Suggestions for a super quiet fan for Socket 775 cpu

[dfisher052]

I've got a stock Intel cpu fan that came with my Intel cpu. After about 5 minutes it really start whining. It's very annoying. I've got 2 exhaust fans in the case & an intake fan on the fan port on the side directed right at the cpu, but nothing seems to help. The room it's in is also air conditioned. Anyone have any ideas on a real quiet cpu cooler.

[jagabo]

I use one of these but with a very low speed 120mm fan:

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/product/Cooler/Retail/cl-p0071/cl-p0071.asp

[redwudz]

I have both the Thermaltake TMG A1 and the TMG A2 for AMD CPUs, and they are both very quiet. There are Intel versions on the bottom of this page:

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/product/Cooler/TMG/cpucooler.asp

But you do need a CPU that doesn't put out a lot of heat. Silence is not really a option with a CPU that runs 60C with the stock cooler. They also need a four pin CPU fan socket to make use of the motherboard Pulse Width Modulated fan controller. But they are quiet. Close to inaudible at 800RPM.

Also for quiet case fans look into some models of Enermax. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010110573+50001400&name=Enermax The 80mm is very quiet at 14dba and the 120 is about 17dba, still fairly quiet. Look at the versions that use 'Magnetic Barometric' bearings. The blades can be removed for cleaning. No ball or sleeve bearings to wear out or make noise.

[TBoneit]

Basic problem is that your CPU is running hot and the fan is thermal controlled. So what happens as the CPU gets hotter the fan speeds up. If you say it is screaming then it is really hot. Have you tried looking on the Intel MB driver disc to see if it has a temperature reporting utility?

I saw something like this on a different brand of board where the Temp sensor/circuit was bad.

In your case I would try the digital probe method. IE take a finger and feel the heat sink. is it hot?

Have you checked to be sure it hasn't become clogged?

[jagabo]

Also be sure the Cool and Quiet option is enabled in your BIOS. This will allow lower power operation at idle.

[dfisher052]

Thanks for the fan suggestions. I looked for the Cool & Quiet option in the bios but did not find it.
I did check the bios though to find out what the temps & fan speeds were. The Processor fan speed is running at 3900 rpm & the 2 exhaust fans are running at 1740 rpm each. The processor temp is about 105c & the case interior temp is about 44c. I have no idea if these are normal or not, but the processor temp seems to be awful high.

[jagabo]

The processor temp is about 105c

And your computer is still running?!

Try running SpeedFan while in Windows.

[TBoneit]

If it really 105c and not 105f then that is above the temp of boiling water! That would explain why the fan is screaming. It is trying to cool an overheated CPU.

Have you checked for airflow blockages?
Tried running a small table fan blowing into the case with the side off?
The highest I ever saw was a P4 Dual core that hit 90c while encoding and that was to hot.

Note the attachment here shows my AMD 64 X2 4200 temp as 27c and the CPU fan, A Stock AMD is nice and quiet. Notice how the hard drives are running hotter? The Highest one a Seagate I suspect of having a bad temp sensor as it is cooled by a fan and is cool to the touch. It runs hotter than heck without the fan and now has a SMART failure for overtemp but seems to work fine, knock wood.

[redwudz]

105C is about 220F, so that can't be correct. Thermal shutdown of the CPU would probably occur somewhere above 70C, depending on the CPU. But your case temp would also be about 110F and that is higher than it should be. You definitely need to check the temps to find the correct numbers. You could try the SpeedFan program that jagabo suggested.

The 'finger' method TBoneit mentions works well also. But try to touch near the base of the heatsink. If it's hot enough to burn your finger, that's too hot for most CPUs. While you are in there, check other heat producing devices. Hard drives, Northbridge chips and graphics cards can all contribute heat. Check also the heat output of the power supply at the fan exhaust. If it's like a hair blow dryer, you have a problem. Same with the case exhaust fans. All that heat will shorten component life and cause other problems.

It appears you need some better CPU cooling and likely case cooling. You might look into a upgraded CPU cooler and also determine why your case temps are so high. If you've had the PC for a while, the fans and heatsinks may be clogged with dust.

Cool and Quiet is a AMD program, but Intel has a similar program called SpeedStep, I believe. You should be able to find it at Intel. Or it appears to be part of the XP OS. If so, check your BIOS and motherboard manual for activation and use. It may help with fan noise at idle, but your fans will still run fast unless the temps lower.

[aedipuss]

when you installed the stock fan did you leave on all that gunk intel calls thermal paste? they put about ten times too much on the fan base and it isn't of the best quality. if you use a plastic scraper and then a little rubbing alcohol on a cloth to clean it all off and replace it with a thin layer of artic silver compound you may find the stock fan/heat sink willl perform much better.

i just used this method on a new celeron 420 and it's running 37C at 100% cpu overclocked to 2.1Ghz from 1.6Ghz on a 32C room temp day with the stock hsf.

[jagabo]

Cool and Quiet is a AMD program, but Intel has a similar program called SpeedStep

I can never remember which is which. I should have mentioned both. In any case, look for power management options in the BIOS.

[stiltman]

I have both the Thermaltake TMG A1 and the TMG A2 for AMD CPUs, and they are both very quiet. There are Intel versions on the bottom of this page:

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/product/Cooler/TMG/cpucooler.asp

I just bought a few of these
http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/product/cooler/retail/cl-p0378/cl-p0378.asp
I didn't see the better version until you posted the link

[dfisher052]

I have to assume that the 105c can't be correct as, as you say, the damn thing would probably be on fire & shut down, but when I go into bios & go to the hardware readings that's what it says & it does say c & not f. I tried Speedfan & it would only show a reading for the hard drives, not the fans. I had the same problem when I tried to install it on a Dell. Then it wouldn't read anything. I checked out Speedstep on Google & it seemed to indicate that it was for laptops. I went on the Intel site but could not get info on how to download it & use it for a desktop.
As far as dust & other things clogging up the machine this is a brand new install. Everything is new, maybe a little over a month. This thing has been noisy right from the beginning. I have updated the bios but the install disk that came with the motherboard (Intel) has no installation for any temp readings, other than in the bios. Like I said before I have 2 additional exhaust fans on the back. What seems to be rather interesting is that I uninstalled the side fan & it has had NO effect on the heat situation in the box which has a lot of vents front, back & the side, so it would seem that it has a lot of places to suck in air.
I still think my solution is, seeing as the cpu fan is going to run at max speed I need a cpu fan that at max speed is a lot quieter. Compared to my previous Dell this thing is so loud even my old half deaf dog is annoyed with it.
I would still appreciate anymore suggestions for real quiet cpu fans. The suggestions so far have been very helpful & I will certainly consider them.

[redwudz]

If you are able to confirm that your CPU is not running dangerously hot, then you may get away with quieter fans. But quieter usually means less air is moved and less cooling will be the result.

I don't recall if you mentioned the size of your case fans, but the 120mm ones generally turn slower and are quieter than 80mm fans. If you can fit some 120's in there that would help. Mine run at about 800RPM. Those Enermax 80mm fans are extremely quiet if you have to use a 80mm size.

stiltman, if you have the four pin CPU fan socket, the TMG coolers are nice. They are not very efficient, but both my CPUs run at about 27C at idle up to about 40C on a long encode. One is OC'd from 2.8Ghz to 3.0 and it still runs the same temps. The fan goes down below 600RPM with no load and up to about 1200RPM full load. At 600 it is totally silent. Even at 1200 it's still quieter than the PS or the case fans. It works very well with AMD's Cool and Quiet. So much so that I had to shut off my MB low fan speed warnings as the fan stops for a few seconds when you fire up the computer, then turns on again to low speed. The CPU temp rarely exceeds the case temps.

I had PC's in the past that needed major cooling and generated major noise. The worst was a CPU cooler that ran about 4500RPM with a sound like a mosquito. I found putting the PC on the floor or in a cabinet was the only relief. I only select lower power, more efficient CPUs now that don't need extreme cooling. It was either that or go to a water cooled system.

EDIT: Have you tried the 'finger' temp test yet? I have a digital infared thermometer I use now. Sometimes the BIOS doesn't read the temps correctly, but that may mean your BIOS isn't recognizing your CPU correctly also. I would also take the advice to use something like Arctic Silver for your thermal compound between the CPU and the heatsink. The thermal transfer pads that come on some coolers aren't the best.

[dfisher052]

The 2 exhaust fans that i've installed are 80's. There was room in the back for 2 80's just below the power supply. They are running at 1740 rpm. They seem to be very quiet. When the computer first boots up & for about the first 5 minutes it's pretty quiet. You can hear some fan noise, but it's not objectionable. But then slowly you can hear the cpu fan start to windup. From that point on the cpu fan is running at full tilt & just whines at about 4000 rpm. The intel cpu fan that came with the cpu did have that little pad on it. Maybe I should get some Artic Silver & see what that buys me.
I have not tried the finger test yet.

[RabidDog]

Pentium D 3.2? About the hottest chip intel has ever made.. its what convinced them to go to core. ANd if its accidentally/on purpose overclocked, then damm hot running.. run it without a case side on and see what happens, or even underclock it!

[jagabo]

You really need some independent confirmation of the temperature (the finger test at least). The processor should shut itself down before it reaches 105c.

If it's really that hot and isn't shutting down maybe the heat sink isn't seated properly.

I'm surprised Speedfan couldn't read the CPU temps. Are you sure didn't get an old one?

http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php

Verify what motherboard and chipset you have and see if there's any special settings you might need.

[TBoneit]

I agree with jagabo, did you notice the image I posted showing speedfan running and indicating 27c. It should show drive and CPU temp. BTW that 27c was after a hour or two of running.

The newer Dual Core AMDs or the Intel Core2Duos run much cooler and quieter. That heating/noise is why the chip like yours are cheap to buy. They ran very hot. Make sure it is really running hot by feeling the heatsink.

The fan ramps up in speed as the CPU temp goes up. Also be sure the CPU heatsink is properly mounted.

[ntscuser]

Pentium D 3.2? About the hottest chip intel has ever made.. its what convinced them to go to core.

I'm running a Pentium D 3.2 and have never had a problem with temperature. The Foxconn case I'm using is the kind with a wind tunnel in the side and the fan is so noisy I can here it droning when I'm downstairs. There is a quiet option somewhere but I've never used it.

[jagabo]

Pentium D 3.2? About the hottest chip intel has ever made.. its what convinced them to go to core.

I'm running a Pentium D 3.2 and have never had a problem with temperature.

Just as a reference for the OP, what kind of CPU temps do you get?

[ntscuser]

Pentium D 3.2? About the hottest chip intel has ever made.. its what convinced them to go to core.

I'm running a Pentium D 3.2 and have never had a problem with temperature.

Just as a reference for the OP, what kind of CPU temps do you get?

Typically 17-22C when idling, 37-44C on full load such as when encoding MPEG movies.

[TBoneit]

Pentium D 3.2? About the hottest chip intel has ever made.. its what convinced them to go to core.

I'm running a Pentium D 3.2 and have never had a problem with temperature.

Just as a reference for the OP, what kind of CPU temps do you get?

Typically 17-22C when idling, 37-44C on full load such as when encoding MPEG movies.

Is that the stock intel fan or does it run full speed all the time? At 17 to 22c you really shouldn't be hearing it. The two newer dual cores I run, 1 home, 1 work, the fans run 700 to 800 rpm idling and slowly ramp up when encoding. I still never hear the one at home even on when watching quiet scenes on the TV as I watch TV while it is working and it sits next to the TV as a media center and general purpose PC so I can switch back and forth easily.

[ntscuser]

Pentium D 3.2? About the hottest chip intel has ever made.. its what convinced them to go to core.

I'm running a Pentium D 3.2 and have never had a problem with temperature.

Just as a reference for the OP, what kind of CPU temps do you get?

Typically 17-22C when idling, 37-44C on full load such as when encoding MPEG movies.

Is that the stock intel fan or does it run full speed all the time? At 17 to 22c you really shouldn't be hearing it.

As far as I know it's the stock fan (the motherboard and CPU came pre-assembled) and it currently runs at full speed all the time. According to Sandra, core temp is a couple of degrees below room temp when at idle. I would rather live with the noise and preserve the life of the CPU than choose a quiet mode. Compared to the noise the air conditioner makes when the compressor kicks-in it is nothing!

[dfisher052]

I just installed the latest version of Speedfan & still no reading. It does recognize the hard drive, but none of the fans. It says the hard drive temp is 43c. I think i'm going to order some Artic Silver & install a 120 fan in the front of the case & see how that works. I actually did run it with the side panel off & that didn't work.

[FulciLives]

Recently I've had my computer re-boot here or there while doing video encoding. It doesn't do it all the time (very hit or miss) and only did it a few times within the past few weeks or so ... perhaps because it's summer and even though the room is has a window A/C it can still be a bit warm in that room at times.

I decided to download SpeedFan and this is what I get but I am not sure what I am "seeing" here:



I take it that those little fire icons are a bad thing?

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
This was done about 10 minutes into a CCE SP encode using the computer that is in my profile info.

*** EDIT ***
After I killed CCE SP and waited a few moments the fan slowed down and here is another screen shot:



Again this was only a couple of minutes or so after killing CCE SP and allowing the fan to slow down etc.

[TBoneit]

OOps.

[TBoneit]

John , Something way to hot, put a finger to the various heatsinks and see what one is the culprit. Could be CPU, Chipset or.....

If those are real temps, 128c is over boiling so be carefull not to get burned.

Overheating will cause funny things to happen.

It is also possible that it is only remotely related to summer heat. It could be dust buildup in the heatsinks.

I seem to remember MSI has software to monitor their motherboards. That should give a result telling what is running high. You may have to go to their download site for it, I do not remember if it is on the Drivers disc.

Good Luck

[FulciLives]

John , Something way to hot, put a finger to the various heatsinks and see what one is the culprit. Could be CPU, Chipset or.....

If those are real temps, 128c is over boiling so be carefull not to get burned.

Overheating will cause funny things to happen.

It is also possible that it is only remotely related to summer heat. It could be dust buildup in the heatsinks.

I seem to remember MSI has software to monitor their motherboards. That should give a result telling what is running high. You may have to go to their download site for it, I do not remember if it is on the Drivers disc.

Good Luck

This computer I have now is a store bought model which I got at the end of 2005 and I've never had issues with it until the past few weeks when I found it would re-boot while encoding and I figured it had to be a heat issue.

Unfortunately this MSI board is an orphan ... from what I've read it was some sort of OEM board that MSI doesn't like to pretend exists ... it's not on their support website ... others have confirmed that finding out much of anything about this board is next to impossible.

There is a local computer store here ... a mom and pop kinda place ... and the guy that runs it has a local Saturday AM radio show about computers etc. so maybe I'll take it there and have them look at it. I've heard him on the radio and he seems to know his stuff. Maybe they can check the heatsink and replace it or put some silver compound stuff on it or whatever needs done LOL

Not really something I want to mess around with on my own.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[aedipuss]

john you might try the msi core center utility to check temps and fan speeds, it might give you a better idea of what's going on.

http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=downloadfile&dno=4855&type=utility

opening it up and vacuuming out all the dust bunnies, especially the ones living in the heatsink fins could help. oh and removing/replacing a hsf is not a big deal. download a manual for a similar 915g msi board and give it a read.

[ahhaa]

uhhmm, fyi- Firefox just gave me a warning that a script is running in this thread, haven't seen that here before...