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Best External WC Setup?

P

PawNtheSandman

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Mar 13, 2003
Messages
1,410
I'm looking for an external QUIET setup. I do not overclock, but I would like my temps to be cooler or the same than my current setup.

I am now using a Thermalright SLK-800 with Smart Fan 2. It sounds like a jet engine in my room but the temps average in the 40's celsius.

Which external setup would you recommend?

Titan TWC-A04
Zalman Reserator
Koolance Exos AL
Thermaltake Aquarius III
or other (if so, what)
 
My girlfriend gave me a Reserator because she couldnt stand the Tornado at full rpm anymore (on the slk-800 :)) I love the thing, all I ever hear now is the cd drive spin up. I dont know about the others but the Res is 100% silent and cools a bit better than my tornado/skl800 setup. With the slk my idle was about 94°F and load was around 102-106°F depending on room temp. With the Res my idle is 89°F and load is 98°F. And thats with an xp2400+ overclocked to 2.25ghz.
 
Humm, lets see now, which one should I recommend ??
Well you just might like the Koolance Exos ! :)
Since you're not gonna be OCing then on the two lower settings you can't hardly hear it running !
 
I vote for the Exos as well..easy setup, and quality stuff. I can hear me typing because I can't hear my pc with the Exos....:)
 
If you arent OCing the reserator will be 100% silent and will work well. Its whole design is based on what you are looking for. Silent at stock speeds. you cant hear the fan becaouse it doesnt have one.
 
I have a koolance. It's a great product, and it works well. However, it is not Absolutely silent. It's the equivalent of a whisper on the 45% modes. at 100% it's fairly loud, you can imagine 3 80mm fans running full. However, the 100% speed mode is really quite useless. It has one mode where it gradually speeds up if the temperature begins to rise, and that's what I keep it on. It will speed up if it goes above 35c on the CPU block.

That being said, Exos is a good product for your needs.
Also, consider the Zalman Reserator. That is deemed to be absolutely silent. But it does not have much overclocking potential, and is not nearly as sweet-looking or convenient as an Exos resting on top of a case.

Also, consider the prices... Zalman Reserator w/ CPU block is about $240
I got my Exos (non-AL) w/ CPU block AND GPU block for about $280.
Without a GPU block, exos will also be around $240.

I just don't know if it's worth the money just to silence your comp. If you were overclocking it would benifit. Otherwise, go with some quieter air cooling, e.g. Zalman's 7000 series heatsinks.
 
The heatsink is not the problem, it is the fan. I have tried numerous fans over the years with different heatsinks and it is the HSF which drives me nuts.
 
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