A few fan related questions.

[Rezin777]

Okay, I've been studying fans for a many hours now as I'm about to purchase one. I know I could prawley find these answers myself if I search enough, but my eyes are starting to hurt. I thougt I'd ask the pros.

Info you might need:

1. I'm looking for an upgraded fan for my cpu heatsink svc gc68
2. I have an EPoX 8rda+ mobo
3. I'm hoping this fan/hs will suit my needs for my next processor upgrade (not sure yet but will be xp1700 or more, perhaps the fastest cpu I can afford when I decide to buy)
4. I'm looking for high cfm/low dB/cheap (but thats the trick isn't it?)
5. most of my info comes from an amdmb.com review here and newegg.com
6. fans I'm considering (in no order, all 80mm)

Panaflo H1A
Sunon KD1208PTB2
Enermax adjustable
Thermaltake smart fan 2
YS-tech adjustable
this one at newegg.com super cool?

7. These fans are usually @ same price, give or take. (Have to buy plugs for Panaflo = extra $6-$12 plug(s)/shipping)
8. I've decided against a Vantec Tornado or a Delta FFB0812SH, great cfm but seem way too loud.
9. Whichever processor I get, I plan on overclocking to its full potential. Minus watercooling.

And now my questions:

1. Obviously, which fan do I buy and why?
2. How many dB is too loud? I realize this will vary person to person. I don't mind some noise, but vaccum cleaner levels are unacceptable.
3. How much difference is 30dB to 35 dB or 40dB and beyond?
4. I'm partial to the last fan on my list, regarding the specs in the ad. But it seems to be generic. Is this a problem?
5. I STRESS THIS QUESTION. I've seen a few places say DON'T plug the higher wattage fans into your motherboard. They say use the power supply or you may RUIN your mobo! What wattage is safe for my 8rda+?
6. If I can't plug the fan into the mobo, can I split the wires and still plug the one that gives the rpm reading to my board monitor whlie plugging the other 2 into the power supply? Or is this unsafe also?

Well, I think these are the only questions I have. I'm sure they have been asked before and I apologize. Mostly I just wanted to get the opinions of the people on this board as I respect your knowledge and experience. Thanks in advance!

 

[nerdlogic]

Okay...
1. That Panaflo or Sunon would suit you well for your required noise level (you're right about the Tornado...I have one. )

2. Well, some people can't take anything above 40dBA, and others don't mind the "vacuum cleaner" (like me. ) I'd say it starts getting pretty loud once you reach around 40dBA.

3. I believe the difference between dB is logarithmic, but I'm not sure how much difference there would be.

4. It has good airflow, and I think it would be fine. I just don't think it needs that speed adjuster. Unfortunately, you're just going to have to find out if it's going to last you. See what kind of warranty you get for it. You could get it and see how it performs for you in the long run and get one of the other fans on your list just in case it fails. I would like to check that fan out, myself, when I'd be able to.

5. I'm not sure about don't plug it in to your motherboard, as my Tornado is plugged into my Nexus multipanel.

6. Yes, you can split the wires by keeping the yellow one on the 3-pin and attaching the black and red wires to a molex connector. I can help you with that if you need it.

Last, but not least, do you already have that SVC HS? I would sugest you go with a copper HS for better cooling if you're going to try for the max you can get with air cooling. If you can afford them, I would suggest either the SLK-900 or the SLK-800 (get the U version or the SLK-900 if your motherboard has the mounting holes around the socket). If you're looking for a HS at a good price, the SK-7 is a great copper HS as well.

Oh, and one more thing:
WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!

 

[epauls]

I suggest the TT Smartfan II. It's adjustable and is capable of putting out some serious CFM
And like nerdlogic said, you might want to replace the heatsink with a SLK.

 

[Rezin777]

Thanks for the info. Thanks for the welcome nerdlogic!

Yeah I knew about the SLK heatsinks, and when I upgrade my cpu I will definitely go with the SLK-900-U. Nice all copper heatsinks, great looking too! For now the SVC will suit my purposes. I read a review on it and for a cheap, all aluminum hs it does a decent job. I picked it up for $2.50 with a 2500 rpm fan.

I'm not having any cooling problems with the stock fan (38 idle, 47 load), but I figured why not try a faster fan and see what results I can achieve. I also read the lapping work in progress post and although the base feels nice, I'll see if I can get any gains there. That is after I find out what a beefier fan does. I ended up ordering the generic fan (4000 rpm, 52.6 cfm, 41 dBA) I posted the link to earlier. I figured why not give it a try. Guess I'll learn what 40 dBA sounds like.

I also noticed there were 2 versions of this fan. The other version adjusts speed according to a thermal sensor and it got 5 stars out of 5 in 5 reviews. There were no reviews for the manual one (the one I ordered). They are the same fan I suspect, just different ways of adjusting the speed. I'd prefer to control it myself.

My main concern, as I posted b4 is whether or not I can plug this fan directly into my mobo. Its DC 12V, 6.5W, 0.54 A. The 6.5W is what concerns me. I guess I will just use the power supply for power and connect the yellow rpm wire to the mobo as nerdlogic stated. Better safe than sorry until I know for sure. The only reason I'm concerned so much about the rpms is I'd like to see if I get what is advertised and what I paid for.

Thanks again. Ciao.