Suggestion for Heatsink and Fans (3pin vs 4pin PWM)

[jpmeneses21]

Im planning on getting a Hyper212X or an Enermax ETS-T40. I won't be using the stock fans, as I'll be getting either 2x Cougar Dual-X's or 2X Enermax Vegas Duos in push-pull config.

Are those fans ok even if they're not PWM? Will they be running at full speed at all times due to a lack of the 4th pin?

P.S., I know non-LED fans are better in terms of airflow. But the two fans I mentioned above are the only "good" LED fans that I know.

 

[Jake Wenta]

LEDs don't affect airflow-it all depends on the fan rating. Since it will be on the heat sink, you need better static pressure. So which ever fan will have a higher mmH20 will be the better choice.
As for the CPU Cooler.
I recommend the 212 EVO. It is highly favored for it's price/performance.

PWM are good for fan control, but some motherboards and fans support 3 pin control-depends.

 

[jpmeneses21]

LEDs don't affect airflow-it all depends on the fan rating. Since it will be on the heat sink, you need better static pressure. So which ever fan will have a higher mmH20 will be the better choice.
As for the CPU Cooler.
I recommend the 212 EVO. It is highly favored for it's price/performance.

PWM are good for fan control, but some motherboards and fans support 3 pin control-depends.

My motherboard supports 4-pin, but the problem is, most good LED fans are just 3-pin. My question is, if I can still have some sort of control over the fan speed in real time via use of proprietary motherboard tweaking software?

As for your suggestion for the heatsink, I'm leaning towards to 212 as well. But the ETS-T40 is also good according to several reviews I've read. Plus in my location, the ETS-T40 is cheaper.

 

[Calculatron]

It all really depends on the motherboard. My ASUS M5A97 EVO 4-pin CPU fan header doesn't seem to want to control fans via voltages; the other 3-pin fan headers on it will. (Strange, I know.) Inversely, my other build, which is has a Biostar A85W, has a 4-pin CPU fan header that will control fans via voltages, but other other 3-pin fan headers will not.

As for fan choices, I recommend the Cougar Dual-X fans. The Enermax Vega Duos are good, but they're getting a touch old, and use a manual knob-controller to operate the RPM - it's cool at first, but paired with yet another wire and on/off controller for the lights, it can make for a lot of clutter and inconvenience. Two of them would be a bit much. Also, at full tilt, they can be a bit louder than one would desire.

I have an ETS-T40-TB, the most basic variant, and I like it. It stands up well to any Hyper 212 variant - and I am going to go out on a branch and say yes even the Hyper 212 X. The only issue with the cooler is that it utilizes first-generation Direct-Touch Heatpipe technology - so you have an aluminum strip making contact with the center of the CPU (the hottest part). What this translates out to in real-world experience is that, during heavy-to-extreme overclocking, there are diminishing returns and the cooler starts to fall behind. This sounds worse than what it actually is; the difference generally ends up being a couple degrees.

What CPU do you have?

 

[jpmeneses21]

It all really depends on the motherboard. My ASUS M5A97 EVO 4-pin CPU fan header doesn't seem to want to control fans via voltages; the other 3-pin fan headers on it will. (Strange, I know.) Inversely, my other build, which is has a Biostar A85W, has a 4-pin CPU fan header that will control fans via voltages, but other other 3-pin fan headers will not.

As for fan choices, I recommend the Cougar Dual-X fans. The Enermax Vega Duos are good, but they're getting a touch old, and use a manual knob-controller to operate the RPM - it's cool at first, but paired with yet another wire and on/off controller for the lights, it can make for a lot of clutter and inconvenience. Two of them would be a bit much. Also, at full tilt, they can be a bit louder than one would desire.

I have an ETS-T40-TB, the most basic variant, and I like it. It stands up well to any Hyper 212 variant - and I am going to go out on a branch and say yes even the Hyper 212 X. The only issue with the cooler is that it utilizes first-generation Direct-Touch Heatpipe technology - so you have an aluminum strip making contact with the center of the CPU (the hottest part). What this translates out to in real-world experience is that, during heavy-to-extreme overclocking, there are diminishing returns and the cooler starts to fall behind. This sounds worse than what it actually is; the difference generally ends up being a couple degrees.

What CPU do you have?

I have a non-k i5 4570. It's not overclockable, but I might upgrade to a i5 4670 or a i7 4770k next month (since I'll also be selling my 4570 to a friend who's building his first rig.)

The temps I'm getting are 32ºC min, to 62ºC max. I'm hoping of bringing them down with a 212X/ETS-T40 in push-pull even by just a few degrees. Especially next month when I will really want to start overclocking.

 

[Jake Wenta]

Big difference for the 2 :lol:
I'd take he i7 4770k for the hyperthreading if you'll be playing the newer games as BF4 and ghosts as the CPU's really come out then. Otherwise, an i5 is enough.
And for overclocking, you need the K, even though you can increase the BCLK-there's only so much you can do.

 

[Calculatron]

Judging from what a lot of other people say about their Intel processors, those coolers should bring you down somewhere to the low 50s.

 

[jpmeneses21]

It all really depends on the motherboard. My ASUS M5A97 EVO 4-pin CPU fan header doesn't seem to want to control fans via voltages; the other 3-pin fan headers on it will. (Strange, I know.) Inversely, my other build, which is has a Biostar A85W, has a 4-pin CPU fan header that will control fans via voltages, but other other 3-pin fan headers will not. Unless, of course, if there's a better (non-LED) aftermarket fan out there than can spew out airflow higher than the stock's 83 CFM@1800-2000RPM.

As for fan choices, I recommend the Cougar Dual-X fans. The Enermax Vega Duos are good, but they're getting a touch old, and use a manual knob-controller to operate the RPM - it's cool at first, but paired with yet another wire and on/off controller for the lights, it can make for a lot of clutter and inconvenience. Two of them would be a bit much. Also, at full tilt, they can be a bit louder than one would desire.

I have an ETS-T40-TB, the most basic variant, and I like it. It stands up well to any Hyper 212 variant - and I am going to go out on a branch and say yes even the Hyper 212 X. The only issue with the cooler is that it utilizes first-generation Direct-Touch Heatpipe technology - so you have an aluminum strip making contact with the center of the CPU (the hottest part). What this translates out to in real-world experience is that, during heavy-to-extreme overclocking, there are diminishing returns and the cooler starts to fall behind. This sounds worse than what it actually is; the difference generally ends up being a couple degrees.

What CPU do you have?

Judging from what a lot of other people say about their Intel processors, those coolers should bring you down somewhere to the low 50s.

You're right! Just an update, I got the Hyper 212X a few days ago and I never get higher than 50ºC on typical (gaming) load at stock speed (3.2ghz.) It's about 9 to 10ºC difference from an Intel Stock Cooler, which is quite impressive. Also, the fan of the 212X is quite good already! I don't think I'll be getting the cougar dual-x's anymore, even though I really fancy LEDs on my heatsink. The performance it's giving me outweighs my desire for eyecandy. Lol.

Now I just have to wait how it performs on a K-Chip. To be quite honest, I still don't trust overclocking as a whole (long story), but who knows, I might get used to it when I've upgraded my CPU.

 

[Jake Wenta]

The same model, K or not would perform relatively similarly at stock. Just that you can overclock a K CPU. But some chips (due to manufacturing) have better silicon and are just better than others. One may need more voltage than another, whilst another may run hotter, one may hit higher frequencies and so on and so on. And I'm talking about the same CPU but different CPU's :lol:.
For instance, my 8120 has trouble at 4.8ghz while someone else with a 8120 can hit 5.2ghz.