Often, people will say the only way to eliminate a PC from making noise is to
remove all of its fans, that water cooling, hard drive enclosures, and
foam-sealed cases are the way to go. But under normal circumstances, no computer
is ever totally silent. Rather, your ears determine the degree of noise being
emitted and what may seem like a silent PC is simply a quiet PC. With cooling
manufacturers constantly searching for the greatest performance/noise ratio,
there are already a variety of cooling solutions for users looking to build a PC
easier on the ears. QuietPC.com specializes in quiet cooling products like
HS/Fs, case fans, and power supplies from companies like Zalman, Acousti, and
Fortron.
The Arctic-Cooling Super Silent 4Pro L is not truly silent in the sense that it
is inaudible. But it is quiet, especially when considering how similar its noise
level is when compared to the boxed Intel cooler, which is accepted to be quiet.
The heat sink's dimensions are very similar to the boxed Intel cooler, and it is
also made of the same material. But because of its superior fin count and
increased surface area, as well as a greater CFM fan, the 4Pro L performs
significantly better than the stock cooler. That, the ability to choose from
three fan speeds, the easy installation (just as simple as the stock cooler),
and its low cost, makes the Artic-Cooling Super Silent 4Pro L a very good heat
sink and fan cooler. It is perfect for anyone building a PC that buys an OEM P4
that does not include the stock cooler. It is also perfect for users looking for
better performance than the stock cooler without adding noise. And the blue LED
is an extra bonus!
Global WIN Silent Stream Review
Water cooling is not a new phenomenon, as it has been around for years. The
process in which heat is drawn away from the CPU is a necessity to varying
degree depending on the CPU and its application. Nowadays, most PCs require some
form of active cooling if not utilizing an extensive passive cooling system.
Whether its water or air, active cooling requires a fluid medium in which heat
can be transferred from a source to the medium and the medium to be constantly
flowing and being replenished by "fresh" medium. It is no wonder then that we've
seen heat sinks and fans widely used to cool microprocessors, air being a very
easily accessible medium. But it is also not a surprise that water is used as an
alternative.
The major difficulty with water cooling in the large scale perspective is
consistency which is why we don't see OEMs selling water cooled PCs. Enthusiasts
on the other hand, have welcomed water cooling in their boxes after examination
of the tremendous cooling benefits of using water versus air. Still, while
microprocessors can live off air, and until the process of water cooling is
refined to the ease and simplicity of a 80mm fan clipped onto an inexpensive
aluminum extrusion, we will not be seeing water cooling from Dell.
Once the realm of PC enthusiasts, water cooling solutions are on the verge of
making themselves known in mainstream markets. Although you’re not likely to see
Dell or Compaq offer a water cooling solution any time in the near future,
companies like GlobalWIN are paving the way for more extreme cooling solutions
to enter today’s general PC user market. GlobalWIN’s Silent Stream, a one piece water cooling solution aimed at
those who want to start reaping the benefits of water cooling.
CoolerMaster. Swiftech. Thermalright. These are some big name cooling
manufacturers that enthusiasts today have become accustomed to hearing about.
And GlobalWIN? GlobalWIN was a big name in the industry back in the Pentium 3
age (both slot and socket). It's unfortunate to say however, their socket 478
and 462 air coolers have generated little noise (figuratively speaking), not
because their products are bad, but because there is an insane amount of
competition. But with the Silent Stream water cooling kit, GlobalWIN has entered
a fairly young market with great potential for success. Why? Their latest
cooling entry embodies a large step towards reaching that "consistency" I spoke
of, a level of ease with which water cooling can be installed and maintained,
and depended upon as a reliable source of CPU cooling.
