Hi all,
My home computer, a Medion PC is great in every way, except for it's incredibly noisy fan. I'm talking so damn loud that if I set a Maya render running overnight, with two closed doors between it and me, I can't sleep because it's there in the background like a force 10 gale!
These days all it needs is as little as 16% CPU for it to go crazy and it's finally driven me over the edge! Question is, will a new fan be of benefit, or is there something else amiss?
Here's the facts.
1) It's the Prescott core, hyperthreaded 3.4GHz CPU, which I hear runs pretty hot
2) The fan has a black plastic cowling attached to it, which is a direct wind-tunnel to the vents at the side of the case
3) There's no case fan
4) The PSU's fan does not point out the back, but internally down, pointing towards the processor (hence the cowling I guess)
5) The PC is a multimedia PC, therefore it's choc full of stuff including a TV card.
6) It's a model PC MT6, type MED MT 313
There are some pretty elaborate looking coolers & fans out there. This one, for example: http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/intelcooling/mine looks like it will do the trick, but I'm concerned that it won't fit properly. I'll certainly have to ditch the cowling, which runs the risk of the PSU heat negating the cooler's ability.
Might there be something else wrong, such as a thermostat failure/calibration? I downloaded an app to allow fan control once but got a BSOD when it overheated (since been uninstalled!).
Thanks in advance,
Christian
We use heatpipe collers on our Prescott machines - I can't say they're any quieter than stock HSF but they are more effective.
£30 isn't a bad punt to find out - besides it might run the chip cooler anyway.
I'd also suggest that you install a couple of low noise fans to suck in the front and blow out of the back. As you can imagine AIRFLOW IS KING!
Christian
I would only change the heatsink if the CPU is overheating. Otherwise I would look to get a new, quiter, fan of the same size and a fan controller. If you don't want to get a panel which fits the front of the PC you could get a zalman fanmate 2 which has a simple speed control. You can get the fanmate and some decent fans from Quiet PC.
Also, as Gavin said, get a couple of medium spec fans for the case.
Got this sorted. Spoke with one of the guys at Quiet PC who had me take photos of my PC's innards, gave him a few key facts (CPU mount, etc.) and he recommended me a new Zalman heatsink. Arrived this morning and was a tough install - I had to remove everything to get under the motherboard! But my PC is now as quiet as a sleeping baby and it's a good 8-10 degrees cooler when running Maya renders at 100% CPU.
Thanks for the tips.
C