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CPU heatsink/fan

PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 4:43 pm
by soundguy
I'm getting ready to order parts for a new computer build featuring an i5-3570K and am interested in making this box as quiet as practical, and I do emphasize practical. It will sit in an office space that is sometimes a studio.

My question is how much "noise" is reduced by trying to find an alternate CPU heatsink/cooler/fan system (most of which look like a lunar lander) as opposed to using the standard fan that comes with the Intel CPU? Does "cooler" mean "quieter", because it's hard to find convincing data. And if I decide to go with the standard fan, how much hassle is it to change after initial installation if it turns out to be too noisy?

I know there are noise advantages finding quieter alternatives to the case, case fan and PS fan which I will pursue, but I wonder about the CPU buried in the box.

Soundguy

Re: CPU heatsink/fan

PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 5:55 pm
by jlepore
Personally, I think the real noise in in the case fans, not the CPU fan. While it is easy to change out a CPU fan setup later (just need more silicon grease which is cheap), I tend to stay with the manufacturer recommended setup if for no other reason, if something goes bad, it's one less thing for them to blame. Personally, I have never had one fail in normal life. I won't count the 10+ year old machine that was still running NT4 that finally blew a fan - but not the CPU.

I generally find it's the hard drives making most of the noise. It was freaky in my SSD only machine how quiet it ran. I thought the fans had all failed.

Re: CPU heatsink/fan

PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 7:14 pm
by soundguy
I think I'll roll with standard CPU cooling and an Antec quiet case with sound reduction features in the hard drive bays. If it's still too noisy, I'll deal with it after the fact.

Soundguy

Re: CPU heatsink/fan

PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2012 11:49 pm
by gdougherty
+1, Stock Intel coolers run pretty quiet. They're next to dead quiet at lower loads that you might encounter while tracking, unless you're monitoring and adding all sorts of channel processing. Even then, Reaper with a basic mix on 20-24 channels, including reaper EQ, some 3rd party compression, a touch of gating, reverbs, submixing, etc. pushes all of 3-4% CPU load on my i5-2400K.

Re: CPU heatsink/fan

PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 12:32 pm
by Andy Hamm
The factor which equates to quietness of a fan is it's size. Larger fans can spin at lower RPM to produce the same airflow, so therefor they are quieter. I've had to deal with specing out pc's for on air rooms in radio stations, and this was the determining factor.