Fanless or Top mounted big slow fan for HTPC

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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Caddish
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2010 7:48 pm
Location: Quebec

Fanless or Top mounted big slow fan for HTPC

Post by Caddish » Mon Apr 01, 2013 7:34 am

Hi I'm trying to update my HTPC to be near silent since performance wise I'm a 100% satisfied but I'm sick of the jet engine noise of 80mm fan (or uselessness when undervolted)

Spec (already owned no intention to expend) :
Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3
Intel Core i3-530 (73W)
40GB intel SSD
DVD-drive (might go for slimline blu-ray at some point)

I'm on the border of ordering a Streacom FC5 EVO OD fanless, I dig the look but it's very expensive and I keep reading that I'd be better of with a large slow running fan.

I'm trying to find a 120mm or more down facing cpu cooler to cool the whole PC at fairly slow rpm. (All this PC do is XBMC, mostly 720p mkv and sometime 1080p stored on the network.)
Scythe BIG SHURIKEN was nice but I can't find it in Canada

And a case with ventilation hole on top and side. Size is not really important but I like the large yet not too thick look with simple faceplate. Silverstone GD05 is the correct style but much too large and a bit overkill for my need.

Any advice is appreciated

Caddish
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2010 7:48 pm
Location: Quebec

Re: Fanless or Top mounted big slow fan for HTPC

Post by Caddish » Mon Apr 01, 2013 8:42 am

Found some contender (available in canada):

CPU Cooler :
  • Prolimatech PRO-SAM17 45$ + undervolted GentleTyphoon I have laying around thickness : 70mm
  • ZALMAN CNPS8900 Quiet 110mm 41$ thickness : 60mm. But I'm worried the fan is going to be too noisy
Case :
  • Silverstone ML03B 64$ Front panel looks cheap
  • Streacom FC5 ~350$
  • Streacom FC8 ~250$
I'm curious to get people opinion, I'm not sure if fanless is worth the 200$ premium and I'm a bit worried it's going to have a hard time in the summer ~30°C ambient for nearly 2 month a year

Vicotnik
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Location: Sweden

Re: Fanless or Top mounted big slow fan for HTPC

Post by Vicotnik » Mon Apr 01, 2013 10:48 pm

I like the Streacom cases, but they are a little bit optimistic with the numbers. I had to underclock a little to get temperatures I was comfortable with. This with a Streacom FC8 and a i5-3570K (TDP 77W). Now with an i3-3225 (TDP 55W) the temperatures are ok.

Caddish
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2010 7:48 pm
Location: Quebec

Re: Fanless or Top mounted big slow fan for HTPC

Post by Caddish » Tue Apr 02, 2013 9:27 am

Have you tried the FC8 in a warm environment or you have AC ?

Vicotnik
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 1831
Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2003 6:53 am
Location: Sweden

Re: Fanless or Top mounted big slow fan for HTPC

Post by Vicotnik » Tue Apr 02, 2013 10:57 pm

Warmest ambient with the i5-3570K was perhaps 25C.

Fallen Kell
Posts: 42
Joined: Sat Apr 02, 2005 7:50 pm

Re: Fanless or Top mounted big slow fan for HTPC

Post by Fallen Kell » Tue May 21, 2013 12:22 pm

I know people hate to hear it: small size, cool, quiet, cheap, pick 3.

Personally I chose the last 3, cool, quiet, cheap and got an Antec Fusion Remote Max for $125 a couple years ago, and have been very happy ever since. Yes, it is big, but I can fit 140mm tower heatsinks like the Noctua nh-d14, passive cooled video cards, and 120mm intake/exhaust fans and make the system essentially silent while still being a very good performer. It is a lot harder to find this case now. I won't say the case is perfect as it has plenty of issues with the display (Antec didn't use the proper polarized film on the LCD display, which makes all kinds of issues) and the internal holes to allow wire passthrough are not very well thought out), but it makes for a very silent HTPC. It's size is no bigger than my audio/video pre-processor, and a little smaller than my amplifiers (most certainly a lot lighter), so it fits in just fine with the rest of my HT gear.

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