Planetarion Forums - That Zalman Copper-flower CPU cooler jobby...

meglamaniac · 27 Oct 2002, 23:19

...rocks.
I fitted mine today to replace my very noisy Thermaltake Volcano 7+. I also replaced all my floppy/IDE ribbons with the nice round ones for better airflow.

The result was that running the thing on silent (fan rotates at about 1500 RPM - inaudible more or less) my idle temperature went up a shocking 1 degrees to 59C, which I think I can live with considering the only thing now making much noise in my PC is the PSU which I intend to replace with a silent one soon.

I can finally watch DVD's without hearing "WHIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" all the way through the quiet bits.

Here it is in case you don't know what I'm on about.

BesigedB · 27 Oct 2002, 23:33

doesnt the drive go whirrrrrrrrrrrrr?

meglamaniac · 27 Oct 2002, 23:55

2 x Segate Barracuda IV's.
Very quiet when idle and absolutely 0 access noise unless you put your ear right up to the case.

JetLinus · 27 Oct 2002, 23:59

Uhhhhhhh looks nice

I got a noisy ThermalTake Volcan as well :-/
They really seem to screw up their coolers...

Luckeh!!!! · 28 Oct 2002, 00:00

curious,

what CPU are you running that brings it to 59C with a V7+?

28 Oct 2002, 00:18

i've always wondered if those worked

meglamaniac · 28 Oct 2002, 00:20

XP2000+

The volcano was on medium mind, because I couldn't stand the noise on high. Also, the thermal paste I was using then was some cheap stuff supplied with it - this time I've used silver compound and the side of the case is noticeably cooler.

The thing I forgot to mention was that my rear extractor before was a useless 80mm fan which just created turbulence rather than blowing anything out - that's now out of the case and replaced by a (quieter) extractor that occupies a PCI slot.
The new IDE/floppy cables also make a significant diference.

Luckeh!!!! · 28 Oct 2002, 00:31

I was gonna get that Zalman for my AXP2000+ but I intended to OC my chip and I don't really mind the noise.

I went for a Thermalright AX-7 + Titan 80mm fan.

Spins around 2500rpm, pushes about 32.4CFM and has a gentle hum.

BTW - I think your case fan is hindered by the case grill, what I did was cut the grill out so there is a hole. Now the air flows out very easily

Miserableman · 28 Oct 2002, 11:33

My PSU sounds like a wind tunnel, I really need a new one :O[[

Luckeh!!!! · 28 Oct 2002, 11:57

Quote:

Originally posted by Miserableman
My PSU sounds like a wind tunnel, I really need a new one :O[[

I just recieved an Antec 380W this morning, havn't plugged it in yet.

meglamaniac · 28 Oct 2002, 12:18

http://www.quietpc.com/psu.html#400w

Tadaa!

w2k · 28 Oct 2002, 13:10

where did you get ur round floppy/ide cables from melga??

meglamaniac · 28 Oct 2002, 13:14

Same place as the HSF - http://www.kustompcs.co.uk

You can get 2 IDE + 1 Floppy as a bundle and save a bit of cash.

BesigedB · 28 Oct 2002, 19:47

Quote:

Originally posted by meglamaniac
2 x Segate Barracuda IV's.
Very quiet when idle and absolutely 0 access noise unless you put your ear right up to the case.

i mean the dvd when you are watching your movie

meglamaniac · 28 Oct 2002, 21:17

Oh, I see.
No it doesn't, because it operates at DVD 1x, like a CD-ROM operates at CD 1x when playing audio discs. So no noise there.

BesigedB · 28 Oct 2002, 22:48

a true silent pc is yours.

Luckeh!!!! · 28 Oct 2002, 23:30

yeah, some ppl like quiet systems, some don't mind loud sound, i'm sort of in-between...

my m8 uses 2 Delta 80mm SCREEEEEEEEAMERS, literally sounds like a hovercraft is trying to get out!

JetLinus · 29 Oct 2002, 21:46

Nice and cool double fan silent cooler thingy...

Nice built japanese double featured cpu anti-burner ^^

And another super-liquid-below-freezing-point cooler

I would really like to get one of those, but I do seriously think they will produce a lot of noise...

djbass · 7 Nov 2002, 13:48

At least that's one thing the stock Intel fans have going for them is that they are quiet. No doubt if your one of these overclocker freaks (as most of your probably are) you feel the need for those massive astrocities that are thermaltake fans. I myself say why bother?

=[DJ Bass]=

meglamaniac · 7 Nov 2002, 14:12

Now I've fitted a quiet power supply as well, the whole thing is much quieter.
Before with my room door open, you could hear it from the kitchen (3 doors down the flat corridor). Now you can only just hear it outside my room.
MUCH better for movies.

7 Nov 2002, 16:17

Quote:

Originally posted by djbass
At least that's one thing the stock Intel fans have going for them is that they are quiet.
=[DJ Bass]=

well i ran a overclocked dual p3 with stock p3 boxed thingys
and the fans on the intel p3's cound like a whining litle.....

after moving to thermaltake golden orbs i lost 50% of the noise in the comp

normal p3 coolers deliver 35db+
a golden orb is 25db max.
since 3db is a doubling in volume this is very notable effects...
beside thermaltake orbs are far better than the standard blow-me coolers of intel

Luckeh!!!! · 8 Nov 2002, 00:05

technically speaking, increase of 3dbs is doubling the noise volume, but the average human ear/person can not tell if it really has doubled in volume, most people will percieve ~10db increase as a double in 'loudness'

8 Nov 2002, 22:12

ehhhr
a normal person should notice at btw 4-6db change depending on age and what frequency the change is in

Luckeh!!!! · 9 Nov 2002, 00:10

I didn't say ppl wouldn't notice a change, they just wouldn't percieve it as 'doubling' in volume.

JetLinus · 9 Nov 2002, 02:15

Quote:

Originally posted by javer
ehhhr
a normal person should notice at btw 4-6db change depending on age and what frequency the change is in

I always thought that dB is a real "nice" and "final" unit, ie. frequency and all that is considered.
So in the end a rise by x dB would always be said to be the same by people, no matter in which frequency.
What I mean is that dB is so "intelligent" that for higher frequencies the volume increase is different than for lower ones (if that is how nature works

Ah damnit I hope I did make myself clear -- if not don't worry and if I'm wrong I'm sorry....

Structural Integrity · 10 Nov 2002, 15:00

I'm going to buy one too I think, together with some casefans. I cannot bear the sound of my Volcano when watching movies.
Then I'm going to put in some nice sound insulation I bought for a few euros (didn't do that yet cause I don't have any casefans) and I'll be set for quite some hours of undisturbed movie-watching.

Anyway, how difficult is it to attach a new CPU fan (have never done that before) on an athlon XP? Are there any general tips, like placing it very straight, amounts of cooling paste, etc etc....

oh yeh,
and a DB-level is measured exponentionally, not linear... every 3 DB means a doubling in the amount of sound, like Luckeh said.
The reason for the formula being exponential is because else the numbers would get far to big to display.

meglamaniac · 10 Nov 2002, 16:58

yes.
Be careful when taking off the old one and putting on the new one not to apply too much pressure - Athlons are notorious for cracking when adding heatsinks. Having said that, you will have to push quite hard.
Make sure you clean off all the old thermal compound from the chip before applying the new stuff - the Zalman comes with some silicon based stuff but if you want supah-dupah conductivity get some of that Arctic Silver stuff. Only apply enough to just barely cover the chip itself (the little black bit in the middle of the dye) - too much can be worse than having none on at all.

Thats about it really.

I can happily run my Zalman thiingy at its lowest speed, and with no other fans in the PC except the ones on the PSU, it idles at around 59C and stresses at around 65C - perfectly within the Athlon XP operating range (I believe they can survive up to 75C) and it seems rock solid stability wise still.

[edit]
Thats an XP2000 btw - and afaik it isn't a palamino core so will run hotter than an XP2200 if what I'vebeen led to believe is true...

Luckeh!!!! · 10 Nov 2002, 17:41

There are some good instructions in PDF file format @ the AMD site. If you happen to choose Artic silver as your thermal material then help on applying that is here.

Quote:

Originally posted by meglamaniac

[edit]
Thats an XP2000 btw - and afaik it isn't a palamino core so will run hotter than an XP2200 if what I'vebeen led to believe is true...

What did you mean by this? You have a T-bred XP2000+?

All AMD Athlon XP CPUs upto 2100+ speeds are using a Palomino core, with exceptions of some of the latest AXPs that are using the T-bred core (i've only heard of the XP1700+)

On the T-bred/Palomino heat issue - The T-bred XP2200+ CPU actually produces less heat than the AXP1900+/2000+/2100+ CPU but due to the core shrink, there is less area to dissipate heat with the heatsink and therefore the running temperature is higher than the AXP2100+

Structural Integrity · 11 Nov 2002, 10:07

I have ordered my ZalMan cooler yesterday.
The article I just read doesn't mention any thermal grease at all.... does this mean it is not needed when installing a *new* heatsink, or do you still have to apply the grease?

*gets quite nervous about installing this thing*

[edit]
They also mention that after you've removed the foil from the conductive part, and misplaced the thing you can throw out the heatsink.... I believe this is a bit overdone, isn't it?
[/edit]

[edit2]
http://www.thermaltake.com/support/i...plusSocket.htm
http://www.zalman.co.kr/english/prod...stall-plus.htm
[/edit2]

meglamaniac · 11 Nov 2002, 11:04

Er - both those links mention thermal grease...
What foil part?

The thermal copmound/grease is not strictly necessary but it will improve the cooling significantly if you use some.

Just follow the diagram on the Zalman site - although for spreading the grease I normally use a bit of stiff card as it lets you get a very thin even layer, which is what you're after.

Structural Integrity · 11 Nov 2002, 11:14

Quote:

Originally posted by meglamaniac
Er - both those links mention thermal grease...
What foil part?

The AMD article I mentioned, no sign of grease, only somesort of sticker-like thingy on the bottom of the sink.

I presume there is no sticker-like thingy on the ZalMan then.

But does the Zalman come with thermal grease or do I have to purchase some myself?

meglamaniac · 11 Nov 2002, 12:45

Ahhhh, gotch.

The "sticker" is a thermal pad - its a cheaper option to thermal compound. When you turn the machine on for the first time the pad melts and does the same as the thermal compound, but if you ever remove the heatsink you need a new pad.

The Zalman does come with some silicon based thermal compound, yes.

hinch · 11 Nov 2002, 13:39

i like the noise my pc makes

6 case fans
2 processor fans/heatsings
2 mb fans
3 gfx card fans
2 soundcard fans

and a nice enermax 550w psu 3 fan jobbie

mind you i grew up on an RAF air base so i like the sound of jets flying over

Structural Integrity · 11 Nov 2002, 16:38

Quote:

Originally posted by hinchles
i like the noise my pc makes

6 case fans
2 processor fans/heatsings
2 mb fans
3 gfx card fans
2 soundcard fans

and a nice enermax 550w psu 3 fan jobbie

mind you i grew up on an RAF air base so i like the sound of jets flying over

lol..... I guess you don't watch many movies then....

Megla, I just read some more specs on that Zalman CU thingy and noticed that the weight of that heatsink is 450g. That is about 150g (or 50%) above AMD specs (300g).
have you noticed/done anything special when mounting/attaching the heatsink (except moving the case around very carefully)?

(I feel like a paranoid bitch today, gonna replace my very first cooler all on my own \o/)

BesigedB · 11 Nov 2002, 16:54

motherboard mounting holes?

meglamaniac · 11 Nov 2002, 16:54

Er - no.
I just make sure I'm careful moving the case about - basicly avoid any vertical shock to it (ie. put it down gently) and everything should be fine. It's not like its pulling the board apart - there's no bending and it seems to be very firmly fixed.

[edit]
BB posted before me but not before I'd started typing, so...
BB: No, it fixes on by the normal clip method. Afaik there is no provision on the unit for screw mounting (I never looked).

Vanilla · 11 Nov 2002, 17:01

I got one of them too!

I love the way i can turn the fan down, so at night i can't hear anything at all.

and it cools very well too.

Luckeh!!!! · 11 Nov 2002, 23:19

Quote:

Originally posted by Structural Integrity

lol..... I guess you don't watch many movies then....

Megla, I just read some more specs on that Zalman CU thingy and noticed that the weight of that heatsink is 450g. That is about 150g (or 50%) above AMD specs (300g).
have you noticed/done anything special when mounting/attaching the heatsink (except moving the case around very carefully)?

(I feel like a paranoid bitch today, gonna replace my very first cooler all on my own \o/)

300g only? sheesh, my heatsink is 600g!!! :eek:

hinch · 12 Nov 2002, 00:42

Quote:

Originally posted by Structural Integrity

lol..... I guess you don't watch many movies then....

i watch loadss theres 3 tv`s 3 dvd players and 2 surround sound systems dont need to sit on pc and watch them fs.

pc`s are for work and counterstrike

only prats that spend all their money on pc parts and not on a £80 dvd player watch movies on their pc fs.

before you say "but i download them"

invest in a little cd burner most of you have them already get a little copy of nero and burn them onto fking vcd`s and stop being silly about quiet pc`s

meglamaniac · 12 Nov 2002, 00:51

Provide me with a hall of residence flat big enough for a PC, TV, and DVD player and I'd be happy to oblige

hinch · 12 Nov 2002, 01:20

my old place at huddersfield uni was big enough

even the hell hole at sheffield city uni was big enough

xtothez · 30 Dec 2002, 01:09

Quote:

Originally posted by hinch
invest in a little cd burner most of you have them already get a little copy of nero and burn them onto fking vcd`s and stop being silly about quiet pc`s

Single 1gb high quality dix file + TV out > 2-disc VCDs in ****ty old MPEG1

meglamaniac · 30 Dec 2002, 01:20

Quite.
And then when you're done with that, you can play Rallisport Challenge on a nice big TV without having to buy truckloads of black boxes from Microsoft (litterally, with the size of the damn thing).

[edit]
Bloody hell xtothez, what were you doing digging this thing up?

xtothez · 30 Dec 2002, 01:36

Quote:

Originally posted by meglamaniac
[edit]
Bloody hell xtothez, what were you doing digging this thing up?

My mate is getting a new CPU and fan, so I was hunting for info on the copper flower thingy via the serach button, in order to link him : )

30 Dec 2002, 05:44

Quote:

Originally posted by hinch
i like the noise my pc makes

6 case fans
2 processor fans/heatsings
2 mb fans
3 gfx card fans
2 soundcard fans

and a nice enermax 550w psu 3 fan jobbie

mind you i grew up on an RAF air base so i like the sound of jets flying over

At last someone else who likes his PC noisey, mine is very noisey and I love it that way, I got up today and imediatly knew something was wrong, within seconds I had realised I had had a power cut and my PC was turned off (I realised because their was 'silence') As a result I decided to day to order a nice UPS...

Luckeh!!!! · 30 Dec 2002, 13:04

I'm not particularly bothered about noise either, on a particularly hot day I can have :

1 120mm front in-take
1 80mm rear exhaust
1 92mm PSU (extracting)
1 80mm PSU (extracting)
1 40mm front GFX
1 80mm rear GFX
1 80mm CPU
1 80mm HDD

It's winter right now, and all I really need is the CPU and rear exhaust, one fan on the GFX and 2 on the PSU are 'default'