The Big Air Cooling Sticky!

[baby_ute]

Originally Posted by Spork!

I think I've decided on the Megahalems to chill my chip.

A question about fans...

Low dBA is good I know. This comes generally from low(er) rpm. What is more important for a CPU heatsink fan though - volume of air moved, or static pressure?

Also, how accurate are the dBA ratings on fans, I'm looking @ buying from PCCG and it seems odd that some more expensive fans (ie, Scythe s flex and slip stream 1900 rpm) are advertised as 37 and 35dBA but the cooler master 2000 rpm is advertised as 19 dBA, quieter than the famous noctura NF-P12 1300 rpm fan...
Is this 19dBA @ 1/2 speed? Should I double the 19 to 38 for a more realistic estimate? Or iseveryone who's NOT using the $20 CM fans wasting $$$?

Well its actually quite hard to tell which companies ratings are the most accurate as they have different testing conditions. The coolermaster's stats are believed to be false as their cfm (airflow) to noise ratio is insanely good compared to even the top brands. As for cpu cooling fan it depends on your cooler. The majority will benifit from high static pressure but there also needs to be a fair amount of cfm. If the fins are tight or the air needs to travel a long distance throught wider fins then look for high static pressure. If you have fins that arent as close together then you may benifit from a reasonable pressure but high cfm to get the most airflow possible. Some favourites to most are the scythe ultra kaze for their 38mm thickness which gives better static pressure, probably the 2000rpm model would suite the best. Or the S-flex, these are said to push allot of air but dont quite have the static pressure needed for tight fins or long fins (good for case fans). The noctua p12's I have are great.. not too noisy even with two on a push pull setup.

If I made a mistake somewhere please correct me.

[Lardman]

Originally Posted by baby_ute

Well its actually quite hard to tell which companies ratings are the most accurate as they have different testing conditions. The coolermaster's stats are believed to be false as their cfm (airflow) to noise ratio is insanely good compared to even the top brands. As for cpu cooling fan it depends on your cooler. The majority will benifit from high static pressure but there also needs to be a fair amount of cfm. If the fins are tight or the air needs to travel a long distance throught wider fins then look for high static pressure. If you have fins that arent as close together then you may benifit from a reasonable pressure but high cfm to get the most airflow possible. Some favourites to most are the scythe ultra kaze for their 38mm thickness which gives better static pressure, probably the 2000rpm model would suite the best. Or the S-flex, these are said to push allot of air but dont quite have the static pressure needed for tight fins or long fins (good for case fans). The noctua p12's I have are great.. not too noisy even with two on a push pull setup.

If I made a mistake somewhere please correct me.

Sounds about right.


If you want some fan reviews, check out the first post. I've got to find a few more though, and complete the updating.

[Tex Zero]

Got a Prolimatech Megahalems last night. God she's a big bugger!

Fantastic mounting system thats rock solid and the whole things very well made. Dropped my temps by around 6c over my old Actic Cooling Freezer 7.

After 15min prime95, ambient 20c:

AC Freezer 7 @ load: Core0=51 Core1=49
Megahalems @ load: Core0=45 Core1=43

Thats with a pretty ordinary silverstone case fan and fresh TIM that hasn't had any burn-in time.

[slickncghia]

so whats the best air cooler under 150mm tall. space is an issue.

im waiting for the 1156 adapters.

but so far im thinking the Noctua - C12P

any thoughts? possibly the h50 but thats a bit pricey

[slickncghia]

well i got a coolermaster hyper tx3 ... sounds fancy but its really a cheap $29 jobbie.... but does it do the job??

its 139mm tall and just fits in nicely. none of the 150-160mm wouldve had a chance of fitting

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?...ducts_id=11895

well my prime 95 full load temps are now ~ 46-48 stock.

and when overclocking to above 4.2ghz the idle temps are still about 40 instead of 55degs. so yeah id say its done the trick,

plus it enabled me to get (or have the confidence to get to) 4.656ghz

obviously a $100 mighve been sligly better but at more than 3x the price. this thing is super value for money.

the fan clips are stupid so i did a dodgy cable tie job and used the provided fan and some other old 90mm fan i had in push pull config.

has 6heatpipes going direcly into the base. the stock fan seems quiet but its hard to tell as the 2nd fan im using is a bit louder. when im done benching and oc'ing i might piss that off for a quietness

[takitoes]

G'day guys,

About to start a new build with:
i7 860
EVGA P55 FTW (has the 775 mounting points)

Hoping to get the ~4ghz, and providing the CPU isn't a dud and the cooling is done properly, it should be easy enough!

The one problem is that I have a custom desk modded to double as my case. This limits the height of the cooler to 140mm MAX.

So i need a recommendation for a good cooler (1156 / 775) that will do the job?

Or else, i looked at Watercooling. Is there another alternative to the Corsair H50? it would be perfect, except i dont think it will cool well enough. Need something simple, as a complete watercooling setup is more trouble then its worth for me.

[elstado]

Originally Posted by takitoes

Or else, i looked at Watercooling. Is there another alternative to the Corsair H50? it would be perfect, except i dont think it will cool well enough. Need something simple, as a complete watercooling setup is more trouble then its worth for me.

The Corsair H50 is great for a number of reasons, mainly because it is pretty good build quality, small, reasonably cheap and easy to install.

The biggest issue is that it doesn't really offer much better cooling potential than a decent $90 HSF.

However, in your situation where you are considering the H50 because of space limitation it could well be a valid idea. Sure you could fit a custom WC setup somehow, but it takes up much more space having the pump, rad, res etc and will cost a lot more. You're looking at around $250++ for a standard kit.

It really depends if you have the space, time and money for the extras that it takes for a decent WC setup.

If you can find a way to fit a 360 rad on the back of the desk and run the pipes to it, and then the space for the res and pump etc it will offer much better cooling potential. You might also want to ask around in the WC/Extreme cooling sub-forum, those guys are much more knowledgeable than I am when it comes to WC kits.

[salochin]

Originally Posted by takitoes

<snip>
So i need a recommendation for a good cooler (1156 / 775) that will do the job?

The Noctua C12P is only 116mm tall (including fan, 91mm without), and should perform well enough for that sort of overclock.

[Bold Eagle]

Originally Posted by Lardman

Sounds about right.


If you want some fan reviews, check out the first post. I've got to find a few more though, and complete the updating.

Not sure if this Fan Review is in OP but it is from XS and very solid over there:

XS Fan Review - Part 2

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=193126

Spoiler: And the king of the hill is.......

Spoiler below, highlight to read:
Sanyo Denki San Ace 1011 is king of the hill


For any interested the product number I believe is Product No. 109R1212H1011

Woot just in case anyone is interested I found an Aussie supplier, these are "industrial grade supplies" so you will really need to use the filters to find the right fans, expect $40-50:

http://au.farnell.com/jsp/search/res...8&Ns=PLS_SKU|1

With the current exchange rate it could be worth getting it via UPS direct from US Manufacturer if you were buying several:

http://www.sanyo-denki.com/sanace_sdaspec.aspx
http://www.sanyo-denki.com/ups_distributors.aspx

[CrimsonIdol8]

Originally Posted by salochin

The Noctua C12P is only 116mm tall (including fan, 91mm without), and should perform well enough for that sort of overclock.

I actually just finished installing this HSF not fifteen minutes ago. It's running at 1300RPM, is whisper quiet and has resulted in a drop of 15 degrees over the stock AMD HSF at full load. Plus, you can position the HSF in a way that it'll cool your RAM too. Highly recommended.

[unco_tomato]

Originally Posted by Bold Eagle

Woot just in case anyone is interested I found an Aussie supplier:

http://au.farnell.com/jsp/search/res...8&Ns=PLS_SKU|1

Umm.... $280 for a single fan? 0.0

[Bold Eagle]

Originally Posted by unco_tomato

Umm.... $280 for a single fan? 0.0

Use the filters......but you will be paying $40-50 might be worth it on the HS.

[elstado]

I also posted this in the "which 120mm fan is the best" thread, but thought that this is probably more appropriate in getting my particular questions answered.

Explanation:

I am looking to get one or two 120mm case fans for my Antec Sonata III case.

Currently I have one black 120mm tri-cool at the rear of the case, with a Zalman 9700 pointing towards it.

I've been having issues with average airflow inside the case and my videocard (XFX 9800GT) getting quite hot, this evening it peaked at 84 degrees while playing Brothers in Arms: HHW, and although it was a hot day, in my books anything over 80 degrees is too hot.

The issue is that there's only space for one extra fan, which is located on the inside of the case on the HDD cage, which is supposed to act as an air intake. The case isn't that long as well, so I am hesitant to spend $$ on getting a 25mm fan and then find that when I get a new GPU next year there isn't enough room.



(You can see the extra fan mount where the power cable for the GPU is coming through).

Does anyone have some suggestions of what are the best 120mm fans for an internal mount in a Sonata III? I was thinking of the Scythe SlipStream Slim Fan 1600RPM SY1212SL12M, which is $19 atm @ PCCG. The 12mm profile, (apparently) low noise and reasonable airflow seems good.

Not sure if it is worth replacing the rear 120mm tri-cool or not, as on med or high it should be moving enough air to not be causing any issues. It is a bit noisy, but not enough to warrant spending ~$27 on a replacement fan.

I'm also wanting to replace the thermal paste for my GPU as well, in order to try and get temps down a few degrees. What's the best value thermal compound for GPUs and should I be looking at buying proper cleaning solution, such as Arctic Silver ArctiClean, or is that a wrought?

I was even thinking of getting a cheap aftermarket GPU HSF like the Arctic Cooling Accelero L2 Pro, considering that is only $21 which is how much themal paste and cleaning solution would cost. Want to avoid spending dead money though as I am intending on upgrading in a few months.

PS- If anyone has a decent 120mm fan they can sell me for cheap PM me.

[MagyaR]

I'm looking at ocing my Q6600, it seems the Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme Revision C is the one to get for around ~$79?

[Lardman]

Originally Posted by slickncghia

so whats the best air cooler under 150mm tall. space is an issue.
im waiting for the 1156 adapters.
but so far im thinking the Noctua - C12P
any thoughts? possibly the h50 but thats a bit pricey

The Thermalright AXP140 (Don't quote me on that model number... :P) is a good choice, solid cooler - downside? Hard to find. But that'll fit the bill.

Originally Posted by salochin

The Noctua C12P is only 116mm tall (including fan, 91mm without), and should perform well enough for that sort of overclock.

... Or that.

Originally Posted by elstado

I also posted this in the "which 120mm fan is the best" thread, but thought that this is probably more appropriate in getting my particular questions answered.

Explanation:
I am looking to get one or two 120mm case fans for my Antec Sonata III case.
(You can see the extra fan mount where the power cable for the GPU is coming through).

Not sure if it is worth replacing the rear 120mm tri-cool or not, as on med or high it should be moving enough air to not be causing any issues. It is a bit noisy, but not enough to warrant spending ~$27 on a replacement fan.

I'm also wanting to replace the thermal paste for my GPU as well, in order to try and get temps down a few degrees. What's the best value thermal compound for GPUs and should I be looking at buying proper cleaning solution, such as Arctic Silver ArctiClean, or is that a wrought?

I was even thinking of getting a cheap aftermarket GPU HSF like the Arctic Cooling Accelero L2 Pro, considering that is only $21 which is how much themal paste and cleaning solution would cost. Want to avoid spending dead money though as I am intending on upgrading in a few months.

Replace the rear tri-cool with a Noctua S-12. They blow a decent amount of air and that should improve airflow. Acoustically, that'll be able to run at a higher RPM and provide better airflow at the same noise levels, too.

As for an aftermarket heatsink, that will only help so much - improving overall airflow would be my first step, a new heatsink just gets heat from the gpu core quicker - doesn't help overall case temp, especially with a stock tri-cool fan there. (They're not exactly the best fan in the world)

A more radical desision would be to upgrade to an Antec P183 if you like the quiet of the Sonata but need more airflow, but it is bit of an expensive decision.

Originally Posted by MagyaR

I'm looking at ocing my Q6600, it seems the Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme Revision C is the one to get for around ~$79?

You should be fine with that. Have a look at the Noctua range as well, they're not a bad choice either.