Good CPU fan or not?

Now, if you didn't have one of those "budget" things people keep telling me about, you'd get a Zalman 9700 or 9500...I guess what I'm saying is, check one of those out on Newegg and then pluck another couple twenties out of your wallet, see which is prettier, and if you like the fan over the cash, start measuring your case.

Apologies for going totally off-topic.
 
StrangleHold said:
I like the Zerotherm, only 10 bucks more after rebate plus free shipping.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835887011
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Looks like a nice deal but I'm more into tower style with the fan either inside the heatsink or on top of it. I'm picky with this stuff! :P

dave_w said:
Now, if you didn't have one of those "budget" things people keep telling me about, you'd get a Zalman 9700 or 9500...I guess what I'm saying is, check one of those out on Newegg and then pluck another couple twenties out of your wallet, see which is prettier, and if you like the fan over the cash, start measuring your case.

Apologies for going totally off-topic.
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diduknowthat said:
Ehh..the 9500 and 9700 are good, but they're also really expensive and loud.

Do check out the Scythe Ninja, it's a very capable heatsink, you can even run it passively if you have good ventilation.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185038
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Yeah, I had considered the 9500/9700 but again, they're a bit expensive. The Scythe Ninja seems like a pretty good option, the optional fan would go on top of the heatsink right?
 
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ramodkk said:
Looks like a nice deal but I'm more into tower style with the fan either inside the heatsink or on top of it. I'm picky with this stuff! :P





Yeah, I had considered the 9500/9700 but again, they're a bit expensive. The Scythe Ninja seems like a pretty good option, the optional fan would go on top of the heatsink right?
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Nah, it clips onto the side, and blows across the heatsink.
 
Oh, nevermind then, I was looking for some purty fan on top or a sexy ass plate on top like the ASUS one... :D
 
Zalman makes some nice smaller fans that have fans mounted vertically (facing out in the direction of the side of the case. Problem with that design is that it could potentially interfere with memory modules on some boards. The 9700 does on mine, the 9500 probably wouldn't.

Another argument I can think of against the side-oriented fan is the way air moves through your case. It comes in the front and exits out through the rear exhaust fan. The way my 9700 is mounted (and the way any HSF with that orientation works), air flows through the fan and over the blades of the heatsink, and then gets sucked right out the back in one long stream of airflow. If you have a case with a front fan mounted at around that height, you can look through the case and see what I'm talking about: direct, efficient airflow.

A fan that directs air out has a more convoluted circulation pattern that's not as good at evacuating air quickly. It blows air into the side of the case, and even if you have a vent fan there, it's still not as good or as efficient as an uninterrupted a front-to-back flow.

That said, most people probably won't need or want to care that much. Aesthetics (to a point) is as valid a reason to choose a part as performance.

Oh, and I've never really found the 9700 to be particularly loud. That's why I like it--when I want it to be quiet, I can crank it down 1000rpm or so and not hear it, or give it the full 2920 when I need maximum cooling.
 
colt1911 said:
I'm giving up my 9700 for this with two blue led fans one mounted on each side. On most overclocking forums this is the number one air cooled heatsink.

http://www.tankguys.com/product_info.php?products_id=1735
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Yup, that is widely considered the absolute best heatsink out there.

ramodkk said:
Oh, nevermind then, I was looking for some purty fan on top or a sexy ass plate on top like the ASUS one... :D
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I would stick with the good looking plate. Top down coolers are really falling behind in performance nowadays. Tower heatsinks are more efficient because they blow air directly out of your case.
 
Zaleman are great I got two Zaleman Aero Flower coolers in this case thaught they wouldn't fit in when I got them their huge.
 
Thanks for all the input guys.

Yeah after what dave w and didyouknowthat's comments, I realized that I definately want a tower cooler so scratch the top>down cooler off the list :D

Right now, currently I'm considering Tuniq Tower, ASUS V-60 and Zalman 9700/9500

Any comments?
 
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