Curse

Jahara Zeppelin · Jun 01, 2005, 11:01 AM // 11:01

Hi, my PC's fan is honestly quite loud, but not as loud as you may think, just...loud(ish), nothing is actually wrong with my PC, it's been the same sound since I got it about a year and a half ago, and I finally decided I want a quieter fan. Can anyone recommend me the right fan (specs below), and also, I can't buy from newegg.com because I'm British/UK, so I use: www.ebuyer.com - Which is cheaper than newegg in my opinion, plus I've previously ordered a new Graphics Card and RAM from there and it came within 3 days.

Note: Again, nothing is wrong with my PC, it runs Guild Wars very smoothly with no lag and brilliant graphics.

I don't really know what information is required so I'll just post it all from a DirectX Diagnostic.

OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600)
System Manufacturer: VIA Technologies, Inc
System Model: Aspire T120
Processor: AMD Athlon 2400+, MMX, 3DNow, ~2.0Ghz
Memory: 768MB RAM
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Graphics Card: Sapphire ATI Radeon 9250 128MB

Svenn · Jun 01, 2005, 01:07 PM // 13:07

Are you talking about a new CPU cooler? If so, this is the one that I bought, and it is very quiet and keeping the CPU cool, as well. So far, so good.

I also have a 120mm, single-fan power supply, which is considerably quieter than my old two-fan model. It controls the RPM's of my case fans, so they run more quietly when the case temp is low.

Azreal911 · Jun 01, 2005, 01:16 PM // 13:16

can you tell us if you are running case fans throughout the system? and how hot does your cpu run normally? Cause i run case fans and replaced my noisy cpu cooler for a fanless one, never been happier. sound levels have dropped drastically, and the virbration is gone cause i had a metal fan before on the cooler.

http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/4...r/cl-p0071.htm

be warned it's BIG and you better have a big case with lots of space. I had to remove one of my case fans to the outside to accomodate this monster.

also if it's case fans you wanted you can try upgrade to the silenX brand they are very nice one mainly setup for decibels. One more thing get a fan controller that way you can turn down the rpms, it makes a huge difference in sound levels running at half the rpm on a fan, the differences to me are like 3C difference on max and min settings.

Oh yeah i'm running a 3Ghz P4 Intel CPU w/HT non overclocked so even during gaming and lowest fan settings and my fanless cpu cooler it's going at 33C max. I'm not sure how hot AMD's run.

Furious Surearrow · Jun 01, 2005, 02:30 PM // 14:30

one thing I can tell you not to buy, the thermaltake volcano, aka the sound of a vacuum cleaner in your box. The best thing you can do is to read over the reviews of a number of different coolers, check the db level (lower is better) and also, as the previous poster had mentioned, make sure your motherboard will have the space to mount whatever beast you find.

Really stay away from the volcano, great cooling but I could hear it all the way through the house even in another room with the tv on...sheesh

Loviatar · Jun 01, 2005, 02:33 PM // 14:33

here is a site which has a lot of choices you can use for information as to what you might buy there or someplace

http://www.1coolpc.com/

Svenn · Jun 01, 2005, 02:43 PM // 14:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Furious Surearrow

one thing I can tell you not to buy, the thermaltake volcano, aka the sound of a vacuum cleaner in your box.

The last thing you want is an eruption in your...er...box.

Lunarbunny · Jun 01, 2005, 04:17 PM // 16:17

Jesus Azreal...That thing is a monster. If I really felt like spending a bit on a cooler, that would be it. I have a 120MM fan in the front that would blow right over it...

About the fans, check the dB level as Furious said. Also make sure it's either from a reputable manufacterer or it's a fan that's gotten good reviews. You don't want a super-quiet fan that instantly dies or its permanent lube gelatinizes. (I had a cheap fan on my GF3 Ti200 a couple years ago that I took a look at and finally discovered that the fan had died. I removed it and realized that the lube had gotten so hot that it solidified. I've since added another fan, but that was an unpleasant surprise). If you're wondering, that GF3 has been replaced at this point, but is still running in a slower computer.

ZennZero · Jun 01, 2005, 04:36 PM // 16:36

If you are buying case fans, Panaflo and Sunon have historically made some of the quietest fans available. They are a little more expensive than cheapo sleeve bearing fans, but not too bad. On my CPU I have a Thermaltake SilentBoost HSF, which is audible at a high load but does a good job of keeping my CPU < 30 C at default clocks. I lapped it down to a mirror finish and applied Arctic Silver 5 to drop a few more degrees without sacrificing silence.

Jahara Zeppelin · Jun 01, 2005, 07:43 PM // 19:43

Thanks for the help everyone, ordered the perfect 1.

Azreal911 · Jun 02, 2005, 07:03 PM // 19:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lunarbunny

Jesus Azreal...That thing is a monster. If I really felt like spending a bit on a cooler, that would be it. I have a 120MM fan in the front that would blow right over it...

If you want a real life size comparison here's how it looks.

http://img103.echo.cx/img103/6185/size22rk.jpg

http://img150.echo.cx/img150/8660/size33su.jpg

http://img64.echo.cx/img64/1644/fitting3po.jpg

in the last picture that huge gaping hole was my case fan. I reinstalled it to the outside to make it fit! but damn it rocks! I'm going for sound levels over performance. since there's 5 case fans there cooling isn't a problem without my noisy cpu fan, it's a plus cause i'm not totally reliant on one main fan or else my cpu overheats and damages itself.