Trying to strike a balance between power headroom and noise
Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 8:55 am
Hi SPCR forums,
This is my first post here so please be gentle.
I've got a Lian Li PC-v351, which is an idiosyncratic case to say the least. It fits really well into my entertainment setup and I love the aesthetics, so I want to keep it. My GF is opposed to a tower case in the middle of our living room, so I'm basically stuck with SFF even though I know it's not ideal for cooling or silence.
If this computer was a simple HTPC, I'd be fine installing some low RPM fans and that would be the end of it. However, this is my only desktop computer (I can't afford another one anytime soon), so it also doubles as a light gaming system, and of course it has to be OC
Specs:
Seasonic M12II 620W
Lian Li PC-V351 (modded slightly to improve 80mm exhaust output)
Phenom II X4 940 @3.5GHz (1.4 volts)
4GB Kingston DDR2
XFX Radeon 6870
Mushkin Callisto Deluxe SSD, WD Green (EARS) 1.5TB
Cooling:
CPU: Noctua U9B-SE2
Intake: 2x Scythe GT 1850RPM 120mm
Exhaust: Noctua NF-R8 80mm
5.25" bay fan controller (connected to all of the above)
At first, my problem was finding a CPU cooler that fit. The U9B just barely squeezed in there, and it does a pretty excellent job compared to the Scythe Big Shuriken I had before. Finding the optimal intake fans has been my most recent obsession. I've use quite a few different fans for intake and found none of them entirely satisfactory.
I need something that operates silently when dialed down (usually for watching movies or listening to music) but has enough oomph to ventilate my OCed CPU and GPU when turned up to max.
Most recently, I've tried a couple different Scythe GT models. At first, I used the 1150rpm ones, but they didn't go fast enough for heavy load cooling. Currently I've got the 1850s in the intake role and they're not bad. My major problem with the GTs seems to be quality variability from fan to fan. I even bought 3 1850s when I only needed 2 because I anticipated this problem based on my experience with the 1150s. Perhaps this is because of the issues I've read about with shipping ball bearing fans, but of the 5 GTs I've bought, 2 (an 1850 and an 1150) have sounded beautiful at both max speed and undervolted. The others (3/5) all make pitch warbling noises (especially at high RPMs) and chatter slightly (the bearings?) all the time. The cooling performance does not appear to be affected, but the noise drives me nuts.
I have a Scythe Kama Flex PWM fan (1600RPM) too, so I decided I would try that in place of the noisy GT 1850. At high speed it's louder, but it seemed to move more air too (judging by the highly scientific hand in front of the fan test with the side panels off the case). However, when I closed my case and fired up Prime95, I found that the cooling performance was not as good as the GT 1850 (CPU and motherboard temps 2-3 degrees hotter) despite the higher airflow and louder noise. At low RPMs, the Kama Flex sounded much better than the noisy GT it replaced, and probably better than my good GT. I'm guessing that the high static pressure of the GTs makes them more suitable for my case, which seems to need a focused beam of air to ventilate the back corners of the strangely laid out chassis.
Now I'm thinking of trying something else as my intakes. Candidates currently being considered are Scythe Slipstreams or S-Flex (but I assume these will be more or less the same as the Kama Flow, ie not as good as the GT1850), and Noctuas (NFP12 or NFS12B, I'm thinking P12 since it seems to have airflow characteristics more similar to the GT). Remember, I need something with high power that undervolts well and moves air efficiently to the back of my cube case. Or should I play the GT lottery again and order more 1850s hoping one of them makes it to me without quality issues?
I really enjoy tinkering with the cooling in my system, but dealing with this intake fan issue is still frustrating. One day I'll have a dedicated HTPC in this case and move my main operations to a tower case with better airflow, but if anyone can help me improve the status quo, I would really appreciate it.
Thanks for reading my novel!
This is my first post here so please be gentle.
I've got a Lian Li PC-v351, which is an idiosyncratic case to say the least. It fits really well into my entertainment setup and I love the aesthetics, so I want to keep it. My GF is opposed to a tower case in the middle of our living room, so I'm basically stuck with SFF even though I know it's not ideal for cooling or silence.
If this computer was a simple HTPC, I'd be fine installing some low RPM fans and that would be the end of it. However, this is my only desktop computer (I can't afford another one anytime soon), so it also doubles as a light gaming system, and of course it has to be OC
Specs:
Seasonic M12II 620W
Lian Li PC-V351 (modded slightly to improve 80mm exhaust output)
Phenom II X4 940 @3.5GHz (1.4 volts)
4GB Kingston DDR2
XFX Radeon 6870
Mushkin Callisto Deluxe SSD, WD Green (EARS) 1.5TB
Cooling:
CPU: Noctua U9B-SE2
Intake: 2x Scythe GT 1850RPM 120mm
Exhaust: Noctua NF-R8 80mm
5.25" bay fan controller (connected to all of the above)
At first, my problem was finding a CPU cooler that fit. The U9B just barely squeezed in there, and it does a pretty excellent job compared to the Scythe Big Shuriken I had before. Finding the optimal intake fans has been my most recent obsession. I've use quite a few different fans for intake and found none of them entirely satisfactory.
I need something that operates silently when dialed down (usually for watching movies or listening to music) but has enough oomph to ventilate my OCed CPU and GPU when turned up to max.
Most recently, I've tried a couple different Scythe GT models. At first, I used the 1150rpm ones, but they didn't go fast enough for heavy load cooling. Currently I've got the 1850s in the intake role and they're not bad. My major problem with the GTs seems to be quality variability from fan to fan. I even bought 3 1850s when I only needed 2 because I anticipated this problem based on my experience with the 1150s. Perhaps this is because of the issues I've read about with shipping ball bearing fans, but of the 5 GTs I've bought, 2 (an 1850 and an 1150) have sounded beautiful at both max speed and undervolted. The others (3/5) all make pitch warbling noises (especially at high RPMs) and chatter slightly (the bearings?) all the time. The cooling performance does not appear to be affected, but the noise drives me nuts.
I have a Scythe Kama Flex PWM fan (1600RPM) too, so I decided I would try that in place of the noisy GT 1850. At high speed it's louder, but it seemed to move more air too (judging by the highly scientific hand in front of the fan test with the side panels off the case). However, when I closed my case and fired up Prime95, I found that the cooling performance was not as good as the GT 1850 (CPU and motherboard temps 2-3 degrees hotter) despite the higher airflow and louder noise. At low RPMs, the Kama Flex sounded much better than the noisy GT it replaced, and probably better than my good GT. I'm guessing that the high static pressure of the GTs makes them more suitable for my case, which seems to need a focused beam of air to ventilate the back corners of the strangely laid out chassis.
Now I'm thinking of trying something else as my intakes. Candidates currently being considered are Scythe Slipstreams or S-Flex (but I assume these will be more or less the same as the Kama Flow, ie not as good as the GT1850), and Noctuas (NFP12 or NFS12B, I'm thinking P12 since it seems to have airflow characteristics more similar to the GT). Remember, I need something with high power that undervolts well and moves air efficiently to the back of my cube case. Or should I play the GT lottery again and order more 1850s hoping one of them makes it to me without quality issues?
I really enjoy tinkering with the cooling in my system, but dealing with this intake fan issue is still frustrating. One day I'll have a dedicated HTPC in this case and move my main operations to a tower case with better airflow, but if anyone can help me improve the status quo, I would really appreciate it.
Thanks for reading my novel!