Cooling Questions

[Matt]

My amd (specs on the left) is running too hot and my gfx card is way too noisy. it sounds like the suction of a jet engine. I want to get a new VGA cooler and a CPU cooler that is low on noise. I have some questions.

1) "The maximum weight for a cooler is specified as 450g for Intel Socket 775/478 and AMD Sockets AM2/754/939/940. Special care should be taken when moving a computer equippedwith a cooler that exceeds the specified weight limit. Zalman is not responsible for any damage that occurs when moving a computer" and "Since this product weighs 350 g, always firmly fasten the VGA card onto the case with a screw. Special care should be taken while the computer is being moved. Zalman is not responsible for any damage arising while moving the computer" are quotes from the zalman website. Is this going to be a real problem as i regularly do move my computer to Lan's and at some stage that "special care" may slip up.

2) Im not too worked up about a silent pc, but i want to cut down on noise levels. What is a suitable noise level figure (in db) to be aiming for and how do i work out what cooling to get that will comply with this figure. Please could someone explain db and sound levels because im ignorent there.

3) How does one gauge how effective a cooler will be before you but it. What i mean is, what should i look for in a good cooler(CPU and VGA)

4)Thermal paste. Do i need to buy special stuff or does paste of sufficiant quality come with decent coolers.

5) any other tips or advice when trying to cool a system. Or any specific coolers that anyone recomends

Thanx

 

[Matt]

::: Zalman :::
::: Zalman :::

these are what i have come up with. I still would like to get some responses to the above questions. Will these be quiet and will they make a good difference in temperature?

 

[Big B]

Heavier coolers typically come with special mounting that bolt through the motherboard instead of relying on stock retention mechanisms.

A reasonable level seems to be in the 40-50 db range, but it also comes down to how picky you are. An easy way to do this involves using larger fans, as they can spin at slower speeds and produce the same, if not more airflow than smaller fans. The higher fan speeds lead to chopping the air, which produces the louder noises.

I haven't used those Zalman units, but they're some of the quieter units. I actually use an Arctic Cooling Freezer64 Pro, which works pretty well. I don't know if you can get them in your country, however. If you can, they would be something to at least look into.