Quiet HSF for HTPC

Caveman · 21st March 2006, 11:48 AM

Hi guys,

I recently put together a HTPC and am looking to quiet it down, i've identified the stock P4 HSF as the major source of noise.

Specs:
CPU - Pentium 4 2.0Ghz
Case - Silverstone LC11 mATX
Mobo - Asus P4S800

Click to view full-sized image!
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As the Silverstone LC11 is an "upside down" case (the CPU hangs from the roof of the case) i'm a little concerned about the weight of the HSF, also as I hope the picture demonstraits that there isn't a great deal of height to the case.

All help is appreciated and I apologise for the quality of the pic, I will try and take a better one when I get home.

almghty · 21st March 2006, 12:24 PM

Was going to suggest xp-90c (fanless) if the fan that I see on the side is an intake.

But you mentioned that it flips over so there is always the weight concern. The xp-90c is pretty close to 700g. You could negate that by using the aluminium version which is about ~300g.

However if the noise is not an issue and your retail HSF is lighter you might not do much better.

DavoRulz · 21st March 2006, 5:03 PM

If that case fan is 80mm, then grab yourself a slim one, and you might be able to squeeze in a Zalman CNPS 7000-ALCU. The combination of Al/Cu will make it somewhat lighter, and they still cool fairly well.

qwijibo · 23rd March 2006, 2:24 AM

I've used a Zalman 7000-ALCu + fan controller in a HTPC before, and it performs quite well, and with a 2.0, you don't need it spinning real fast to cool it.

If the HTPC is going to be horizontal, then a heavier heatsink won't worry you, so you can go for a heavier/better cooling all copper one.

Just be careful though, from centre of the fan to the outside of the heatsink is about 5.5cm from memory, and your case looks a bit cramped around the cpu.

TMM · 23rd March 2006, 4:29 AM

+1 for Zalman ALCU. Could probably even go passive with the side fan so close

Gierke · 23rd March 2006, 8:58 PM

got a zalman 7000alcu runnin on my oc'ed opteron and it's quiet as

the exact measuments are on the zalman website from memory.

21st March 2006, 11:48 AM	#1
Caveman Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Sutherland Shire, Sydney. Posts: 717	Quiet HSF for HTPC Hi guys, I recently put together a HTPC and am looking to quiet it down, i've identified the stock P4 HSF as the major source of noise. Specs: CPU - Pentium 4 2.0Ghz Case - Silverstone LC11 mATX Mobo - Asus P4S800 Click to view full-sized image! Hosted by UGBox Image Store As the Silverstone LC11 is an "upside down" case (the CPU hangs from the roof of the case) i'm a little concerned about the weight of the HSF, also as I hope the picture demonstraits that there isn't a great deal of height to the case. All help is appreciated and I apologise for the quality of the pic, I will try and take a better one when I get home. __________________ "Holy crip he's a crapple!" - Peter Griffin Folding@Home 25,000 Club: Team GoonSquad \| Folding@Home 400,000 Points Milestone Member: Team GoonSquad

21st March 2006, 5:03 PM	#3
DavoRulz Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Lismore, North NSW Posts: 3,428	If that case fan is 80mm, then grab yourself a slim one, and you might be able to squeeze in a Zalman CNPS 7000-ALCU. The combination of Al/Cu will make it somewhat lighter, and they still cool fairly well. __________________ Desktop: i7 920\|EX58-DS4\|6gb GeIL DDR3\|GTX 285\|Audigy ES\|1Tb\|P160\|SP 2.0 500w\|BenQ FP202w WoW: Smashfist - 80 Ret Paladin, GM of <Tortured Reality>, 5th ranked Alliance guild on Jubei'Thos Ride: 1997 SS Commodore - 304ci - FOR SALE $8000 ONO

23rd March 2006, 4:29 AM	#5
TMM Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Vic Posts: 6,542	+1 for Zalman ALCU. Could probably even go passive with the side fan so close __________________ bigger problem? bigger hammer!

21st March 2006, 12:24 PM	#2
almghty Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 1,181	Was going to suggest xp-90c (fanless) if the fan that I see on the side is an intake. But you mentioned that it flips over so there is always the weight concern. The xp-90c is pretty close to 700g. You could negate that by using the aluminium version which is about ~300g. However if the noise is not an issue and your retail HSF is lighter you might not do much better.

23rd March 2006, 2:24 AM	#4
qwijibo Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Brisvegas Posts: 397	I've used a Zalman 7000-ALCu + fan controller in a HTPC before, and it performs quite well, and with a 2.0, you don't need it spinning real fast to cool it. If the HTPC is going to be horizontal, then a heavier heatsink won't worry you, so you can go for a heavier/better cooling all copper one. Just be careful though, from centre of the fan to the outside of the heatsink is about 5.5cm from memory, and your case looks a bit cramped around the cpu.

23rd March 2006, 8:58 PM	#6
Gierke Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Barossa Valley Posts: 1,562	got a zalman 7000alcu runnin on my oc'ed opteron and it's quiet as the exact measuments are on the zalman website from memory.