atomicus

I'm not putting after market fans on anything.

Yeah I had a Coolermaster AIO once and it did that. I will be running a 7700K OC'd, but it's de-lidded so that helps. I would custom loop (as I have been doing for a few years now), but I need to have an easily portable rig, hence the move back to air.

Benchmarks show it level pegging with Noctua, DRP3, so I wouldn't exactly say it's mid-level... it's slightly behind the top dogs, but only by a couple degrees.

I can afford it, I'm just wondering what the quietest solution would be. However, I don't buy the reliability argument... whatever slim chance of an AIO going wrong is, there is still a chance, and the potential for damage. An air cooler is in that regard 100% more reliable than ANY AIO, because it simply doesn't have the damage potential.

Question... of the below two options, what will be quieter in an S340 Elite...? NZXT Kraken X62 or Cryorig H7 Quad Lumi with x2 Silent Wings 3 PWM 140mm fans front mounted In both cases I would have two SW3 fans mounted top and rear as exhaust. Cost wise, it is quite a bit more expensive for the X62, but I don't mind that if it would be that much quieter. If noisier however, no go.

2mm may not be enough then... I've seen a recommendation of 5mm for the B14-PS fans.

I just got heads, dammit! I actually have some SW3 140's in a watercooled build on a 280 rad... they're not silent for sure, but certainly quiet. I am tempted to try the B14-PS just to get a comparison, although the use is quite different as they will be case fans in an air cooled build, not used on a rad. The main issue with the B14-PS seems to be too close a proximity to a fan filter as that can cause a 'droning' noise from what I've read (less than 5mm is a problem apparently). However, in the S340 I don't think that's in issue... seems to be decent clearance at the front between the fan mounts and the filter... hard to really tell though.

Yes it's hard to know for sure for that reason. The B14-PS comes in a black edition, so looks wise there isn't much in it. Hard call lol! I may just have to flip a coin.

Yeah that's what I wasn't clear on... SW3 is rated lower noise, but the B14-PS seems like it MIGHT be quieter at lower speeds while pushing more air... can't quite get a definitive answer on that though. People tend to have one fan or another, so a direct comparison isn't easy to find, unless a pro review does so. Yes, in UK, both can be had for £20, so it's same cost for me regardless which one I go for.

I can get both for £20, so they are the same price. From what I've seen, both the SW3 and B14-PS beat the Noctua offerings for noise/performance... and certainly look better.

Plan on using x3 of these in an NZXT S340 Elite air cooled build as case fans, but am having trouble determining which would be quieter. They are the same price, so equal on that front. Both seem to perform excellently, so again pretty equal, but I'm just having trouble finding which is actually going to prove quieter?

Yes, they do run hot... which is why de-lidding is a good idea... but that voids warranty of course. And now Intel have said people shouldn't overclock their CPUs, despite paying more for the 'K' version in the first place so that they can do precisely that. Great job Intel, great job.

Valid, and I'm sure not all CPUs are created equal, but the way Intel put together their CPUs is simply not conducive in and of itself to low temps when they are overlocked. I would say that case, fans, your chosen cooling solution and a host of other factors are going to impact temps more than the CPU itself.

Impossible to measure when tolerance is so fine... it might fit, it might not... can't know until cooler is installed and side panel is on. At which point it's a bit late if it doesn't lol! If it's touching, that could cause some unwanted noise and vibrations. Worst case, I wouldn't be able to get side panel on at all. I suspect 168.3mm is asking too much, that's nearly 1cm! They wouldn't be that much out... tolerance is probably only a few mm, if anything.

There's no TIM lottery really... all 7700k's will run hot when pushed to their limit if not de-lidded. The de-lidding process itself can have a variable effect though, and I have seen some only get around 10c, with others reporting over 20c.

Yes, I know lol, that's where I got the 168.3mm measurement from. I doubt the InWin 101 has been that generous with their clearance.

Agreed, but I'm quite sure that won't fit at 168.3 mm.

The Pro? It's 163mm... you think they'd leave that much?

Looking for air cooler advice for an OC'd and de-lidded 7700K at 5Ghz. I've been solely watercooling for a few years now so am somewhat out the loop (ironically) when it comes to air coolers! The case I am using, the new InWin 101, is limited to 160mm height clearance, which seems to rule out a few options, namely the Dark Rock Pro 3 which I was initial looking at. It's brother, the single fan Dark Rock 3 is bang on 160mm though, so that may work... depending on precise case tolerance. No one seems to have this case yet so I wouldn't know until it was too late. I was also looking at the Cryorig H7 Quad Lumi which is only 145mm, so no issue there, or the Cryorig H5 Universal but that's 160mm, so same potential issues as the Dark Rock 3. I know someone is going to recommend Noctua, and I know they're great but those fans make me feel queasy lol!

Yes, lack of cables is a bonus for sure. I've got an M.2 in a build at the moment as my boot drive, and having had SSD before also I think it does boot a TOUCH quicker, but I can't say there's justification for the big price difference.

Looking at 250GB for an OS drive (games on another drive, so this would be general desktop apps etc). Is it really worth spending the extra on the 960 EVO M.2? I know the figures speak for themselves and the M.2 is quicker, but in real world terms is it REALLY going to be that noticeable and worth the 40% price difference?? I know on paper there's a clear speed winner, just curious if anyone has used both and found the M.2 noticeably quicker at all? The two drives in question are... Samsung 960 EVO Polaris 250GB M.2 vs Samsung 250GB 850 EVO SSD 2.5"

Just get an air cooler, don't waste your money on a 120mm AIO. 120's are just a waste... even some low profile air coolers beat them and any top end full height air cooler will beat a 240 AIO. Why are you looking at AIOs in the first place, is it simply because they look good? If so, fair enough, just choose the one you like the look of most... performance won't matter.

I would double check the warranty with whatever manufacturer you go with, but I know EVGA have no issues with cards being used for watercooling, providing the card isn't damaged in removal of the cooler of course. Obviously if your card (or any component) is damaged by your loop leaking, then no warranty will cover you there... in such cases you would have to take action against the manufacturer of the watercooling component at fault. But if it's user error, then you're basically screwed lol.

That's valid, although it really depends how much more cost we're talking and if that extra few % is worth that to someone.

It's worth mentioning also that if you're watercooling a GPU, there is no point buying a more expensive card. They will all perform the same anyway (within reason), so it makes no sense paying for a more expensive one when you're removing the cooler. I would lean towards EVGA personally (taking in to account block compatibility mentioned above) as they have an excellent warranty.