Quiet cpu fan

[Parapunter]

I wonder if ppruners can make a recommendation. I run a system housed in an antec fusion case. Antec have paid a lot of attention to cooling & noise which results in a near silent psu & case fans. Thus the noisiest part of my system is the stock intel fan on my socket 775 cpu.

I would like to replace it, which would be cheap & easy enough to do, I don't see a consensus on the internerd at all, so I wonder if anyone has had a positive experience with a replacement fan - bearing in mind that as a case, the Antec is fairly space limited, ruling out these fancy big, set on their side slow spinning numbers!

[Bushfiva]

You're trying to move as large a volume of air as possible using the slowest-moving fan possible. So basically you're looking for something that has large blades but fits in the case.

I see the case claims to have two 120mm fans "right next to the CPU" and a CPU air guide. Have you considered an active or passive heatpipe cooler? The Zerotherm CF900 and BTF90 are both 18dBA, if they fit.

Scythe does some interesting stuff, too. For example, the Orochi which is probably too big for you, but is completely passive. The Zipang is 21 dBA.

[Parapunter]

In truth, according to Everest, the fan never spins above 1800rpm & the temperature almost never rises above 34 degrees c, which compared to my work machines is great going. The noisiest part of the fan is the bearing whine rather than air moving over the blades. It really is a very well thought out case indeed.

[green granite]

Or of course you could use a water cooling system. :)

Components » Water Cooling » Kits - Overclockers UK (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=701&catid=193&subid=1038)

[frostbite]

You might be able to reduce the bearing whine.

In the centre of the blade you should find a rubber bung (maybe covered by a label). If you remove that and add a drop or two of oil - no more - that might well reduce noise.

I find a couple of drops from the car dipstick works well.

[Parapunter]

Tell you what, I took the top off, got the tin of air out & gave it a good old clean out & knocked 5 degrees & 500 rpm off the fan. First principles is always a good place to start.

[uid0]

I build my own pc from recommendations from this website:
silentpcreview.com | Everything about Silent / Quiet Computers (http://www.silentpcreview.com/)

I am using Antec P180, Seasonic psu and Scythe Ninja CPU cooler.
(Scythe NINJA PLUS CPU Cooler (http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/cpu/006/scnj1000p.html))

Hope this helps.

[Gonzo]

I'm running an Antec case too, with a Noctua NH-U12P heat sink and fan.

Silent from the outside.

There's a newer version out, the NH-C12P with 6 rather than 4 heat pipes.

I tend to use Quietpc.com.

[Parapunter]

I went with a cooler master vortex 752 in the end, which is a slightly jazzed up stock type fan with heatpipes feeding into the usual radiator type assembly.

My heart sank when I switched it on & it sounded like a JCB that hasn't been serviced in ten years, but a quick delve into the BIOS & a fiddle with the silent fan settings has done the trick. Now the fan is spinning in silence at about 800rpm under normal load & the cpu is steady at 32-34 degress c.