Silently cooling P750

[ncfoster]

Hi all,

I just purchased a SilenX power supply. Wow, what a difference in noise levels, even from my previous Antec, which was not nearly as bad as others I've had.

So, I notice that there is still a little noise coming from the computer. Given the fans that I have in the machine, it would seem that the most likely culprit is certainly the tiny little fan on the P750.

I know I've seen threads about using the Zalman heatpipes on Parhelias, but I believe that there are different considerations, depending on which Parhelia you have.

Has anyone done this with a P750, and how difficult is it? I don't want to do anything too risky or difficult, but I would love to get this machine down to almost zero noise. Any help is appreciated. I'm willing to consider products other than the Zalman heatpipes, if something is better. Thanks.

Nathan

[RUS007]

Too many passive cooling solutions in the pc will make everything over heat in time. When you use a passive cooling solution on the VGA you must make sure you have sufficient air flow in the case or it won’t work.

[Wombat]

Work on your hard drives first.

[ncfoster]

Well I had my hard drives in those SilentDrive enclosures, and while I cannot be sure, I believe that that may have been causing me some problems (those thermal stickers they gave me were reading the maximum 65 degrees when I took them out this last week). I am now waiting for the aluminum versions that are supposed to be much more heat friendly.

The thing with hard drives is that they make noise, but much of that noise is from the seeking, not the constant hum (yes, I know there is some of that). So, I can deal with that better than humming and/or whining noises.

So, back to my original question, can this be done, and how hard is it? Yes, I understand the airflow considerations, though I could stand to improve mine a little.

Nathan

[DC]

Hi,
I have made my P750 passive with the Zalman HP50 (I believe its the HP50) and use only the Front-Part of the cooler without the heatpipes.
Wors fine for me, but I do not play any games or much 3D.

I had to use this Heatpipe, because I have it in an XPC with no extra space between AGP and the case. The most coolers are too large.

DC

[TMM]

Personally, I've just installed my new P750, replacing my old G550.

However, the fan noise is certainly quite noticeable. I purchased my new card because I need to run 2 monitors + TV, since the computer is located in my living room - this also means it's got to be as quiet as possible.

Any other opinions/experiences on passive cooling (or a low-noise fan) would be greatly appreciated.

Please advise...

Regards,

TMM

[ncfoster]

Somebody on another forum recommended a quiet replacement HS/fan for the P750, but all of the distributers seemed to be in Germany. I still REALLY want to replace the stock fan, since it is at this point CLEARLY the loudest part in my computer. I don't game much at all, really, but I don't think I want to risk something completely passive.

Nathan

[TMM]

Nathan, do you have the make and model number for that quiet fan? I'd sure like to give it a try if it's available here...

TMM

[UtwigMU]

- buy P650 with 3head upgrade
- resell P750

result = quiet "P750" without voiding warranty.

Before that open and stop each fan by hand (carefully) to see what's the cause of noise. For instance my friend got quiet PSU, Zalman heatsink, etc.. and then his 20GB 7200HDD was the main cause of noise.

[TMM]

P650 with upgrade...? What would be the difference between this one and the P750 then?

The last steps have been taken, the P750 is responsible for 80% of overall noise... I'd really love to get rid of it.

[Mikko]

P650 with upgrade...? What would be the difference between this one and the P750 then?

P650 does not have a fan at all, so it's fully noiseless. With an optional "TripleHead Upgrade Kit" you'll get the same features P750 has by default (triplehead, dualheal+TV etc.).

[dZeus]

slightly lower clockspeeds I think. Not that much though

[PAugustin]

Get a Zalman ZM-80D, it's a passive cooling solution. I use it on my P8X with a low RPM fan attached to it. For P750 the fan won't be needed.
I posted a topic about this last year, you can try to look for it.

[ncfoster]

Ok, so I broke down and got a Zalman ZM-80D-HP. I installed it on my P750, and so far, so good <knock on wood>. There is one slight problem, though, and I am wondering whether this is normal. Instead of everything lining up nicely, so that the heatsinks are all square with the board itself, they are slanted somewhat (I would guess 10 degrees maybe). So, luckily, it is not slanted so much as to make it not fit in place, but it is just odd. I would assume that others have done the same thing, as the only way that I could see avoiding this would be to mod the heatsinks or the retaining "clips", or whatever they are called. My thought is that operation should be unaffected by this problem, particularly since the card is in a tower case, so the orientation shouldn't be a significant concern along that axis.

Anyone have any insight?

Nathan