Passive CPU cooling for video editing

spungfoo · Post by **spungfoo** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:28 pm

Hi folks. I've been tossing around the idea of passive cpu cooling for my box, but have some reservations about it. I'm not a gamer but I'll be editing video on at least a semi regular basis in the near future and was wondering if passive could be a viable and safe cooling solution.

Here's my build:
Antec p182 case w/no modifications (yet)
Intel e6750 Core Duo
PNY Nvidia Quadro FX 350 Graphics board
4GB Gskill DDR2 800 RAM
Seasonic S12 380W PSU
ASRock 4core1600p35 - WiFi+ motherboard
2 Seagate Barracuda ST3500320AS 500GB HDD
1 Western Digital Caviar 500GB HDD
ASUS DRW-2014L1 DVD burner
and a partridge and a pear tree

Anyway, I was hoping that another 120mm fan in the middle bay of the case would give enough airflow to cool my graphics board and cpu properly if I went fanless on them while rendering video for long periods of time. Which heatsinks would be good enough for the job? I was looking at the Scythe mini ninja or maybe the Thermalright HR-01 but am open to other suggestions.

The TriCool fans in the case on low are quiet enough for me - I was probably going to put an additonal Panaflo or a Scythe S-Flex in there too. Is there anything else I should take into consideration going passive with my build? I'm new to the silent build scene and any advice would be appreciated.

widowmaker · Post by **widowmaker** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 8:46 pm

I found the tricool fans in the p182 to be much too loud for me even when they're all on low. You could probably do active cooling and still have it inaudible over the tricool fans. A Thermalright Ultra 120 with a 12cm fan undervolted should do very nicely. I currently have an ultra 120 extreme with a 12cm scythe kama fan running at 800rpm and it's keeping my temps at an acceptable level and it's inaudible (even with the 3 tricool fans ripped out). Video editing will stress the cpu to the max, especially encoding so make sure you keep the cpu cooled sufficiently. Speedfan is a nice tool to manage all your computer's fans as well as monitoring temperatures.

ST · Post by ST » Sat Apr 19, 2008 10:19 am

If you're going to attempt to go passive cpu hsf, I'd highly recommend you go to a 45nm CPU (Wolfdale or Yorkfield). This will help more significantly than any other mod you do. On my own rig ( viewtopic.php?t=47620 ), I run a passive setup on my 9450 utilizing a Scythe Ninja Rev. A and it works great (only 9C Trise from idle to full quad core load). I'm not familiar with the Quadro card you cited, but you should try to opt for a new 65nm GPU core also. Consolidate your storage if possible as radiated heat internally can also affect CPU temps in a passive environment. Good luck!

spungfoo · Post by **spungfoo** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 12:52 pm

Thanks for the input, unfortunately, I don't have the dosh to upgrade my hardware again soon - I'm saving up to get a HVX-200 level camera, tripod and lighting kit (too much freakin' money!). I don't mind a little noise, the p182 does a very good job of keeping my hard drives quiet and I can't hear my PSU unless I put my ear right up next to it. My biggest complaint is the stock Intel HSF. Too loud for my tastes and those stupid pushpins caused me 30 minutes of grief and a sliced knuckle installing the cooler. You'd think the engineers at Intel would come up with a better mounting system...

The Quadro FX card is an entry level workstation graphics board - inexpensive, relatively quiet and recommended by a coworker of mine. There's a good thread explaining the difference between workstation and consumer cards here. Not the best but it gets the job done. As for the 6750, I had a feeling I should have doled out a little extra for a 8400... doh! I think I might try the Ultra 120 with a undervolted fan and see how it works out.

kinotix · Post by **kinotix** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 4:35 pm

I'm not sure a Thermalright Ultra 120 or a Ninja
could fit into this motherboard - the NB heatsink and the 24-pin power connector might be an issue (?)
Some pics from Newegg