Zalman FX100?

Cooling Processors quietly

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kufi
Posts: 17
Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2014 8:12 am

Zalman FX100?

Post by kufi » Tue Apr 08, 2014 11:46 am

Hi!
First question I am posting in this forum, so go easy on me :D
I am in the process of selecting parts for a new PC. Most important for me is silence, good dust management, drive capacity and to a lesser extent also aesthetics.
The case I have chosen is Fractal Node 304, that pretty much does all of above, so at least I'm done with this (only took me 2 months to decide...). I will consider changing the case fans if the stock ones bother me, but all in good time...
The rest of the components will most likely be:

Motherboard - Asus H87I-deluxe
CPU - Intel i5-4**0s (prob 4670s, TDP 65w)
RAM - 2x4GB Kingston LoVo
PSU - Seasonic G-360 (although I'd love to hear of some low-wattage semi-fanless ones [Corsair RM-450 is already too much for my needs])
SSD - Samsung Evo 250GB
HDD - 2x WD Caviar green 3TB

So...no discrete GPU, low-TDP processor and low-voltage RAM, which brings me to my question: suppose that the Zalman FX100 fits inside the Node 304 (which I'm not so sure of), do you reckon a passive CPU cooler will be enough for an otherwise low-temp system? Assume that I don't use processor-intensive applications.
If you wouldn't recommend walking this way, next in line is sine ultra-quiet Noctua (my initial plan). I thought of NH-U9B SE2 with a single fan, but someone elsewhere suggested I should look at NH-C14 or NH-L12. My gut feeling tells me that in a case with front-to-back airflow a tower cooler is a better choice, as it can be mounted with its fan parallel to the case fans, and so takes part in moving the air though the case efficiently, whereas a horizontal cooler is perpendicular to the airflow in the case, which can create vertices and as a result added noise. Am I right or is it complete nonsense?

Any comment on what I wrote will be much appreciated!

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

Re: Zalman FX100?

Post by quest_for_silence » Wed Apr 09, 2014 4:06 am

kufi wrote:Any comment on what I wrote will be much appreciated!

The FX100 is basically untested in controlled environments (and within the SPCR community): there are some reviews, but nothing really reliable according to SPCR standards.

In case, you could suppose it should work like a TR HR-02/HR-22, or like a SS He-02 (when used in passive mode).

Eventually, IMVHO you don't need a Zalman FX100 to cool a stock i5 inside a Node 304, because there's the rear fan which is very close to the CPU heatsink itself: and as a matter of fact, there are people here which use passively slimmer heatsinks like the Noctua S-series ones inside that enclosure. At any rate, check the actual dimensions, particularly with reference to the HDDs bays.

kufi
Posts: 17
Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2014 8:12 am

Re: Zalman FX100?

Post by kufi » Wed Apr 09, 2014 6:34 am

Thanks for your reply.
As I understand, my idea of cooling the CPU passively in this case and with the given hardware isn't unheard of, and actually rather viable.
IMHO using a passive slim heatsink like in the Noctua NH-U12S places the exhaust fan is somewhat far from the heatsink. If there's some 15 cm between them, can the exhaust fan still pull the heat out efficiently?

Another Idea I just had was To get the Noctua NH-U9B SE2 with its bigger heatsink and use it passively. If I'm happy with the result I can then replace the case fans with the Noctua ones. Sounds like a win-win to me.

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