CPU Cooler Upgrade

[LordOfTime94]

I realise this has likely been posted and answered innumerable times, but of course, tl:dr wins and I'd like to get an answer for myself.

 

I am looking at upgrading my CPU cooler soon and have a few choices in mind with 2 major contenders, but no real answer as of yet. As always, I am looking towards this awesome community for some guidance on what would be the most appropriate path.

 

I currently have an i7 4770k at base clock with a Zalman LQ-310 keeping it nice and cool. Temps are decent, and the noise is ok on idle, but put a little load on it and my headphones can barely keep the noise out. I clean it out regularly which does counter it for a while but the recurrence of this issue is making me seriously consider just replacing it.

 

My main consideration so far is the badass Noctua NH-D15. The silence and cooling of this monster still astounds me, and while temperatures are not a priority at this time, it would be a nice benefit. I have a Cooler Master Storm Trooper case so it should fit inside with no issues. If required, I had planned to raise the outer fan for clearance on the RAM, or just have it closer to the rear if this is not possible (though I had hoped to put another Noctua fan at the back, and I'm not sure if the latter setup would support this).

 

On the other hand, the Noctua seems a little bit overkill, considering I am not overclocking at this time (though I do plan to in the future once I know what I'm doing and have a backup system). This led me to investigate another CPU cooler which also achieves incredible performance for the price: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO. While the EVO doesn't perform to the same level as the Noctua, it does present good statistics for both at a much lower price point. I would have more than enough room for the EVO so no issues there, and from what I gather, it's specifications would be more than enough to keep my system running for many years, even if it's a little louder and hotter.

 

Now my goal for the system is to keep it running several years, one way or another, and being an audiophile I like having little to no background noise while gaming/streaming. It would be nice to have the system near silent, but it's not a necessity as I can just tune it out somewhat over time. Finally, given that I plan to overclock in the future, I want something that can handle whatever I throw at it. Whatever the outcome, my LQ-310 will be thrown into my mini-ITX build (which I will be posting here soon for reviews), so it won't go to waste.

 

I do realise for around the same price as the Noctua I could go with a high-end water cooler like the Corsair H100i, but I am not too concerned with water cooling it now as I don't really plan to push it that far, plus with the poor ventilation and dust-filled environment of my flat, I would prefer an air cooler with more power to it, rather than a radiator.

 

My question is this: given my circumstances and goal, is it worth it to splash out on the awesome Noctua or should I save a little for later/elsewhere and get the more budget oriented cooler and withstand a little noise with slightly less overclocking potential? Or is there another cooler of high caliber that I have overlooked?

 

As always, any and all input is appreciated.

 

Regards,

 

LoT

[Frankie]

Dark Rock Pro 3 from Be Quiet! is one of the options.

[LordOfTime94]

Dark Rock Pro 3 from Be Quiet! is one of the options.

That one looks good. Most reviews put it at or slightly below the D15 in terms of performance, and it looks to be about £15 cheaper on average.

I'll definitely consider it

[JoyboyP]

I know the feeling, I suffer a lot with dust. I know this isn't what you asked for, but it'd be better for several reasons. If I were you I would get a 280mm AIO watercooler (your case should support one). The Corsair H110i GT is a good choice and changing the stock fans with your cooler for quieter ones is a good idea as well.Watercooling keeps your temps down better which is good for lower noise levels (as you're an audiophile) and better overclocking, you can kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Larger fans can operate at lower speeds and keep the same performance making your system quieter, so 14cm is better than 12cm. Water cooling is almost always quieter that air cooling, as they don't need to work as hard to achieve the same result.

 

Also I would advise you to get some fine mesh dust filters (this maybe difficult with your case), especially for your intake fans. Filters are easier to clean than fans and rads. Have more intake fans than exhaust, this gives you a positive air pressure in your case. Which help prevent dust build up and help cooling performance. If you can switch out any 12cm fans with 14cm ones and run them at a lower RPM to further decrease system noise. 

 

If you decide to go with air cooling just be VERY careful with your RAM clearance, as the best performing units usually have clearance issues. Frankie's suggestion is a very good air cooler both very quiet and high performing, but does have RAM clearance issues, you can readjust the hight of the fans but that will affect performance as it would any cooler.

 

I have an Enermax Liqtech 120X as my case doesn't support anything bigger along with 1x 20cm fan and 3x 14cm fans and I run them as low as I can. As a result the loudest part of my system at start up is my 4TB WD Black HDD. 

 

Brohoof /)

[WoodenMarker]

You could just replace the fan: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/be-quiet-case-fan-bl046

[LordOfTime94]

I know the feeling, I suffer a lot with dust. I this isn't what you asked for, but it'd be better for several reasons. If I were you I would get a 280mm AIO watercooler (your case should support one). The Corsair H110i GT is a good choice and changing the stock fans with your cooler for quieter ones is a good idea as well.Watercooling keeps your temps down better which is good for lower noise levels (as you're an audiophile) and better overclocking, you can kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Larger fans can operate at lower speeds and keep the same performance making your system quieter, so 14cm is better than 12cm. Water cooling is almost always quieter that air cooling, as they don't need to work as hard to achieve the same result.

 

Also I would advise you to get some fine mesh dust filters (this maybe difficult with your case), especially for your intake fans. Filters are easier to clean than fans and rads. Have more intake fans than exhaust, this gives you a positive air pressure in your case. Which help prevent dust build up and help cooling performance. If you can switch out any 12cm fans with 14cm ones and run them at a lower RPM to further decrease system noise. 

 

If you decide to go with air cooling just be VERY careful with your RAM clearance, as the best performing units usually have clearance issues. Frankie's suggestion is a very good air cooler both very quiet and high performing, but does have RAM clearance issues, you can readjust the hight of the fans but that will affect performance as it would and cooler.

 

I have an Enermax Liqtech 120X as my case doesn't support anything bigger along with 1x 20cm fan and 3x 14cm fans and I run them as low as I can. As a result the loudest part of my system at start up is my 4TB WD Black HDD. 

 

Brohoof /)

1) Brohoof!

 

2) My case sadly doesn't support a 280mm AIO, but it could support a 240mm like the H100i. As mentioned before though, I am not too concerned with an AIO at all. Having water that close to my system makes me a little nervous (even though the chance of it leaking or malfunctioning is minimal) and from my experience it's more inconvenient to clean than an air cooler. While I do currently have an AIO, it was mostly due to a good offer and limited research at the time. If I can find an AIO with insane performance, I just might be convinced to get it. But for now, meh.

 

3) In regards to replacing the fans: yes, that is a viable option (which I plan to do anyway at some point (probably Noctua), but I would prefer to replace the cooler altogether as it fits perfectly into the backup ITX I have planned and I would prefer something high-end for my main desktop which is going to be a powerhouse once I'm done with it.

 

4) RAM clearance is the reason I chose the D15 as it has that notch in the fins for high profile RAM, even though I don't think Vengeance Pro will have an issue with it. I've seen some reviews with RAM that I believe is taller than mine so it should be all good.

 

5) My case already has dust filters on it, which I do clean out on a regular basis. But I often find that the Zalman gathers a fair amount of dust as well over time, which doesn't help with the noise.

 

6) My case has a balance of 140mm and 120mm, with the former being the top 2 and 1 rear (which currently houses a 120mm for the Zalman). Though if I go with an air cooler, all 3 of these can be replaced with 140mm fans, which as you say would help improve the noise levels. When it is finished (if I got air cooling), will have 3x140mm and 4x120mm (potentially 5-6x120mm as I think the side panel can support some).

 

7) Most reviews I have found so far for the high end coolers doesn't put much difference in regards to their noise levels. Yes, the water coolers might not have to work as hard with their fans, but the waterblock itself can sometimes negate that, as mine sometimes does when it's idling (whether this is due to a fault, I cannot be sure). And some like the D15 have 150mm fans which not only work less due to size, but are specialised for silence. Of course, I could always put both together, but I would rather just be spending on 1 of them, rather than both.

[JoyboyP]

Fair enough, I thought I'd just give you some info which may help you make a better decision. A friend of mine did have 1 Noctua 120mm fan in his system and it was by far the loudest thing in his system even when it was operating at minimum performance. So since then I've not been a big fan of Noctua fans (no pun intended). 

 

If you ever what to swap out fans these are the specs to look for.

I found looking for fans which have a max noise volume of 25dB-A or under 30dB-A for slightly more performance to be a good sweet spot between quiet and performance. As you have fan filters and a rad (Air or watercooled) static pressure (mm-H2O) optimised fans are more ideal over airflow (usually CFM). The one down side to 140mm fans over 120mm is they generally don't have as high a static pressure compared to 120mm. I found 2 - 2.6mm-H2O to be a petty good air pressure for 140mm fans whilst keeping them quiet. 

 

I found stock fan filter with a case to be OK but not brilliant. Yours are like my PSU one. They stop the larger particles but not the finer ones. If you can see the gaps in your filters that's how big a dust particle will get sucked through. The finer the mesh the better the filter and foam ones are the best. I use Demciflex filters for my 140mm fans 2x 280 x 140mm. My 200mm fan has a stock foam filter in front of it. Coupled with keeping a positive air pressure in my case (I only have 1 exhaust, which is my 120mm rad) I get next to no dust build up in my case, unless I leave the side of my case off which I do on the odd occasion. Fine ash dust is a big problem in my house as we have 2 open fires. The only other part of my system dust unfortunately gets into is my PSU with it's stock filter. The finer the mesh your filter has the more frequently you have to clean them, I have to clean mine every couple of week to a month.

 

I don't mean to sound patronizing, I'm just used to righting things so a 5 year old could understand it. This is what I found to be best from my experience, bot of course your mileage may vary. Hope you found atleast part of it useful.

[WoodenMarker]

Fair enough, I thought I'd just give you some info which may help you make a better decision. A friend of mine did have 1 Noctua 120mm fan in his system and it was by far the loudest thing in his system even when it was operating at minimum performance. So since then I've not been a big fan of Noctua fans (no pun intended).

If you ever what to swap out fans these are the specs to look for.

I found looking for fans which have a max noise volume of 25dB-A or under 30dB-A for slightly more performance to be a good sweet spot between quiet and performance. As you have fan filters and a rad (Air or watercooled) static pressure (mm-H2O) optimised fans are more ideal over airflow (usually CFM). The one down side to 140mm fans over 120mm is they generally don't have as high a static pressure compared to 120mm. I found 2 - 2.6mm-H2O to be a petty good air pressure for 140mm fans whilst keeping them quiet.

Which noctua fan? What do you mean by minimum performance? I had no issue running my Noctuas at 7% speed.

The issue with fan specs is that they're generally unreliable--benchmarks are much more reliable.

[JoyboyP]

I can't remember which one it was, just that it was 120mm PWM and brown. In the BIOS we set it to silent mode and it was still the loudest fan and when the PC started up, it revved up to max for about 30 seconds before slowing back down. It wasn't extremely loud, but still the loudest. We also tried using AI Suit to change it's performance curve but again still the loudest compared to Cooler Master Nepton 280L with stock fans and in the Aerocool Xpredator x1 Avenger Edition with a BitFenix Spectre Pro LED 230mm in the front. It was used as the bottom intake for about a week before it was remove.

[WoodenMarker]

I can't remember which one it was, just that it was 120mm PWM and brown. In the BIOS we set it to silent mode and it was still the loudest fan and when the PC started up, it revved up to max for about 30 seconds before slowing back down. It wasn't extremely loud, but still the loudest. We also tried using AI Suit to change it's performance curve but again still the loudest compared to Cooler Master Nepton 280L with stock fans and in the Aerocool Xpredator x1 Avenger Edition with a BitFenix Spectre Pro LED 230mm in the front. It was used as the bottom intake for about a week before it was remove.

Did you have no tachometer reading for the fan's speed? Noctuas aren't quiet at full speed but are very quiet at lower ones. It seems like you had trouble lowering the fan's speed.

The fan should've came with rubber mounts and resistors to help with that.

You need to quote a post or tag a member or else they won't get a notification you replied to them.

[Rooah]

If cleaning out the cooler helps with noise then I assume it is dust you are cleaning out of there? Maybe invest in some intake filters?

[LordOfTime94]

If cleaning out the cooler helps with noise then I assume it is dust you are cleaning out of there? Maybe invest in some intake filters?

I already have some filters, but of course there is still dust that gets through over time. I plan to get some better ones in the future, but there are other reasons that I want to get another cooler, as mentioned above.

[JoyboyP]

Did you have no tachometer reading for the fan's speed? Noctuas aren't quiet at full speed but are very quiet at lower ones. It seems like you had trouble lowering the fan's speed.

The fan should've came with rubber mounts and resistors to help with that.

You need to quote a post or tag a member or else they won't get a notification you replied to them.

No we don't have a tachometer and it did have rubber mounts and we didn't bother with the voltage reduction wire. Judging from what you've said we may have had a dodgy fan or motherboard. We had to replace his motherboard the other day due to several issues. It had an intermittent green audio jack, dodgy PCIe lanes every graphics card we've tested in his system has had different problems all 4 well 5 of them (1 MSI R9 295X2, 2 970 G1 gaming in SLI, 980 Strix and a 780Ti GHz edtion). This just may have been an other issue with the board which was an Asus X79 ROG Rampage IV Black edition (his fans did always seem a little loud to me). Thanks for the input. 

[JoyboyP]

I already have some filters, but of course there is still dust that gets through over time. I plan to get some better ones in the future, but there are other reasons that I want to get another cooler, as mentioned above.

I don't know if you've done this already but, you may want to delid your CPU. Many people report a 14 - 25C drop in temps with the 4770K which of cause will help with your noise levels and later overclocking. I'm yet to delid mine as I get 80 - 85C after only 15mins of Prime95 and that's without overclocking.

[WoodenMarker]

No we don't have a tachometer

BTW, the tachometer is built in the fan. It's what allows you to read the fan's rpm from some computer software.