CPU fan/heatsink
- Thread starter Bozo
- Start date
I've used a number of Zalman coolers, including the 9700.
Get a 9700NT with a PWM fan rather than dicking around with the fanmate.
Once the fan gets over about 1800 rpm, it's noticeably noisy.
You can get better/quieter coolers for the same money.
You can't replace the fan. But by the same token, I've never needed to.
The copper dulls/oxidises eventually. Get the nickel plated 9700NT. It looks cooler (hah! pun) anyhoo. Very gangsta.
In dusty environments, the closely spaced fins near the centre clog up with dust/pet hair. Needs regular cleaning (every two/three months)
I don't think the Zalmans are bad, just not outstanding.
Get a 9700NT with a PWM fan rather than dicking around with the fanmate.
Once the fan gets over about 1800 rpm, it's noticeably noisy.
You can get better/quieter coolers for the same money.
You can't replace the fan. But by the same token, I've never needed to.
The copper dulls/oxidises eventually. Get the nickel plated 9700NT. It looks cooler (hah! pun) anyhoo. Very gangsta.
In dusty environments, the closely spaced fins near the centre clog up with dust/pet hair. Needs regular cleaning (every two/three months)
I don't think the Zalmans are bad, just not outstanding.
ddrueding
Fixture
I'll second Liam on all points.
CougTek
Hairy Aussie
I wouldn't bother with it unless you already have one. Like previously written, there's better for the same price. Prolimatech Megahalems comes to mind. A Xigmatek SD1283 GAIA rivals the Zalman 9700 in efficiency, but cost half as much. Same goes for the Cooler Master 212+. The Thermaltake Contac 30 too. If you have enough space, a Scythe Mugen 2 (not the noisier Mugen 3) beats the Zalman 9700, but costs only 35$.
Bozo
Storage? I am Storage!
Cool! Great suggestions.
ddrueding
Fixture
None of the Scythe coolers since the Ninja has had the correct fin spacing. More than 2mm between fins allows very low pressure airflow to make it through. Surface area is not the problem.
I had the 9700, not the NT and eventually threw it in the trash. I did not know there was one with the 4-pin option.
Now I don't need it since that computer is not so overclocked. Does the 9700 series cool better than the 9900 series?
ddrueding
Fixture
Nope. I currently have a 9900 on Office2 and it works quite well.
Stereodude
Not really a
4.3MHz?!?!?! You're out of control!
time
Storage? I am Storage!
Wow, that's almost as fast as an IBM PC XT.
CougTek
Hairy Aussie
Another possibility : Thermalright True Spirit. X-bit Labs reviewed it and for 30$, it's very, very good. With the fan at 1000rpm, it's only 6C worse than the Thermalright Archon (the best cooler they've ever tested) when cooling an i7 980X clocked at 4.3GHz. I cannot think of a situation where it wouldn't be able to quietly cool even the most insanely overclocked SandyBridge processor.
Adcadet
Storage Freak
I'm waiting for someone to build a case that includes some duct work to bring cool air in from the outside, duct it over the HSF, and then straight out the back of the case.
CougTek
Hairy Aussie
You're waiting for a BTX case?
Adcadet
Storage Freak
Wasn't really aware of BTX until now. Why'd it die?
sechs
Storage? I am Storage!
Lack of backwards compatibility?
I'm still confused why most people don't run their CPUs with passive cooling.
I'm still confused why most people don't run their CPUs with passive cooling.
Adcadet
Storage Freak
Or at least a large (80+ mm) case fan spinning slowly that blows a little air across a large HSF and also helps with case ventilation.
ddrueding
Fixture
The increased efficiency of any tiny amount of forced airflow over true passive cooling is enormous. I have successfully cooled 3 systems and 14 hard drives with 3x120mm fans @ 1000RPM, but the ducting required to achieve that made working on the rig too intensive.
Adcadet
Storage Freak
I used to use large cases for all my builds (an old full tower and an Antec P180, for example), thinking that they were cooler than smaller cases. I'm sure there's some truth to this. My wife's computer, in that old full tower (Supermicro? built like a tank), has an exhausting fan on the PS, a passive HS on the graphics card (a basic one), and the Intel retail fan on the Wolfdale 8400), 3 7200 RPM hard drives, and no case fan. When I set it up I recall CPU temps being well within spec, even when I put it under a moderate load. The computer is nice and quiet, although very bulky.
On the other hand, I imagine that a properly size case, in which there is good air turnover, has its advantages and might be superior for systems that generate a lot of heat. I suppose it depends on how much of the cooling you can get through conduction (through the bulky steel case, a lot in my wife's computer's case) versus air convection.
On the other hand, I imagine that a properly size case, in which there is good air turnover, has its advantages and might be superior for systems that generate a lot of heat. I suppose it depends on how much of the cooling you can get through conduction (through the bulky steel case, a lot in my wife's computer's case) versus air convection.
ddrueding
Fixture
The best cooling I've achieved was with my old "coffin" build. I managed to eliminate the bank of fans at the bottom and top by adding custom cut foam blocks to the lid. These blocks were designed to keep all the air within an inch of the electronic parts by consuming all the unused space. In most cases (particularly large ones), a massive amount of airflow enters and exits the case without absorbing any heat at all. There are two ways to fix this:
1. Easy - have a two-part system, where fans in the chassis agitate the air in hot-spots and others exhaust the now-used hot air.
2. Hard - make sure that the air that enters the system flows past hot parts before leaving.
1. Easy - have a two-part system, where fans in the chassis agitate the air in hot-spots and others exhaust the now-used hot air.
2. Hard - make sure that the air that enters the system flows past hot parts before leaving.
Bozo
Storage? I am Storage!
All the 'factory' computers I have worked on have had large plastic duct work to move air across the CPU and out the back of the case via a fan.
Seems to be the best way to be quiet and cool.
Seems to be the best way to be quiet and cool.
sechs
Storage? I am Storage!
Most systems are going to have enough natural airflow to take care of that. I've passively cooled my last two desktop systems, without having to resort to ducting.
CougTek
Hairy Aussie
I'm intrigued by a new CPU cooler from Cooler Master : TPC 812. I'd like to know if those vapor chambers actually improve the cooler's efficiency noticeably of if it's just a marketing gimmick. They sure don't give that piece of hardware : it's almost 80$ at the only online store I've seen it. The first thing I'd do would be to replace the fan that's bundled with it. Cooler Master's fans aren't particularly quiet.
ddrueding
Fixture
From what I know of heat sinks, this vapor chamber ideal looks exactly the same (except the shape). Am I missing something?
Bozo
Storage? I am Storage!
Vapor chambers = flattened heat pipes.
I can't see the graph very well on a tiny screen. WTF are they thinking with 7 shades of blue? Does that cooler block a RAM slot?
CougTek
Hairy Aussie
Maybe on some motherboards, but it's far from being as large as the Scythe Mugen, for instance.