What will it take to passively cool an i3-4130?

[dexvx]

Not 100% passive cooling, just wondering if I can use a passive CPU heatsink. The chassis is a 4U Rosewill L4500 (http://www.rosewill.com/products/2312/ProductDetail_Overview.htm).

Do you guys think something along the lines of a Coolermaster 212 Evo heatsink (120mm fan taken off) plus the two rear exhaust fans will be enough to cool this to around <40C idle/60C load?

This is with an i3-4130 at stock (54W TDP).

 

[Dangman]

Question: Why do you need it be passive considering that there's already two rear fans as well as the front 120mm fans in the server? ONe extra fan isn't going to raise the noise level of the server that much. Especially since those rear fans are 80mm fans which are more than likely loud.

But to answer your question: I don't think the Hyper 212 is designed to be passively cooled. I would probably look at the Silverstone HE02 at a minimum for a passive setup.

 

[dexvx]

I want to cut power consumption and to reduce noise levels.

I have no idea how noisy the fans are, but from what I read they're "quiet" (which is subjective to reviewers). I planned on removing the middle row of 120mm fans and replacing any fans I think are too loud.

Of course I don't want this to come at a cost of heat and reduced life expectancy of the equipment. I just wanted to gauge if this was possible and at what cost.

Edit: Read the [H] review of the HE02 (http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/10/25/silverstone_he02_cpu_air_cooler_heatsink_review), looks like it can keep a i7-3770K (77W) to around 65C passively in a well ventilated environment.

 

[Dangman]

I want to cut power consumption and to reduce noise levels.

Cutting out one fan isn't going to make any real appreciable difference in the overall power consumption of a server or PC. There are plenty of low-noise 120mm fans out there.

Edit: Read the [H] review of the HE02 (http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/10/25/silverstone_he02_cpu_air_cooler_heatsink_review), looks like it can keep a i7-3770K (77W) to around 65C passively in a well ventilated environment.

True but I don't think that server case counts as a well ventilated environment.

 

[teh_chem]

I'd suggest a fun test; take off your current fan and see just how high the temps skyrocket.

I don't know about you, but I, can't hear my 2500 fan is indiscernible over my case, psu, and gpu fans.

And the amount of money in power consumption you might save by removing a (maybe) 2w CPU fan is never going to be recouped in the cost of the new heat sink.

also, server cases are not designed (typically) with the best airflow dynamics in mind...

 

[dexvx]

I'd suggest a fun test; take off your current fan and see just how high the temps skyrocket.

Yea, that didn't work so well. Most definitely not worth the cost of a passive heatsink from a ROI perspective.