[Which] cooler to choose?

Grossmeister · Post by **Grossmeister** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 11:59 am

Variants:
1. Aerocool The Dominator - $39.
2. Scythe Andy Samurai Master - $49.
3. Scythe Ninja Plus Rev.B - $51.

Wich will be the most silent and effective cooler for this system:
Case: Chieftec SH-01, CPU: Athlon X2 3600+ (will be overclocked), MB: Gigabyte GA-MA69G-S3H, PSU: SeaSonic S12 500W?

Well, I want to buy a "top-flow" cooler, so Ninja is not the best choice. But I'm not sure that Dominator's fan will create significant airflow. The same question is about ASM.
What would you suggest?

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 2:27 pm

ninja is hands down the best cpu heatsink for low noise applications. There are mabey 1 or two others that perform better with higher airflow fans like the thermalright ultra 120, but then its not quiet anymore.

as for a good top down heatsink, thermalright SI 120, or even a zalman 7000 al/cu or 7700 al/cu are good choices.

Natronomonas · Post by **Natronomonas** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 4:39 pm

Why top flow? As Aris said, the ninja will be the best for low airflow. If you're worried about motherboard vrm cooling, if your case fans are setup well and/or ducted, that can be taken care of...

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 5:09 pm

Or you can easily make cardboard air ducts to redirect partial of the Ninja's air flow into VRM and Mosfets. It was 30 second job when I made my cardboard duct for mosfets and added 0 noise.

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 6:28 pm

Hello,

The X2 3600 should be easy to cool, oc'd or not. Maybe the Thermaltake MaxOrb (with and fan replacement) fits the bill?

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 11:06 pm

NeilBlanchard wrote:Hello,

The X2 3600 should be easy to cool, oc'd or not. Maybe the Thermaltake MaxOrb (with and fan replacement) fits the bill?

zomg, a mod just recommended a TT product!

Max Slowik · Post by **Max Slowik** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 11:42 pm

W[h]y not a T[h]ermalrig[h]t SI-128 (regular or SE)? A little spendy, but fits t[h]e criteria very well.

W[h]at's wit[h] t[h]e brakets in t[h]read's title?

Grossmeister · Post by **Grossmeister** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 1:45 am

Aris

ninja is hands down the best cpu heatsink for low noise applications.

I saw a big test with Ninja, Infinity, and ASM for 150W CPU
http://www.ixbt.com/cpu/scythe-coolers- ... art2.shtml (it's in russian but you can see results on flash).
And at fan speed 800rpm ASM is better than Ninja. Also, ASM has bigger heat dissipation area (7500 square cm) than Ninja (4500 square cm).
Will it be enough silent with fan at 800rpm?
Thermalright products are on available on Ukrainian market.

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 3:51 am

Hello,

I think that you are misreading the chart: the Ninja at 800RPM is 0.35, while the Andy Samurai Master is 0.36 -- which is slightly worse. This already takes the dissipation area into account -- it is the overall efficiency coefficient.

The issue basically comes down to the spacing of the fins. The Thermalright SI-128 might work fine (I used one on a C2D 6420 with a GlobalWin NCB) -- but with the Ninja, you could easily do it fanless; even oc'd maybe. My X2 4200+is fanless about half of the time (undervolted), and I have run it 24/7 Folding.

Grossmeister · Post by **Grossmeister** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 4:15 am

NeilBlanchard

Hello,

I think that you are misreading the chart: the Ninja at 800RPM is 0.35, while the Andy Samurai Master is 0.36 -- which is slightly worse. This already takes the dissipation area into account -- it is the overall efficiency coefficient.

0.35 is result of Ninja rev.A with less silent fan, for Ninja Rev.B it is 0.38.

Das_Saunamies · Post by **Das_Saunamies** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 4:33 am

Just to add to the discussion, the 9500 from Zalman supposedly provides airflow across VRMs in tandem with a rear case fan in a standard ATX case.

I heartily recommend the old 7000/7700 series, although the fans on the 7000s are not the best(may need a bit of trickery to work silently, and that's naturally in idle only). Mounting and controller are excellent and there's no gimmicks or show, just performance.

I'm personally suspicious of the MaxOrb, looks too much like a Zalman(no patent-infringement case as base and conduction differ), has a stupid adjustment knob(fingers go chop) and surfaces are coated. They also use a non-standard 110mm fan with clear plastic and lights. Too much bling and hard trying. Maybe they've managed to improve the recipe, but I prefer the original.

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 2:05 pm

the biggest issue with zalman is the integrated fan which makes it difficult to swap for a fan of your choosing. Not saying their not good, just its a limiting factor, and if you can get a similar heatsink that performs at least as good where you get to pick your own fan, why not?

as for that russion site, it appears they used different fans for different heatsinks, which negates the validity of the entire test as its no longer a fair comparison. One fan may have slightly more CFM at 800rpm etc.

heres the review SPCR did of the Scythe ASM:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article723-page4.html

half way down the page they have direct comparison between it, the scythe ninja, and the thermalright ultra 120 with the same reference fan. I'm much more inclined to believe the fine reviewers of SPCR over some random russian site.

Das_Saunamies · Post by **Das_Saunamies** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 3:20 pm

As Aris pointed out, the major problem Zalmans face is that you can't choose the cooler's fan by default. This wouldn't be a problem if the fans were perfect to begin with... but they're not.

I'm glad I don't have to choose my faith right now, only remain content in what I have.

I refer to mine as "quiet and unintrusive", as that is what they are(see sig). They are not silent though.

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 8:06 pm

Das_Saunamies wrote:I refer to mine as "quiet and unintrusive", as that is what they are(see sig). They are not silent though.

The day i finally realized that i had finally achieved the dream is when on a very quiet day, the cable internet guy was over to troubleshoot somthing. He pushed the power button on the computer, looked puzzled, scratched his head, and was about to push the power button again when i had to stop him, and reassure him that it was in fact already on. It was a great day.

Grossmeister · Post by **Grossmeister** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 11:16 pm

Aris

as for that russion site, it appears they used different fans for different heatsinks, which negates the validity of the entire test as its no longer a fair comparison. One fan may have slightly more CFM at 800rpm etc.

heres the review SPCR did of the Scythe ASM:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article723-page4.html

First, about different fans: Ninja Plus Rev.B, Infinity and ASM were tested with stock fans, and that fans are the same (Delta DFS122512 0.18A).
Second, there is no controversy between the results of ixbt.com and SPCR because SPCR used 78W CPU, and ixbt.com used 150W CPU. So it's normal that ASM is better with more hot CPU - it has bigger heat dissipation area.

He pushed the power button on the computer, looked puzzled, scratched his head, and was about to push the power button again when i had to stop him, and reassure him that it was in fact already on.

Congratulations!

Das_Saunamies · Post by **Das_Saunamies** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 2:37 am

"The Cable Guy Test", sounds like you passed!

I had a guest over and the Sonata door almost closed, so no lights or anything were visible, but I had it playing some songs to improve the mood. They asked me what radio station I was listening to...

I sometimes forget it myself when I come inside, but once you've spent a while in the room you notice it. I guess this is the difference between quiet and silent for me.

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 6:29 pm

sometimes i THINK i can hear it, and then i listen closely and realize that its in fact my air conditioning, or the refridgerator in the next room.

Redzo · Post by **Redzo** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 12:23 am

If you are looking for a good downstyle cooler the Enzotech Ultra-X should be on your list. Just google and read reviews

Grossmeister · Post by **Grossmeister** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 9:23 am

Redzo

If you are looking for a good downstyle cooler the Enzotech Ultra-X should be on your list. Just google and read reviews

I know that Ultra-X is the best, but It's impossible to buy it in my country, also the same situation is in Russia. Also the tester on russian overclocker's site, who tested Ultra-X, said that when he asked people from Enzotech about when this cooler will be available in Russia, they answered that first they must supply it to Europe, and than (maybe), they will start to work with some Russia distributor (I think, that the problem is in our distibutors - how it can be that we still can't buy anything from Thermalright?).

Max Slowik · Post by **Max Slowik** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 10:24 am

You can probably get someone in the US, like maybe a SPCR forum goon, to buy one from Newegg and ship it to you, as long as you're willing to pay for everything.

Redzo · Post by **Redzo** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 11:09 am

Grossmeister wrote:Redzo
If you are looking for a good downstyle cooler the Enzotech Ultra-X should be on your list. Just google and read reviews
I know that Ultra-X is the best, but It's impossible to buy it in my country, also the same situation is in Russia. Also the tester on russian overclocker's site, who tested Ultra-X, said that when he asked people from Enzotech about when this cooler will be available in Russia, they answered that first they must supply it to Europe, and than (maybe), they will start to work with some Russia distributor (I think, that the problem is in our distibutors - how it can be that we still can't buy anything from Thermalright?).

I understand, but have you checked how much would it cost you to order it from some US site ? I did that few times (live in EU) and even when I added shipping, customs fee and taxes it would still come out cheaper
Check with you'r local customs and many big retailer sites in US can calculate the cost for you if only asked

Max Slowik · Post by **Max Slowik** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 11:14 am

Yeah, that's if you're honest. "Computer parts, used, $20". I have a friend in Brazil...