How to Make your OptiMac MT as Silent and Cool as Possible
- Get rid of the 80/92mm Dell OEM fans. The CPU heatsink fan and rear exhaust fan.
- Buy an extra front intake fan so that you get better airflow.
- This mini-guide assumes you've moved your MT system to a new case.
- If you want to keep the Dell mATX case, get a 92mm size fan for the rear exhaust.
- You can install a 120 in the front of the OEM case but airflow is restricted somewhat.
The cost of this cooling upgrade comes to just under $50 USD. It you enjoy silent computing it's worth it. If a little fan noise doesn't matter, just keep the stock Dell fans. They are high quality and last a long time. They do the job.
A. Get one of these CM i71C cooler fan combos. RGB doesn't have to be connected.
B. Get two of these Arctic Cooling 120mm silent fans. These are as quiet as Noctua fans at a much lower price.
They also have a
6 year warranty so you know that they are well made.
If you are keeping the Dell OEM case, install this 92MM Arctic fan as exhaust. Use the rubber mounts.
C. Get two
5 pin to 4 pin adapter cables so you can use the five pin fan headers on the board.
You'll also need one
4 pin splitter if you buy two of the Arctic Cooling fans.
Hopefully you've bought a mATX or ATX case that doesn't have restricted airflow.
Here's a couple of possible choices:
This Silverstone mATX case is small and light weight. Doesn't have a PSU shroud.
The CM
NR400 is the higher quality case with more interior room.
These are the idle temps I get with the CPU fan at max speed. It does make noise at 1700+ RPM
so I usually run it at the lowest speed. Even then it stays plenty cool. Arctic fan speeds can't be
ramped up higher than 1,111 RPM. So if you do game, you'll probably want fans that get closer to
2000 RPM. They limit the speeds of the Artic P12 silent fans to keep them quiet as possible.
When you consider that a 3 pack of Corsair iCUE SP120 fans cost $64 this $50 upgrade is reasonable. You don't get all the RGB Bling to impress your friends but you do get a cool and quiet system. We all know that the latter is much more important.