Quiet, yet efficient, fan solution? (1 Viewer)

[Rob Lutter]

I am using my computer as a HTPC right now and, although I have gotten used to it, the damn thing sounds like a lawnmower (okay, maybe a hairdryer). Anyways, I was wondering what you would recommend to replace a Delta 5500RPM 60mm CPU fan? Is there a quiet solution that would also keep my CPU as cool as the Delta?
I am OK with it, but it bothers my patrons

 

[Chris Svencer]

Zalman makes a bunch of "silent" coolers, from CPU coolers, to VGA coolers. They also have a quiet Power Supply. They are just one of the companies that carry such things. Try these links.
Link Removed
vantec fans
One other thing to remember is that it might not just be the cpu fan, it might be the combination of the cpu fan, case fan, vga fan, power supply fan, and anything else that may be cooled. Hope these help.
-Svence

 

[Kimmo Jaskari]

Hard drives can be noisy too, especially if they are a year or two old (they get noisier with time and were noisier to begin with).

 

[Camp]

Are you overclocked? Heavily overclocked? If not, there is absolutely no reason to use the Delta.

You could also get a heatsink that allows the use of an 80mm fan. Greater surface area will generally allow for a slower speed fan and less noise.

I use the Swiftech MCX462 on my Athlon but there are less expensive options. The Alpha PAL8045 & Thermalright AX-7 are also excellent choices.

 

[Salvador]

i used to have a thermaltake dragon 3 with a 7200 fan. My god was that loud. One day, i couldn't take it anymore so i bought a swifttech mcx462 and put on a 80mm vantec stealth fan. It cools my 1.4 tbird fine and runs whisper quiet. The only infernal noise that i can hear from my PC are the fans from my PSU (enermax whisper quiet 420w).

 

[Max Leung]

Some people swear by Panasonic's Panaflo fans. Try to find the "low speed" models. An 80 mm low speed Panaflo fan has a 0.1 amp power consumption, and is supposed to measure 21 dbA. Rougly $10 US or less. They also have a 60 mm one, measured at 24 dbA. Typically, the smaller the fan, the faster it must spin to keep the same airflow going, therefore it'll be more noisy.

Delta's tend to be the loudest damn fans.

My cpu fan is a ThermalTake Volcano 7+ Copper (or something like that) with the 3 speed manual fan switch. It is still audible. Hmm, perhaps I should replace the fan (which is a Delta set to run low speed) with a panaflo...

 

[Scott L]

Ever think about switching cases? The computer in my HT is super quiet compared to the noise machine in the office (Enlight case) and that is mainly due to my Fong Kai 603 case (review) and pcpowercooling.com "ultra-quiet" power supply. That Zalman noiseless PS sounds cool with it controlling the fan rpms in conjunction with the temperature.

 

[Rob Lutter]

Thanks for all the opinions... I think I have a good idea of what I can do now