So, the NF-F12 has a higher static pressure but a lower air flow, whereas the NF-S12A has a lower static pressure but a higher air flow? And the NF-A12x25 is somewhere in between? More accurate to say that the NF-A12x25 is superior to both , except at the extremes of very high static pressure or ai...

What is the difference between static pressure and airflow? Which is better for coolers? "Static pressure" is how good the fan is for pushing air against resistance (e.g. filters, coolers or radiators), "airflow" how much air it can push unobstructed. Both are needed for an air cooler. See this gra...

Aren't a number of 'micro-ATX' MBs, particularly those with only two DIMM slots, narrower than standard (essentially being Flex-ATX, even if they aren't listed as such)? (I can remember running into some when I was comparing for my last build.) Might that reduce the degree to which a third drive 'on...

Do we think that moving it just one slot over would make all the difference? Almost all the boards I'm looking at ( example ) are positioning the "prime" (x4) M.2 socket there. That has to be better than RIGHT under a 2-slot GPU? It'd be a shame to go with an ATX build just to get a x4 M.2 slot awa...

Would this fan be compatible with heatsinks whose clips require an open-cornered fan (like the Kotetsu)? The pictures that I've seen seem to indicate a half-open/half-closed corner.

So, in ten years, the price per GB on a SSD has come down by $2.34. or nearly 80%. And in the same time the required storage space has also roughly five-folded, resulting in the cost for a useful amount of storage to stay approximately the same. Additionally, the c/GB cost of HDDs has also fallen c...

We have the first review up of the NF-A12x25 PWM (albeit fairly limited, and in German) here . They tried it out on a Noctua NH-U12S, and found it to be slightly over 1 degree cooler and noticeably quieter (no dB measurements however) than the stock NF-F12 cooling a 105W Ryzen 7 2700X. It will be in...

I would suggest that a linear response is preferable. You can plug in any PWM percentage you like for any temperature threshold, so the response curve really in no way constrains the shape of your temperature-to-rpm curve. However having most of the RPM change clumped in the top quarter or so of the...

Has anybody tried the 10/12TB Barracuda Pros? The review I linked to above listed the 10TB as quiet (as well as the best performer overall), though they are a bit pricier than the other Seagates.

For me the Noctuas are fine under low rpms, but when loaded and reaching above 800rpms i find the tone not that pleasing, i prefer bequiet pwm, specially the BL067 is right now my gotto fan for 140mm, bl066 for 120mm, although on 120 there are lots of options to chose from. I've read elsewhere that...

... that said, i dont think 350-450 is a bad starting spot, specially for a CPU cooler, this might be a good option for people with coolers like 212 that when they builded they were tight on a budget and dont want to buy a new cooler, so this fan specially design for CPU coolers could be a good opt...

One downside I noticed with these fans (at least the PWM version) is higher minimum RPM (450) than the previous PWM models (300). Combine this with a stated Acoustic Noise slighter higher than those of the previous models, and I suspect we're unlikely to see a particularly quiet fan. It will be inte...

As it happens I now have a 10TB WD Red ordered thanks to a well-timed deal. It's what I'd have preferred in the first place, but its price tag was previously 25% more than the best price for the Skyhawk, so I decided to take a gamble on the latter. I just saw this review of the WD Red 10TB , that s...

This comparison may prove informative. I must admit I'd be interested to see how the WD Red and Hitachi He10 compare.

According to this tweet, the new fans are only "a few weeks" away.

The power supply shroud worsens noise by giving the fan a hard surface to blow against. I take it you mean the front fan(s), that would be blowing parallel to the shroud? If the shroud is producing noise problems, but the side panel (also parallel, and in close proximity to the path of air from the...

What's going in the two drive cages under the shroud? (just wondering why you aren't using these). I was intending to use the two trays for my 2 3.5" SMR drives. The Si cover could work (velcro tape would allow removal/reapply at will). It might even fit behind the motherboard. Or, on top of the PS...

Alternatively, I could take out the 'PSU shroud plate' exposing the top of the Drive Cage, and attach something like this (silicone cover) to the top of the cage: https://sep.yimg.com/ay/outletpc/syba-si-acc25028-black-sata-ide-2-5-hdd-soft-gel-protective-cover-30.jpg https://sep.yimg.com/ay/outletp...

In looking around for the new Scythe Kotetsu Mark II, I found this recently-released, and similarly-sized, Scythe product: https://img.alicdn.com/bao/uploaded/i4/481328995/TB1JsOGghPI8KJjSspfXXcCFXXa_!!0-item_pic.jpg_430x430q90.jpg Scythe Sengokubune (SC-SGB06) Dimensions: 130 (W) × 156 (H) × 75 (D)...

I think I'll play it by ear -- wait and see how much clearance there is with the side-panel, and if space permits, insert some small silicone washers/grommets between the bracket and the drive as a precautionary measure.

The best place to mount a hard drive on a Fractal Design Mini C is in one of the trays in the cage under the PSU shroud. These trays are fitted with anti-vibration mountings. Alternatively the whole cage can be removed and a hard drive can be fitted directly to the floor of the case using the mount...

Hi. I'm thinking of building a new computer around the Define Mini C, and was wondering if there'd be any acoustic/vibration problems (and if so any mitigation possible) putting a 2.5" HD into one of the three SSD slots. The HD in question would be a WD Red 1TB. The three slots are on a sheet metal ...

Among a broad range of exclusive products and prototypes, Noctua’s award-winning A-series fans took centre stage: the highlight of this year’s line-up was a live performance demonstration of the upcoming 120x25mm model that features a record tight 0.5mm tip clearance and will be manufactured from N...

It is certainly possible to obtain the Sescom unit direct from America via eBay . The main issue is that for an import into the UK for example the basic cost of about £30 is increased by another £20 or so to cover the cost of international postage and import charges. I assume the quality of the thi...

This seems like the ideal product, cheapest I could find. My first question would be what sort of switch this switchbox employs. The better ones seem to employ high quality 3PDT toggle switches, or their rotary equivalents, for good signal isolation. Lack of good isolation tends to lead to hum. Lac...

I would like to have the convenience of not bothering to unplug headphones instead of speakers and vice versa. Both the Edifier speakers and Audiotechnica M30x headphones have a 3.5mm jack that plugs into the audio port, of which there is only one. So, I was thinking that maybe I could plug the hea...

My working assumption is that the best coolers for low airflows (i.e. near-passive conditions) would be those with least air resistance. This would most likely mean a general design that was wide/tall but shallow (and meaning that larger, deeper coolers designed to have air forced through them at a ...

Tilltech wrote:

CA_Steve wrote:If you don't plan to OC an i5, then you can drop down to a Noctua 120mm model (if that's your go to cooler) or go with site favorite Scythe Kotetsu.

Or Cryorig H7.

Has anybody done a comparison (including low RPM acoustics and performance) between the Kotetsu & the H7?

NeilBlanchard wrote:Side note: something can be very quiet - but silence is absolute. Saying it is "very silent" is like saying something very medium, or extremely normal.

Something that happens nine days out of ten is extremely normal. Something that happens only every other day is very normal.