Silent Cooler for a 125 watt AMD CPU

[genijus]

Hi. I wanna silence the AMD Phenom II 940 BE processor. It is a 125W TDP cpu and I need it to run very quietly, since I'm gonna be using it in a home based voice over / recording studio.

Currently I'm looking at Arctic Cooling A30, Thermaltake Frio 14, Scythe Kotetsu, ZALMAN CNPS9900 MAX....

I'll be using Zalman Z1 pc case.

Any thoughts, ppl?THANKS!!!

 

[Onus]

Frostytech.com has excellent cooler reviews, and maintains a list of the quietest coolers. I'd start there.
And, before any parrots start up, I do NOT recommend the CM Hyper EVO. Competitors are definitely quieter, and particularly in this non-stressful application will offer comparable cooling, for 20%-40% less money. This makes the Hyper EVO a bang/buck Loser, regardless of its other qualities.

 

[amd4lif3]

http://www.quietpc.com/shuriken-big-2


the review seems good

 

[amd4lif3]

ZALMAN CNPS9900 MAX you wrote this cooler i have it its sexy and quiet my cpu idles at 20-24 degrees

 

[genijus]

Problem is... the list of coolers I can get where I live is very short. Actually, I cannot find any cooler from the Top Low noise AMD cpu coolers list from the frostytech.com :|

 

[Onus]

Post a URL for a site where you can buy.

 

[genijus]

Hey, here's the URL: http://www.skytech.lt/ausintuvai-procesoriu-ausintuvai-c-86_85_116_115.html?sand=0&pav=2&sort=5a&grp=1&pagesize=500

 

[Onus]

Hmmm, Gammax coolers have typically reviewed well at HardwareSecrets. Perhaps http://www.skytech.lt/xdcgammaxxs40-deepcool-gammaxx-s40-universal-cooler-heatpipes-intel-socket-lga20-p-150412.html is a good choice.
You specifically mention silence though, and Scythe fans are excellent for low noise. I had an 80mm Scythe Ninja-mini that was dead silent despite the small fan. That would probably make http://www.skytech.lt/ksca0132-cpu-ausintuvas-scythe-katana-lga2011-p-121680.html a good choice too.

 

[Calculatron]

Of the coolers listed, I would have answered with the A30 Freezer. It offers good performance, and is insanely quiet. However, it might be too tall for your case - I have read threads where coolers that have a height of 160mm have issues fitting comfortably inside the Zalman Z1.

Of the site you linked, the cooler I have the most confidence recommending to fit your specifications is this: http://www.skytech.lt/bk009-quiet-pure-rock-cpu-cooler-775115011551156136620113754939940am2-p-216605.html

This cooler should have no problems fitting, since it is 155mm tall. Be Quiet! makes good quality items.

 

[genijus]

My friend said that he was able to put CM EVO which a 159 mm cooler in Zalman Z1 case, so the A30 cooler which is 161 mm shouldn't be a problem.

Do you guys think this would be the quietest solution for an old AMD Black Edition system?

 

[Calculatron]

The Arctic Cooling F12 fan that it comes with are pretty quiet. They have a maximum RPM (+/- 10%) of 1350, and move a surprising amount of air for that speed. The sound is pretty close to a Noctua NF-F12, but the Arctic Cooling fan makes more of a "whoosh" than a motor "whir", since it moves more air and has less of a motor spin.

If you know for sure that it'll fit, I'd definitely cast my vote for the A30 Freezer.

 

[genijus]

Ok, so I'll now just wait for my Z1 case to arrive and probably get this cooler IF nothing changes. Thanks!