CPU Cooler: Replace Fan vs New One?

[carlese]

Hi guys,

I am buying a new case (Fractal Define R5) and, since I want performance and silence, I'm thinking of replacing the fan on my Xigmatek Gaia SD1283.. I found this model: Noctua NF-S12A for 20 euros, but is it really worth it to change the fan or should i replace the entire CPU cooler? I don't want to spend a lot of money on it, any advice?

 

[xFeaRDom]

It depends on your budget, you could either change the whole CPU cooler, and get something silent like the Arctic Freezer 13 (I have it and I thought it wasn't even working at first), or you could get the fans replaced. Personally, I would change the CPU cooler, but that is my opinion.

 

[Faux_Grey]

That seems like a pretty bad cooler (can't find reviews anywhere.)

6 heatpipes with unknown surface contacts with small heatsink.

I would definitely get a quality CPU cooler, rather than just replacing the fan.

 

[carlese]

Which quality cooler would you suggest? I don't have low profile RAMs so Noctua D14 is out of the league.. Maybe Hyper 212 EVO? Arctic Freezer 13 has 92mm fan, so with higher RPMs it would get loud..

 

[xFeaRDom]

Which quality cooler would you suggest? I don't have low profile RAMs so Noctua D14 is out of the league.. Maybe Hyper 212 EVO? Arctic Freezer 13 has 92mm fan, so with higher RPMs it would get loud..

I have it running on turbo at all times, and I still can't hear it. But yeah, that was my recommendation.

Other than that, the Hyper 212 Evo, is a great air cooler, not sure on the noise, but that would be a good choice as well.

 

[Rogue Leader]

Arctic is generally junk and not as efficient as anything else. You're interested in Noctua and if you want quiet they are the way to go, they have many models. I run an NH-L9i in my server and an NH-U12S in my wife's PC. Their cooling is excellent and they are by far the quietest coolers on the market.

The cooler you have now is excellent and was reviewed by toms hardware here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-cooler-heatsink-roundup,2788-6.html

Out of the group it was voted the best value cooler because even though the Rosewill won on numbers because of its performance and quietness.

If you were to replace the fan with a Noctua fan it should make for a nice cool and quiet setup. Don't replace this with an Arctic, its a HUGE downgrade.

 

[Faux_Grey]

Arctic is generally junk and not as efficient as anything else. You're interested in Noctua and if you want quiet they are the way to go, they have many models. I run an NH-L9i in my server and an NH-U12S in my wife's PC. Their cooling is excellent and they are by far the quietest coolers on the market.

The cooler you have now is excellent and was reviewed by toms hardware here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-cooler-heatsink-roundup,2788-6.html

Out of the group it was voted the best value cooler because even though the Rosewill won on numbers because of its performance and quietness.

If you were to replace the fan with a Noctua fan it should make for a nice cool and quiet setup. Don't replace this with an Arctic, its a HUGE downgrade.

Cool stuff RL, a benchmark, wonder why it didn't show up in the googs? 🙁

not a bad idea to get some quietness with a noctua fan then.

 

[Rogue Leader]

Cool stuff RL, a benchmark, wonder why it didn't show up in the googs? 🙁

not a bad idea to get some quietness with a noctua fan then.

don't know, I just tried it put in "xigmaetk gaia" and it came up as the 4th link down. Maybe google doesn't like you today lol.

But I think we are in agreement, a super quiet Noctua PWM fan coupled with the already good heatsink design (its similar to some noctua models) should make it nice and quiet.

 

[xFeaRDom]

Arctic is generally junk and not as efficient as anything else. You're interested in Noctua and if you want quiet they are the way to go, they have many models. I run an NH-L9i in my server and an NH-U12S in my wife's PC. Their cooling is excellent and they are by far the quietest coolers on the market.

The cooler you have now is excellent and was reviewed by toms hardware here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-cooler-heatsink-roundup,2788-6.html

Out of the group it was voted the best value cooler because even though the Rosewill won on numbers because of its performance and quietness.

If you were to replace the fan with a Noctua fan it should make for a nice cool and quiet setup. Don't replace this with an Arctic, its a HUGE downgrade.

Someone's a bit biased.

The Arctic Freezer 13 is the best air cooler I have purchased, I probably would've got the Hyper 212 but it didn't fit in my case. And it dropped my CPU Temperatures by at least 10c, and it is really efficient and my CPU temperatures are always between 50-55, even on max load. That's like the Corsair issue with their CX Builds, because you had one bad time with them you hate them.

They really aren't that bad, and it was definitely worth the money I paid.

 

[carlese]

I knew my CPU cooler was not s#*t lol 😉 Now for the fan..

- Xigmateg Gaia fan: 800~1500 R.P.M. 56.3CFM (Max.) 16~24 dBA (Max.)
- Noctua NF-F12: 1.500 rpm, 22,4 dB(A), 93,4 m³/h
- Noctua NF-S12A: 1.200 rpm, 17,8 dB(A), 107.5 m³/h

The first one is the default CPU fan, the third one seems the best out of the three but I read that it's suggested for case, not for CPU, while the second is suggested for CPU.. What's your opinion?

I might add to the list also an Aerocool Dead Silence 120mm White LED, since I already have one 140mm on the back, for the look, even though this fan is not PWM so it would run always at full speed:

- Aerocool Dead Silence: 1.200 rpm 92,9 m³/h 15,8 dB

 

[Faux_Grey]

Noctua NF-F12 would be your best bet.

High static pressure.

Static pressure rating is what you look for when pushing air through a heatsink or radiator.

 

[carlese]

But compared to the standard xigmatek fan it seems the same.. Am I wrong? Would I benefit from it? I don't want to throw away 20 euros..

 

[Rogue Leader]

The noise on the Noctua is lower, and you definitely want a PWM fan, any fan even the best one running at full speed all the time you will hear, clearly. While the noise level listed is at the max, as the curve drops (since it won't be running max all the time) it is likely quieter than the Xigmatek fan.

 

[Rogue Leader]

Someone's a bit biased.

The Arctic Freezer 13 is the best air cooler I have purchased, I probably would've got the Hyper 212 but it didn't fit in my case. And it dropped my CPU Temperatures by at least 10c, and it is really efficient and my CPU temperatures are always between 50-55, even on max load. That's like the Corsair issue with their CX Builds, because you had one bad time with them you hate them.

They really aren't that bad, and it was definitely worth the money I paid.

Nope. For the price there are better coolers, while the model you have is not bad, Arctic makes a lot of really bad coolers that unsuspecting folks buy and are highly disappointed with. I'm not biased, I just know my equipment and when it comes to equipment its best to play the law of averages.

Corsair CX PSUs have a fundamental design flaw, one that they have corrected with the new CXM. Sometimes with them you get lucky, there are many users who have no problems with them. And on a normal low or no GPU build they work fine. But quite a few have had issues running any sort of high power GPU off one. So again, law of averages. Why buy something that has a known chance of having problems, when you can buy a brand like Seasonic, sometimes for the exact same price, that won't have such problems.

 

[xFeaRDom]

Someone's a bit biased.

The Arctic Freezer 13 is the best air cooler I have purchased, I probably would've got the Hyper 212 but it didn't fit in my case. And it dropped my CPU Temperatures by at least 10c, and it is really efficient and my CPU temperatures are always between 50-55, even on max load. That's like the Corsair issue with their CX Builds, because you had one bad time with them you hate them.

They really aren't that bad, and it was definitely worth the money I paid.

Nope. For the price there are better coolers, while the model you have is not bad, Arctic makes a lot of really bad coolers that unsuspecting folks buy and are highly disappointed with. I'm not biased, I just know my equipment and when it comes to equipment its best to play the law of averages.

Corsair CX PSUs have a fundamental design flaw, one that they have corrected with the new CXM. Sometimes with them you get lucky, there are many users who have no problems with them. And on a normal low or no GPU build they work fine. But quite a few have had issues running any sort of high power GPU off one. So again, law of averages. Why buy something that has a known chance of having problems, when you can buy a brand like Seasonic, sometimes for the exact same price, that won't have such problems.

Fair enough. But you make it sound like I'm an idiot for buying one haha.

I guess I just got lucky, and I am very impressed with it.

I would've gone for the 212 Evo for an extra £10 or whatever it is, but it was too big for my case.

 

[Faux_Grey]

Corsair CX PSUs have a fundamental design flaw, one that they have corrected with the new CXM. Sometimes with them you get lucky, there are many users who have no problems with them.

Not related to OP at all, but:
One of the lucky ones right here.
Running i5 4690k with Fury X on a 550w CX.

😀