Cooling SFFn CPU Cooler Shoot-Out

[Poblopuablo]

Recently updated the charts with the follow coolers:

Intel - Thermolab LP53, Silverstone AR06, AR11, Thermaltake Engine 27, Scythe Kozuti, Jitte, Alpenfoehn Blackridge, Cryorig C7

AMD - Noctua NH-U9S, Alpenfoehn Blackridge, Cryorig C7

Scythe Jitte is not fitting on the Asrock X470 ITX (AM4) board, the mounting bracket covers a capaciter and cannot be tightened down

Intel Low Profile 65W - ID-Cooling IS-25i, Thermaltake Engine 27, Noctua NH-L9i, Scythe Kozuti, Jitte, CoolServer 40mm 1U tower



Coming in the next week: Scythe Shuriken 2, Shuriken 3, Thermalright AXP100 Full Copper, AXP100RH, ID-Cooling IS-30

After this I will be taking a small break from testing and will be making some videos to do a deep dive on some coolers as well as fans. If you have any requests for coolers to be tested let me know. I have quite a few stuck in China still so if they are on that list, it could be late summer before I can get to them. If they are not ones I already own, I will prioritize getting those.

I think that axp90 would be a great cooler to add to the list. (probably full copper for max performance) and see if you can get both brackets instead of having to buying 2 different coolers.

 

[thelaughingman]

great work man, thanks! just 1 suggestion is to add a tab for <48/50mm coolers, it would be really useful. cheers!

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

I think that axp90 would be a great cooler to add to the list. (probably full copper for max performance) and see if you can get both brackets instead of having to buying 2 different coolers.

Yes I would love to add them, however they are a bit difficult to get in the US They are high on my list!

great work man, thanks! just 1 suggestion is to add a tab for <48/50mm coolers, it would be really useful. cheers!

Yeah I am thinking to create a separate chart for those heights, and with different fan setups. I originally went that route but changed it. My goal is to eventually have a webpage where you can enter your criteria like max cooler height, fan size, etc.. and it will show you the filtered results automatically.

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

https://infogram.com/92mm-comparison-1h7j4dpx9w0x4nr?live - in case anyone is interested, here is a special chart showing various coolers that were tested with stock fan and the A9x14. Generally you can see the Noctua performs as well if not better, but there are a few exceptions (LP53, C7)

 

[Poblopuablo]

Yes I would love to add them, however they are a bit difficult to get in the US They are high on my list!



Yeah I am thinking to create a separate chart for those heights, and with different fan setups. I originally went that route but changed it. My goal is to eventually have a webpage where you can enter your criteria like max cooler height, fan size, etc.. and it will show you the filtered results automatically.

I can send you my am4 version for testing.

 

[rocklobster]

https://infogram.com/92mm-comparison-1h7j4dpx9w0x4nr?live - in case anyone is interested, here is a special chart showing various coolers that were tested with stock fan and the A9x14. Generally you can see the Noctua performs as well if not better, but there are a few exceptions (LP53, C7)

I would love to see if there are competitor (cheaper) fans that can match Noctua for performance and acoustics. They are silent but damn they are pricey!

Edit: am I reading this right? The ID-Cooling VC-45 performs worse than the IS-40?

 

[Vlad502]

One suggestion, a little bit weird - to add dB measurement to temp/rpm graphs like decimal value: example 41.6°C 38dB => 42,38 °C,dB

About LP53 i was expecting more performance, but 55°C delta looks right. It is like 75°C in CustomMod`s Chart
And what about to swap LP53 fan with Scythe S950m fan (i guess it will fit with rubber mounting) So instead 42mm LP53 A9x14 => 45mm LP53 S950m

OpenHardwareMonitor is free alternative to Argus Monitor for manual % fan speed and plot graphs monitoring

 

[jxfong2]

Coolers which are quite cheap and popular in china: Jonsbo CR701 (<75mm), Phanteks TC12LS (<75mm), Cooler Master T520 (<65mm).

CR701 and TC12LS can fit in Ghost S1 after a fan swap (25mm>15mm), while T520 beats AXP 100 RH in one of the bilibili author's review.

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

I can send you my am4 version for testing.

Is it the full copper? I should try and get the Intel version of the non full copper. If I can I might take you up on the offer, then I can get all 4 versions tested!

I would love to see if there are competitor (cheaper) fans that can match Noctua for performance and acoustics. They are silent but damn they are pricey!

Edit: am I reading this right? The ID-Cooling VC-45 performs worse than the IS-40?

I am testing all coolers with Noctua fans when available, but I also have a stock of other fans sitting around which will be used for a separate comparison later. So far the Noctua's perform the best especially when it comes to noise. Although recently I have found the new Scythe fans perform quite well.

And yes, the VC-45 is to be honest, quite terrible. This is the 3rd time I have tested the cooler over the years and all 3 times it did poorly. It could be production defects but I actually bought a 2nd one to make sure of that and it also did just as bad.

One suggestion, a little bit weird - to add dB measurement to temp/rpm graphs like decimal value: example 41.6°C 38dB => 42,38 °C,dB

About LP53 i was expecting more performance, but 55°C delta looks right. It is like 75°C in CustomMod`s Chart
And what about to swap LP53 fan with Scythe S950m fan (i guess it will fit with rubber mounting) So instead 42mm LP53 A9x14 => 45mm LP53 S950m

OpenHardwareMonitor is free alternative to Argus Monitor for manual % fan speed and plot graphs monitoring

I'll be releasing videos with recordings of the coolers in various configurations. The reason I wanted to avoid using a decibel measurement is because some fans may be quiet but have an obnoxious buzz to them, so I figured the best way to let people decide is get a recording and let people decide for themselves. My Scythe S950m cooler is also in Chengdu right now so I don't have access to that. I think they sold that cooler under a different name in the US (Thermaltake i2 or something?) but it's hard to find.

Coolers which are quite cheap and popular in china: Jonsbo CR701 (<75mm), Phanteks TC12LS (<75mm), Cooler Master T520 (<65mm).

CR701 and TC12LS can fit in Ghost S1 after a fan swap (25mm>15mm), while T520 beats AXP 100 RH in one of the bilibili author's review.

I've actually got the CR701 and TC12LS (and TC90LS) but they are sitting in a box in Chengdu. SF won't deliver them to US because they have magnets in the fans ☹ Do you know what people use to mount on the TC12LS when they do the fan swap? I don't remember it comes with shorter screws, do they just zip tie?
The T520 I was also planning to pick up when I go back, but that could be awhile.......

 

[smitty2k1]

Thanks for all your work on this - it's a ton of useful data!

My takeaway is that you just can't be the Noctua L9 for super low profile uses, the Noctua L12s for slightly less low profile uses, and the AIO crushes if you have the space for it!

 

[rfarmer]

I agree with @IntoxicatedPuma on the Scythe fans. I recently switched my Ghost from watercooling to aircooling and I am using a Big Shuriken 2 on my 8700k with a Scythe Kaze Flex Slim. Works really well, just did some Cinebench R20 tests and max temps were 69C with a 20C ambient. Really quiet too and the fans are only $15 a piece.

 

[Poblopuablo]

Is it the full copper? I should try and get the Intel version of the non full copper. If I can I might take you up on the offer, then I can get all 4 versions tested!

Pm sent on the axp90

Also, one thing to consider when using noctua fans. There are 3 different a9x14 models. But only 2 are available for after market purchase.

There is the brown a9x14, the brown a9x14 HS(sold only on the l9i/a), and the chromax a9x14 HS (sold seperately or with the chromax l9i/a).

The main difference is the HS(which stands for Heat Sink). The HS has higher rpm and thus other specs are higher also.


The brown HS fan should be functionally equivalent to the chromax version (just like other chromax models are intended to be functionally equivalent to their brown counterpart) so since you already have the l9i(brown a9x14 HS) just use that fan, not the aftermarket brown one (brown a9x14) and you don't need to order one of the new chromax a9x14 HS models.


If you want you can test both, but I think that would take a while. (Maybe only test both on one of the best coolers to see it's max performance difference). So let's just say the axp90 is the best(I'm not sure if it is, but hypothetically speaking). You could test it with the a9x14 and a9x14 HS and see what the difference between the 2 would be. That would be the MAX difference you could get but if your cooler is more lackluster (let's say a cryorig c7 aluminum) than your difference in performance may be lesser. (However you may only see a 1-2° difference... I do not know).

Before the chromax nf-a9x14 HS came out, it didn't make sense to test it in coolers since someone would need a donor l9i/a to even get one, but now that it is available for aftermarket purchase, it makes more sense to test it (even though it is more expensive than the brown a9x14)

I hope this makes sense, I just woke up so it may be somewhat confusing :/

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

I also noticed that when I was testing a couple years ago, so now I have all 3 of the fans (well, the brown HS fan is just from the L9i and L9x65). I pointed that out in the IS-40v3 video I did in January because I figured people should know what they are buying. I wish Noctua had been more clear since many people look to that fan when buying a replacement fan for their coolers.

 

[rocklobster]

I agree with @IntoxicatedPuma on the Scythe fans. I recently switched my Ghost from watercooling to aircooling and I am using a Big Shuriken 2 on my 8700k with a Scythe Kaze Flex Slim. Works really well, just did some Cinebench R20 tests and max temps were 69C with a 20C ambient. Really quiet too and the fans are only $15 a piece.

Are those the 120 x 120 x 12 fans? I assumed they would be pretty buzzy, given the thinness of the fan and high RPMs.

 

[rfarmer]

Are those the 120 x 120 x 12 fans? I assumed they would be pretty buzzy, given the thinness of the fan and high RPMs.

They are actually 15mm, 17mm with the corner bumpers and they are not buzzy at all.

 

[thelaughingman]

Are those the 120 x 120 x 12 fans? I assumed they would be pretty buzzy, given the thinness of the fan and high RPMs.

They are actually 15mm, 17mm with the corner bumpers and they are not buzzy at all.

and there's RGB too! Kaze Flex Slim RGB, comes in 2 variants 1200RPM and 1800RPM. Performance is on par with NF-A12x15, if only Scythe product is more readily available where I live. There used to be no Noctua here just a couple of years back but now all I see is Noctua fans and coolers LOL

 

[rocklobster]

and there's RGB too! Kaze Flex Slim RGB, comes in 2 variants 1200RPM and 1800RPM. Performance is on par with NF-A12x15, if only Scythe product is more readily available where I live. There used to be no Noctua here just a couple of years back but now all I see is Noctua fans and coolers LOL

I was referring to the Slip Stream (Kaze-Junyi Slim) - I think these will be buzzy at 12mm versus the 15mm variants

 

[jxfong2]

I've actually got the CR701 and TC12LS (and TC90LS) but they are sitting in a box in Chengdu. SF won't deliver them to US because they have magnets in the fans ☹ Do you know what people use to mount on the TC12LS when they do the fan swap? I don't remember it comes with shorter screws, do they just zip tie?
The T520 I was also planning to pick up when I go back, but that could be awhile.......

There are quite a few "heatsink only" options for above mentioned coolers in taobao with custom sets of short screws.

追风者 PH-TC12LS回流焊6热管下压式CPU散热器主板声神光同步auru-淘宝网

欢迎前来淘宝网实力旺铺，选购追风者 PH-TC12LS回流焊6热管下压式CPU散热器主板声神光同步auru,想了解更多追风者 PH-TC12LS回流焊6热管下压式CPU散热器主板声神光同步auru，请进入品誉科技企业店的品誉企业店实力旺铺，更多商品任你选购

item.taobao.com

Anyway, zipties worked very well for my CR701, not sure for TC12LS though... Try contact the warehouse to remove the fans and send it to US, maybe it works that way.

 

[rocklobster]

There are quite a few "heatsink only" options for above mentioned coolers in taobao with custom sets of short screws.

追风者 PH-TC12LS回流焊6热管下压式CPU散热器主板声神光同步auru-淘宝网

欢迎前来淘宝网实力旺铺，选购追风者 PH-TC12LS回流焊6热管下压式CPU散热器主板声神光同步auru,想了解更多追风者 PH-TC12LS回流焊6热管下压式CPU散热器主板声神光同步auru，请进入品誉科技企业店的品誉企业店实力旺铺，更多商品任你选购

item.taobao.com

Anyway, zipties worked very well for my CR701, not sure for TC12LS though... Try contact the warehouse to remove the fans and send it to US, maybe it works that way.

I've had limited success with even the skinnier zipties, the mounting holes on the radiator are too small to fit them.

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

There are quite a few "heatsink only" options for above mentioned coolers in taobao with custom sets of short screws.

追风者 PH-TC12LS回流焊6热管下压式CPU散热器主板声神光同步auru-淘宝网

欢迎前来淘宝网实力旺铺，选购追风者 PH-TC12LS回流焊6热管下压式CPU散热器主板声神光同步auru,想了解更多追风者 PH-TC12LS回流焊6热管下压式CPU散热器主板声神光同步auru，请进入品誉科技企业店的品誉企业店实力旺铺，更多商品任你选购

item.taobao.com

Anyway, zipties worked very well for my CR701, not sure for TC12LS though... Try contact the warehouse to remove the fans and send it to US, maybe it works that way.

I mean, I have already purchased them several years ago, so they are sitting at my house. When I tried to get SF or others to deliver them the pickup people always told me they can't ship it. So my collection is slowly getting to the US by me filling my suitcases with CPU coolers.