A newby needs some help...

revloc8 · Post by **revloc8** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 1:02 am

Here is my current system setup:

P4 630 3.0Ghz. Cooled by a stock 92mm fan.
512MB Samsung RAM.
ATI Radeon X550. Cooled by a queit 40mm fan.
80GB HDD some no name company.
PSU is fairly quiet.
2x 60mm no name case fans.

Heres the deal. I want to replace my CPU fan and possibly one or two of the case fans.
The current stock fan is very noisy. Right now I have the side of the case off and the fan is only at 15~1600RPMs (CPU temp is around 41, ambient temp is quite low...maybe 20 or so), but its still annoyingly loud. With the case side on, the figures go up to around 22~2400 RPMs with a CPU temp of 45 or so, and its very annoying. When I play WarCraft or America's Army, the figures go up to 33~3700 RPMs with a CPU temp of 53+; I'm not worried about the noise so much cuz Im playing a game, but I'm sure its got to be annoying. My wife keeps asking me why its so loud...
My computer case is a slim tower case so I limited options for the CPU fan which is 92mm. I measured this and that to get and idea of what size of fan I could use. Its about 60mm from the bottom of my HDD to the center of the CPU fan. The 85mm wide graphics card fits perfectly with a little clearance on both sides. From the motherboard to the the side of the case is almost exactly 100mm. So, restrictions are about 120mmX120mmX90mm(LxWxH). I was thinking about a Zalman 7000...they are only about 35 bucks here. They are not to big, but seem to be efficient and quiet.
As for the case fans...the bottom one is very loud. The comp is noticeably quieter when I stop it. The top one nevers seems to start...I didnt build this comp, but I am guessing it has been undervolted to 5V because it is much queiter than the bottom one when it does run and that would explain the failure to start, right? Suggestions are welcome and appreciated.
This is the first comp that I have owned so I am a newbie. However, I am a quick learner and good with my hands; I have been an avid reader of SPCR since last Aug when I got this computer and I have been just too busy at work to really take care of this noisy beast.
Oh yea, one more restriction...I'm living in South Korea at the moment, so I dont have easy access to some things, but dont worry about that.
Thanks in advance.
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Chris Chan · Post by **Chris Chan** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 8:33 am

Hi, and welcom to SPCR forums! A zalman 7000 will probably fit, I have one on my box and I love it- 22C idle ducted to side, in 18C ambient. The fan on it is very quiet. As for better 60mm fans, you're really limited as 60mm tend to run at high RPMs. I've had good experiences with Cooler Master's rifle bearing 60mm, have heard good stuff also about Sunon maglev fans.

dddibley · Post by **dddibley** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 2:51 pm

The 7000 is slightly under-rated for the P4 3.0, but works OK. I found it similar to the stock fan in regards to noise at full tilt, but certainly beats it in temps and noise on low rpm. If I were doing it again I'd consider the XP-90/120 or Scythe Ninja too.

As for the small fans.. maybe a case mod will work. Lose the little ones and replace with low speed 80mm (or larger) side panel and blow hole fans?

ddd

~El~Jefe~ · Post by **~El~Jefe~** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 3:42 pm

I suggest you rip out your stuff and put it in this:

antec SLK3000 series case. I liked the 3700BQE one for the way it mounts the hd's transversely.

It is a cheap case and has a nice 120 mm fan on the rear that you can undervolt for a decently quiet system.

"ATI Radeon X550. Cooled by a queit 40mm fan"

there is no 40mm fan from radeon that is quiet... trust me.. when you realize things in a few months, you will notice how that is really loud and the pitch is terrible. 40mm fans suck. or blow. well no they just suck.

A prescott 3.2 cools perfectly with a 7000. Otherwise it is a Nexus or Papst 120 and a Scythe ninja I feel. Your processor has just about the same heat level as a prescott so that should be fine. a 7000 on lowest setting works fine for it! (the larger/newer zalman is louder and bigger for no apparent reason)

You can suspend the HD or just put it in the case I mentioned, it has rubber grommet trays that help isolate the noise.

What about yate loon? I mean. crap. if you cant get an asian named fan in asia, what's the deal with life? that's a very good fan name.

Case I would go for anything that is Steel, heavy, and has a 120 mm hole on the back and a very large intake area either on the bottom or the front. the key is Undervolting half the time. a silent fan really helps but only after you find that 5volts with a decent name brand fan isnt quiet enough for you.

revloc8 · Post by **revloc8** » Sun Feb 19, 2006 4:03 am

Thanks for all the info and suggestions guys. I started messing around with stopping the fans and your right Jefe, that 40mm fan is contributing a lot more noise than I originally thought. I'll have to look into solutions for that. And I think I'm gonna go for the Zalman 7000 for my CPU fan.
After taking care of those, I'll see where Im at. I'm guessing that will be enough because I'm not a super quiet freak...yet....