Prescott : Getting Less Noise?

MartMax

I think it's time for me to change my stocked HSF with a decent quiet one. I saw Zalman CNPS7000B-AICu in Peats for €46. Not sure if they have Thermalright XP120.

Currently my system running at 47'C normal load and never exceeds 55'C at heavier load such as C&C Generals, Kohan or Warhammer 4K. Never tested beyond that. But my case temperature is more addictive to rise from 38'C normal load to nearly 45'C during the above loads. Is it my Radeon 9800 Pro that contribute the heat?

I am not too worried about that but the noise is killing me. Not that really bad but I wish it could be less noisier.

So what do you guys think of me changing to Zalman? As for Thermalright XP120, what fan is the best and quietest? And then, Zalman or Thermalright?

And should I bother changing the PSU too, if that will also produce less heat n noise? Currently I have Antec SmartPower 350W.

And maybe if anyone have other suggestions?

Martmax

Col_Loki

The Zalman should do a pretty good job of cooling and reduce the noise by quite a bit. The smart power antecs are slightly noisier than the newer models (true power) so that will prob be the next thing you hear.

After than the GFX fan, then the NB cooler....... your hard disk is pretty quiet as it is .

dubdvd

i have agree with col the zalman is what i was using befor the reserator and it can be highered and lower ...i was using the pads instead of the paste with the 7000 and it worked great...they sell them in packs of 5 around the corner in maplins ..the niose level was more than bearable and the temps where very good for air ..ive never used the 120 so i dont know much about them :rolleyes:
i think they do the zalman psu in peats and i belive there alright as far as niose is concerned but dont go up to high it watts i think theres a new one thats 400 watt...and if im not mistaken theres a guy selling one in the for sale

OfflerCrocGod

If it's the gfx card that's causing the heat then get an Artic Cooler to funnel some heat out and get some case cooling to move the heat out of the case. Some nice and quiet 92mm-120mm fans should do the trick.

jesus_thats_gre

I am running my 3.55 Prescott at 44C max under load with the XP120. Its an impressive beast!

BloodBath

Unless you plan on some major overclocking there is no need for the xp-120. The zalman is cheaper and more than enough for the job.

Your case temps are ridiculous. Mine never goes higher than 30c and that's under load on a hot day and I have a hot Prescott and graphics card inside. It's 22c atm. Seriously invest in some case fans. You can get a fan controller to turn them down or you can buy quiet ones.

BloodBath

MartMax

I might be wrong about the temp case. It is possibly Northbridge temp as it looks like in the BIOS or Speedfan, I was assuming that would be the temp case too.

I have a 80mm fan in the front for intake flow, and a 90mm rear fan too. A duct is already installed to side panel pointing to the CPU. Not sure abt installing an intake fan to the duct, coz what I heard that could mess with the airflow.

Will upload few photos soon.

jesus_thats_gre

Forgot to mention, with the XP120 your system will be very quiet as a 120mm fan can push more air at slower speeds than a normal 90mm fan can..

MartMax

Today, I took BloodBath's advice. Bought two Sharkoon Ultra Silent case fans and installed them as intake fans. One in the front and another sucking air for the duct. No diff with CPU temp, but it brings down the Northbridge and harddisk temp as much as 3'C to 5'C...

The other replacement I have is Zalman CNPS7000B-AlCu, although not much changes but idle CPU temp is more stable at 46'C. Will get Artic Silver 5 or other good thermal pad soon, rather than sticking with cheap thermal grease that came with the Zalman...

btw Bloodbath, how do u manage getting very low case temp ?

Col_Loki

Take other peoples temps with a grain of salt. Almost all motherboards will report different temps, even the same motherboards with a different BIOS can report differently.

For instance Abit boards can report near 10'C different to other manufacturers, and 8-10'C difference between different BIOS versions.

The AS5 would be a good idea but not nessary if your not overclocking . The prescotts run hot anyway, and temps will get a little lower once the paste settles in.

How do you find the Zalman and noise difference?

MartMax

the zalman runs nicely in the box, noise is bearable. there is Antec Sonata on the other side of the room. before, i could hear only my machine singing, now the Antec somehow like "joining" the choir :cool: - especially when the room is very quiet and no other sounds coming from things.

temp wise, the cheap paste is beginning to settle in - when I first put it in, CPU temp was like 48'C, now settling at 45'C. I've tested with Prime95, heavy load will cause the temperature goes to 60'C - 62'C which I think is acceptable. :rolleyes:

take note, all temps were taken from SpeedFan v 4.16. Also using it to control fan speeds and desired temps. My question now, how can I safely set right speed for the Prescott? At full speed the Zalman is 2,600rpm and I wonder slowing this like to 2,100rpm will make no harm.

BloodBath

Take other peoples temps with a grain of salt. Almost all motherboards will report different temps, even the same motherboards with a different BIOS can report differently.

For instance Abit boards can report near 10'C different to other manufacturers, and 8-10'C difference between different BIOS versions..

That's true but only for the cpu temp. It reads the case temps and mobo temp correctly. My cpu temps are over-read by about 8c but the rest are fine. The BIOS reads my system temp only 2-3c off what my thermal probe inside the case reads.

btw Bloodbath, how do u manage getting very low case temp ?

My ambient temps could be lower than yours but I have great airflow in my system. 1 92mm intake, 2 80mm intakes, 1 92mm exhaust and the psu acting as an exhaust. I also have a vantec pci fan card blowing the cold air from the bottom up to the top and the hot air from the graphics card so it works quite well. My case is low to the ground as well where temps are cooler. It's 23c atm according to the sensor i have inside the case and 26c according to the BIOS from mbm5.

My question now, how can I safely set right speed for the Prescott? At full speed the Zalman is 2,600rpm and I wonder slowing this like to 2,100rpm will make no harm.

That heatsink has a speed controller on it does it not. It should have a setting for lo/med and high on the heatsink itself. Dropping it to low shouldn't effect your cpu temp by any more than 1-2c.


BloodBath

MartMax

It is nearly a week after I installed Zalman heatsink.
CPU and NB temps have been more desireable than ever.

But, there is a but, at idle, it loves sticking at 44'C
but whenever there's process, or program runs
the temp increase is noticeable, 2'C to 5'C
even though it is a little program

Ran Prime95 couple of times
Max temp rated was like 63'C
And, I can't complaint more I guess
Of course, noise level is bearable!
I love that

My question is did the Zalman properly seated?
Or is it too little or too much thermal paste?
Am a bit worried

Optikus

mart_max wrote:

It is nearly a week after I installed Zalman heatsink.
CPU and NB temps have been more desireable than ever.

But, there is a but, at idle, it loves sticking at 44'C
but whenever there's process, or program runs
the temp increase is noticeable, 2'C to 5'C
even though it is a little program

Ran Prime95 couple of times
Max temp rated was like 63'C
And, I can't complaint more I guess
Of course, noise level is bearable!
I love that

My question is did the Zalman properly seated?
Or is it too little or too much thermal paste?
Am a bit worried

Them temps look fine for a Presscott.. if the fan was incorrectly seated or you used too much or too less thermal compound, then you probably would not even POST.. so id say you were OK.

BloodBath

If it's a D0 stepping it seems a little high for the zalmam but safe. If it's a c0 then it's normal. What thermal paste did you use?


BloodBath

MartMax

It's is C0 stepping. I use the paste that came with the Zalman. Thought of getting AS5 but Peats have not stocks at the moment.