Which Thermalright Cooler? I'm less confused :/

[Bobendren]

OK, i have a standard ATX AOpen case with 1x120mm fan at the back. I'm going to make a duct to the front of the case for the PSU (NeoHE 430W)

I may also separate the bottom "layer" from the rest of the case, so that the gfx card (1950GT with HR-03 or S1 - don't know which here) and the hard drive are in a separate chamber with a 120mm fan between the two components. This all depends how well the gfx card runs passively and how it affects cpu temperature.

Which brings me to my actual question. Which cpu cooler to choose? There are several different setups I could try...

1) Case fan ducted to cpu heatsink, with no fan on cpu heatsink.

2) No case fan. Fan on front of cpu heatsink ducted out the back.

3) No case fan. Fan on rear of cpu heatsink ducted out the back.

4) Case fan and cpu fan. No ducting.

Add to that the option of separating or not separating the lower chamber with the gfx card and hard drive and I have quite a few options.

If I made a separate chamber for the gfx card with a fan, then i could probably get away with option 2 or 3.

Option 4 would most likely give the best temps.

So, my choices then...

HR-01 Plus - 600g, slightly smaller than the Ultra's, looks nicer in my opinion. Option 1?

Ultra 120 - 745g, massive

Ultra 120 Extreme - 790g, massive, more expensive than standard 120 - i'm not sure if it's worth the extra few degrees.

Ultima 90 - should I even bother with this one? It's lighter and smaller, which is good, but decent 92mm fans are scare where I live. But i'll probably be importing Scythe or Nexus fans anyway as they aren't available locally either.

I'm not considering the Ninja as they aren't available locally (will take too long to import), and the mounting system is awful.

Looking as this review, the gap between the Ultra Extreme and HR-01 Plus isn't very big. Here the HR-01 out performs the Extreme at very low airflow (480rpm)

SIlent Hardware Review

I'll add some pics later to give a better idea of what my setup looks like.

Help please.

[thejamppa]

Ultima 90 doesn't lack much behind Ultra 120 and Ultra 120 eXtreme's results. It should be considered worth while.

I am also very satisfied with my TR SI-128 SE. 510 grams. But I am not sure if Topdown cooler fits for your needs.

[Bobendren]

Ultima 90 doesn't lack much behind Ultra 120 and Ultra 120 eXtreme's results. It should be considered worth while.

I am also very satisfied with my TR SI-128 SE. 510 grams. But I am not sure if Topdown cooler fits for your needs.

I like the tower designs as keeping all the airflow parallel would seem to be the most efficient solution. I think top down coolers work best when there's an opening on the side panel which you can duct it to, but then that creates a direct path for noise.

I've noticed that with a fan on top, the topdown coolers are still quite tall. All the reviews i've read consistently show that tower style heatsinks do a better job at cooling. I'll be overclocking a E6750 (2.66Ghz) as far as it will go on stock voltage (3.2~3.4Ghz hopefully), so I want decent cooling.

[jessekopelman]

1) Case fan ducted to cpu heatsink, with no fan on cpu heatsink.

2) No case fan. Fan on front of cpu heatsink ducted out the back.

3) No case fan. Fan on rear of cpu heatsink ducted out the back.

4) Case fan and cpu fan. No ducting.

Do either choice 2 or choice 4. I think choice 4 is actually the best, as 2 very quiet fans should be quieter than 1 quiet fan (i.e. let's say the single fan configuration requires a speed of 1000 RPM, while the two fan requires 2 @ 800 RPM, the two fan solution should be ~ 3 dB quieter -- assuming all fans are otherwise identical). If you go with choice 2, get the HR-01 as it is specifically designed for this configuration.

[nick705]

Ultima 90 - should I even bother with this one? It's lighter and smaller, which is good, but decent 92mm fans are scare where I live. But i'll probably be importing Scythe or Nexus fans anyway as they aren't available locally either.

You can mount a 120mm fan on the Ultima-90, as well as a 92mm (it comes with clips for both), and it works very well - I guess the efficient heatpipe layout more than compensates for its relative lack of fin area. I wouldn't bother with a 92mm, unless you're squeezed for space.

If you're sticking with stock voltages on an E6750, if you can get up to 3.4GHz that still implies only around 83W to be dissipated (assuming a TDP of 65W at the stock 2.66GHz), so I'm sure an Ultima-90 coupled with a quiet S-Flex or Nexus would be fine.

I think I'd avoid messing around with ducts and separate chambers, at least to begin with - if you're not careful you might end up just shifting noise from one place to another rather than eliminating it, so it might be best to start off keeping things simple and see how you get on from there.

[Bobendren]

You can mount a 120mm fan on the Ultima-90, as well as a 92mm (it comes with clips for both), and it works very well - I guess the efficient heatpipe layout more than compensates for its relative lack of fin area. I wouldn't bother with a 92mm, unless you're squeezed for space.

Seems a waste though with a lot of the airflow going over the top. Also it isn't very aesthetically pleasing.

I think I'd avoid messing around with ducts and separate chambers, at least to begin with - if you're not careful you might end up just shifting noise from one place to another rather than eliminating it, so it might be best to start off keeping things simple and see how you get on from there.

Right click -> Insert -> Lame Harry Potter Pun.

Yeah it's going to involve lots of experimentation. The duct for the PSU should be easy though, and it definitely will reduce fan speed as I've noticed it slows down quite a bit if I remove the case side panel.

let's say the single fan configuration requires a speed of 1000 RPM, while the two fan requires 2 @ 800 RPM, the two fan solution should be ~ 3 dB quieter -- assuming all fans are otherwise identical. If you go with choice 2, get the HR-01 as it is specifically designed for this configuration.

How do you work that out? Or is that just common knowledge around here? Definitely seems the two fan option is the way to go then. And don't you mean option 1?

[jessekopelman]

let's say the single fan configuration requires a speed of 1000 RPM, while the two fan requires 2 @ 800 RPM, the two fan solution should be ~ 3 dB quieter -- assuming all fans are otherwise identical. If you go with choice 2, get the HR-01 as it is specifically designed for this configuration.

How do you work that out?

Change in fan noise can be approximated by the expression 60*Log(RPM2/RPM1), where RPM1 and RPM2 are the fan speeds. 60*Log(800/1000) = - 5.8 dB. Two fans means double the noise, or a 3 dB increase. 3 - 5.8 = - 2.8 dB. Please keep in mind that noise is not the same as perceived loudness. It generally takes a 10 dB change in noise to equal a 2X change in perceived loudness. So, 2.8 dB less noise would only translate into about an 18% decrease in perceived loudness (1 - 2^-0.28 ). Still, that's 18% in the right direction.

And don't you mean option 1?

Yes, sorry. I meant Option 1, but really I recommend Option 4 more, anyway. I do think ducting is cool, though, even if it has little practical advantage.

[nick705]

Right click -> Insert -> Lame Harry Potter Pun.

I've never seen any Harry Potter films or read any of the books, so that one's lost on me I'm afraid.

I suppose you could say some of a 120mm fan's airflow is "wasted" on the Ultima-90 (actually not a very big segment in practice), but you could equally say the parts of a bigger heatsink blocked by a 120mm fan's corners are also "wasted" to a certain extent. Until someone invents a fan with square blades (or more realistically a round heatsink exactly the same dimensions as the fan's blades), there will always be some redundancy somewhere. The point is, a 120mm fan provides more coverage of the Ultima-90's total fin area than a 92mm, and the airflow is also better placed with respect to the heatpipes. It does the job well, which is what matters in the end.

I take your point about the aesthetics, but I'm one of those people who don't really care what the inside of a PC case looks like so long as bits don't fall off and it all works.

I'd certainly give the Ultima-90 some serious thought, anyway, especially if you're nervous (understandably, although probably unnecessarily) about huge heatsinks like the Ultra 120.

[ame]

I don't know about estetics... the ultima 90 I just got is in a Solo case that has no window
Yet its running cool with a 120 fan at 450 rpm cooling a Q6600 at stock speed, idle temps at 34-35. I got the 120 fan for its lower speed.

[Bobendren]

Right click -> Insert -> Lame Harry Potter Pun.

I've never seen any Harry Potter films or read any of the books, so that one's lost on me I'm afraid.

I suppose you could say some of a 120mm fan's airflow is "wasted" on the Ultima-90 (actually not a very big segment in practice), but you could equally say the parts of a bigger heatsink blocked by a 120mm fan's corners are also "wasted" to a certain extent. Until someone invents a fan with square blades (or more realistically a round heatsink exactly the same dimensions as the fan's blades), there will always be some redundancy somewhere. The point is, a 120mm fan provides more coverage of the Ultima-90's total fin area than a 92mm, and the airflow is also better placed with respect to the heatpipes. It does the job well, which is what matters in the end.

I take your point about the aesthetics, but I'm one of those people who don't really care what the inside of a PC case looks like so long as bits don't fall off and it all works.

I'd certainly give the Ultima-90 some serious thought, anyway, especially if you're nervous (understandably, although probably unnecessarily) about huge heatsinks like the Ultra 120.

I haven't read the books either, but I've watched two of the movies. I think one of them was called Chamber of Secrets....haha...ha

Anyway, I've ordered the HR-01 Plus. This decision actually kept me up at night, no joke...I can't believe I'm that white and nerdy. Thanks to everyone for your input, much appreciated.

I decided on the HR-01 Plus for the following reasons:

1) It's smaller - 12mm narrower than the Ultra 120 Extreme. I estimated I have about 5mm clearance between the extreme and my PSU, so that was a bit worrying.

2) It's lighter - I save 190 grams (600 vs 790)...oh yeah.

3) It's cheaper - I save 20% of mah cash moneyz.

4) I get to mess around with ducting during the holidays...good times, good times.

One thing I don't like about it, is the mounting mechanism. While it's much betterer than the push pins, it adds another metal retention strip on each side of the cpu which means it'll be more flexible. I would be nice if it had the same mounting system as the extreme does.

Also the temps aren't as good as the extreme. But only by around 1'C-3'C.

I'll post my results next week - although I don't have a spare 120mm fan atm, so i'll have to make do with a cable tied 92mm or a makeshift duct.

[nick705]

One thing I don't like about it, is the mounting mechanism. While it's much betterer than the push pins, it adds another metal retention strip on each side of the cpu which means it'll be more flexible. I would be nice if it had the same mounting system as the extreme does.

I don't think you need worry about it being flexible - those support rails are pretty rigid, and so is the backplate they attach to.

That said, the mounting isn't quite as foolproof as it appears from the photos - the hexagonal screw heads (the ones in steps 2 and 3 here) locate into "slots" on the backplate, which prevents them from turning as the topside rails are screwed on, and if you're not careful they can drop slightly, causing them to be in the wrong place as the rails are tightened down (hard to explain in words, but you'll see what I mean). Once you've successfully attached the rails through the motherboard to the backplate, you'll notice the assembly is slightly loose (ie it can move slightly up/down through the LGA775 holes) - this is by design, so that when the heatsink proper is screwed to the rails, the backplate is "pulled" to the motherboard by the spring-loaded screws, with its soft pads providing the pressure point on the reverse side of the board from the CPU socket. Again, you need to check that all the screw heads are sitting in their backplate slots as the spring-loaded screws are fully tightened, or you could end up with uneven pressure.

Once it's all screwed together it's very solid, and I've made it sound much more complicated than it is, but the included instructions aren't terribly clear on some points and caused me a bit of head-scratching at first. I'm not the sharpest tool in the box though with this sort of thing, so hopefully you won't have any problems.

[Bobendren]

Thanks for the heads up nick! I either know exactly what you're talking about or have no clue what so ever. I'm pretty sure it's the former though. I was hoping this thing would arrive on friday, but now it's only coming on monday. Oh noes...