Best Dynamic PWM CPU Cooler under 109mm for Q6600 in an HTPC

mathico · Post by **mathico** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 7:00 pm

Hey everyone,

I have been searching for a few weeks now, and am getting really frustrated.

I currently have a Zalman CNPS8000 running in my HTPC w/a Q6600, and really, this fan can handle my processor in all scenarios if run at 100%, but the fan is not dynamic, and...

If the fan setting is left on high, it is disturbing during movies and when it is idle. However, if the fan setting is left on low, then any CPU-intensive applications drive the temperature up in minutes to over 70C until my CPU is unstable, and I use my HTPC for normal/gaming use too, complicated setup. Anyway...

I want my CPU fan, which is the only "loud" fan in my case, to speed up when it needs to, and slow down when it can afford to, like a normal PWM fan should. But I have some criteria, which is what is causing my hassle:

My current Zalman fan is a static 3-pin, and not dynamic, and since my PC is used for home theater, using a manual fanmate would be a real pain, since everything is IR-controlled. So a PWM fan seems ideal, but the problem is finding a good PWM CPU cooler that will be sufficient to cool a quad-core, while fitting on my eVGA 680i MB, as well as in my HTPC case, which as a max height for a CPU cooler of 109mm.

My only option I have found so far is by using a Thermalright XP-120 w/a PWM 120mm fan on top, which would leave about a cm, and there is a vent above the CPU anyway, so it would be able to draw air, but I am not sure if that would offer much a performance difference... I am sure there is a better option than that.

I can afford to draw air from any direction, that is not a problem, nor is price, for the most part. I just am not finding any viable options anywhere, and am sick of wasting my time. Any recommendations and/or advice would be great. Thanks for any help.

jessekopelman · Post by **jessekopelman** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 12:15 am

I'd be surprised if you could find anything that could beat the XP-120 and still be < 109mm. What I'd suggest is that you go with the XP-120 and get not just a PWM fan for that, but also for your case fan(s). If you go with the Arctic-Cooling fans they can be daisy-chained together and all controlled via the CPU fan control. That way, as your CPU heats up not only will the the fan on its heatsink speedup, but also the case fans -- providing an overall greater cooling effect.

mathico · Post by **mathico** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 12:12 pm

Thanks, I guess I may end up going that route, if I do not get any other good responses.

I also have discovered the Silverstone NT-06 Lite, which is heavier than the XP-120, a benefit as far as I know, and it does not require an extra bracket like the XP-120 to fit on an Intel 775 socket. But I do not know Silverstone for being a very reputable CPU cooler company...

jessekopelman · Post by **jessekopelman** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 3:04 am

Heavier is only a benefit if it is for a good reason. There is a world of difference between gaining 15 lbs of fat and 15 lbs of muscle! I would argue that some of the best performing heatsinks are actually rather light, relative to others in their size class. For example, neither the Ninja nor the Thermalright Ultra-120 are particularly heavy for such large heatsinks. As for the bracket issue, it is pretty much a given that brackets like those used by Thermalright result in lower temperatures than socket 775 push-pins. Read the the recent Ninja-Cu review and related forum columns for a very lengthy education on that.

pingu666 · Post by **pingu666** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 5:45 am

im surprised there isnt some thermal control in the bios for the cpu fan, there has been for my last 2 mobos...

pingu666 · Post by **pingu666** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 5:55 am

found it

, randomly i have a evga 680 mobo manual, but never had the mobo

page 64/65

in the printed manual

page 114/5 on the pdf here http://www.evga.com/products/pdf/680i%20manual.pdf

hope that helps, looks similer to what my old dfi mobo had

mathico · Post by **mathico** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 9:51 am

Ok, thanks jessekopelman, I looked into heatsink design stuff... I think a lighter heatsink would actually be better, in some instances, like wouldn't it mean there is less heat actually in the heatsink, and perhaps keep internal temperatures lower, if running optimally? Seems it would, over a heavy heatsink that stores more heat...

What I cannot find an easy answer on is whether or not copper is always better. It often seems hailed as a great feature, but some really good heatsinks, like Thermalright, seem to use aluminum fins instead. I understand that it "holds" alot of heat, but that does not seem like a great feature to have alot of heat "stored" in my heatsink, I would rather expel it quickly... but I may be understanding this all wrong. Anyway, I have discovered that Zalman has a few PWM coolers now, I am interested in their CNPS8700 NT, what do you think? You're my new Guru, haha.

Also pingu666, my motherboard does have thermal BIOS control, but my current Zalman fan will not take advantage of it because it is not a 4-pin PWM fan. If I were to put my stock intel fan on, it would, but I REALLY do not want to do that....

jessekopelman · Post by **jessekopelman** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 2:58 pm

mathico wrote: What I cannot find an easy answer on is whether or not copper is always better. It often seems hailed as a great feature, but some really good heatsinks, like Thermalright, seem to use aluminum fins instead. I understand that it "holds" alot of heat, but that does not seem like a great feature to have alot of heat "stored" in my heatsink, I would rather expel it quickly... but I may be understanding this all wrong. Anyway, I have discovered that Zalman has a few PWM coolers now, I am interested in their CNPS8700 NT, what do you think? You're my new Guru, haha.

Heatsinks do not "store" heat. Read the SPCR review of the Ninja-Cu for more details. The short answer is that copper is better if you have really high airflow. If you are running a slow fan (or no fan at all) copper will not help you. You don't need a heatsink with an integrated PWM fan to get PWM control. Just get a top-notch heatsink that allows you to bring your own fan to party (Thermalright, Scythe, etc.) and add a PWM fan (Arctic-Cooling and Scythe being the best for quiet). That would give you the best of both worlds. I'd rather have an XP-120 plus an Arctic-Cooling AF12025PWM than anything Zalman makes . . .

mathico · Post by **mathico** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:18 pm

So could you quickly rank the Thermalright XP-120, Silverstone NT-06 lite and Zalman CNPS8700 NT in order from best to worst, in your opinion, and explain why? I am impartial against the XP-120, because it is small, was not designed for 775 socket CPUs, and has that whole curvey fin thing going on, which seems inefficient, to my amateur observation. The Silverstone equivalent seems much more practical and is not four years old, in fact quite new, but I want your take on it. My local Fry's has a CNPS8700 NT in stock, so it is very readily available, unlike the other two. Anyway...

You seem to be one of the most knowledgable and brutally honest sources around, and I want to get as much information out of you before you lose interest in me, haha. Thanks so much, tracking down this information would have eaten up alot more of my time, and probably some money too (trial and error). Thanks again.

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 7:37 am

Probably in that order that you listed them. The XP-120 has proven itself time and again as a very reliable and effective HS. Silverstone has essentially the same design (albeit larger), but not as proven of a record. I've been a little suspect of Silverstone's HS quality for a while, but have nothing to back it up. It seems they copy other designs and still don't perform as well. The Zalman is only the last because it's the hardest to change fans on when you determine (and you will) that the Zalman fans are buzzy even at low speed. It's still possible to swap the fan, just involves destroying another quiet 120mm fan (cutting it from the frame) so that it can't ever be used to do anything else again.

I don't think you'll notice a large difference in temperatures from any of these in your setup, but it will also depend more on fan type and speed than just HS choice.

jessekopelman · Post by **jessekopelman** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 2:56 pm

mathico wrote:So could you quickly rank the Thermalright XP-120, Silverstone NT-06 lite and Zalman CNPS8700 NT in order from best to worst, in your opinion, and explain why?

I pretty much agree with jhhoffma. Also, note that the XP-120 has more heat pipes than the NT-06 lite.

1) XP-120 -- proven track record (both company and specific model), 4 heat pipes

2) NT-06 -- no track record for silent cooling, 3 heat pipes

3) CNPS8700 NT -- integral fan is a big turn-off

mathico · Post by **mathico** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 5:03 am

Ok thanks. I am going to go ahead and try the Silverstone NT06 via Newegg, and if I am not satisfied, I can return it, or worst case resell it on eBay, and fall back on the Thermalright, though that probably will not be necessary. A few factors determined this, like I like that the Silverstone is higher up, a little more dynamic depending on how it is mounted, and has more potential disappation area, and comes with the LGA 775 socket brackets, the XP-120 would require a seperate purchase, and is much more difficult to find at this point, being kind of outdated, I have found it to actually be more expensive, though just one small factor.

I already know what you mean by Zalman fans being buzzy, that is one of my reasons for getting rid of my current one as well. I have noticed that even at very low fan speeds, they do not have a consistent frequency.

Thanks again for all your help!