Cooling power..

[phill8800GT]

Hi all!

I'm wondering if someone might be able to advise me..

I'm looking at getting two of these little guys - http://www.scan.co.uk/products/alpha...560mm-radiator (LN58869) and I was wondering about getting 8 of these to put on it.. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/140mm...erformance-fan (LN59329) but I'd have to use a fan controller as I think 250CFM of air might be a bit on the loud side!!

Is there another fan I could consider from this lot? - http://www.scan.co.uk/shop/computer-...ase-fans-140mm

I'm hoping to buy today as I'm going to get a replacement motherboard for my 4960X.... I look forward to hearing from anyone who can help

[Ttaskmaster]

Noctua's Industrial series are pretty loud (Look at the dB rating - 41dB!) and intended for things like servers, where noise isn't a factor.
Most Noctuas are around the 25dB and can go as low as 11dB.

Also, if you're looking to put any kind of fan on a radiator, it's not CFM (or m³/h) you want to be looking at, as this is how much air the fan moves. That's what you consider with your case fans.
Instead, you want fans with a high Static Pressure (measured as mm/H20), which is how well they force air through a high-impedance location, such as being up close against grilles, radiators, heatsinks and HDD cages.

I'd suggest the NF-A14 fans which Noctua CPU coolers have, or the NF-P14 fans if you prefer the Redux colour.
You also have Corsair SP fans, which have slightly higher performance but are louder as well.

[phill8800GT]

I currently have 8 Scythe Kraze 3000 fans on my Thermochill quad rads, but I use a fan controller to slow the speed down. Well in the case of the high static pressure as you mention it, the Noctua fans say Static Pressure 10,52 mm H2O compared to the Corsair models you mention are Static Pressure 2,08 mm H2O (Static Pressure with L.N.A. 1,51 mm H2O) and the Corsair SP fans are 1.46 mmH2O..

So I see that the Noctua Industrial fans are going to be better but noisier but that is the reason for having a controller to slow them down. I thought that might help with having such a thick rad?

[Ttaskmaster]

Corsair SP140 - 1.17mm/H20 @1440rpm giving 29.3dB.
Noctua NF-A14 - 2.08mm/H20 @1500rpm, giving 24.6dB.

So the Noctua model actually spins faster, has higher pressure and is still quieter, even without LNAs and such.

the Corsair SP fans are 1.46 mmH2O

That's the SP120 fan, not the SP140.

So I see that the Noctua Industrial fans are going to be better but noisier but that is the reason for having a controller to slow them down. I thought that might help with having such a thick rad?

Yeah, if you're going to turn them down when you don't need high performance, then the Industrial ones will definitely kick ass - No mistake about it!!

[phill8800GT]

Well if it was for a 120mm that's even worse as I was searching the 140mm section!!

Still sounds like I need to go for the Industrial fans... Does anyone know where I might find a good enough controller to handle 4 of these on one channel that would offer a 7v to 12v setting??

Also does anyone have a personal or know what is the best rad out there for this size??

[Ttaskmaster]

TBH, I think you'd be fine with the normal A14 fans and certainly they will be quieter.
However, your choice...

The Industrial A14 uses 6.6W of power.
The standard A14 uses 1.56W.

I like Lamptron fan controllers, myself.
I have the Lamptron FC6, which has 4 channels of up to 20W each, so you could easily get 3 A14-I fans running off a single channel.
It displays fan rpm and, if you use the probes, temperature in your choice of ºC or ºF. It also displays in your choice of several different colours.

I would also recommend the Lamptron FC5 v3, which is the same as above but with six channels each managing up to 30W, so you could get four A14-I fans on each channel.
You also change the settings using the external controls, rather than using jumper clips like the FC6.
This one wasn't released when I bought my FC6, else I'd have this instead and I'm insanely jealous of a friend who did end up with it - Certainly I've now played with it in person and am now saving up for one!

Both simply slot into a 5.25" front bay.
FC6 is 30 from OCUK.
FC5 v3 is normally £75, but it's on special this week for a straight £60!

[phill8800GT]

I'm sure your right about the standard A14 fans, but the Industrial ones won't be running at full power so they will still be more powerful than the others and hopefully be as quiet..

I have got a Sunbeam controller at the moment and that does seem to handle my Scythe Kraze 3000 fans on one header ok. I have to put a fan over the top as it does seem to get a little warm to touch, but otherwise, it just handles it fine (I suppose I could split them off but I had 4 in 1 cables, so I just carried on!! )

I'll have a look into the Lamptron controllers. I can't remember if I've had some or not before, but that'll be good if it would handle the 4 fans on one channel. I'd have the same cooling on another channel as well for the GPU loop, so hopefully the two together won't be a problem

Well I'm not longer keeping the Black Edition and I'm selling off my 4960X with a board and ram, so here's hoping I can get someone to buy it from me and then I'll be grabbing an X99 when I can afford it I've bought something a little special, which I didn't expect, so best save up for a little while I think now!!

[Ttaskmaster]

Sunbeam?
Ah, did you want PWM cooling controlled off your motherboard, then?

The Lamptron ones I mentioned are powered from a Molex 4-pin power connector and run the fans at whatever you physically set them to. They do not take their cues from the mobo.

Other FanCons do allow you to set curves, profiles and the like, but I've not really played with any of those myself. I personally prefer to just dial in whatever I feel is suitable at the given moment.

[phill8800GT]

No the Sunbeam controllers I use handle 30w and can adjust the power for each fan from 0v to 12v (or whatever the tollerances are)

For me a basic fan controller is all I need, I want to set it at the right speed/noise and leave it. I want to be in control with the fans so if I want to bench it or make a noise I can. I don't want to have to install programs or change settings.. Dial and a 7v to 12v variation would be perfect for me

[Ttaskmaster]

Ah right, well most of them will suffice then - Just check what the maximum wattage per channel is and you're then only left with the awkward decision of finding one with the features and looks you want most!!

I liked the Lamptrons because they show rpms, temperatures and (on the FC5 v3) the actual voltage too, as well as having physical controls.

There are a load of (sometimes cheaper) touchscreen ones that do this, if those are more the look you prefer.


Do let me know how the Industrial fans work out - I am considering swapping to them myself!

[phill8800GT]

Well I want something that's not showy and hopefully not too bright! I'm a simple person so I like simple and simplistic things! To have too much on show is just a bit showy off, so I think simple is sometimes more and I like that Having the features on the Lamptrons can be a good thing but I personally don't need it as I don't worry about that too much. I just want the fans controlled and the fan controller to not go bang!! Which has happened on occasion!

Not so bothered with touchscreen as of reasons above, but I can't find many that handle 30w or higher on a single channel.. Most do 10 to 20w but that's about it...

Ahhhh.... another converter

I don't think it'll be happening for a while now, I've recently bought something very silly and so I think it will put back my X99 upgrade path a little while!! Will just have to keep on at the misses to sell her house faster and see what happens after that

[Ttaskmaster]

Ahhhh.... another converter

More of an upgrader.
I'd already spent loads packing my rig out with nine Noctua 120 fans, only to find they released the Industrial and Redux editions a couple of months later!

GUTTED!!

[phill8800GT]

Converter/upgrader, potatoe/potato

I've always gone for Yate Loon fans myself and I've never been unhappy with them at all. But for the water cooling the last fans I had was 16 Scythe Kraze 3000 fans... they are monsters at 120x38mm thick. They are noisy when on full power and they do take a bit of power (so much infact you can see it changing in the Corsair Link software for the AX1200i I have ) but times changing and I would like to move away from my Danger Den cases and try and put together something myself.

I've got two massive cases (well one I'll be picking up Friday with a boat load of hardware in) that I feel somewhat unimpressed with.. I think it's time I go to the drawing board and try it myself... I just need to try and get some spare cash and grab a couple of the fans, the Monsta 560 rads and I'll be on my way!! It's hard work with having a 2 year old to keep amused and happy all the time, but when she has a nap I try and make the most of it!!

Roll on Friday!! But first I need to sort out the return of my Black Edition X79.....