a little unsure about your part selection. You say that you're on a budget and want a very quiet computer. But, you've selected a motherboard thats built for overclocking and has a small 40mm fan on its northbridge (which can be very loud). Your parts also aren't the best bang for your buck as far as noise/$ goes (I assume 'cheap' is a $500-$1000 system). If you want cheap and quiet, thats possible; overclocking and quiet is also possible, but overclocking and quiet and inexpensive will be difficult. It really depends on how large of a 'budget' you're on . . .

computergeek22
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Post by computergeek22 » Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:02 pm

Budget ~1300. With all the components I have it's around ~1250. I'm not planning to overclock excessively but I wouldn't mind it. Also the mobo was picked because I'm planning to use the onboard sound. I've had good experience with DFI boards and have got a lot of good reviews on this board. I've not encountered the reviews telling me of the northbridge fan being loud. I only thought it was the Asus boards that had the problem. Anyway, the fans you mentioned are they sub-10 dollar fans because the heatsink itself is 50 bucks.
My basic concept of buying a computer is getting one that is:

1) quietest as possible
2) overclockable but not as important as a computer being quiet because I currently have a palomino 2000+ (old I know) and an old fashioned case with no airflow and a crappy zalman cooler which I have to run at max and it sound like a vaccuum.
3) in my budget which I mentiond above for my cooler would be about 60 bucks now that I need a chipset cooler. so 50 bucks for the heatsink and 10 bucsk for a fan yet the Nexus 120 is 20 bucks which I find expensive for a fan. Any other suggestions on a low noise fan that does the job?
I apologize, for my ignorance in these matters, I only go by the reviews which I understand acn be sometimes misleading. Thanks for the post.
Last edited by computergeek22 on Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

computergeek22
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Post by computergeek22 » Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:09 pm

Would you recommend a Zalman northbridge chipset cooler. They sell them for 7 bucks at newegg probably can find once cheaper at pricewatch. ZM-NB47J <---cooler

qviri
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Post by qviri » Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:14 pm

If you're upgrading from a 2000+ Palomino, I would humbly suggest bumping down that CPU to a 3500+ or even lower and spending money on some quality cooling gear instead.

computergeek22
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Post by computergeek22 » Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:22 pm

Hmmm... 3500 venice I presume. That would solve quiet operation/price problems. The only downside is that I'll HAVE to o/c. Either that or I can bump my graphics card down to a 6800 gt. Anyway I'll try that. So do you guys suggest with going with the Scythe ninja then? Which fan would be recommended then the nexus 120 or something similar?

computergeek22
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Post by computergeek22 » Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:40 pm

By including the 3500 instead of the 3700 i save about 40 bucks and got it in my budget. Now i'm gonna try to find a good graphics card cooler that is silent. Thanks for all the help.

ckolivas
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Post by ckolivas » Thu Oct 06, 2005 6:10 pm

Scythe Ninja with a slightly higher speed fan than the Nexus, something like the medium speed Yate Loons will give you absurd cooling with more room for overclocking etc if you so desire. Then you can find the optimum speed for such a fan that retains the quietest possible setting while it still gives you adequate cooling at the best speed you can overclock.

stromgald
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Post by stromgald » Thu Oct 06, 2005 8:11 pm

That Zalman northbridge heatsink is good, but you should be careful that it doesn't block the graphics card which will extend past the actual PCIe socket.

A nexus 120mm fan is around $15, and Yate Loons are around $11. I found the Nexus and Yate Loon at endpcnoise and tekgems, respectively.

computergeek22
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Post by computergeek22 » Thu Oct 06, 2005 8:12 pm

I decided to revert to the gold edition OCZ and found cheaper ram and with this RAM and even with the 3700 san diego I come within my budget. This also includes the northbridge fanless heatsink from zalman, the Scythe Ninja and a Nexus 120. However, I've decided to wait it out a little bit but I really appreciate your guys' help. Thanks a bunch.... 8)

computergeek22
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Post by computergeek22 » Sun Oct 09, 2005 12:33 pm

How are the Aerocool Turbine 3000s compared with the Nexus 120? The aerocool's are rated at 34.77 CFM at 19.66 DBA which seems really good whil the Nexus' are rated at 36.87 CFM at 22.8 DBA. Which fan would be better for a silent pc?

ckolivas
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Post by ckolivas » Sun Oct 09, 2005 3:36 pm

computergeek22 wrote:How are the Aerocool Turbine 3000s compared with the Nexus 120? The aerocool's are rated at 34.77 CFM at 19.66 DBA which seems really good whil the Nexus' are rated at 36.87 CFM at 22.8 DBA. Which fan would be better for a silent pc?
The loudness/airflow ratio of these fans is quite similar but that doesn't tell the whole story. The aerocool with more fan blades has a higher pitched sound than the Nexus, and the air that it blows is less directional tending to spread out more than blow forwards. I have a couple of them in my pc running at 7v which is about 550rpm and they are inaudible at that setting. Bearing in mind those differences, the aerocool can be fine but I suspect the Nexus is quieter in more applications (more expensive too) despite an apparently higher sound rating - not all measurements are trustworthy but the aerocools are quiet fans.

cotdt
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Post by cotdt » Sun Oct 09, 2005 3:54 pm

Get a Ninja.

fegul
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Post by fegul » Tue Oct 11, 2005 5:46 pm

I have the Big Typhoon, and I love it. I too was afraid that it wouldnt fit in my case but it did; http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,14472032

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