Is my Noctua UH-12P-SE2 enough for an i9 9900K at stock?

[K1llrzzZ]

Hi!

I'm planning to upgrade my old i7 4770K to an i9 9900K. I have an older CPU cooler (the one in the title), I looked it up in the Noctua website and it is compatible with the motherboard I choos (Asus ROG Strix Z390-H Gaming), but the question is will it be enough to cool my CPU? I read that they can get pretty hot, but also that there is a 95W TDP limit by default which reduces the temperature significantly. I should also note that I have a pretty good case (Coolermaster HAF 932) that has great cooling. Now as I said in the title I'm not planning to overclock, I only buy this CPU because my 4770K was getting old. I mostly use my PC for gaming.

Thank you guys for the answer!

 

[Darkbreeze]

I wouldn't. I would want to see at least some kind of decent 140mm cooler on there. You're talking a 5Ghz processor at the stock configuration, with 8 cores and 16 threads. It would probably work, barely, but I would still not recommend doing it.

There is a reason these don't come with stock coolers and that is because, regardless of what the TDP listing is on a given unlocked CPU, they tend to need very good cooling. Something in a 140mm model with a higher TDP capability would be well advised. That said, you could probably get by with that cooler if you absolutely had to, at least for a while.

It probably also matter greatly, as to whether it could work or not, how much case cooling you have. If you have terrific case cooling with many fans, it is going to work a lot better than if you have one or two case fans, and those are small ones.

 

[K1llrzzZ]

Thank you for the reply. I think my case has a pretty good cooling, its this one:
http://assets.coolermaster.com/global/upload/product_feature/HAF-932-web_mat_03.jpg
I read that if the 95W TDP limit is on the CPU only boost to around 4.1-4.2 GHz and when you turn it off then it boost to 5 Ghz.
There is also a pretty big difference in temperature according to this test:
https://static.techspot.com/articles-info/1744/bench/Temps.png
Now they used significantly better coolers in this test then mine I image, but if let's say the Noctua NH-D15 can cool it down to 64 degrees with the 95W TDP limit turned on, I imagine my could cool it down to somewhere between 70-80 degrees which isn't too bad considering that the official TJ max of the CPU is 100 degrees celsius. Also they the programs they use the stress the CPU in these test are way more demanding then video games so it probably wouldn't get as hot as 64 degrees with the NH-D15 while playing games. But of course these I just theories, I guess I have to try it out and see for myself to know for sure, no point in buying a new cooler until then, and if it is indeed too hot then I guess I'll have no choice but to look for good one. Can you recommend any that is compatible with the mobo I choose? (Asus ROG Strix Z390-H Gaming) Thanks!

 

[Darkbreeze]

There is almost no point to getting that CPU if you are not going to overclock OR at least allow it to use it's standard 5Ghz boost. Otherwise, you might just as well buy a lower tiered processor. And if you do, then you want better cooling.

Plus I don't even see a TDP specification on the Noctua website for that cooler, which you misspelled in any case. LOL.

 

[The Original Ralph]

like darkbreeze stated, you'd be foolish to go with any cooler smaller than 140mm, and actually i;d suggest going larger. Why would you want to limit yourself to clock speeds that are going to push you into the mid 80s temp range?

if you work large files, you're eventually going to want to OC it some, and that 120mm cooler will leave you wanting

nice case btw, have you got a motherboard with enough sata ports to cover all those HDD and external bays?

 

[Darkbreeze]

How in the F can you go larger than 140mm? LOL.

AFAIK there are NOT any CPU coolers that use fans larger than 140mm except that ONE crazy ass Scythe fan from many years back that I think used a 200mm fan in a top down configuration. 140mm or 140mm x2 is as big as it gets for air.

Water is a different story, and a 280 or 360mm loop wouldn't be a bad idea if you decide to overclock. My 140mm single finstack Noctua NH-U14S has worked exceptionally well on a variety of overclocked AMD FX and Intel i7 products over the years. It's currently cooling my 6700k@4.6Ghz and overclocked memory with no problems. I'm not sure I'd want to use it on an 8/16 processor though. I'd probably have to go with a larger heatsink.

 

[The Original Ralph]

sorry, brain was locked on something else, i was thinking in a brain fog the D15 or D15s were 150MM

working on an ultra notebook (whatever samsung calls this thing) - i'll explain in that thread over on the motherboards forum

 

[jankerson]

Well, I am running an i9 9900K and this is no way I could recommend any cooler less than a NH D15 for it, even at stock speeds.

Not sure what is going on with the Z390 boards, I am running a Z370 MB, AORUS Z370 Gaming 5.

But even then something is messed up with the new BIOS versions that cause the VCORE to go crazy high (1.5V) so I want back to the F7 Bios and that works great. That was crazy high even with the i7 8086 CPU with the new F10 and F11 BIOS, over 1.4V.....

Now if you look at mine here you will see the 9900K at 5 GHz MCE is actually pulling up to 179W running Prime 95.

And here is OCCT, pushes harder.

 

[K1llrzzZ]

Thank you guys for the answers, I will test it with my current cooler first of course but I expect nothing good so I'm probably going to get the Noctua NH D15, I hope it will fit on my mobo without any issues (according to the Noctua website it is compatible, but I think that just means that yes you can install it, it doesn't mean that the RAM won't be on the way for example).

 

[Darkbreeze]

Actually, the Noctua website has VERY accurate notes on whether RAM, graphics cards or other issues will affect interference or compatibility on any given motherboard and so far I've never seen it be wrong except when using older, VERY tall memory modules.

 

[K1llrzzZ]

Actually, the Noctua website has VERY accurate notes on whether RAM, graphics cards or other issues will affect interference or compatibility on any given motherboard and so far I've never seen it be wrong except when using older, VERY tall memory modules.

Well I have already ordered my RAM, it's a Patriot Viper 4 16GB DDR4-3400 C16 Dual Channel RAM, doesn't look extremely tall on picture but we'll see.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Should be fine. Be sure to install it in the A2 and B2 slots. That is where all modern boards designate two memory population anyhow, plus that keeps the slot closest to the CPU cooler empty and that helps to eliminate any interference issues.

 

[The Original Ralph]

Actually, the Noctua website has VERY accurate notes on whether RAM, graphics cards or other issues will affect interference or compatibility on any given motherboard and so far I've never seen it be wrong except when using older, VERY tall memory modules.

Well I have already ordered my RAM, it's a Patriot Viper 4 16GB DDR4-3400 C16 Dual Channel RAM, doesn't look extremely tall on picture but we'll see.

Your ram is 42.6mm in height
https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/20c502_f2d0378958674df494af125f134c495f.pdf

THe D15, in single fan use has 64mm of clearance, or you can shift the rear fan if you go with both fans - you may end up going with a 120mm fan, as they show the 140mm fan centered only allowing 32mm clearance. It's going to depend on the clearance your case allows as to how high you can shift the fan

scroll to bottom of page https://noctua.at/en/products/cpu-cooler-retail/nh-d15/specification

my ram is 41mm in height and i had to shift the first fan upward to clear it

 

[Darkbreeze]

I'd just move the front fan to the rear if it was necessary. The pull-pull configuration works just as well as the push-pull configuration in every testing comparison that I've seen.

That would entirely eliminate the clearance issue with the front fan.

 

[K1llrzzZ]

Well the mobo just arrived, and im a bit worried that the part in the circle will also be in the way for the cooler:
https://imgur.com/1eCzlXg

 

[The Original Ralph]

moving the front fan to the rear might be problematic for another reason - it's going leave a very small gap between the two fans - iirc (and my cooler is off right now) less than 1/2" - my D15S and the D15 are identical in ft to rear measurement

raising that first or ft fan ie keeping it in a push position, isn't that big a deal - let's keep in mind, the ram is 42.6mm and the height from mobo to that first fan in normal position is 32mm, which is for all intents 10mm difference. 10mm = 3/8ths of an inch - allow another 1/8", that means raising that first fan 1/2"

the issue is going to be if your case will allow it - my aerocool DS200 case did, but i could not find a spec on that HAF 932 case

PS - just checked my computer - the first fan is a 120mm fan

 

[Darkbreeze]

PS - just checked my computer - the first fan is a 120mm fan

That's your first mistake. Throw that thing away and put a 140mm fan on there.

JK, I know you already have clearance issues.


As for the rear I/O cover on that motherboard, it should not be a problem. I've never seen an I/O shroud interfere with any well known cooler.

 

[The Original Ralph]

PS - just checked my computer - the first fan is a 120mm fan

That's your first mistake. Throw that thing away and put a 140mm fan on there.

do you recommend i use a 2 lb hammer to pound the side case cover out some or just cut a slot in it for the fan to slip thru?

my case has 165 cooler height allowance, the cooler is 160mm tall, with the 120mm raised, it barely clears

 

[Darkbreeze]

Cut a slot. More airflow that way. LOL.

Hammer works too, but tends to make things look even uglier.

 

[The Original Ralph]

Cut a slot. More airflow that way. LOL.

Hammer works too, but tends to make things look even uglier.

actually i am toying with the idea of cutting a hole for a fan in that side cover - liked it when i saw it on that HAF 932 case - get one of those 2000rpm noctua fans and pump some fresh air in there

 

[Darkbreeze]

Your case already has five fan locations. Four of them support 140mm fans while the rear MIGHT be able to be easily modified to accept a 140mm fan like my Cooler Master Storm enforcer was some years ago. The stock fan configuration though should be enough for any system if you have four 140mm fans installed plus the rear 120mm exhaust and you have the front two as intakes and the rest as exhaust.

That should already take the rate of air exchange to about as good as you can expect while still also allowing the air path to flow where it is most beneficial.

 

[The Original Ralph]

the top fan area will accept one 140mm properly without any blockage
but not two - even a 120 seems to suffer some blockage - not sure why they did it like that, but
when you've got fan blades pushing air toward metal plate, you get turbulence which means that some airflow in the area of the fan blades that isn't blocked is disturbed - roughly, probably 1/2 the fan airflow of what could be flowing is lost

in reality i think i'll go with a 200mm noctua fan, 800 rpm, 86 cfm will be a decent addition, and will be silent. When i first mounted the 120mm fan too high on the cooler, it was pushing into the sound insulation on the side cover enough, that i heard a humming - the damn side cover was acting like a drum skin

even with just the rear exhaust fan and the GPU exhausting air, versus a front 200mm fan (blowing right into the HDD cage (more blockage) and the 140mm & 2 80mm fans up top, i saw evidence of negative air pressure in the way of dust accumulating in vent openings that run around the edge of the case on both side. When i ran it without the GPU, no dust would accumulate in those openings, so with the GPU they were obviously seeing air flowing into the case, which means negative airflow. Also factor in the fans blowing air in are pulling it thru filters and grates which create some restriction on air flow, while the exhaust fan(s) are blowing without the filter restriction

i saw the benefits of what positive airflow did to my temps on another computer and i became the Tim Allen (of Tool TIme) in terms of positive airflow - can't have too much

 

[The Original Ralph]

just realized you said my case has five fan options - i went to check their web and looks like they've changed the design some - my front only has one fan possibility and it's a 200mm fan

they seem to have discontinued the windowless model, which is mine, so from the pictures of the front chassis, it's different from mine - the new version does show 2 fans

 

[Darkbreeze]

The windowless model, NOT the lite or window model, shows this:

Top : 2 x 120mm or 2 x 140 mm or 1 x 200mm Fan (Optional)

Front : 2 x 120mm or 2 x 140 mm Fans ( Included 1 x 140mm

Black Fan)

Rear : 1 x 120mm Fan ( Included 1 x 120mm Black Fan)


Here: https://www.aerocool.com.tw/au/chssis/ds/ds200

So unless that is different than yours, and it doesn't say anything like updated version or DS 200 v2 or anything like that, then it SHOULD support it.

Might be only if drive cages are removed or something, IDK, but that's what the specs say.

 

[The Original Ralph]

shot of the upper fans in my computer. The larger fan is 140mm, the two small ones to the left are 60mm

if someone told you that you could realistically install two 140mm fans, they lied to you

yeah the openings are there for the mounting screws, but too much of the
fans are blocked

on my next case, i swear i'm going to take the time to cut out the grate openings the fans mount over