6 replies to this topic

[JustMe]

First and foremost - as usual - a big thanks for this great program.
It should come preinstalled with Windows.

And now to the topic...

I have been reading in the forum for a while, and seen many people get helped. I've learned also quite a lot about computer and applications. So many thanks to the people for providing this forum.

Now a have a problem, and a really hope, that someone can help me. Please...

My CPU cooler is driving me crazy. It is almost like sitting next to a taking off plane (almost )
I've been looking on the Internet, and that just made me more confused.

What is the difference between DBA and DB? How much should it be? What about the cooling pasta?

I really hope someone can help me... What should I buy?

I'm using a Intel Pentium 4 HT 3,2 GHz with the "standard" (box) cooler on socket 478B

Sorry for my bad English

[Glenn]

JustMe, on Mar 28 2006, 07:28 AM, said:

What is the difference between DBA and DB? How much should it be? What about the cooling pasta?

"dB" is the abbreviation for decibel, a measure of sound pressure. There are numerous sites that explain it. For practical purposes, the rule of thumb is +10 dB difference is approximately twice as loud to the human ear.

A perfect sound meter would measure sound pressure equally across all frequencies but that's not the way the human ear works. "dBA" means that the measurement is taken using an A-scale filter which means the mid-range of human hearing is given the most weight. "dBC" is sometimes used for very high sound pressures (e.g., jet engines) where you can "feel" the sound.

Points of Reference *measured in dBA
0 the softest sound a person can hear with normal hearing
10 normal breathing
20 whispering at 5 feet
30 soft whisper
50 rainfall
60 normal conversation
110 shouting in ear
120 thunder

"Cooling pasta" is sometime used to refer to a thermal paste used to aid heat conductivity between two surfaces fitted together.

[JustMe]

Thank you very much for the help

But I am a little stupid...

So should I say, that my next cooler should be around 15 dBa? Or is it too loud, when you are sitting next to your computer?

And about that pasta, does it come with a new cooler or should you buy it side by side?

[Glenn]

The lowest spec I've seen is 12 dBA, there may be better but many are 30 - 40 dBA. To some extent it's a trade-off ... more air moved = more cooling, but also more noise. But remember that a CPU cooler isn't sitting in the open in front of you. The sound will be muffled by the case and your power supply cooling fan is probably a lot louder.

Some coolers come with pre-applied thermal conductive material, others come with thermal paste but if neither is provided, you can get the paste at any electronic parts shop.

[JustMe]

Thanks for the help, Glenn

You've saved my day... And my ears

[Eldmannen]

Thermal compound (or as you call it cooling pasta) can reduce the CPU temperature by a couple of degrees, like 2-5' C maybe. The best brand I think is Arctic Silver, but it's much more expensive than other brands.

You have a Pentium 4 which is a bad CPU, it generates alot of heat, uses alot of power and doesnt give much performance. You should have picked an AMD Athlon.

You maybe can replace the fan, but if you dont pick a fan that cools it good enough then it can overheat and your computer might get unstable or the CPU might even break.

You should not get a 60mm fan because it is small. You should get a 80mm fan. If you have some wind thing it might even be possible have a 120mm but I dont think you can have that so easy if you dont know so much. A bigger fans pushes more air which cools better, and can rotate at a slower speed since its able to push more, hence becomes more silent.

You can also buy a larger heatsink.

[JustMe]

Eldmannen, on Mar 29 2006, 12:13 PM, said:

You have a Pentium 4 which is a bad CPU, it generates alot of heat, uses alot of power and doesnt give much performance. You should have picked an AMD Athlon.

I know...

But back then, I didn't want to buy a new motherboard. The replace was too technical for me.

What about this product, is it okay. Or should I look for something better... Maybe lower DB?

ZALMAN CNPS 7700-AlCu
Socket 478 / Socket 754 / Socket 775 / Socket 939 / Socket 940 / 1000-2000 rpm / Aluminium og kobber
120 mm
3 pin
0.21 °C/W
20 DB
13.6 Cm x 13.6 Cm x 6.7 Cm (BxDxH) / 600 G

Sorry for all these stupid questions