Cooling with no fans

[Kimkash]

Hi all =]

I'm starting to put a build together and I have an important question: is it reasonably possible to cool passively (no fans at all) a ~150W CPU with multiple triple radiators (or any other number of radiators)???
I'm trying to make a quiet build from a fans noise perspective: ideally, I'd like silent system but I know that when you eliminate fan noise, you start to hear the pump and coil whine so totally silent is of the table but after some researching I think I can handle coil whine and pump noise but really want to eliminate fan noise.

 

So, is it possible to do that??

(P.S. I've seen custom cases with giant heatsinks on the outside of the case and they're not an option because of price and other physical constraints)

[Mephi00]

I recently tuned my fans and pump, so i know how silent corsair ml 120 rpo rgbs can be and I'd say, just get some silent fans, if tuned correctly they'll be more silent than your pump.

 

Yes it is technically possible but not really practical. (reasons above)

[APasz]

Possible but expensive.

[NineEyeRon]

My FiL has a system from QuietPC and it’s superb, no coil whine or anything.

 

He doesn’t game much and most are not graphics demanding but you can spec their systems out for good gaming performance.

 

After seeing his system I would highly recommend.

[RejZoR]

Any quality fan at something like 500-600 RPM is pretty much inaudible. I'm running rather expensive, but totally worth it SilentWings 3 in idle at something like 600 RPM and these things are inaudible even with earn right next to them. When system is in idle I often have to check status LED's to see if it's even running. It does make some noise while gaming or crunching, but usually below game noise level so I can't hear it much if at all.

 

Now, if you plan on going passive, you'll need some big CPU cooler which are often expensive, but they work. And you'll need to change their orientation. Remember, heat always goes up naturally. It's called natural convection. Cold air goes down, hot air goes up. You need to rotate CPU cooler which should be a tower version (obviously) in such a way that air easily passes through from bottom to top. Like you'd orient it for push pull configuration where both fans blow upwards. But you won't use any fans. This will help accelerate air circulation. Also for passive, it's recommended to also use passive PSU and case that has as much perforation on bottom and top as possible. Again, for better convection process, from bottom to top. Biggest problem will be graphic card. There used to be passive models, but I'm not sure how much option you have today. You could buy a graphic card with really beefy heatsink and lock fans to a speed where they are spinning just for the sake of moving air slightly so it doesn't cook itself. Expect its clock to go down though and it'll probably be running at higher temperatures. You'll have the biggest problem there. A case where card is oriented in such a way to aid convection again would help. Like vertical placement or inverted so the heatsink is pointing upwards and not hanging down. Remove shroud and do something with fans, coz them blowing down won't be helping...

[Tristerin]

Answer is yes, question I have before getting into it - what CPU have you decided on and what budget for the loop?

 

EDIT - I run 14 Arctic P12s at full blast and its barely audible 3 feet from me, so fan choice, sone and dBA level etc all matter with fans.

[AnonymousGuy]

Yes.  My whole-house loop has so much thermal mass and surface area that it can maintain cooling even without a radiator. The D5 pump is in a box that's 1" thick foam on all sides and fully sealed, and bulkhead fittings to attach to it.  It's inaudible even at max speed 5.  Aquacomputer makes passive radiators that would probably work well without needing 10 gallons of water like my loop has.

 

The case needs some airflow though to cool VRMs (it really doesn't *need* need airflow, but it's better) so I use 4 Silent Wings 3 @ 6V and they're complete inaudible unless you have your ear right next to them.

 

I basically wanted my home office to be as quiet as a recording studio.  It's not totally possible because now I hear traffic that's a half mile away through gaps around doors and windows (interesting fact: it gets louder at night when the air gets colder and more dense), but it's pretty good.

[AZ Hobo]

https://picclick.com/?q=aluminium+car+radiator

[Kimkash]

On 2/5/2020 at 2:32 PM, Mephi00 said:

I recently tuned my fans and pump, so i know how silent corsair ml 120 rpo rgbs can be and I'd say, just get some silent fans, if tuned correctly they'll be more silent than your pump.

 

Yes it is technically possible but not really practical. (reasons above)

Can you specify your setup: CPU, GPU, blocks, pumps, fans??? thanks

[Kimkash]

On 2/5/2020 at 3:17 PM, NineEyeRon said:

My FiL has a system from QuietPC and it’s superb, no coil whine or anything.

 

He doesn’t game much and most are not graphics demanding but you can spec their systems out for good gaming performance.

 

After seeing his system I would highly recommend.

Can you get me more details about your FiL setup?

[Mephi00]

I‘m using a 9900k a MSI Z390 ACE and eks monoblock for it, the pump is that new corsair one, the fans ml rgb pro and my rad a thick 360 from ek.