Low Powered Passively Cooled 775 CPU

[caveman178355]

I recently built a media PC for playing 1080p movies and content. It is in a compact case with one 90/80 mm fan (can't remember which size) and a socket 775 motherboard. However the CPU fan is very loud, due to how much airflow there is.

I was wondering what is A) A good, low powered 775 CPU, B) A good passive cooler or small 775 compatible fan cooler and C) A relatively quiet 90/80 mm fan.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Darkbreeze]

A you using the stock cooler? What is your budget for a cooler?

Do you know the model number of your current case fan or did it come with the case? If so, what is the model of the case?

There really aren't many "low powered" socket 775 CPUs, as that's a relatively old platform. What is the model of your current CPU?

Do you have a graphics card installed, and if so, what is the model number of that?

 

[SkyNetRising]

You can downclock your CPU (by limiting max multiplier) so it draws less power. That way no CPU change would be necessary.
For cooler reccomendation - you need to provide case model .. and CPU model also.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Decreasing the performance of the CPU isn't a solution, it's a band aid, at best. Surely there are much better solutions to be had, that don't require crippling the performance of the system. The only time I recommend doing that is on FX-9xxx series systems that simply cannot be coped with by the majority of motherboards.

 

[caveman178355]

Yes I am using stock cooler, and don't really have a budget for a new one (as I can just save up). It's the stock case fan that came with my case, which is the CiT MTX 005B. And I believe I have the Pentium e2180 (I'm not certain but can't check right now)

 

[Darkbreeze]

These should fit you case, but you might want to verify for yourself before you order them. I'm pretty sure the max cpu cooler height is 45mm and that your case supports 80mm case fans, but I can't seem to find a product page for that case, only vendor listings.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9a 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.19 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-R8 redux-1800 31.4 CFM 80mm Fan ($9.95 @ Amazon)
Total: $49.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-08 22:15 EST-0500

 

[SkyNetRising]

That case supports 60mm case fan (not 80mm).

 

[Darkbreeze]

Then you can either mod the case to accept a larger fan, or use one of these:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Case Fan: Noctua NF-A6x25 17.2 CFM 60mm Fan ($13.39 @ OutletPC)
Total: $13.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-09 13:18 EST-0500

 

[DJSlofstra]

I would use a newer LGA775 Core2Duo CPU with 45nm. They run quite cold. You can generally undervolt these cpu's to let them run less hot. They can get quite efficiënt. If this isn't sufficient, you can always underclock them to around 2GHz. Keep in mind that if you use onboard graphics, you need quite some CPU power to run 1080P youtube videos.

 

[caveman178355]

Such as the e8400 or e8500?

 

[DJSlofstra]

Yeah I think the E8400 or E8500 will be a perfect chip. The chips sold with higher clock speeds, such as the 8500, quite often meet better power targets then the lower clocked chips. This is why almost every cpu of the 45nm dual core line up has a TDP of 65W, regardless of the stock clock speed. The E8500 has a stock TDP of 65W. If you underclock and undervolt it, you will probably be able to create a quite power efficiënt chip.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I thought you already had a processor. The e2180? Do you NOT already have that, or are you just looking to upgrade to something faster?

 

[caveman178355]

I have an e4000 I think, and am looking for a higher power but less wattage/ cooler cpu. I think I'll go for a 45nm one (e8500 probably) and a Noctua intake. I'm not certain on what CPU cooler to get though

 

[Darkbreeze]

So are you looking to get something new or used. We need to know exactly what model of CPU you have too. The E4000 is a series of CPUs, not a model. And the E8500 is 65w, which is exactly the same as all five of the E4000 series CPUs ranging from 1.8 to 2.6Ghz, so you're not going to reduce any power there.

 

[caveman178355]

I have the Intel e4400, a 65nm cpu, surely an e800 cpu will run cooler with it being 45nm? And power from the wall is not such an issue. And I don't mind whether I buy new or used, so longs it works really.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Both the e4400 and e8500 are 65w processors. The e8600 is a full 1.33Ghz faster than your current chip though, which is pretty significant, and it's also still available and not expensive. If you must upgrade your current platform rather than upgrading TO a new platform, this is probably your best option:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 3.33Ghz Dual-Core OEM/Tray Processor ($37.95 @ Amazon)
Total: $37.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-14 03:44 EDT-0400

 

[caveman178355]

Okay, thanks a lot. Sorry for not providing all info in the first post 🙁 :lol:

 

[Darkbreeze]

It's all good. We rarely see that happen so we're used to it.