Black Ridge 120mm Fan vs. Noctua L9a + Fan Duct

supremeMilo

Trash Compacter
May 3, 2019
37
20
For gaming there should be no difference between 16 and 32 GB. Only the speed of the memory matters.

Which RAM are you going for and what other components (motherboard, CPU, GPU) do you have?
Going for the Kingston, have a 3700X, Asrock B450 and 3080FE, switching to the Blackridge to put an exhaust where my 645LT currently sits.
 
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darknoise

Caliper Novice
Original poster
Sep 28, 2020
28
4
Hi @dondan
I have two questions about the fan duct (downloadable from the Dan website) for the L9a.

1) Up to which RAM height is the „normal“ fan duct ok? When do you recommend the high RAM fan duct?

2) I can choose between several materials when 3D printing the fan duct. The only two materials which are valid up to 95 celsius are ABS and TPU (Flex). The first is harder but can more vary in size +/- 1mm. See the available materials: https://www.teil3.ch/materialien.html
Which material do you normally recommend?
 
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n.tesla

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Jul 19, 2020
116
42
Thanks, ordered, wondering if I am going to notice going from 32GB to 16GB..... needed ram for my NAS/Server anyway and the VLP wasn't THAT much more than a normal 16GB kit.
You could always go for the Micron mta18adf2g72az-3g2e1 16 GB sticks, just make sure the memory modules on the sticks have the laser etched code "D9WFL" as these are the e-die modules rated at 3200 MHz JEDEC.
Remember, these VLP frequency ratings are all JEDEC and not XMP and the modules used (such as D9WFL) are often identical to those used in commercial kits. Although I imagine the best bins are sold off for high performance kits, there's likely a 'silicone lottery' kind of luck involved in how great (or not) a bin you get and I have reasonably high hopes for these, that is when they turn up at the end of time and there's no electricity for me to power my new build off of.
 

echodriver

Caliper Novice
Oct 11, 2020
21
9
Looking to decide between the two... what's been the verdict on thermals?

Youtube reviews seem to suggest the Black Ridge w/ A9x14 does better than the Noctua L9a, but most of those comparisons seem to be on an open bench or don't use the fan duct.

And does using the Noctua AM4 backplate help with temperatures?

Thinking about getting this for the 3700X or future 5600X
 

dondan

Shrink Ray Wielder
DAN Cases
Feb 23, 2015
1,977
8,378
@darknoise:
1) Get normal for ram that is in the LowProfile-Specification (32mm)
2) It doesnt matter get the cheapest one. (ABS or PLA)

@supremeMilo
The fan at the bottom will help creating moving more heat between PSU and GPU to the top.
 

echodriver

Caliper Novice
Oct 11, 2020
21
9
@dondan

Do you still consider the Noctua L9A w/ fan duct better with thermals compared to the Black Ridge v2 w/ Noctua A9x14 HS-PWM? I'm trying to avoid having to go VLP RAM if I can.
 

darknoise

Caliper Novice
Original poster
Sep 28, 2020
28
4
@dondan

Do you still consider the Noctua L9A w/ fan duct better with thermals compared to the Black Ridge v2 w/ Noctua A9x14 HS-PWM? I'm trying to avoid having to go VLP RAM if I can.

As far as I know, the L9a is even better without fan duct than the Black Ridge with 9x14. Only when you pair the Black Ridge with 120mm fan, it is better.
 

echodriver

Caliper Novice
Oct 11, 2020
21
9
As far as I know, the L9a is even better without fan duct than the Black Ridge with 9x14. Only when you pair the Black Ridge with 120mm fan, it is better.

I wish there were better tests out there to look at. A lot of the videos I've seen reviewing the Black Ridge show the Black Ridge with 9x14 doing a lot better than the L9a - but those are often in open bench tests. Things seem to be different when people actually stick these in cases, and the numbers are a lot closer. And in a case like the Dan A4 SFX, the fan duct makes a big difference for the L9a so you don't use recirculated hot air which open bench tests don't have to worry about

Plus the noise factor if that's a concern - the L9a @ 2400 rpm seems to be quieter than the Black Ridge with the same fan at the same rpm.

On the other hand, it seems like the Black Ridge has more capacity for hotter CPUs and loads - but that seems to also be case dependent
 
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darknoise

Caliper Novice
Original poster
Sep 28, 2020
28
4
@dondan
I only found reviews for the L9a without the fan duct. Is there a good comparison / review for the L9a in the Dan with and without the fan duct? I read on your site that it should make up to 7 degrees celsius but is there some evidence for that?
 

darknoise

Caliper Novice
Original poster
Sep 28, 2020
28
4
I wish there were better tests out there to look at. A lot of the videos I've seen reviewing the Black Ridge show the Black Ridge with 9x14 doing a lot better than the L9a - but those are often in open bench tests. Things seem to be different when people actually stick these in cases, and the numbers are a lot closer. And in a case like the Dan A4 SFX, the fan duct makes a big difference for the L9a so you don't use recirculated hot air which open bench tests don't have to worry about

Plus the noise factor if that's a concern - the L9a @ 2400 rpm seems to be quieter than the Black Ridge with the same fan at the same rpm.

On the other hand, it seems like the Black Ridge has more capacity for hotter CPUs and loads - but that seems to also be case dependent

Absolutely, that‘s what I see as well. The Black Ridge with stock fan is trash. And if you replace it with the Noctua 9x14 it‘s better, but not as good as the L9a without the fan duct. The L9a gets even better with fan duct. I only wondering by how much? The only solution which is superior is the BR with 120mm and VLP RAM.
 

nightshift

Airflow Optimizer
Jul 23, 2020
268
168
This guy (Alex in the video) is awesome. Clear explanations, good pace and goes through each route so the conclusion is all the more clear. He has another nice one regarding the L9a and the very actual 3700x:


7:00 is where the magic happens, but it's adivsed to watch it from the beginning to get the bigger picture. It's without the fan duct, so a further -5C in temperatures can be expected I guess.
 
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darknoise

Caliper Novice
Original poster
Sep 28, 2020
28
4
This guy (Alex in the video) is awesome. Clear explanations, good pace and goes through each route so the conclusion is all the more clear. He has another nice one regarding the L9a and the very actual 3700x:


7:00 is where the magic happens, but it's adivsed to watch it from the beginning to get the bigger picture. It's without the fan duct, so a further -5C in temperatures can be expected I guess.

Indeed, Alex‘ videos are great! I like his style also.

But still no review with fan duct. I really like to see a comparison with and without for example with the Ryzen 3600 or 3700X. I only read about the -5C, but haven‘t seen it in a test.
 

againstodds

Cable Smoosher
Jul 16, 2019
10
0
So with a noctua L9 with fan duct, 10700k 60 watt limit , gtx 1080 gaming x , a fan under motherboard Noctua NF-A9x14 PWM , what fan should i add under psu another Noctua NF-A9x14 or an noctua nf-A9x25mm ?

 

nightshift

Airflow Optimizer
Jul 23, 2020
268
168
So with a noctua L9 with fan duct, 10700k 60 watt limit , gtx 1080 gaming x , a fan under motherboard Noctua NF-A9x14 PWM , what fan should i add under psu another Noctua NF-A9x14 or an noctua nf-A9x25mm ?
Preferably a 25mm and on exhaust as well.