Intel stock-cooler - not that bad?

Wilhelm-Tell · Post by **Wilhelm-Tell** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 7:41 am

To my big surprise the E5200 fan runs quietly... I feel no need to "super-size"
Never feelt this good before with a stock cooler. Kudos Intel.

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 8:42 am

Hi,

Are you referring to the noise at idle, or overall including under full load?

nutball · Post by **nutball** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 9:04 am

I agree it's not that bad - though I'll qualify that by noting that there do seem to be several versions of the Intel stock cooler.

I have one (marked NIDEC, like yours) which I think is very good for a stock cooler even at full load on an E7200 - not something I'd use myself but good enough I'd feel happy building a quiet PC for a mate without resorting to a third-party solution.

Another Intel cooler I have (marked DELTA) which came with a cheaper CPU is nowhere near as good, an not fit for much to be honest.

Wilhelm-Tell · Post by **Wilhelm-Tell** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 9:14 am

NeilBlanchard wrote:Hi,

Are you referring to the noise at idle, or overall including under full load?

Only idle so far. But it doesnt seem to rev up much during load either. So I'm happy.

quest_for_silence · Post by **quest_for_silence** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 10:15 am

Wilhelm-Tell wrote:So I'm happy.

I've replaced it with an HR-01, so I'm happier.

Regards,
Luca

Wilhelm-Tell · Post by **Wilhelm-Tell** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 2:27 pm

quest_for_silence wrote:
Wilhelm-Tell wrote:So I'm happy.
I've replaced it with an HR-01, so I'm happier.

Regards,
Luca

Of course, any high end heatsink is better. Maybe I will upgrade in the future, maybe not.... Right now I'm just glad it doesnt sound like a hurricane.

new2spcr · Post by **new2spcr** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 10:28 pm

nutball wrote:I agree it's not that bad - though I'll qualify that by noting that there do seem to be several versions of the Intel stock cooler.

I have one (marked NIDEC, like yours) which I think is very good for a stock cooler even at full load on an E7200 - not something I'd use myself but good enough I'd feel happy building a quiet PC for a mate without resorting to a third-party solution.

Another Intel cooler I have (marked DELTA) which came with a cheaper CPU is nowhere near as good, an not fit for much to be honest.

I agree. The "slim-style" Intel HSF with Nidec is quieter than those chunky ones with Delta fans. HSF Nidec has a slower rpm at idle as well; ~880 vs HSF Delta ~1100.

northbear · Post by **northbear** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 1:50 pm

nutball wrote:I agree it's not that bad - though I'll qualify that by noting that there do seem to be several versions of the Intel stock cooler.

I have one (marked NIDEC, like yours) which I think is very good for a stock cooler even at full load on an E7200 - not something I'd use myself but good enough I'd feel happy building a quiet PC for a mate without resorting to a third-party solution.

Another Intel cooler I have (marked DELTA) which came with a cheaper CPU is nowhere near as good, an not fit for much to be honest.

I am (eventually) going to build a quiet HTPC and will probably be using a Core 2 Duo processor of some sort and was planning on starting with the stock cooler to see if it "quiet enough".

Is there any way to tell before buying which fan/heatsink is sold with a specific CPU?

Thanks!

Callous · Post by **Callous** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 1:23 pm

It depends on which fan intel gives you. I got 3 different fans from dif manufactuers. The Delta fan is very quiet, while the NIDEC better. The Fujikura is fairly poor.

Put a delta into a P150 Antec case and you can only hear the fan if it ramps up to 80% or higher.

kater · Post by **kater** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 10:27 pm

Same here - I also noticed that short Nidecs are slower & quieter than short Deltas. Also, I have a large Fujikira with a copper core (came with Xeon) - even <1000 rpm the quality of sound is poor and clicking is evident. But it's a good performer

I'm currently hunting for el cheapo large Nidec - should be just right for my slightly OCed Celeron, and cheap too

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:00 am

I have large cooler which fan is made by Foxconn. Anyone has experience of them? I found out local shop that had plenty stock 775 coolers ( short and tall ones ) in sale. Too abd I didn't ran into this earlier I would have taken short Nidec one but I thought that tall ones with copper might be better than same priced short all aluminium versions.

mikk · Post by **mikk** » Sat Jul 18, 2009 2:58 am

I've seen a few different stock HSFs from Intel. It's true, they can be fairly quiet, but in summer when they're under a lot of load they are not quiet.

There are different sized ones and ones made from different materials. One time I was lucky enough to get copper core ones with the E6750, which seemed to be a favourite for people who used stock coolers. I bought a coupe of E8400s the other day, and the cooler is much smaller. The size of the box the CPU comes in is a dead giveaway about the size of the HSF.

purdah123 · Post by **purdah123** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:53 pm

I found that once I had replaced all the other noisy components in my PC, the stock fan, although quiet could still be heard through the case and more importantly had a really annoying buzzing sound to it.

As I couldnt afford a Xigmatec or HR01+ I decided to try replacing the stock fan with a Nexus real silent 120mm fan.

Just use an 80-120 fan adapter attached to the heatsink with cable ties etc going under the heat sink, then attach the 120mm fan. You dont even need to take off the cooler.

It is now quiet enough that I can not hear it above the HDD noise.

The temps went down a few degrees too which is a bonus.

northbear · Post by **northbear** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 9:31 am

purdah123,

by 80-120 adaptor you mean something like this:

http://www.coolerguys.com/840556082477.html

For my next (eventual) build I am planning on starting with the stock cooler to see how loud it sounds to my ears. I like the idea of just replacing the fan rather then the entire heat-sink/fan if needed. Easier and cheaper! And from your comments, better cooling then the stock fan!

Thanks for sharing your experience!

purdah123 · Post by **purdah123** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 3:06 pm

northbear wrote: by 80-120 adaptor you mean something like this:

yes, just like that.

Just a note about mounting, the heatsink was for a Q6600, and it has the copper core. This heatsink looks round, but is more a square shape with rounded corners.

When you put the adapter on the top of the heatsink you will notice that there are gaps between the heatsink and adapter, so not ALL of the edge of the adapter will sit on top of the heatsink. There should be enough of the heatsink in contact with adapter to allow you to make it secure, but it might differ for different brands of adapter..... Ie not all adapters might work...

Just remember to secure the adapter using two straps or ties (I used cable ties) per opposite corners. So you would use 4 ties, two from bottom left to top right, and two from bottom right to top left.

Each diagonal pair would go either side of the cpu core on the outside edge of the heatsink.

northbear wrote: Easier and cheaper!

Cheaper yes.
Easier, considering you dont have to remount the heatsink, yes.

However there is always the risk that your securing mechanism fails and the fan falls off. If this happens you could end up breaking the cpu, so it is more risky than using a packaged product.

northbear wrote: And from your comments, better cooling then the stock fan!

Its not a significant difference, so *I* wouldnt use it for overclocking

northbear · Post by **northbear** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 9:21 am

purdah123 wrote: Cheaper yes.
Easier, considering you don't have to remount the heatsink, yes.

However there is always the risk that your securing mechanism fails and the fan falls off. If this happens you could end up breaking the cpu, so it is more risky than using a packaged product.

I will have to take a look at stock setup whenever I get around to purchasing it. But it definitely makes sense to securely fasten the fan!

purdah123 wrote: Its not a significant difference, so *I* wouldn't use it for overclocking

I am not as interested in overclocking as "extra" cooling for the on board motherboard chipset and other motherboard components. I would hope to setup the larger fan to blow past some of the passive heatsinks on the motherboard.

tanglefoot · Post by **tanglefoot** » Sun Aug 02, 2009 12:36 am

I have an i7 975 Extreme. I suppose that this clear plastic fan with goofy blue light isn't the quieter one you guys refer to in this thread.

It isn't terrible, but can't imagine it passing spcr muster. I want to do something about it, but don't know what yet. The ideas here look promising, if they apply to me. Especially the idea of using an adapter to simply replace the fan with a bigger quieter one. I'm having no probs with temps. No OC.

P6T
P183
i7 975
Geforce 285
6gig

Callous · Post by **Callous** » Sun Aug 09, 2009 11:06 am

mikk wrote:I've seen a few different stock HSFs from Intel. It's true, they can be fairly quiet, but in summer when they're under a lot of load they are not quiet.

There are different sized ones and ones made from different materials. One time I was lucky enough to get copper core ones with the E6750, which seemed to be a favourite for people who used stock coolers. I bought a coupe of E8400s the other day, and the cooler is much smaller. The size of the box the CPU comes in is a dead giveaway about the size of the HSF.

I thought all intel heatsinks had a round copper core in middle, surrounded by aluminum. All 3 I had were the same.

Is it all alumimum these days?

Tephras · Post by **Tephras** » Sun Aug 09, 2009 1:26 pm

No, some Intel heatsinks are made all out of aluminium while others have a copper core. Have a look at this article to see three different Intel heatsinks.

smilingcrow · Post by **smilingcrow** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 5:19 am

I bought a cheap Pentium dual-core on eBay and it came with a copper core Intel cooler which is surprisingly good. The seller had upgraded to a Quad Core so I think the cooler was from that.
Iâ€˜ve replaced the fan with a Panaflo FBA08A12L that I picked up from Scan UK for about 50p and it easily cools my current CPU:

Pentium dual-core E6300 at 3.5GHz at stock voltage with minimal case airflow gives a max CPU temp after full load for hours of 35 centigrade below thermal cutoff which equates to about 70C. This is with the Speedfan setting the speed to 50% at which point the fan is inaudible above my Seasonic S12 II. Donâ€™t know the fan speed as its only 2 wires.

If youâ€™re buying an Intel dual-core in the UK Iâ€™d recommend Scan especially their Today Only offers and you can buy the Panaflo at the same time.

jessekopelman · Post by **jessekopelman** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 12:59 pm

smilingcrow wrote:Iâ€˜ve replaced the fan with a Panaflo FBA08A12L that I picked up from Scan UK for about 50p and it easily cools my current CPU:

The main problem with the Intel HSF has historically been the crappiness of the fan, not the effectiveness of the cooler. It seems like some of the more recent Intels actually have decent fans. If only there were a way to be sure of what you were getting ahead of time. I think that is impossible, as Intel uses multiple sources for the fans in general and it is in no way tied to which CPU you buy (unlike whether you get a copper core heatsink).

tanglefoot · Post by **tanglefoot** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 9:43 pm

What a cabesa de jueso. I didn't even realize this discussion wasn't about core i7

smilingcrow · Post by **smilingcrow** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 12:41 am

jessekopelman wrote:
smilingcrow wrote:Iâ€˜ve replaced the fan with a Panaflo FBA08A12L that I picked up from Scan UK for about 50p and it easily cools my current CPU:
The main problem with the Intel HSF has historically been the crappiness of the fan, not the effectiveness of the cooler. It seems like some of the more recent Intels actually have decent fans. If only there were a way to be sure of what you were getting ahead of time. I think that is impossible, as Intel uses multiple sources for the fans in general and it is in no way tied to which CPU you buy (unlike whether you get a copper core heatsink).

For people buying new CPUs in the UK Scan are one of the cheapest suppliers especially if you qualify for free postage as a member of AVforums or Hexus. Regardless of whether you buy AMD or Intel itâ€™s worth adding a Panaflo FBA08A12L to your order as the full price is only Â£1.02, so if your stock fan is a disappointment the Panaflo will come in handy. Itâ€™s always worth looking at their Today Only page for the best deals.

If you want to run an E6300 at 3.5GHz in silence as I outlined above then the stock Pentium Dual-Core cooler which lacks a copper core might well not be good enough. But you can usually buy Intel stock copper coolers on eBay for around Â£6 delivered which means an E6300 + Panaflo + copper cooler = Â£56 + Â£1 + Â£6 = Â£63. Thatâ€™s a lot of silent performance for your $$$.
What would be the AMD equivalent in terms of cheap silent cooling at that level of performance? The Athlon II X2 are inexpensive but has anyone tried using the stock cooler when over-clocking to around 3.5GHz? I wonder how much power they consume around that clock speed and how high they over-clock at stock VCore!