H100i V2 Fan Replacement

Danny_93

Commendable
Feb 4, 2017
3
0
1,510
Hi, I've done some research on replacing the loud stock fans on the Corsair H100i V2 and ended up picking up a pair of the 120mm Noctua NF-F12 fans to replace the Corsair fans the AOI came with. I figured I would post my results here in case they help someone decide on whether or not to go with the Noctua fans. I'm sure this info is out there somewhere but hopefully it will help someone with their decision in the future. In short, I'm still not sure if I will keep these or not. The sound level is better, but they are still audible when running at full speed which is almost a necessity. There is a performance hit with the Noctua fans being 1500 rpm vs the 3000 rpm stock fans the AOI came with if you do an apples to apples corsair link profile between the two (as the Noctuas run at a lower RPM max).

Test Setup:
15 cycles of intel burn test normal mode.
Notes: I did not run the balanced profile with the noctuas as there simply wasn't enough airflow and I was concerned with the temps I was seeing during the test (mid 80's C). I did not run the stock Corsair fans on performance or max profile because they are way too loud for that to be a valid mode to operate IMO.

Rig Setup:
i7-6700k @ 4.7GHZ (1.26VCore, 1.15 VSA/VIO)
Corsair Vengeance DDR4 3000 MHz Ram running at XMP 3000 MHz profile
Asus Prime Z270-AR
Corsair H100i V2 AOI cooler. (Fans in PULL configuration)

Results below:
Stock fans with balanced corsair link profile - Max Package Temp 78 C
Noctua NF-F12 fans with performance profile - Max Package Temp 79 C
Noctua NF-F12 fans with max profile - Max Package Temp 78 C

Summary - as stated above, I had to run the Noctuas at performance or Max corsair link profile to get similar temps on my i7-6700k. My gut is telling me I would like to have some margin on top if I ever do need the additional RPMs to keep the cpu cool while running a strenuous game or program. I may look into the 3000 rpm series of Noctuas or simply keep the stock fans and deal with the noise.

If anyone has any opinion on this subject, keeping the stock fans, recommendations on another pair of fans please let me know....
 
How about going with Corsair ML120 series fans?
specs: http://www.corsair.com/en/cooling/ml-series-fans?fansize=120mm%20x%2025mm
pcpp: http://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/LkJkcf,wPFXsY,MpBrxr,GXkwrH/

ML120 has big enough RPM range (400-2400) while having good CFM and static pressure to be used as a solid rad fan.

I have 3x ML120 in use in my Skylake build (full specs in my sig). Two of them sit on my CPU heatsink while the 3rd one is used as bottom intake.
 
Thanks for the reply. I realized I had enough space in my case for a 280mm rad, so I ended up going with the H115i. It's not nearly as loud since there is more thermal capacity and the fans don't have to spin as fast to keep temps down.

For what it's worth, with the H115i and balanced fan profile I get 76 C max temps running the same test as above.
 
With 280mm rad, you can also go with 140mm fans that can move more air while being quieter than 120mm fans.

Corsair also offers ML140 (140mm) fans,
specs: http://www.corsair.com/en/cooling/ml-series-fans?fansize=140mm%20x%2025mm
pcpp: http://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/D34NnQ,ycH48d,sYNypg,cfyxFT/

In my Skylake build, i also have 3x ML140 fans. Two of them are front intakes while the 3rd one is rear exhaust.
 
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