Fanless colling for the CPU.

[Ranulf]

If you want small look at the Define Mini C or Define Nano S. No fan speed switch built in but should be quiet while letting fans move some air.

 

[coercitiv]

If you want small look at the Define Mini C or Define Nano S. No fan speed switch built in but should be quiet while letting fans move some air.

Fractal's Define cases are excellent for actively cooled systems with medium size, but when it comes down to building really small systems they can hardly be the first choice.

The Metis is 40% the volume of the Define Mini C and 50% the volume of the Define Nano S, and when building a small system with a minimum amount of airflow I would definitely opt for a 100% aluminum case. My HTPC case dissipates a considerable amount of internal heat through the entire case surface. By contrast my Define Mini C has only some warm spots.

That being said, if the volume is not that big of a deal (though I assume it would be for the OP), the Define cases have a much better suited layout for semi-passive cooling since hey can be configured for vertical airflow, which is far more efficient when considering passive or semi-passive cooling. Two 140mm or 120mm fans placed on top of the Define Nano S running at 300-500 rpm would do wonders for the setup, while being virtually inaudible. Depending on load and ambient temps they might not even have to spin.

 

[Glo.]

We have decided to change a little this build. GTX 1050 Ti is going to be replaced with GTX 1050 MSI Aero, and then replaced by GTX 2050-2050 ti depending on its performance, 35W TDP 4C/4T i3, when it will be released by Intel, and XFX XTS fanless PSU replaced by semi-passive Corsair SF450 PSU. We still target fanless cooling of the CPU with just the exhaust fan for the case - Cryorig QF120 Silent.

So all of those changes make it better airflow in the case.

 

[coercitiv]

GTX 1050 Ti is going to be replaced with GTX 1050 MSI Aero

I have the 1050ti Aero and can tell you there's potential for disappointment with this card - fan makes a distinct noise even at minimum rpm, and will always spin. Even if I had bad luck getting a noisy fan sample, I would not recommend this card for a silent setup.

fanless PSU replaced by semi-passive Corsair SF450 PSU.

My HTPC has this PSU equipped, can confirm fan will not spin up even at 100W+ continuous load.

 

[Glo.]

I heard that very silent GP107 GPU is actually Zotac OC shroud on both: GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti. Can anyone confirm this?

 

[mindless1]

The reason for this task is simple. A person who requested this was sitting in front of 45-50 dB laptop for last 5 years...

And he is sick of this, and wants to go as silent as possible, even fanless. My idea is that if he wants to go fanless, and SFF, desktop computer, the GPU is using in typical load around 54-55W, and peaks at 60W of power consumed. I can even go in January, or whenever Intel will release 35W 4C Coffee Lake CPU, and stick it under the cooler. Total power draw of this computer, under heavy load should be around 90-95W of power, and it should be possible to run it fanless.

You should erode his delusions. Being tired of a loud system is not a reason to go to extremes on a tangent, thinking arbitrarily that the best solution is the fewest fans possible, let alone none - unless you just like to ruin the lifespan of your hardware and your stability gaming.

Can it be done? Sure, and is most often done in custom setups with much attention to detail and need to constantly monitor temperature. There is no way around it running hotter which directly causes shorter lifespan and that at higher cost.

It makes no sense. Fans don't have to make a distracting level of noise. Some are even inaudible. Certainly an inaudible fan still moves more air than no fan. It is very easy to drop temperatures by more than 15C with a single inaudible fan, or add a 2nd fan also at an inaudible RPM if a single fan does not provide enough airflow for the target temperature(s).

You do NOT need to use specific, expensive fans to achieve this. Practically any reasonable quality, large diameter fan (9cm or larger) that's 1" or thinner can be quite low noise if kept below 1000RPM, or lower still if there are nearby obstructions causing turbulence. There are motherboard fan controllers, standalone controllers, 5 cents spent on diodes or resistors, many of which can result in low noise fans costing under $5 each to implement.

However if you want the highest performance:heat ratio, then underclock and undervolt your GPU and CPU. You'll be getting less performance for the money but one way or another, whether it be reducing thermal density or premature parts failure from high temperature, it costs more per year to do extreme things.

 

[Glo.]

4C/4T 35W TDP CPU from Intel, B360 Mobo mITX, Raijintek Ereboss Black Core, Raijintek Metis Plus, black, GTX 1050 Zotac OC, 275 GB SSD Crucial MX300 M.2, BeQuiet! Silent Wings 3 PWM, as a case fan, Corsair SF450, 8 GB of DDR4 memory 2666 MHz, CL15.

This is what we have came up, so far. It appears that missing parts will come out in January-February 2018, o very close, and he can live with that whining laptop for another two months. This is pretty budget build, that had to be SFF, and very quiet, but for what he needs this: 1440p, 60 Hz Esport gaming it will be more than enough(the GPU will be swapped with next generation of GPU for GTX 2050 - 2050 Ti, for now, he can live with lowered details, while maintaining 60 Hz).

 

[Glo.]

I wouldn't hold your breath. 60c in a case with minimal airflow is pushing it. The fan on the Dark Rock also won't work as a case fan unless you're planning to hack job it. Your build is basically an oven. A passive cooled video card, a passive cooled CPU, and a single case fan that I'm assuming you expect to be running at low speeds.

I was thinking about this. What is the reason why Silent Wings 135 mm fan would not work as a case fan? Is it different massively than any other PWM fan, for case?

 

[XavierMace]

The screw holes aren't going to line up with the ones on your case. In addition the mounting "lip" is in the middle of the fan rather than on the edges so your normal case fan screws won't even reach the lip.

 

[Glo.]

But the mounting holes are on the same places as are in typical 120 mm fan, like Noctua NF-F12.

 

[Glo.]

After all, never mind. I have decided that this build will be semi passive with Raijintek Ereboss Black edition cooler, and behind it Corsair AF120 Quiet edition fan for airflow. This combo is actually also cheaper than BeQuiet Dark Rock 3.

 

[Fallen Kell]

Not a bad choice on fan. I have used a couple of those in the past, 1 in a HTPC, and they are pretty quiet, especially when you only give them 7-8 volts instead of 12 (and still move a decent amount of air when undervolted).

 

[Glo.]

Thanks for input guys.

About the case(Raijintek Metis Plus black with window panel), what actually shocked me a bit is inherent "sturdiness" of the design. Case and its panels are fitting extremely well, and do not crack together, Like I have seen with some other cases. It looks very good, also IRL. And it has RGB Auras 120 mm fan, So now I am trying to decide whether its sense to even buy the Corsair AF120 fan, because this on lower RPM may be good enough.

Anyone experienced the Auras fans? Are they loud?

 

[Fallen Kell]

I havn't had any experience with Auras fans. While not really updated much recently, silentpcreview at least rated the Corsair as one of the best fans (when undervolted) at the time, and I have not seen newer ones which would change my opinion of that (at least in the 120mm size).

 

[Glo.]

A friend of mine has just bought a new comptuter(yeah, I know, its worst time for this, but he needed new machine), and he has bought CoolerMaster Silencio 550 case, and BeQuiet Shadow Rock TF2. And damn, this thing is almost dead silent!

I was actually staggered how silent this case is, which has 2 fans(one on front, and one on the back), and the BeQuiet 135 Silent Wings fan.

Now I got a lot more to think about the build.

 

[Glo.]

The debate continues, as I have today found out about BeQuiet! Shadow Rock 2 cooler. Its big enough to be used without a fan, and dissipate enough heat, it has very quiet PWM 120 Pure Wings 2 fan, that I would not have to buy another fan if I would buy this cooler, and it looks pretty nice.

So My question is about your opinions on this cooler. In reviews, and tests it appears to be just above the Dark Rock Top Flow cooler, which is one of best, if not the best Top Flow-type cooler in the market. Best part: Shadow Rock 2 costs roughly the same as Raijintek Ereboss Core Black alone.

Will this cooler be good choice for this idea in the topic?

 

[Fallen Kell]

As I stated originally, I would highly recommend getting a Fractal Design Define R5 case. You can fit any CPU cooler on the market in that case and it is one of the quietest on the market. If you think the CM 550 is quiet, you havn't heard what a similar build in a R5 would be as it uses 140mm fans that can push the same amount (or more) air while running slower and quieter than the 120mm fans in the CM 550...

Posting some links to the silence:
http://www.fractal-design.com/home/justsilence

 

[Glo.]

If there is proper ventillation small cases are able to "exchange" warm air much easier than big cases. Its easier to push 12.5 litres of air into a case than twice the amount.

Whole purpose of this build is to have it Small Form Factor, quiet, efficient, and relatively cool.

We both know(me, and my friend) that, for example, passively cooled card will heat up to quite some degree, and will require good ventillation, howerer, from what I have seen everybody is putting this GPU upside down, in standard cases, while in Raijintek Metis, the heatspreader will be targeted up towards the top - helping with convection, and I will install the standard Raijintek Auras 120 mm fan in the top fan bracket, so it will pull out the warm air from the case.

Also, the Pure Wings fan would be installed to pull air into the case, instead out of the case, which should help with cooling both: CPU cooler, and GPU heatsink, because of the airflow.

And lastly. Both: CPU, and GPU will be low power parts. We are targeting 35W TDP 4C/4T CPU from Intel, and GTX 1050 Ti replacement, or, depending on the time frame of releases 1050 Ti itself for the time being and then replaced by new, low power GPU.

If we will get 70-75 degrees on the GPU while gaming, if we will get 45-50 degrees while gaming with fanless cooling - we are up for this.

 

[coercitiv]

while in Raijintek Metis, the heatspreader will be targeted up towards the top - helping with convection, and I will install the standard Raijintek Auras 120 mm fan in the top fan bracket, so it will pull out the warm air from the case.

Yup, the specific layout of the Metis makes it a very good candidate for this project.

Also, the Pure Wings fan would be installed to pull air into the case, instead out of the case, which should help with cooling both: CPU cooler, and GPU heatsink, because of the airflow.

On this one I tend to disagree, I think it would be more beneficial to have both fans pull air out of the case and rely on the rest of the ventilation grills to let fresh air in. However, you can just test both setups and choose the one that works best!

 

[Glo.]

Yup, the specific layout of the Metis makes it a very good candidate for this project.


On this one I tend to disagree, I think it would be more beneficial to have both fans pull air out of the case and rely on the rest of the ventilation grills to let fresh air in. However, you can just test both setups and choose the one that works best!

I looked once again at the case internals, and... you are correct. It will be much more beneficial for the airflow if both fans will be exhaust fans, or... use it the other way around.

Top - intake fan, and bottom - exhaust fan.

 

[Glo.]

From what I see, Core i3 8100 with 3.6 GHz, and 65W TDP with stock cooler get under 100% load with OCCT around 75 degrees celsius.

I have no doubts right now, that 8300T, with lower power consumption, and lower core clock will have even lower temperatures, so I can make the build fanless.

 

[Glo.]

https://www.bit-tech.net/reviews/tech/cases/raijintek-metis-plus-review/4/

Here is comprehensive review of Raijintek Metis Plus, and the effect the orientation of fan has on the temperatures in the case.

I was correct, pulling air INTO the case is more beneficial for temperatures than pulling the warm air out of the case.

When I will get my hands on every part, I will experiment with it, a lot, in all possible configurations, including completely passive one.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I have three systems running under my desk. The sound meter, held 3 feet from each and all computers, shows over 40+ dBA, but there's a television blaring in an adjacent room.

I think the threshold for audible noise is about 30 to 32 dBA. I can hear "something" from these three computers, but the room is otherwise quiet. What I hear could be mistaken for my own tintinitis -- something that I barely notice anyway.

I use fans that are quiet when running at <= 2000 RPM. But I selectively choose fans that also can push 100 CFM for selective applications. The only time it's necessary to provide that much CFM in my cooling strategy occurs when running stress tests like LinX with AVX.

With computers fitted with good filtering, we have clean air in the house, air-cooling and -- really -- not a lot of computer-generated noise.

There ARE fanless cooling options, though. I'm using a Le Grand Macho from ThermalRight ("LGM"). For about $10, you can get an accordion rubber duct for it that mates to a rear 120 or 140mm exhaust fan. LGM is promoted for its fanless potential, assuming you'll have at least the exhaust fan running in the computer. Adding another fan to the LGM intake side doesn't appreciably change the LGM's effectiveness, unless you plan to overclock your system.

 

[Glo.]

First part of the build, case, has been ordered .

Now, I have to wait for the rest. CPU, SSD, PSU, MoBo, RAM, GPU, Cooler.

 

[Glo.]

There is a question. Arctic Alpine 11 Passive cooler is slated for 35W TDP CPUs, in fanless mode.

Thats where my question comes. Do you think it will be possible to use this cooler in the build, instead of massive heatsink, like BeQuiet! Shadow Rock 2? The CPU will be 35W TDP Core i3 8300T, 100%. The build will be used for gaming in 1440p 60 FPS in Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm, so nothing really fancy, that could load the CPU.

From what I have seen on Core i5 7400 the Arctic 11 Passive topped out at 68 degrees celsius in Aida64 tests.

And we have decided to do a little experiment and stick with initial idea. Whole system completely fanless: XFX XTS 460W PSU, Passive GPU, Passive GPU.