Fan upgrade for Big Shuriken (HTPC application)

Cooling Processors quietly

Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee

Post Reply
damien55
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2014 5:43 am

Fan upgrade for Big Shuriken (HTPC application)

Post by damien55 » Sun Mar 30, 2014 6:37 am

Hi,

I am looking at upgrading my HTPC with an AMD APU.
I have made some measurement in my case and if I fit a FM2A88X-ITX+ I should be able to fit a Big Shuriken 2 without anything clashing.
Now the problem is that I would like to upgrade the fan as I have enough room for a 25mm one. I am looking at the following fans:
  • - Noctua NF-P12 PWM
    - Noctua NF-F12 PWM
    - Nexus 120mm PWM
As the processor has a TDP of 45W (or 65W) I don't know which fan will give me the quietest operation? Coudl someone help me make a decision

My new configuration will be as follows:
  • - Processor A8-7600 (this processor is not released yet but it can be set to run at 45 or 65W)
    - Motherboard FM2A88X-ITX+
    - Cooler Big Shuriken 2 rev b
    - Case: Modded Pioneer DVD player DV-717 (see picture at the end of this message for the case with the current soon to be replaced hardware)
    - 150W pico psu
    - Crucial SSD
Image
DSC_5176 par damien055, sur Flickr

Image
DSC_8384 par damien055, sur Flickr

Image
DSC_8376 par damien055, sur Flickr

CA_Steve
Moderator
Posts: 7650
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:36 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: Fan upgrade for Big Shuriken (HTPC application)

Post by CA_Steve » Sun Mar 30, 2014 7:41 am

Welcome to SPCR.

I'd try the stock Scythe fan first and see how well it works at low rpm. The SPCR review had a 95W CPU with a 48C rise at 7V. As your CPU will be 45W/65W, you'll probably see temps in the 23 to 33C over ambient give or take 5C. That's pretty decent. You can always swap the fan out if you want to move up.

quest_for_silence
Posts: 5275
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:12 am
Location: ITALY

Re: Fan upgrade for Big Shuriken (HTPC application)

Post by quest_for_silence » Sun Mar 30, 2014 8:03 am

damien55 wrote:I would like to upgrade the fan as I have enough room for a 25mm one.


As already said, it wouldn't seem a great idea: the stock fan is more than capable, and it's quiet, providing it's firmly controlled by BIOS/utilities (like SpeedFan).
Moreover, there are chance you won't face any noticeable improvements on such a CPU, either in cooling prowess or in quietness.
Please take also note that reducing the height clearance might turn out self-defeating, as it might trigger resonances, and spurious vibrations against the top panel.

damien55 wrote:I am looking at the following fans:
  • - Noctua NF-P12 PWM
    - Noctua NF-F12 PWM
    - Nexus 120mm PWM


In case, I would get rid of the Nexus, as it isn't a good fan at all.

In my experience, the best fan option for a Big Shuriken 2 is a Scythe Slipstream PWM, if you can find one: both the Noctuas are neither more quiet, nor really more effective, despite they usually cost two times the Scythe one.

damien55
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2014 5:43 am

Re: Fan upgrade for Big Shuriken (HTPC application)

Post by damien55 » Sun Mar 30, 2014 9:13 am

Thanks guys for the advice.

I guess I'll stick with the stock fan to start with and see if it's quiet enough for my requirements. the cpu fan is the only part that makes noise in my case since I don't have a HDD or a normal PSU and this is why I would like to make the cooler as quiet as possible.

Just to clarify. The top of the case is a mesh so the but I understand that if the cooler's fan gets too close then you might start hearing "air circulation noises".

In this picture you can see the expanded mesh top:

Image
DSC_5217 par damien055, sur Flickr

The back of the case is also a mesh.

Post Reply