Scythe Mugen 4 with high static pressure fans

[Avro]

So I recently upgraded from a x6 1090T to FX-8350 and my old cooler (CM Hyper 212+ w/2x Gentle Typhoon 1450rpm) is no longer cutting it because it can't keep the CPU temp below 60C under full load (the FX-8350 is o/c'ed to 4.4GHz). I managed to snag the last Mugen 4 at a local shop (ncix.com) and it is 1-2C better than my old cooler but it still can't keep it under 60C under full load so I am looking to replace the stock fan and adding a 2nd fan for a push/pull config.

I'm having trouble picking the 2 fans. They must be 120mm and PWM, maybe around 1800-2000rpm. 1300-1500rpm models don't seem to have enough airflow. My Asus Sabertooth 990FX (rev.1) can only control PWM fans on the CPU fan headers. 140mm fans are also not an option for clearance issues. The stock 120mm is already pretty close (within 2-3mm) to my low profile Corsair RAM. BTW, Thermal Radar on the Sabertooth sucks compared to Fan Xpert 2 on my work P8Z77-V Pro PC.

Does the Mugen 4 perform better or worse with high static pressure fans? The fin stack/design is denser than my old Ninja 1, but less dense than the Hyper 212+ so I don't know if it would benefit from high static pressure fans.

I'm looking at the Glidestream 120mm PWM 1900rpm 108CFM or the Swiftech Helix 120mm PWM 1800rpm 55CFM fans. While the Swiftech has half the CFM of the Glidestream, it has ~50% more static pressure. And it looks like a copy/re-badge of the old Gentle Typhoons. I'm open to other suggestions and recommendations, they just have to be available to buy in Canada and be relatively cheap (sub-$20) since I only paid $35+tax for the Mugen 4.

[CA_Steve]

There's nothing wrong with 60ish C temps. Go for another Glidestream if you want to pick up 3-4C and keep with what you've got. Note the Scythe SY1225HB12SM-P in the Mugen 4 is 1400rpm. Probably want to stick with that or similar speed.

[Avro]

I'm hitting 63-65C with the Mugen 4 now at full load at 22-24C room temp. In the summer my room can go up to 35C, which is why I want the faster fans for some headroom for the summer temps. Unfortunately as mentioned in that review the SY1225HB12SM-P is not sold alone, and the 1300rpm variant SY1225HB12M-P is not available anywhere in Canada. The 1900rpm variant is available at NCIX as well as some other brands/models and I'm open to other suggestions but most of those other available brands/models haven't been reviewed on SPCR so I have no idea how they perform at lower rpms. When I'm gaming I'm wearing headphones so louder fan noise doesn't matter, but I don't game that much anymore so low rpms sonics are more important to me.

[lodestar]

My local supplier stocks the Enermax UCTP12P Twister Pressure 120mm PWM for £8.50 so if you can find one in Canada it might be what you are looking for and within your preferred price range. To quote "...The new Enermax Twister Pressure fan is designed especially for the use on CPU coolers and radiators. Due to its innovative shape and quality structure the Twister Pressure fan achieves an exceptional high static pressure and cooling performance while generating minimum noise....". This fan has built-in PWM control via a manual switch allowing a choice of three PWM fan speed ranges, 500 - 1,200 RPM, 500 - 1,500 RPM and 500 - 1,800 RPM. Haven't heard of it before, so I assume it is relatively new to the market.

[Avro]

That Enermax is a bit too new so it's not available here yet.

The reviews of the Swiftech fans weren't so good so I ended up buying a pair of Glidestream 1900rpm PWM (SY1225HB12SH-P) fans since I managed to price match them down to $13 CAD each. I did a Prime95 run with the stock single fan and another run with 2x 1900rpm fans and managed to drop my temps by 6C at idle and 6C at max CPU load which brings me just under 60C. It is definitely noisier than stock both at idle (a little bit noisier) and at load (a lot noisier, both motor noise and air flow noise).

While the more hardcore SPCR regulars may balk at 1900rpm fans, personally I think it's worth the trade off for the extra cooling headroom for me. It's 10:30pm at night with my windows open and my room temp is 26.5C so I need all the cooling I can get while still having it relatively quiet at idle/while surfing.

Another interesting note is that one of the 1900rpm fans runs about 60-90rpm faster than the other. They are plugged into the CPU_Fan and CPU_Opt headers, which on Asus boards are linked together so you can't alter the speeds independently. Maybe it's just manufacturing variances and it is still within the factory specs of 1900rpm +/- 10% (190rpm).

[lodestar]

As a stock Mugen 4 PWM fan is spare you could consider fitting it in the top exhaust position; this would help limit the CPU fan revs under both idle and load and might well result in a slightly quieter setup. A PWM Y cable will be needed to run it from one of the CPU headers, possibly CPU_OPT. Not an expensive part, well worth trying.

[Avro]

Thanks for the suggestion lodestar, but I already have the other 4 fan mounts populated. The rear and top each have a Scythe Slipstream 1200rpm and the front middle and bottom now have the old Scythe Gentle Typhoon 1450rpm.

The Thermal Radar on the Sabertooth really sucks compared to Fan Xpert 2 on a regular Asus board, like the P8Z77-V Pro I use at work. With Thermal Radar, I can only have 1 profile for CPU and 1 profile for Chassis, that's it. So the CPU profile will control the 2 CPU fan headers and the Chassis profile will control all 4 chassis fan headers. With Fan Xpert 2, I can set individual profiles for each fan header on the board as well as the fancy fan analysis stuff.

I think it's time for me to read up on the SpeedFan setup guide on this site to see if I can setup some more intricate tuning profiles like Fan Xpert 2, but on my Sabertooth.