passive cooling for X2 3800?

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mcgruff

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Feb 22, 2006
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This might sound like a daft question for a modern processor (it's been a few years since my last PC) but I'd like to ask if anyone knows if there is any kind of passive (fanless) cooler (apart from a hydrogen oxide solution) which can cope with a X2 3800?

Ta.

PS: I'm not thinking about overclocking.
 
I think the best out there is this one:

http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/4in1heatpipe/cl-p0071SonicTower/cl-p0071.htm

It doesn't specifically state it supports the X2 3800, but you can give it a shot. I've seen some reviews on it and they were all positive. At 170 watts (WAY beyond the X2 3800+), the processor heated up to about 48C-well within the thermal limits of the 3800+. I believe the rated thermal wattage of the 3800+ is around 90 something. Here's some reviews

http://www.a1-electronics.net/Heatsinks/2005/3rd/Thermaltake_Sonic-T_Apr.shtml
http://www.cluboverclocker.com/reviews/heatsinks/thermaltake/sonic_tower/
http://www.cluboverclocker.com/reviews/heatsinks/thermaltake/sonic_tower/
http://www.techniz.co.uk/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=199

The latter used a 2.0Ghz Athlon64. The 3800+ runs at 1.8Ghz. So I believe the sonic tower would be an excellent cooler for it a 3800+.

There's only one drawback to this thing... it's size. It's very, very tall. So make sure you case can fit it. (dimension are posted on thermaltake's page).
 
Whats wrong with stock cooling with your 2x 3800? Mine idles 28*C and 35*C under heavy load. Thats non OC'd. When i do OC then it still never goes above 50*C.
 
Sure - I'd like to have a really quiet system though. Although it will be primarily intended for work, I play a few instruments and I'm hoping to get into some music-making. It looks possible to dump most of the fans: passive chipset & CPU cooler, maybe a fanless PSU. I won't need a fire-breathing graphics monster so integrated graphics loses another source of noise. Not sure if I'll get away without a case fan but the best, quiet ones won't break the bank.
 
If your just want a quiet system, buy a heatsink that you think is good, then buy a very quiet fan for it, if you buy a heatsink that can have a 120mm fan, which i suggest getting, then i will aslo suggest this fan, it is unbleviebly quiet, but also has a very low cfm.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811999072

This is one of the best coolers out there, just replace the fan with the one in the link above, and you will have a very quiet setup.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835154001

Also what kind of fans do you have in your case already?
 
what kind of fans do you have in your case already?
Click to expand...
Still planning what bits to buy. My current PC is an ancient (and noisy) duron 700 which doesn't even have any case fans. Things seem to have moved on a little since its heyday getting hotter and even windier but I'd like to put together a good, low-noise system.

It's definitely time for an upgrade 😉.
 
It's all about the fan in the middle, much more effecient at cooling the fins than a fan mounted on a side, go ahead jesse make the switch, you wont regret it. Also, if your going to buy case fans once again buy a case which can have a 120mm fan, and buy the fan in my post before, quietest fans ever.
Do you plan on getting a graphics card, or do you already one, those tend to be one of the noisiest parts of a persons computer.
 
I'd go with the ninja over anything. All the hype you read about it is true. With C&Q disabled my x2 4400+ at stock speeds idles at 26C-27C. Running 2 instances of F@H for over 6 hours gets up to 40C. Using a Nexus 120mm fan on it, the thing runs at 12v and I cannot hear it. With C&Q enabled idle/browsing/etc sits around 22C-24C. I've read of a few people using the Ninja to run passive on x2 4200, so a x2 3800 can definitely be done. I would check out Silentpcreview.com's forums for any info. Here's my setup:

System.jpg


I have a P180 with 3 case fans total, all 120mm Yate Loons. They're about as quiet as the Nexus, but push a bit more air.
 
Both the Scythe and the Tuniq tower 120 are great coolers, however I like the design of the fan in the middle of the heatsink, just seems to give it more class, with no big fan sticking out. Really either one is great, pick one, it won't make a big difference.

And if you are planning on buying a graphics card, make sure to put an Arctic Cooling Silencer on it, they are so quiet and push the hot air right out of the case, which could help a lot in your case, 1 less thing that pushes hot air all throughout your case.
 
Do you plan on getting a graphics card, or do you already one, those tend to be one of the noisiest parts of a persons computer.
Click to expand...
I won't need a graphics card so a mobo like the Foxconn 6150K8MA-8EKRS (integrated graphics) will be ideal. It's also got fan-free chipset cooling so that's yet another leaf blower avoided (perhaps all the nvidia 6150/430 boards do - not sure).

Thanks to everyone for some great info. Good to hear that X2 CPUs can survive passive cooling. I've seen the Sonic Tower on sale in the UK for only twice the price of a fan. Looks like a good buy and of course I've got several other options to look at, above.

:)
 
If you haven't already comitted to something, realize that passively cooled heatsinks still require air circulation (read case fans). So a quiet CPU fan may end up being better than 2 or 3 quiet case fans. just my $.02.

If you have money to burn, CHECK OUT THIS LINK

Zalman introduced the first Totally No Noise system, the TNN-500, in 2003 to a great deal of excitement in the silent computing community. There were other fanless, passively cooled systems such as the Hush, Niveus Media, Mappit, Tranquil PC and others, but these were complete computers with little or no user-adjustable hardware, often difficult to upgrade seriously. The TNN-500 was the first DIY-oriented offering of its kind, meant for use with any standard desktop components. The completely fanless case, power supply and heatpipe-based cooling system was massive, heavy, and very expensive, well over US$1,000 initially.
Click to expand...
 
Yeah - thanks. I'm planning to try a single 120mm case fan. The PSU will be a Seasonic S12 330 which I hear sucks quite a lot of air out the case so I'm hoping the two together will create a nice draught. I might even try turning the case fan down gradually to see if the PSU can do the job on its own but I'm expecting I will need it.
 
sonic tower?? i dont know about you but i wouldnt want a frekin condo on my mobo realestate.. (if you live in vegas you kinda get the joke...)

i frekin tornado comes and rips a hole in the mobo form the weight of that thing.. heh

that zalman case looks cool though...
 
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