The Big Air Cooling Sticky!

[elstado]

Originally Posted by Lardman

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.

Yeah I thought about it but couldn't stomach $27.50 + $13 postage. I got a couple of Coolermaster fans from a member for a few bucks in postage, I know they are pretty crap fans compared to Noctuas etc, but they were cheap. Will be adding a 120mm fan on the optional mount and will have to see how temps go before taking further action.

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.

I've been thinking about a new case anyway, as I want a bigger case with better features. I made a thread on WP about it though because no one tenders the WTB section of the forum.

[Bold Eagle]

From the XS Fan review I linked in post 99 they indicate that the

Zalman ZM-F3 are a stand out because very cheap, commonly available and damn good results. Maybe worth a look.

Mine are starting to drive me crazy lately as it is coming to summer.

Nice "budget" HS review here Lardman (well maybe not budget you can get an OCZ Vend for similar):

http://forums.overclockers.com.au/sh...5#post11038635

[Lardman]

Originally Posted by elstado

I've been thinking about a new case anyway, as I want a bigger case with better features. I made a thread on WP about it though because no one tenders the WTB section of the forum.

P183 would be a good choice, especially if you like quiet.

[Smoke87]

p183 is a POS if you are going for the larger video cards and want decent air flow. More so if you want to use all the hard drive bays...or even half of them...

[Lardman]

Originally Posted by Smoke87

p183 is a POS if you are going for the larger video cards and want decent air flow. More so if you want to use all the hard drive bays...or even half of them...

There's 4 underneath, just remove the middle bay and you've got plenty of room... You only miss out on 2 drives.

[Bold Eagle]

Another good Fan Review from "Mad Shrimps" (these guys do some solid material imho).

120mm Fan Roundup - 35 Models Compared 13/02/2009 and looks like there is a new kid on the block.

[ElBeasto]

One of the features being touted by Thermalright on the Venomous X is a 'mirrored base'. I don't really care if it's shiny, I just want it to be flat!

The base on the ultra 120 extreme is the reason I bought an H50. That and the fact it doesn't come with a fan.

[Omwols]

I recently asked pccasegear about an ETA for the Noctua NH-D14.

Reply I got today is:

"While we don’t have a specific date, it will be mid to late January 2010 before they are available."

[D_MaN]

I have heard the Noctua Cpu coolers to be great.
I'm thinking about getting one so i can then overclock my core i7 920 =)

[Renban21]

Bought 2 of these last week for different PC's. The cooler comes with 120mm fan and a 140mm fan. I set it up with 2 x 120mm fans these give approx 1 degree better performance that with 120 & 140 fans. Then tried 2 x 140mm fans these give approx 2 degree better performance. Tried 2 x 140mm fans and added a 120mm fan gave 3 degrees better performance. Yes you can fit 3 fans on the cooler if your case is big enough. I have an Antec 1200 case and use an ASUS P6T Deluxe motherboard. The cooler sits over the top of half of the ram facing from front to back of the case. Very easy to fit but must remove motherboard to install backplate on intel systems.

Previously had a Thermalright True 120 with 2 Fans running I7 965@ 4.2 with temps at idle 52, load 75 and very high 90's to 100 when stress tested. With NH-D14 idle 43, load 65 and stress 85. Note this is with the 3 fan setup.

[Renegade40D]

Would upgrading from a Thermaltake BIg Typhoon VX to a Noctua NH-U12P lower my cpu load temps? Looking to push the cpu a bit further with the oc'ing.

Found this site....... http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/824/6
And if there tests results are accurate the U12P seems to be a good choice (my choice is limited to what MSY have on there price list)

[maximun_payne]

hi i just joined was hopeing uses could help me out
i have a lancool k62r1 the fans dont make much noise but it dose not feel like they move much air either
and the top 2 are not led

i would like to repace the top to whit leds ones and maybe the front and back with better led ones
the top 2 and rear are 140mm
and the front is 120mm
what sould i replace them with willing to spend $30 on each fan
not worried to much about noise

[Dark_chaos]

Originally Posted by maximun_payne

hi i just joined was hopeing uses could help me out
i have a lancool k62r1 the fans dont make much noise but it dose not feel like they move much air either
and the top 2 are not led

i would like to repace the top to whit leds ones and maybe the front and back with better led ones
the top 2 and rear are 140mm
and the front is 120mm
what sould i replace them with willing to spend $30 on each fan
not worried to much about noise

Welcome, Maximun_payne.
120mm Fans, I suggest either
Enermax Apollish Twister Bearing 120mm Red LED Fan - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?...ducts_id=13239
CoolerMaster Silent Red LED Fan 120mm - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?...ducts_id=11128

140mm Fans, In Red LED there isn't much. I found some white ones
Xigmatek XLF-F1453 140mm LED Fan - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?...Path=207_9_598

Hopefully these will push / pull more air in / out of you case.

[frostee]

Getting a Coolermaster Geminii S for the new build. I want the best performance possible out of the thing so am going all out on fancy thermal paste, carefully positioned case fans and hopefully replacement of the fan on the heatsink.
What kind of fan do I need to replace it with? Is any PVM one fine? Suggestions for the best option (unlimited budget) ?

EDIT: Man this looks fantastic! http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?...ducts_id=13960
Performance looks good, what do you think?

[Lardman]

Originally Posted by frostee

Getting a Coolermaster Geminii S for the new build. I want the best performance possible out of the thing so am going all out on fancy thermal paste, carefully positioned case fans and hopefully replacement of the fan on the heatsink.
What kind of fan do I need to replace it with? Is any PVM one fine? Suggestions for the best option (unlimited budget) ?

EDIT: Man this looks fantastic! http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?...ducts_id=13960
Performance looks good, what do you think?

I'd generally be wary of Coolermaster numbers that they advertise - Have a look in the first post, there's lots of good info - most people around here swear by the Noctua range of products.