In my recently purchased PC (which was always destined for Media Center use) I found it was very noisy. There was only one place the noise could be coming from. The nVidia 7600GS has a heatsink on it, the power supply was a silent model (which is pretty quiet) and with the case fan unplugged, noise levels didn't reduce. That left this monster to be causing the incredible vibration and noise:
Intel's stock CPU "Jet Engine" (in noise only) Fan
The stock Intel CPU fan is sooooooo loud it is ridiculous. The first night I sat down in a quiet room to watch TV I decided that this piece of junk had to go. I wanted something that would be very quiet, and I read up on the various options. I looked at some low db fans, but then I came across a Thermaltake Sonic Tower silent CPU cooler. This cooler was actually a heatsink, which had no fan therefore not making a sound.
The Thermaltake Sonic Tower Silent Cooler - 0db of cooling goodness!!
I bought it from ARC for $57. They didn't have one in stock at my local store on Friday so they transferred one, and I picked it up yesterday (the following Tuesday). While I was there I picked up some AS5. I'm glad I did because the included paste looks crap :P
When I first took a look at it I could not believe how ENORMOUS this thing is. I did read the dimensions on the website but I wasn't quite prepared. It looked a lot smaller in the photos. I was very worried that it would be too high and I wouldn't be able to reattach the side cover (of the PC case).
Anyway I took the plunge and started to remove the original Intel jet engine. Following the instructions for removal from the processor booklet, I couldn't get it out. I didn't want to pull too hard in fear of damaging the MB/CPU/CPU Socket. I reread the removal instructions but they didn't help. I finally tried twisting the engine a little bit back and forth and finally the thermal paste let go and it came out.
The Pentium D 805 after the Jet Engine was removed
My Gigabyte 8VT880PT Combo Motherboard with fan removed
Now that it was out of the way the next step is to install the mounting brackets. To install them you have to remove the mother board and screw them on from the bottom. I had to remove all the PCI Cards, the graphics card and disconnect most of the cables from the motherboard. I left the cables for the front lights connected though, as they would have been a pain to reconnect. I didn't need to remove the RAM either. It wasn't too hard to screw the brackets on using the 4 screws (with washers). The screws you need at in a bag labelled LGA775.
The mounting brackets installed
I then reconnected all of the cables to the MB. I knew once the cooler was in it would be a lot more cramped.
Next up was to apply the thermal paste. I bought some Arctic Silver 5 as I wanted the best. I am glad I did as the included paste looked really lame. Then it was time to attach the cooler. It was then that I started to have a little trouble. Following the instructions, it said to attach a metal bar between the brackets over the copper heatsink. I screwed one side of the bar down, but when I tried to screw down the other it was raised 2-3cm in the air. There was no way I was going to be able to screw it down.
After reading and rereading the directions I had the idea of loosening the side I had already screwed down. That worked, and after a lot of mucking around I was able to get the other screw in. I then screwed them each in a little way at a time. Perfect!!
Now the cooler was installed
All Done
With the GPU back in to see that the PC still works
To increase airflow over the new cooler I relocated the side case fan to be right next to the heatsink. I intend to get at least one more fan to attach to the side of the case.
The case fan relocated to the back of the PC
So far the temperatures have been really good. The max it has reached is 48C under heavy load, with the GPU hitting about 100C. Both CPU and GPU now have passive coolers, and are doing really well considering only the small fan to bring in cool air. Those temps should drop further when I get an additional fan or two (depending where they will fit).
The only problem that I encountered was the size. I didn't realise how big this thing really was. I was very lucky in that it fitted in my case. The clearance between the top over the cooler and the side of my case is only about 2-3mm
Look ma, it fits.....just!
I highly recommend this cooler, and will post an update here when I add some additional silent fans.
