Question Cryorig CPU cooler fan died, questions about replacing it

[Exploding PSU]

Hello everyone!

I have a Cryorig H7 Quad Lumi CPU cooler paired with a Ryzen 5 2600 in my system that's been running since Ryzen first came out (so about 2017-2018).

After years of faithful service, just last month, the white LED in the cooler's 120mm fan started to become rather dimmer than usual. Sometimes a PC restart would make the lights... light up normally, it was kind of random. Then not long after that the LED lights died completely. It wasn't much of an issue for me though as my years of building brightly lit and,aesthetically pleasing PC is long gone. I just want something that works these days. The fan still worked normally so I let it be...

Then a few days ago, the fan stopped spinning. I've tried various things, including plugging the fan to a different header on the motherboard (CPU_FAN and CPU_PUMP, even), but no signs of life. The CPU's temperature is still acceptable, hovering around high 40 to low 50 even without the fan running. I think it's simply due to the sheer size of the heatsink and the case fans picking up the slack.

I was thinking to replace the fan. But, I have some questions before I go out and buy a new fan (and before that I really apologise if I got the terminology wrong)

- I'm sure I can't just use any 120mm fans. Considering a CPU cooler fan need to be able to adjust the speed based on CPU temperature, this means fans with 3-pins or Molex are a no-go, because they can only be run at maximum speed (correct me if I'm wrong, I have a feeling I am). So, I should buy a 120mm fan with a similar 4-pin connector like the one found in the current fan or the stock cooler, right?

- The reason why I'm asking this is I can't find a Cryorig fan in stock anywhere where I live. Okay, I found one or two but they were questionable and insanely priced, as if those fans were vintage parts or something. I would have to settle with a different brand, Is there going to be a problem fitting a different brand fans to the heatsink, like is there "firmware" or "limitations" that might make the fan not work? I tried to look for any info relating to this on Cryorig's website but the page for the product returned a 404.

The cooling fan is strapped to the heatsink with a pair of thin metal fastener thingy, they latch into where the holes for the screws on the fan should be, so I'm sure these fastener is compatible with any fans as long as they're 120mm. There's actually two pairs of those fasteners, I found another one in the box not knowing about it for years. SO it's actually possible to fit two fans to the heatsink. Just a side tangent.

Really, the TLDR is, can I use a different brand 120mm fan to replace my broken Cryorig cooler fan?

 

[Eximo]

Yes, any 4-pin PWM fan should work just fine. Those clips just go into the four corners, they will work with most fans. Worst case you can always zip tie fans to the heat sink.

That said, radiators and heatsinks should have static pressure optimized fans used on them. You will want fans that have blades with less space between them. Fans that have large gaps between the blades are airflow focused.

Arctic P12 PWM would be a decent option.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/68WfrH/arctic-p12-pwm-pst-563-cfm-120-mm-fan-acfan00120a

 

[Paperdoc]

Fan-wise you have lots of choices, guidance below. Lighting is a different question.

Excepting the lights, that fan is a "standard" 4-pin PWM type of fan in the 120mm size, and it is attached to the heatsink by a pair of spring wires, so replacing is easy. And yes, you should buy a 4-pin fan. I expect your old one is plugged into the CPU_FAN header of your mobo, so the new one does the same. What to look for? First, look56 at the max Air Flow spec usually in CFM. More is better. Next, and this IS important, look at the spec for max pressure. Any fan's actual air flow is reduced by anything in the air flow path that resists, and the fins of a heatsink do resist. So the higher the Pressure spec, the better. For this you should get more than 1.5 mm of water, over 2.0 is better. Many such fans are called "pressure fans", but look at the actual spec. FYI, what that spec mean is that if the resistance to air flow the fan is dealing with, measured as backpressure in mm of water, exceeds this spec, then the fan will deliver NO actual air flow. At backpressure below that there will be some flow. Less backpressure yields more airflow, and zero backpressure (free space, but NOT on a heatsink!) yields the max airflow spec.

A third spec if the noise level in dBA. That's the max noise at max speed, and lower is better. Not suprisingly, higher fan performance (more airflow) usually means higher noise. However, really good fan design can deliver higher air flow without really high noise, so different fans have different specs. And remember that a fan with a higher max aiflow spec will actually need to run slower that a lesser fan, so its noise may be less, too.

That old fan has a type of lighting NOT normally found today. Its second cable plugs into a mobo USB2 header, and then you run the NZXT CAM software utility to control the fan's lights via that USB connection. I doubt there are any standard fans on the market today that work that way. A modern fan will have lights of one of two possible types. One is called plain RGB and uses a 4-pin connector on its cable and a power supply line in that cable for 12 VDC. The other is called Addressable RGB or ADDR RGB or ARGB or sometimes Digital RGB. It uses a cable with three pins (looks like it had 4 but one is missing) and a 5 VDC power line. Each type requires a lighting Controller for power and display control. Most modern mobos have one or the other of these - sometimes both types - built in and appropriate headers on the mobo to plug in the fan's lighting cable. YOUR mobo may NOT have either. If you need help checking, tell us the exact mobo you have - maker and model - so we can look up details. If you do NOT have a header for lights on the mobo, you have two choices. Just forget the lights and buy a new fan with no lights for slightly less money. OR, buy a fan with lights PLUS buy a third-party lighting controller box pf the SAME lighting design type to install and connect the fan lights to. There are several types of Controllers, so if you want to pursue that line post back here for more advice.

 

[SkyNetRising]

I'm sure I can't just use any 120mm fans.
Really, the TLDR is, can I use a different brand 120mm fan to replace my broken Cryorig cooler fan?

Any 120mm fan can be used. Both 4pin PWM fans and 3pin DC fans can be regulated.
Fan regulation mode can be switched in BIOS.

 

[Paperdoc]

SkyNetRising above is right. EXCEPT that your mobo MAY be old enough that its CPU_FAN header does NOT have options for the fan type used there. Look at that header's configuration screen for a setting for MODE. Options may be Voltage (or DC), PWM and maybe Automatic. The user must set this to Voltage (or DC) for a 3-pin fan, or to PWM for a 4-pin fan. The "Auto Mode" just tests the connected fan at every start-up to see if PWM Mode will control the fan speed. If it does not, it reverts to Voltage Control Mode. In the early days of the introduction of 4-pin PWM type fans, those options were introduced but some CPU_FAN headers were set to work only in one of the two choices and no other was possible.

 

[Exploding PSU]

Thank you for all the response!

Yes, any 4-pin PWM fan should work just fine. Those clips just go into the four corners, they will work with most fans. Worst case you can always zip tie fans to the heat sink.

That said, radiators and heatsinks should have static pressure optimized fans used on them. You will want fans that have blades with less space between them. Fans that have large gaps between the blades are airflow focused.

Arctic P12 PWM would be a decent option.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/68WfrH/arctic-p12-pwm-pst-563-cfm-120-mm-fan-acfan00120a

I've ordered that Arctic P12 PWM you mentioned. It's readily available here, quite affordable, and it's available in white!

Fan-wise you have lots of choices, guidance below. Lighting is a different question.

Excepting the lights, that fan is a "standard" 4-pin PWM type of fan in the 120mm size, and it is attached to the heatsink by a pair of spring wires, so replacing is easy. And yes, you should buy a 4-pin fan. I expect your old one is plugged into the CPU_FAN header of your mobo, so the new one does the same. What to look for? First, look56 at the max Air Flow spec usually in CFM. More is better. Next, and this IS important, look at the spec for max pressure. Any fan's actual air flow is reduced by anything in the air flow path that resists, and the fins of a heatsink do resist. So the higher the Pressure spec, the better. For this you should get more than 1.5 mm of water, over 2.0 is better. Many such fans are called "pressure fans", but look at the actual spec. FYI, what that spec mean is that if the resistance to air flow the fan is dealing with, measured as backpressure in mm of water, exceeds this spec, then the fan will deliver NO actual air flow. At backpressure below that there will be some flow. Less backpressure yields more airflow, and zero backpressure (free space, but NOT on a heatsink!) yields the max airflow spec.

A third spec if the noise level in dBA. That's the max noise at max speed, and lower is better. Not suprisingly, higher fan performance (more airflow) usually means higher noise. However, really good fan design can deliver higher air flow without really high noise, so different fans have different specs. And remember that a fan with a higher max aiflow spec will actually need to run slower that a lesser fan, so its noise may be less, too.

That old fan has a type of lighting NOT normally found today. Its second cable plugs into a mobo USB2 header, and then you run the NZXT CAM software utility to control the fan's lights via that USB connection. I doubt there are any standard fans on the market today that work that way. A modern fan will have lights of one of two possible types. One is called plain RGB and uses a 4-pin connector on its cable and a power supply line in that cable for 12 VDC. The other is called Addressable RGB or ADDR RGB or ARGB or sometimes Digital RGB. It uses a cable with three pins (looks like it had 4 but one is missing) and a 5 VDC power line. Each type requires a lighting Controller for power and display control. Most modern mobos have one or the other of these - sometimes both types - built in and appropriate headers on the mobo to plug in the fan's lighting cable. YOUR mobo may NOT have either. If you need help checking, tell us the exact mobo you have - maker and model - so we can look up details. If you do NOT have a header for lights on the mobo, you have two choices. Just forget the lights and buy a new fan with no lights for slightly less money. OR, buy a fan with lights PLUS buy a third-party lighting controller box pf the SAME lighting design type to install and connect the fan lights to. There are several types of Controllers, so if you want to pursue that line post back here for more advice.

I learned a lot about fans here, thanks! Didn't know there are two kinds of fans. Anyway, I compared the Arctic I'd ordered to the Cryorig stock fan I have, and the numbers look good. I couldn't find any info for the Cryorig fan from the website, with 404 and all that, but I found a kitguru review of the same H7 cooler. The numbers :

Arctic P12 :
Noise : 28,16 dBA
Airflow : 56,3 CFM
Static pressure : 2,2 mmH2O

Cryorig fan :
Noise : 43 dbA
AIrflow : 49 CFM
Static pressure : 1,65 mmH2O

So it looks like the Arctic fan is actually better (performance-wise) than the old Cryorig fan. Considering the old Cryorig fan was more than enough to cool the CPU, I'm sure the new Arctic should be even better. The only thing I'm not sure is the noise, I simply find it hard to believe that the Arctic is that much quieter than the Cryorig, while having better cooling performance. Both numbers were taken from independent reviews., so maybe there's a difference in how they measured it or something.

Also, the fan actually has only one cable, the one that plugs into the 4-pin. The fan only has one LED colour, white.
The other cable that plugs into the USB header is used to control the RGB lights on the top and the bottom (or the sides? the ones facing the side panel and the CPU) of the heatsink. It's soldered to a small PCB on top of the cooler, covered by a piece of plastic with the Cryorig branding.
And yes, it's controlled by the NZXT Cam software. And yes, I had very bad luck when it comes to using the software to control the RGB.

SkyNetRising above is right. EXCEPT that your mobo MAY be old enough that its CPU_FAN header does NOT have options for the fan type used there. Look at that header's configuration screen for a setting for MODE. Options may be Voltage (or DC), PWM and maybe Automatic. The user must set this to Voltage (or DC) for a 3-pin fan, or to PWM for a 4-pin fan. The "Auto Mode" just tests the connected fan at every start-up to see if PWM Mode will control the fan speed. If it does not, it reverts to Voltage Control Mode. In the early days of the introduction of 4-pin PWM type fans, those options were introduced but some CPU_FAN headers were set to work only in one of the two choices and no other was possible.

I have an old (but still relatively modern) MSI X370 SLI Plus for my motherboard. I checked the BIOS, and it does have the option to set whether the fan connected to the header is PWM or DC. For testing's sake, I plugged in an old 80mm DC server fan that I have lying around to the header, and after some fiddling, the motherboard was able to control that fan's speed just fine.
I didn't use that fan to replace the old Cryorig cooler though because it's the wrong size (80 mm, too small) and it sounded like a Hoover on max settings.

Oh, about the RGB header, the board does have a standard RGB LED header, but not the ARGB variety. The board was MSI's no frills X370 board so it's kind of understandable for it to have no fancy ARGB stuff. Unless I somehow have missed the ARGB header in all the years I've been running that board. I don't use the RGB header at all though...

By the way, thanks for all the info! I really appreciate it..

 

[Eximo]

So it looks like the Arctic fan is actually better (performance-wise) than the old Cryorig fan. Considering the old Cryorig fan was more than enough to cool the CPU, I'm sure the new Arctic should be even better. The only thing I'm not sure is the noise, I simply find it hard to believe that the Arctic is that much quieter than the Cryorig, while having better cooling performance. Both numbers were taken from independent reviews., so maybe there's a difference in how they measured it or something.

Yes, usually need independent testing to verify marketing claims.

They will likely have shown you a best case noise level at some fixed RPM, and then shown the maximum static pressure possible at full RPM.

You can certainly spend even more on a fan, or even look at some of the non-standard 30mm thick fans that would certainly perform better, but that would approach the cost of a new CPU cooler.

I once bought 4 different fans, tested them all in a heatsink, and ended up using the cheapest one from Xigmatek. It didn't perform the best, but it had the best noise profile when stuck in the middle of a dual tower heatsink. Arctic P12 is a known good/cheap fan, though I haven't used that Arctic model myself yet. I do have a few of their old white bladed fans which I am partial to. Currently have 7 140mm Phanteks in my build, sadly discontinued as far as I can tell.

 

[Paperdoc]

I agree, that Arctic P12 PWM PST fan in White will do your job well. The difference in noise specs is possible - good fan design can do that - but I AM surprised the difference is so large. You will find out. I expect you will find it is quieter than the old one, but by how many dBA's will be impossible to tell. Enjoy!

For configuration of the MODE setting for CPU_FAN, I expect you discovered that it controls the speed of an older 3-pin fan IF you set that to DC Mode (manual, p. 59, upper left). For this 4-pin PWM new fan, set that to PWM.

The Arctic fan has NO lights in its frame, so you certainly will not need the plain RGB (4-pin, 12 VDC type) header JLED1. And I, too, find no indication that this mobo has an ARGB header. In fact, IF it had one, MSI often labelled that as JRAINBOW.