I finally put Antec Thermal grease on the CPU, and the CPU went down to 117-120° F, with a max at 123°F. I definitely applied MORE thermal grease than what was originally on the HSF, and it made it 1 degree cooler than with the thermal paste that came on it did. As such, what did NOT change was the RPM of the HSF, it basically stayed the same, unless i put a case fan at the rear (which i explain more about toward the end of this post) the RPM of the HSF hardly drops by less than 100 to around 2519-2596 RPM, whereas before it was 2615-2741 RPM. As i describe below, the case fan plunges the CPU temp down by 4-5 degrees, why doesn't the RPM go down by at least 500
are you sure it's not your PSU? i have the same one and its the noisiest thing in my case
That's very UNlikely. Antec Earthwatts are among the most quiet (but certainly NOT the quietest) PSUs, and are made by Seasonic. Judging from your setup, those Graphics cards or your HSF is what's the loudest. Besides, i already un-plugged the HSF, and it was MUCH quieter.
fortyways said:
About the Xigmatek fan, I think it should fit in your case, but there's also a 92mm version. Also, don't pay attention to manufacturer's dBa ratings (they're unreliable); seek third party reviews instead. Moreover, the nice thing about those coolers is that the fan can be replaced by any 120mm case fan, just like you'd switch out any other fan.
Ah, thanks for that link, it showed how the fan attaches to the heatsink. But, how do they test the noise of the HSF at 5V, 7V, 9V AND 12V
Does the "CPU Quiet Fan" setting in my BIOS undervolt the HSF to lower the RPM, too? Speaking of HSFs, which of the following do you recommend: Thermaltake Silent 775D, Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro, Zerotherm CF800/ CF900, Rosewill RCX-Z775-SL / RCX-Z775-LX, or ZeroTherm Zen FZ120?
By the way, any particular reason you don't have an exhaust fan? That's not helping.
If you mean a case fan in the back, i just installed an Antec TriCool 80mm fan there. It has a nice switch that controls its level, at low its 1400-1500 RPM, medium at 1900-2000 RPM, and high at 2600 RPM. It cooled the CPU about 4 degrees down to 113° F, even at low level
At high, i did NOT notice it any cooler than on low, and at 2600 RPM, high is loud.