sk7 vs slk 800

astroworpastroworp Northridge, CA
edited September 2003 in Hardware
howdy folks. i've been searching for an optimal cooling solotion for quite some time now, and i think i've come across it in the form of the sk7, which as we all know can be found for a nice price of 15.99 at svc.com. well, svc also has the slk-800 for a very nice price, so i'm wondering which i should get, given what i want out of cooling my processor: i want to stick the quietest fan possible on whatever heatsink i end up purchasing. i have an xp 1900+ on an abit kx7-333r, and the stock hsf which is, to put it nicely, obnoxious. i think i have some case vibration issues as well, but the fan noise from my hsf alone is driving me crazy. i have an enermax thermal controlled fan, that is currently my intake fan as well as my only case fan, which i would like to use as the fan on the heatsink i end up buying, replacing it with the 12 dB pabst fan as well as getting one for exhaust.

ok i'll stop babbling now and just ask the simple question of: if i want to use a relatively low cfm fan for a heatsink simply because i want my computer to be as quiet as possible, should i get the slk-800 or am i safe with saving some bucks and getting the sk7?

thank you in advance for your comments, and i'll be happy to clear anything up if i didn't provide adequate information.

thanks!

Comments

  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited August 2003
    If you want the quietest fan possible, get the SLK-900, either -U or -A. You'll find that even the "loud" (35dba) Sunon KD1209PTB2 fans are very quiet, because they produce noise at a low enough frequency that they're not irritating. If nothing else, the SLK-900 has more surface area than the SK-7 and SLK-800s do, so you could even put a Vantec Stealth on it and get better cooling than you would with either of the other two.

    However, if the SLK-900 is too expensive, I'm pretty sure that the performance of the SLK-800 and the SK-7 are pretty much identical. If anything, the SK-7 may outperform the SLK a bit because it's wider and longer, so it'll get more of the fan's airflow. However, I've never had an SK-7, so I don't know for sure. If you're not planning on overclocking, a Vantec Stealth 80mm or 92mm fan and a SK-7, SLK-800, or SLK-900 will be more than sufficient. Keep in mind that the stock 1900+ palomino cooler is a skived 60x60mm aluminum heatsink that's like 30mm tall, with an ~18cfm low-profile 60mm fan. You're replacing it with a (relatively) huge solid copper heatsink and a fan that flows 1/2 again as much air. You're going to get much better performance out of it, no matter which heatsink you use.
  • astroworpastroworp Northridge, CA
    edited August 2003
    yeah, i'm not overclocking, but am planning to use low cfm fans... i think i'll go with the sk7

    thanks :)
  • Omega65Omega65 Philadelphia, Pa
    edited August 2003
    The SLK800 kills the SK7.

    SLK900 > SLK800 > AX7 > SK7

    I owned both the SLK800 & the SK7 and from my experience the SK7 required a 50CFM fan to perform well. When using the same fan, 45cfm, 50CFM & 68CFM Delta (12v & 7V) the SLK800 was 3-5C Cooler than the SK7.



    Overclockers.com: WaterCooling & Heatsink rankings
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited August 2003
    I remember watching all the fuss about the 2 of these last winter, which is what I basd my decision to get the SLK-800 over the SK-7. You will certainly be able to run that Enermax fan @ less than 3,000RPM or even put a Stealth on it.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited August 2003
    The SLK-800 does NOT kill the SK-7.

    I've used the same fan on the exact same computer with both an SLK-800 and an SK-7 and they both functioned at precisely the same temperature.
  • Omega65Omega65 Philadelphia, Pa
    edited August 2003
    Thrax said
    The SLK-800 does NOT kill the SK-7.

    I've used the same fan on the exact same computer with both an SLK-800 and an SK-7 and they both functioned at precisely the same temperature.

    Not for me, the SK7 needed a higher CFM Fan to equal the same temps.
  • WuGgaRoOWuGgaRoO Not in the shower Icrontian
    edited August 2003
    i attest to this fact...i have a 1.2ghz tbird with an slk-900 on top of it..with a 92mm stealth...it keeps it under 50 degrees...so i think its pretty damn good
  • a2jfreaka2jfreak Houston, TX Member
    edited September 2003
    Even if Omega is correct, we're only talking a few degrees, and for someone that isn't overclocking I think it is wise to save $15.

    I think I'll buy an SK-7 next because a good HSF combo for $25 or less isn't bad. I paid $30 at CompUSA a few weeks back to get a crappy HSF combo for a system I was building.
  • qparadoxqparadox Vancouver, BC
    edited September 2003
    SK7 also easies your worries about ripping your board apart (if you don't get the pin thorugh version) of the slk-800. I think there's about 250-300 more grams of copper there. I've seen several reviews which place the cooling ability at a similar level. This doesn't surprise me that much as increasing size will bring diminishing returns in case of the heatsink.

    Both are good coolers, the only reason why i'd go with the SLK800 is to stick a bigger fan on it. As a side not the SLK700 + 70mm TMD fan makes a pretty sweet combo. Its quiet, cools decent and looks sweet.
  • a2jfreaka2jfreak Houston, TX Member
    edited September 2003
    SK-7 will accept an 80mm fan so the SLK-800 doesn't require/take a larger fan. The SLK-900 will accept a 92mm fan and that's a larger fan than the SK-7, SLK-700 or SLK-800 will accept.

    All four should be fine heatsinks, but I think the SK-7 is an exceptional deal, especially if one doesn't plan on overclocking, or at least not extreme overclocking.
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