[SOLVED] Most quiet low profile cooler for 12600K ?

[Regev]

I'm building an open-air 12600K rig (non-OCed).
On my 9900K, I have the NH15 on Silent mode, and it is indeed silent. I can't hear that computer at all.

I'd use another NH15, but on this build I don't have the space for that gigantic cooler. Which low profile cooler will give me similar quietness, while sufficiently cooling a non-OCed 12600K?

If no air cooler exists (I understand with smaller heatsink, you need bigger/noisier fans), is there any silent (maybe even passive?) AIO cooler I could use?

Thanks

 

[boju]

Can you fit Noctua NH-U12A?

 

[Regev]

Nope. It can't be a tower cooler of any sort.

 

[geofelt]

What is the height available for a cooler?
How low profile do you need?
What is the make/model of this open air case?

A i5-12600K may well run with any cooler you use.
But to get the max turbo boost, you need a cooler that can keep temperatures to under 70c.
That will not happen with any low profile downdraft cooler.
A cooler needs some radiator size to do it's job.
Noctua maintains a list of suitability of coolers for the 12600k:
https://ncc.noctua.at/cpus/model/Intel-Core-i5-12600K-1581

Also, if a cooler uses larger 120/140mm fans, it will be quieter.

 

[Regev]

I gave up on finding a small enough VESA mountable case, so I'm just drilling the motherboard and SFX PSU to the wall, and cover them with a beautiful piece of glass drilled with 4 spacers to the wall. Will look kinda like the Thermaltake Core P1, just much smaller. I get to decide what length the spacers will be, but for sure they won't fit a big cooler, cause it will look weird I was worried of using AIO (because of potential leakage, it's an improtant production machine), but I thought maybe if I could position the radiator correctly I can use gravity so that water won't ever touch the electronics, even if leaked. What's the most silent (both fans and pump) AIO perhaps?

 

[Nighthawk117]

Been using AIO's for many years, never had a problem. There are lots of good mini ITX cases, how you'd VESA mount one I don't know though.

 

[tennis2]

What is your height restriction? (in mm)
"Low profile" isn't specific enough.

Scythe Big Shuriken 3.0
https://www.scytheus.com/bigshuriken3

Noctua NH-L12S
https://noctua.at/en/nh-l12s

(Sorry for the super tall pics) Both coolers are included here. Keep in mind these are open test bench results (InWinn D Frame)

 

[Regev]

Nice thanks! The Big Shuriken 3 does looks interesting. Will it be more silent than an AIO system?

* as for height restriction - I get to choose which spacers to use, I just don't want too much space between the glass and the wall, so would rather use a low profile cooler. Can that Shuriken keep a non-OCed 12600K under healthy temps (remember, the case is open) and remain dead silent when doing basic stuff like browsing?
On my Noctua D15, I set it as Silent on the bios, and I don't hear it at all, cause I never go crazy with that computer. I'd like to achieve a similar quietness with this build, tho I'm aware of the limitations of a smaller cooler.

 

[Jason H.]

Scythe Mugen 5 Rev. b .. its a aircooler that has the same performance as most 100-120$ aio's, but for about 60$. Its is 155mm in height which makes it great for slim form factors.

 

[Regev]

It's massive though. Maximum height I'd go for is something like the Shuriken, but I'm open to AIOs if they're more silent.

 

[Lafong]

Noctua makes several low profile coolers.

5 or 6 in an L9 series using 92 mm fans.

A couple in the L12 series, using 120 mm fans

Overall heights ranging from 37 to 70 mm.

 

[Regev]

The L12s and Shuriken 3 look most interesting, barring a cool, quiet AIO if it exists.

But how come the Shuriken 3 scored better on the noise levels on that Tweakdown chart? I see the exact opposite everywhere I check:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx3axNgZs8U

 

[geofelt]

I might suggest the noctua NH-C14s.
https://noctua.at/en/nh-c14s

Are you a human?

www.newegg.com

It looks to be suitable:
https://ncc.noctua.at/cpus/model/Intel-Core-i5-12600K-1581

The big advantage is that it uses a 140mm fan or two which will be quieter than 120 or 92mm fans.
There are a couple of options to adjust the height, depending on one fan or two, and mounted over or under the cooling fins. It can go from a minimum of 115mm to 142mm.

I have used the big shuriken rev b before in a height restricted case and an overclocked 6600K.
It was the best available at the time.
I like the scythe products, they have performed well.
But, under heavy load the fan which is thin at 15mm, became noisy and was unable to sustain the overclock that I wanted. I think you need stronger for a 12600K.

I like the open concept mounted on the wall.
You should get a good natural airflow without the need for any fans other than the cpu cooler.

 

[tennis2]

But how come the Shuriken 3 scored better on the noise levels on that Tweakdown chart? I see the exact opposite everywhere I check:

The chart i linked is full (12V) operation.

Here's the rest of the article:
https://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/9...-System-Setup-Thermal-Tests-and-Noise-Results

 

[Regev]

I might suggest the noctua NH-C14s.
https://noctua.at/en/nh-l12s/specification

Are you a human?

www.newegg.com

It looks to be suitable:
https://ncc.noctua.at/cpus/model/Intel-Core-i5-12600K-1581

The big advantage is that it uses a 140mm fan or two which will be quieter than 120 or 92mm fans.
There are a couple of options to adjust the height, depending on one fan or two, and mounted over or under the cooling fins. It can go from a minimum of 115mm to 142mm.

I have used the big shuriken rev b before in a height restricted case and an overclocked 6600K.
It was the best available at the time.
I like the scythe products, they have performed well.
But, under heavy load the fan which is thin at 15mm, became noisy and was unable to sustain the overclock that I wanted. I think you need stronger for a 12600K.

I like the open concept mounted on the wall.
You should get a good natural airflow without the need for any fans other than the cpu cooler.

Will the Scythe / L12s be enough tho, if I don't overclock at all?

 

[tennis2]

Will the Scythe / L12s be enough tho, if I don't overclock at all?

At stock, the 12600K pulls about 120W.

In general, I would say yes, either cooler can handle a 12600K.

Downdraft coolers are more sensitive to good case airflow than tower coolers. In your situation of a custom case, care should be taken to allow the fan to breathe cool/fresh air and have some airflow across the CPU socket to move the waste heat away before the fan sucks [the "splash"] back in. Since you're looking to minimize height, make sure you leave some room for the fan to get air (don't press it up against a sheet of glass) and/or fab a vent above the CPU fan. If no vents, you'll want to leave a space at least the thickness of the fan above it.

 

[geofelt]

Will the Scythe / L12s be enough tho, if I don't overclock at all?

Enough... yes it should run minimally.
Quiet...not particularly.
You really can't not overclock. Normal turbo boost will come into play.
For advertised turbo performance, the cpu needs to be no hotter than 70c.
Yes, you could undervolt and cripple the processor a bit.
The 12600K is such a good processor that you might not notice.
But, if you were willing to do that, why not buy a I3-12100 or similar in the first place?
Noctua does show that the L12s is suitable, but with a NSPR rating of only 88 I think I would go stronger.
The NH-C14s at 119,
Note... I included the wrong link in the post above which has been fixed.
More on NSPR ratings:
https://noctua.at/en/noctua-standardised-performance-rating

As a plus, you plan for an open mount looks good to me.
I assume the bottom and the top part will be open.
Normal convection should allow generated heat to flow up and out of the opening.

 

[tennis2]

Yes, you could undervolt and cripple the processor a bit.

Undervolt and downclock are not the same thing.

 

[Regev]

What happens if I under-volt the 12600K to be like the stock 12600? Won't it just behave the same?

 

[geofelt]

Undervolt and downclock are not the same thing.

Let's say reduce the performance and heat generated by whatever means.
You could just as easily reduce the max cpu busy % from 100% to say80%

 

[tennis2]

What happens if I under-volt the 12600K to be like the stock 12600? Won't it just behave the same?

I think you're just going to have to buy a cooler and test. You've got 2 strong options in the Shuriken 3 and the L12S. Nobody is going to have tested your CPU + cooler inside your custom case.

 

[Karadjgne]

BeQuiet DarkRock TF.
https://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/7444/quiet-dark-rock-tf-top-flow-cpu-cooler-review/index.html

 

[tennis2]

BeQuiet DarkRock TF.
https://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/7444/quiet-dark-rock-tf-top-flow-cpu-cooler-review/index.html

A good option against the C14S. I just don't really understand the benefit when these get so tall that you may as well just go with a tower cooler.

 

[Karadjgne]

A general tower cooler is @ 160mm tall. The TF is 130mm tall with fans.(109 with under fan only) That 30mm difference is huge for many cases. It also is just behind the D15 in ability and capacity at 220w. For a 12600k there's even less difference as you'll not come close to maxing out its capacity, even with OC. By comparison, the Noctua L12i is @ 130w putting it on par with an AMD Wraith spire/stealth stock cooler, which in itself is miles better than Intel stock cooling. The C14s is 140mm with outside fan (115 with under fan)

With some cases maxing out at 150/152mm clearance, a 200w+ cooler is hard to fit, most times you get stuck with a 92mm tower like the Cryorig m9i and are lucky to see 140w capacity.