CPU Cooling

Scott9027 · Jun 21, 2008

My rig is loud. Not loud as in your roommate playing music too loud, more along the lines of a jet engine. Anyway, I'm looking to make some modifications to my CPU cooling. What are your favorite quiet but effective heatsink/fan combinations?

Thermal paste? Has anything come along recently that's "better" than Arctic Silver, or am I pretty safe in that regard? Any other suggestions?

Automata · Jun 21, 2008

First, you have cleaned it out, right? Dust can cause heat build-up.

Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme or the Scythe Orochi are good choices, although expensive.

For quiet (and cheap!) fans, I use Yate Loon low speeds. You can get them for around $3.50 - $4.00 *each*. For high quality low to high speeds fans, I use Panaflo/NMB-MAT.

Thermal paste wise, there is better, but not enough to warrant purchasing a whole new tube. My guess is that you would *maybe* see a 1c drop, if that.

cabose1227 · Jun 21, 2008

The xigmatec s1283 is very quiet stock, but you may want to put like a low speed yate on there to make it quieter. For thermal paste I use arctic silver ceramique, its prety much the best all around for not being conductive but its thick.

Automata · Jun 21, 2008

cabose1227 said:
but its thick.

Ceramique is?! I thought ICD7 was the thickest (almost broke the tube squeezing it out!) followed by as5 then Ceramique. :shrug:

cabose1227 · Jun 21, 2008

thideras said:
Ceramique is?! I thought ICD7 was the thickest (almost broke the tube squeezing it out!) followed by as5 then Ceramique.

Its the best for being non conductive, I think mx 2 is right there with it though.

don256us · Jun 21, 2008

Scott9027 said:
My rig is loud. Not loud as in your roommate playing music too loud, more along the lines of a jet engine. Anyway, I'm looking to make some modifications to my CPU cooling. What are your favorite quiet but effective heatsink/fan combinations?

Thermal paste? Has anything come along recently that's "better" than Arctic Silver, or am I pretty safe in that regard? Any other suggestions?

In terms of thermal paste, I have read at least one article that shoed that even the cheap stuff works well. with that said, I still use Artic Silver 5. It's my favorite. There is still debate over the method of application. I have come to the conclusion that a BB sized blob in the middle of the CPU is best. I used to spread a thin layer but then I had two CPUS start to over heat. I also included another post I made recently about HSF. See below.

don256us said:
I've always dreamed of going SLI but alas, it is not not magical video showing thingy that I thought it was. After much debate with my son and reading of many articles, I have finally come to the conclusion that SLI (and crossfire) are really only good for pushing video to really large (say 30") monitors. You know, the size of monitor that I will never be able to afford. Therefore, dual video will never be for me.

Just buy the best single card that you can afford. When the time comes, sell it and get the next bigest card you can afford.

I just did a lot of research on CPU heatsinks. Here are some links to help you out.

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=8757

http://www.overclock.net/air-cooling/146814-answer-whats-best-cpu-cooler.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-cooler-charts-2008,1779.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-cooler-charts-2008-part-2,1782.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-cooler-charts-2008,1784.html

To condense a bit in no particular order:
Thermalright IFX-14
Zerotherm Nirvana NV120
Zalman CNPS9700
others as you may find

All three are supposedly really good.

I use the Scythe Hurcules and am happy with the fact that it is quiet.

Scott9027 · Jun 22, 2008

thideras said:
Thermal paste wise, there is better, but not enough to warrant purchasing a whole new tube.

I don't have any more of my Arctic Silver Ceramique left, so I'll be buying something anyway. What do you recommend?

Seeing some of these indirect suggestions, like the IFX-14, shows me I'm not looking for something this expensive.

What are the best heatsinks in the <$50 range? I assume I can get something considerably better than stock for a reasonable price, no?

ou_phidelt · Jun 22, 2008

Tuniq Tower is another option. It comes with a fan controller so you can find the right mix of noise and cooling power, it fits your budget also.

Scott9027 · Jun 22, 2008

Does anybody have any experience with the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro? The price is right, and I think I've heard of people using it before.

ou_phidelt · Jun 22, 2008

Scott9027 said:
Does anybody have any experience with the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro? The price is right, and I think I've heard of people using it before.

Its a pretty good unit for light OCing but not for heavy duty cooling. I am not sure about the noise level on it.

CPU Cooling

Scott9027

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Automata

Destroyer of Empires and Use

cabose1227

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Automata

Destroyer of Empires and Use

cabose1227

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don256us

Uber Folding Senior

Scott9027

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ou_phidelt

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Scott9027

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ou_phidelt

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