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melvyn · 07-16-2003, 12:55 PM

I finally got fed up with the whining Delta 38cfm fan that kept the thermalright SK-6 and T-Bird 1400 cool. It wasn't so much the volume of the fan, but the high pitch that was annoying. When added to five 40cfm Sunon fans, the noise from the system was getting intrusive.

I replaced the SK-6 with an Alpha PAL 8045, and used three Enermax adjustable fans for cooling - one on the Alpha, the other two as case exhausts. The exhaust fans are running around 2000rpm, which makes them almost silent. The fan on the Alpha is set to 3000rpm, which is just below the point where fan and air noise starts to get noticable.

In a 25°C room, the case inside temperature rose from 32°C to 35°C. Full load CPU core temperatures remaines around 50°C. All temperatures are taken with the on-board thermal sensors and MBM5. Temperature accuracy is somewhat questionable, so the numbers should not be used for direct comparison to other systems. In the context of comaring one cooling method with another in the same system (same motherboard, same case, same room) the resulting temperatures are close enough to show that there has been no appreciable degradation in system cooling.

The whole reason for the heatsink/fan change was noise. The system is now a lot quieter than before. It's still louder than the OEM PIII 800 system that is next to it, but that computer has a 5400rpm hard drive and what looks line an Antec Jet Cool heatsink and no other case fans. After removing the three intake fans, installing the PAL 8045 and Enermax adjustable fans, the loudest parts of the computer are the Maxtor hard drive and the power supply fan.

Overall, I am happy with the change in system noise. I can now sit and watch a movie without having to crank the volume over the system, but best of all I can sit right next to the computer, and when the cental a/c is on I cannot hear it.

Next step - reduce the noise of the wifes mATX system, which is now the loudest computer in the house! This will be a challenge, as the case is not tall enough for a big hearsink such as the Alpha 8045, and the motherboard is somewhat cluttered with components that would be in the way. I just replaced another SK-6 (this time with a 27cfm YS Tech fan) with a Taisol aluminum/copper heatsink so it's a bit quieter with no increase in processor temperature.

07-16-2003, 12:55 PM	#1
melvyn Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 69	Whining Delta, begone! I finally got fed up with the whining Delta 38cfm fan that kept the thermalright SK-6 and T-Bird 1400 cool. It wasn't so much the volume of the fan, but the high pitch that was annoying. When added to five 40cfm Sunon fans, the noise from the system was getting intrusive. I replaced the SK-6 with an Alpha PAL 8045, and used three Enermax adjustable fans for cooling - one on the Alpha, the other two as case exhausts. The exhaust fans are running around 2000rpm, which makes them almost silent. The fan on the Alpha is set to 3000rpm, which is just below the point where fan and air noise starts to get noticable. In a 25°C room, the case inside temperature rose from 32°C to 35°C. Full load CPU core temperatures remaines around 50°C. All temperatures are taken with the on-board thermal sensors and MBM5. Temperature accuracy is somewhat questionable, so the numbers should not be used for direct comparison to other systems. In the context of comaring one cooling method with another in the same system (same motherboard, same case, same room) the resulting temperatures are close enough to show that there has been no appreciable degradation in system cooling. The whole reason for the heatsink/fan change was noise. The system is now a lot quieter than before. It's still louder than the OEM PIII 800 system that is next to it, but that computer has a 5400rpm hard drive and what looks line an Antec Jet Cool heatsink and no other case fans. After removing the three intake fans, installing the PAL 8045 and Enermax adjustable fans, the loudest parts of the computer are the Maxtor hard drive and the power supply fan. Overall, I am happy with the change in system noise. I can now sit and watch a movie without having to crank the volume over the system, but best of all I can sit right next to the computer, and when the cental a/c is on I cannot hear it. Next step - reduce the noise of the wifes mATX system, which is now the loudest computer in the house! This will be a challenge, as the case is not tall enough for a big hearsink such as the Alpha 8045, and the motherboard is somewhat cluttered with components that would be in the way. I just replaced another SK-6 (this time with a 27cfm YS Tech fan) with a Taisol aluminum/copper heatsink so it's a bit quieter with no increase in processor temperature.