Need an inaudible cpu/heatsink..non-overclocker. Advice?

[Dexoran]

Hello all. Long time lurker. First time poster.

Lately I have been in the market for a silent CPU heatsink/fan. Let me make myself clear. I don't mean 'purrs like a kitten.' I mean so silent it can only be heard from about a foot away or less. I have spent countless hours reading reviews on many different brands and products. Unfortunately it is impossible to determine the value of any product due to too many conflicting conclusions. Some say 'this fan is barely audible' while others say the same fan 'can be heard over everything else in my case.'

To be clear, I do not overclock. This computer is only being used for internet browsing and occassionaly some applications that require a little more processing power, such as recording tv and video conversion. Currently, my cpu fan keeps my pc between 42C and 45C at all times at 1650 rpm. I can't really say it's too loud. It just makes a kind of low whinning pitch that I'd like to do without if I can. In other words, I'm not looking for 'serious cooling,' just a fan/heatsink that will stay silent at 1650 rpm while providing adequate cooling.



I have an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 @2.66GHz HTPC. I should also point out that my motherboard has a pre-installed non-removable metal backplate under the CPU, making the installation of push-pins impossible. Also, my case will not allow anything larger than 120mm x 120mmx 155mm.

Edit: I seem to have made an error in my measurements. The area around my cpu is L 120mm x W 140 mm . And my case cannot be closed unless the fan/heatsink is under H 145mm. Thank you.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[x88x]

I think what you're looking for is a passive heatsink something along the lines of this. As long as you have good case fans flowing air through the case, that'll cool your CPU just fine.

[slaveofconvention]

A Q6700 is hugely overpowered for HTPC use - you could even consider underclocking it a little to reduce heat output - less heat means less cooling required.

What HSF do you use at the moment? Does it have removable/replaceable fans? A fairly cost effective solution could be to replace the fan. Even if the fan doesn't appear to be removable, there's always modding :p Nothing to say you can't remove (by force if required) the current fan and find a way to fit a truly silent fan or two in the vicinity....

I recently reviewed the Thermaltake Frio and that is utterly inaudible when the fan is set to the lowest setting, although it may well be too large for your setup - it might be worth looking into the availability of the fans as a seperate item. I'm also running a Q6700 although slightly overclocked at 2.75 and the lowest fan speed is more than enough to keep the pc well below 40c under normal use...

[Zephik]

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82e16835118019

Place that on it's lowest settings and it should be inaudible. If it's not, you'll have to get a fan controller to lower it's RPM's even further, although I don't think you'll need to do that.

If it's not moving enough air at those lower RPM's, then look into ultra-silent case fans. Noctua is pretty good I hear. But you can also sort by DBA in Newegg. You probably want under 20dba. At 20dba and under, ignore pretty much everything over 30cfm. If it's under 20dba but 30cfm or higher, I'd call bs. Id try to get 15dba or less and around 20cfm to 30cfm.

If you can, underclock that massive processor of yours. It's pretty overkill for what you use it for and doing so would lower the electricity used and thus the heat produced.

[x88x]

If it's under 20dba but 30cfm or higher, I'd call bs.

Not so. Granted there aren't many, but the 800 RPM Scythe Slipstream (10.70 dBA 40.17 CFM) I can personally vouch for, and SilenX makes a couple, the IXP-76-14 (14 dBA 72 CFM) and the IXP-74-09 (9 dBA 38 CFM) that get similar ratios. Granted, you're not gonna get a high CFM/low dBA combo without paying a good bit of money, but it is possible with larger diameter fans.

[Zephik]

It's pretty easy to get the specs you want. Companies often do things in "best case scenarios" when testing their products. Some will set up the sound testing equipment much too far from the case, to get the low dba's.

Like always, refer to the reviews, especially on too good to be true products. Compare them all and take the average.

Some of those fans I don't believe what-so-ever, however they might still be good fans. Just gotta look through the reviews.