first off, what kind of computer do you have, and what OS is it running?

if you're a beginner i reccomend NOT messing with a working PC that you or others need to use. try getting your hands on a cheap used system so that you can do whatever you want to it. if you live in an urban or suburban area, you should be able to find an ideal test subject in someone's trash.

i believe these sites should get you off to a good start (the first one is kinda out-of date):
http://www.comptechdoc.org/hardware/pc/begin/index.html
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1754
http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/09/...for_beginners/

Thanks dude. Ive already talked to other people about this so ive got an idea on what im gonna do

In my opinion asus star ice is far the best cpu cooler. i'm delighted with its performance. it works between 1500-5000rpm (it comes with a controller like a dimmer, which can be attached either in a pci slot or in a floppy drive slot and lets you set in how may rpm you want it work). even in 1500rpm is very efficient and very quiet, however if you set it to max oh god...you see the temperature droping very very rapidly and sounds like a jet turbine
you can also attach the original heatsink in the back of it for better results.
it has LED's, supports most sockets and has the quality of asus. Only problems is that it is really big and heavy (must be heavier than half a kilo) and if you don't have an asus motherboard installation is a bit complicated as you will need to remove the motherboard from the chassis.


http://www.viperlair.com/reviews/coo...ks/asus/stice/

First, you'll have to determine which part of your computer is making the most noise. This is easier said than done, so you've gotta be creative. Easiest way is just to stick your finger in the middle of the fan, and stop it, and see if it got any quieter. Do this to all the fans, and replace the ones that make the most difference. You'd have to replace them with quieter fans for this to have any effect.

Noisemakers are usually the PSU, CPU fan, Graphics card fan, HDD, then the case fans.

I am personally running a thermalright Ultra-120, and that would beat the star ice anyday, and it runs with an insanely quiet Arctic Fan 12. Its not a cheap solution though, but even then, I wouldn't recommend the star ice, it just looks fancy. The professional reviews don't look promising neither.

For something affordable and quiet, the Zalman 7700 would be a good choice. It might not perform as well as the star ice with the fan at max speed, but it should be cheaper and quieter, and won't be as far behind. Its a highly recommended cooler, and is more or less the only choice for m-ATX cases for enthusiasts (correct me if I'm wrong there). If you can splurge a little, the Zalman 9500, or better yet, the 9700 would be much better when it comes to cooling, due to the position of the heatpipes (placed exactly where the most air would be passing through).

Hey guys...yer i sort of have no money so when its legal for me to get a job, ill have money, and i can buy stuff:unch:
Sounds like a plan.

Well, if you've got no money, then changing components would be out of the question, wouldn't it?

Of course, if its a particular case fan making most of the noise, removing it would solve your noise problem. You might make your computer a little hotter, so I wouldn't suggest doing this unless you've got enough fans running. How much is enough? Just check your temps, if it goes up considerably, its not enough.

A better option may be to modify the fan to run at 7 volts instead of 12 (if it runs at full speed).

There's a thread somewhere in the guides section on how to do this. It also has alot of my posts on why you shouldn't.

If you read the whole thing, you'd know how to do it, and the risks you're taking for doing it.

does anyone know if the thermalright ultra 120 cooler will fit on an asus p5n32-e sli board, which is in a cooler master centurion 5 mid tower? The tower is 7.9"(w) so I believe it will fit the case, however the p5n32-e has heat pipes going around where the cooler would go.

A very tough call, the heatpipes on that motherboard might be a little too high for the Thermalright Ultra-120. And the Tuniq Tower for that matter, given that I've just bought one and installed it today on another computer.

The only thing you really can do is check the drawings of the Thermalright Ultra-120, and compare that to the space available.

unfortunately the specs I've seen don't give the length from the base to the bottom of the fins

The real danger when applying a new heatsink to an old Athlon was the method used to install the heatsink's retaining clip. Most of the time the clip was pretty stiff, so you had to use a screw driver to force the clip down onto the clip retainer. If the screw driver slipped there was a real good chance that you'd try to dig a new hole in the motherboard with it. I've slipped several times and dug a good hole once cutting two traces in the process. I was able to fix the motherboard with the careful use of tape as a guide and copper based paint.

the best heatsink is the one which comes with your processor. if you are not happy with that try better ventilation. if all else fails then go for a custom cooler

Have you guys tried the Asus Silent Knight? I have one and really like it. I had a Striker Extreme and it was the only after market cooler that would fit with that wierdo heat pipe design.

Xigmatek for low price high performance.