what fan do you use to cool your cpu ?

Discussion in 'hardware' started by mantra, Apr 17, 2016.

  1. mantra

    mantra Registered Member

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    Hi

    there are a lot of fans around , can i know what fan do you use to cool your cpu ?

    i'm undecided about a cool master or other cool fan brand

    about liquid cooling i gave up , some are cheap and very easy to mount ,but i don't trust of them

    thanks
     
  2. Bill_Bright

    Bill_Bright Registered Member

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    If not doing any extreme overclocking, or if you don't need a "silent running" computer in a home theater PC (HTPC), I always go with the OEM cooler. Contrary to what some believe and may tell you, today's OEM coolers are more than adequate for most users to keep their CPUs properly cooled - even with mild to moderate overclocking. And they actually are pretty quiet too. Unless running full speed, you are more likely to hear the graphics card, PSU, or case fan as they are mounted to, or right next to an air vent on the case's exterior.

    It is important to note it is the case's responsibility to provide an adequate supply of cool air flowing through the case. The CPU fan need only toss the CPU's heat into that air flow. So if the current fan is not properly cooling your CPU, make sure it is not because the case is failing to supply a proper flow of cool air through the case.

    I am not a fan (no pun intended) of side-firing coolers that create a sideways unidirectional air flow. Motherboard designers purposefully surround the CPU socket with heat sensitive and heat generating devices that can take advantage of the downward firing CPU fan's omnidirectional flow and dispersal patterns. So, if you no longer have the OEM cooler, or your CPU did not come with one, I recommend a downward firing cooler - though they tend to be harder to find. If you go with a side firing cooler, and the CM 212 is a nice one, make sure your case is providing lots of front-to-back air flow (which you should do anyway).

    Also, tall and heavy side firing coolers when used in tower (vertically oriented) cases "hang" off the motherboard, exerting a lot of pulling force due to gravity. This typically requires a back plate on the backside of the motherboard to distribute the weight. Some cases provide access to the back of the motherboard, some require you to pull the motherboard to attach the back plate - which is not very convenient, and of course, exposes the motherboard to more mishaps and ESD damage. In any event, these tall coolers need to be removed if the computer will be transported should you move and someone else is doing the transporting (you don't have to remove heavy coolers if you can transport the computer yourself and can lay the computer flat, with the motherboard ALWAYS facing up).

    Besides downward firing, I look for the maximum CFM with the lowest RPM and lowest dBA. This is always a compromise situation because higher RPMs always results in higher noise levels.

    And of course, a proper application of TIM (thermal interface material) is critical too. The most common mistake is applying too much. The most efficient transfer of heat occurs with direct metal to metal contact. You only need to fill the microscopic pits and valleys in the mating surfaces. Any excess is in the way and counter-productive to the heat transfer process.

    If you want specific advice, we need to know what CPU/socket this will mate with. Some coolers are for Intel or AMD only. Also note much depends on how much room you have around your CPU socket and in your case. Side firing coolers are very tall and may not fit in slimmer cases. And down firing coolers with large fans may not fit over tall capacitors surrounding the socket.
     
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2016
  3. mantra

    mantra Registered Member

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    hi Bill
    intell stopped to sell oem cooler on the new cpu K
    at least i gave a look at the new cpu , k series , and they don' come with an OEM cooler

    and even a cpu come with an OEM cooler , a massive use of cpu , like a adobe premiere premiere pushes the cpu @80% for hours
    the oem cooler is not enough to keep it at a reasonable temperature
     
  4. Bill_Bright

    Bill_Bright Registered Member

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    Many CPUs intended for enthusiasts don't come with OEM coolers. But motherboard designers still cluster heat sensitive and heat generating devices around the sockets so careful selection is still important.
    Again, that depends much on the case - and the clocking. Of course there are exceptions. But for most users, if not overclocking, the OEMs are just fine.

    It is also important to note that a cooler temp does not automatically mean better. Of course, hot is always bad. But there is nothing to suggest a CPU running at 40°C will perform better, be more stable, or have a longer life expectancy than a CPU running at 50°C or even 60°C - especially with today's CPUs which can safely operate at temperatures even higher than 60 or 70° for long periods of time and remain stable and within their design limits.

    You can tell by the last line in my sig that I take heat seriously. So ensuring our CPUs are adequately cooled is something I take very seriously. I am just saying having the coolest temperatures possible only gets you bragging rights.
     
  5. CrusherW9

    CrusherW9 Registered Member

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    I use a Phanteks PH-TC14PE in my desktop. It keeps my overclocked (4.6GHz @ 1.33v) 4770k pretty cool and it looks pretty great imo. As far as air coolers go, it's among the best. I have a Phanteks PH-TC12LS in my server. Tbh, I could have gotten away with the stock cooler but I upgraded to keep things quiet and to allow some headroom if I ever decided I needed to overclock it (It's a 2500k). Both coolers are REALLY nice. I'm very impressed by the quality of the coolers, the design, and the hardware. Would recommend. Additionally, I've used the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo in a few other builds for friends and it gets the job done. My main gripe with it is that the mounting bracket is really annoying to work with.

    If you're looking for high end air coolers, the Phanteks PH-TC14PE, Thermalright Silver Arrow, and Noctua NH-D14/15 coolers are the best. If you just want something better than stock, the Cooler Master 212 will work fine, though personally, I'd pick something that looks better ;).
     
  6. mantra

    mantra Registered Member

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    hi
    may i how much is the max temperature about your 4700k ?
    to mount , it needs to disamble all the motherboard ,yeah?
    it 's really huge :)
    thanks
     
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2016
  7. mantra

    mantra Registered Member

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    hi
    i know , but premiere or vegas are reallly high cpu hog and video converter too
    do you think the oem fan could be enough for a new cpu?
    i guess it pushes around 70° and more the cpu
    thanks
     
  8. CrusherW9

    CrusherW9 Registered Member

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    Idle, I'm at about 33C with 22C ambient. I get about mid 50's to low 60's when gaming. To mount it, you can do it with the motherboard in as long as the back of the cpu socket is exposed to mount the plate. Also, you're going to want to make sure your case can accommodate such a large cooler.
     
  9. Bill_Bright

    Bill_Bright Registered Member

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    I felt the same way - yet the 212 EVO is so often recommended. It makes me wonder if all those people have actually used it, or if just repeating the recommendations of others.

    As I noted, I use them all the time. Most recently on a i5-6600 pushed to 3.9GHz. I say if the CPU comes with an OEM cooler, try it and see. You can always swap it out later (after ensuring the case is doing it's job). Just don't automatically dismiss OEM coolers because of reputations they may have gotten MANY YEARS ago.

    And remember, ONLY OEM coolers are warrantied to cool the CPUs they come with (with normal clocking). And I note OEM coolers are warrantied for 3 years. Many aftermarket coolers are not. The 212 EVO, for example, is for just 2.

    It is also important to note that CPUs will shut down or throttle back before damage occurs. Now my personal feeling is that I don't like my CPUs to sit above 60°C longer than a few seconds. If they do, that is typically a sign I need to clean my filters. If I have adequate case cooling and my temps sit above 60°C, then I consider aftermarket cooling.

    I have used that Phanteks PH-TC12LS in a SFF HTPC build. I was impressed and the client is very happy with the noise - or rather, the lack of it.
     
  10. mantra

    mantra Registered Member

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    hi
    i guess it's too big , the problem is the ram slots are too close to the cpu :(
    but i will find out if i can mount ,in short if there is enough room
    have you tried to convert a video to h264 or h265 ?
    there are many programs full portable , just to see how does your cool unit work
    thanks
     
  11. mantra

    mantra Registered Member

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    hi
    have you tried to convert a video to h.264 or h.265 ?
    the cpu are always at 60° and more .. around 70° -80 ° , i tried on a new computer ,brand new ,because many video converters are portable , and i have noticed the cpu fan and the case fan did not speed up to cool the cpu
    they keep the same speed , strange ,because the cpu was around 70°
    thanks
     
  12. CrusherW9

    CrusherW9 Registered Member

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    I just fired up the x264 encoding stress mentioned here for you. With my overclock, I was around 70C. Just for fun, I disabled my overclock and put the voltages back to stock and tried again. To my surprise, I was right around 45C. I thought it'd be much higher. But anyways, that goes to show how effective the cooler is.
     
  13. Bill_Bright

    Bill_Bright Registered Member

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    Not sure your point. Exceptions don't make the rule. The fact most users don't need alternative cooling solutions does not imply you don't. Maybe you do. Maybe your case needs another fan, or needs fans that move more air. Maybe your case has all the fans it can handle. Maybe your ambient temps are higher than most users. YMMV.

    As I noted in my first post, if you want specifics, we need to know specifically what CPU you are considering, and for that matter, your case and its cooling too. For many CPUs 70°C is just very warm - not hot. For others, 70°C may already be overheated. Plus, there are many other variables including sensor placement and accuracy, and the chipset too.

    The real point is, when at 70°C, did the system crash or throttle back? If not, the CPU was not too hot.
     
  14. CrusherW9

    CrusherW9 Registered Member

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    He already said he's talking about the latest k skew cpus so 6600k or 6700k.
     
  15. Bill_Bright

    Bill_Bright Registered Member

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    All he said was he "gave a look at the new cpu , k series". Unless I missed it, I don't see where he said he got one. There are 10 CPUs in the Skylake series and the other 8 all come with stock coolers.
     
  16. Infected

    Infected Registered Member

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    Zalman has one for the K series. CNPS9800 MAX. I use a Zalman for my desktop, works very well.
     
  17. scootnod

    scootnod Registered Member

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    I use the Noctua NH-D15. It is extremely easy to mount and you cant over tighten it. Very hard to make a mistake installing. You have to do your homework on the case and motherboard to make sure it fits. There are other versions of the Noctua that fit better.
     
  18. Tyrizian

    Tyrizian Registered Member

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    I bought it in 2013, so I'm unsure of it's current availability, but this is what I use...

    Logysis 92mm Hydro Bearing Ice Edge 400 XT CPU Cooler - Model #: MC4004IEXT

    I get about 30c when idle, 60c when gaming - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition (3.4GHz Quad Core CPU)

    Here is some info/specs:

    • Fan Size: 92mm
    • Intel: LGA1155/1156/LGA1366/LGA775
    • AMD: AM3/AM2+/AM2/940/939/754
    • Bearing Type: Hydro Bearing
    • Air Flow: 39.58CFM
    • Noise: 17.8~28.1dB(A)
     
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2016
  19. cruelsister

    cruelsister Registered Member

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    Mantra- The effectiveness of any CPU fan is directly proportional to the quality of the Heatsink that you mount it on and the thermal paste used. Keep in ,ind also that the characteristics of a 140mm fan may vary widely from those of a 120mm fan even from the same manufacturer.

    That being said, unless you are a heavy overclocker and need a 120mm fan check the Noiseblocker m12-s1 (or s2) and the Scythe Gentle Typhoon- either provides good cooling and superior acoustic properties.
     
  20. NGRhodes

    NGRhodes Registered Member

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    Other factor to consider for the effectiveness of CPU cooling is the intake temperature of the CPU fan; having good airflow in the case is equally important, you need to consider the complete path of air into the case, through the CPU and out again. No point having a really good fan cycling hot air round in circles !
     
  21. mantra

    mantra Registered Member

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    hi
    i'm talking about
     
  22. mantra

    mantra Registered Member

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    hi
    yes i'm talking about them too , but i'm interested to the 4770k because

    amazing , would really love to have 45° at full load, i don't overclock
    but i will harder to mount , at least i have my ram slot so close the the cpu & OEM Heatsink
     
    Last edited: Apr 18, 2016
  23. syrinx

    syrinx Registered Member

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    I know I'm late to the party and several people here have brought up some excellent points regarding cpu temps/case flow but I figured I'd waste my time and chime in anyhow. I actually use this on my system but it's not for any special love of the brand and I prefer NOT to overclock though I could probably pull it off without issue. I prefer stability over speed... anyhow, it's done the job since I prefer to keep most of my components below 100 degrees Fahrenheit under general usage. [I get pretty hot at that temp though I know they are generally rated for higher!] With this fan/heatsink setup my cpu usually sits around 35 degrees celsius not counting periods of gaming or multiple VM usage etc... Under normal circumstances only my GPU rises above my preferred temps (and I imagine that's normal) which sits around 49 degrees celsius (120F). The CPU is generally only a few degrees higher than my motherboard. I also have two fans on the CPU heatsink, one in, one out so that helps keep it low as well. I had considered water cooling but I just can't bring myself to trust it won't leak at some point and ruin my setup!
     
  24. mantra

    mantra Registered Member

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    hi
    i have 2 14 fans on the front , 1 14 fan on the rear and 1 14 fan up the cpu ,my fractal came with these 4 fans
    someone told me that are better the 12 fan because they do spin faster then the 14
    thanks
     
  25. mantra

    mantra Registered Member

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    thanks good point
    Noiseblocker should be german so they easy to buy here
    i see they are exansive , a 14 fan is around 40€
    how can i know which fan are made to plugged to the motherboard and which are made to be plugged to the psu?
    thanks
     
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