Quiet small cooler for overclocking

insider9

insider9

insider9

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Looking for a cooler of max height of 150mm that can withstand a heavy overclock whilst remaining reasonably quiet. Would consider aio 120mm or 240mm if it meant better cooling as long as this doesn't get much louder.

I'm currently running Raijintek Aidos which safely runs my i5-4690k at 4.5GHz (1.18V) although at load is loud. Unfortunately 4.5GHz is my limit due to temps getting too high over this. But by voltage alone I could push my cpu much higher than this and even if I wouldn't do it on a daily basis I would like to have an option :)

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/raijintek-aidos-direct-contact-cpu-cooler-hs-002-rt.html

I'm considering be quiet Dark Rock TF which seems to be performing on par with Noctua NH-D14 while remaining quieter. To reitarate acoustic performance is important to me

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/be-quiet-dark-rock-tf-cpu-cooler-135-135mm-hs-012-bq.html

Water cooling wise H100i would most likely fit the bill but at the risk (however small) of a leak and increased noise

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cors...iquid-cpu-cooler-cw-9060025-ww-hs-038-cs.html


I'm very much open to other suggestions or experiences relating to the coolers above. In terms of budget I'd rather not spend over £100 unless both acoustic and thermal performance would smash the above coolers.
 
I'd replace the stock fan with a noctua. My server has this and I run it @4.5ghz. Hardly hear it at full load (no gpu in system but 6 hdds). I'd purchased a 92mm 1500 grey 'value' noctua and they are as quiet asas the normal ones
 
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wellibob said:
I'd replace the stock fan with a noctua. My server has this and I run it @4.5ghz. Hardly hear it at full load (no gpu in system but 6 hdds). I'd purchased a 92mm 1500 grey 'value' noctua and they are as quiet asas the normal ones
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That would also work :) and definitely a good value option, thanks.

I actually got a Be Quiet Shadow Wings at one point but couldn't mount it so sent back.

My only concern was the static pressure specs:

Raijintek fan specs
Air Flow 48.6 CFM
Air Pressure 3.53 mmH2O

Noctua A9 PWM (brown/beige)
Air Flow 46.4 CFM
Air Pressure 2.28 mmH2O

According to these Noctua fan though quieter would not be as good due to lower air pressure. Also according to stats on Noctua website the redux (grey) is lowered spec.

So even though I might be tempted to give it a try I'd welcome opinions on other solutions.
 
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I think your 88R has 150mm CPU clearance, so rather than use a downflow cooler that makes near impossible to keep it for eating it's own heated exhaust you get a better tower that will fit in the 150mm CPU clearance.

Scythe Fuma would be a good choice, cools as well a most of the big coolers, and can be had for less money than what you are looking at.

Do not hotlink images - stulid.

Google it and look at the reviews. It's possibly the best available in the 150mm height range.
 
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doyll said:
I think your 88R has 150mm CPU clearance, so rather than use a downflow cooler that makes near impossible to keep it for eating it's own heated exhaust you get a better tower that will fit in the 150mm CPU clearance.

Scythe Fuma would be a good choice, cools as well a most of the big coolers, and can be had for less money than what you are looking at.

Hotlink image

Google it and look at the reviews. It's possibly the best available in the 150mm height range.
Click to expand...

Never heard of it I'll definitely have a look once I get home. Thank you
 
doyll said:
Do! You will be surprised how well it performs.
Ed Hume's testing show it out performing the D15.
http://www.overclockers.com/scythe-fuma-heatsink-review/

Other reviews show it right in with top tier coolers.
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I'm really impressed by this cooler. Thanks for your recommendation.

Having read lots of reviews it definitely cools better than expected for this size of the cooler. It's really impressive to get to the level of NH-D15 with smaller fans. What impresses me even more is that I could use standard 120mm fans. If it's louder than I would like (reviews indicate that it will be by a bit) I can always use my be quiet fans.

I worry I might have an interference with ram. I wonder if you know whether it can be installed so that the airflow is from top to bottom? I've not seen it done in any review or pic.
 
insider9 said:
I'm really impressed by this cooler. Thanks for your recommendation.

Having read lots of reviews it definitely cools better than expected for this size of the cooler. It's really impressive to get to the level of NH-D15 with smaller fans. What impresses me even more is that I could use standard 120mm fans. If it's louder than I would like (reviews indicate that it will be by a bit) I can always use my be quiet fans.

I worry I might have an interference with ram. I wonder if you know whether it can be installed so that the airflow is from top to bottom? I've not seen it done in any review or pic.
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I don't know what RAM you have but you can fit 34mm RAM under the fan. That is 37mm from surface of motherboard to top of RAM.

Another option is to mount the fans in pull / pull with one in middle pulling on front and one in back pulling on back.
 
It's Corsair Vengeance Pro and just checked 44mm. So it'll need to be pull/pull configuration as there won't be enough clearance.

Thanks again
 
doyll said:
No problem.
Please post up when you get it installed let us know how it's all working.
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Will do. I had to rma my psu so once I get a new one I will be getting this lovely cooler. Thanks again for suggesting it. Will have to disassemble the whole unit so might as well do it once and properly.

In the mean time I've ordered Noctua NF-A9 like suggested by wellibob it's the not the grey but ordinary Noctua coloured fan but I'm very tempted to see the difference.

I'll post all findings here as it may help others in similar situation.
 
Noctua NF-A9 came in today so I've run some tests to compare it to Raijintek Aidos fan. I do not own any equipment though so it will be very subjective. I've tested it in a quiet room with nothing else emitting sound other than my pc.

NOISE
First of Noctua is much quieter than Raijintek stock fan. It's inaudible at idle (up to 1200 rpm) and at max 2000 rpm pleasantly audible. It emits much nicer sound which is more of a humming sound with a flow of air as opposed to higher pitch Raijintek noise which can only be compared to the one that hoover makes (obviously not as loud). Changes in rpm on Noctua are also more pleasant and fluid.

Raijintek at idle (1200 rpm) can be heard but it's only a noise of moving air. Can be manually set to minimum of 1070 rpm but at that speed emits a rather unpleasant low frequency noise an isn't any quieter because of that.

COOLING PERFORMANCE
I've clocked my i5-4690k to 4.5GHz for this test (102.3 base clock, 44 ratio, 1.25V) and run prime95 for 5 minutes each twice with 5 minutes break in between. I must say it was rather warm in my room (short sleeve and all) again no proper equipment, sorry. If I was to guess around 24C or more.

Noctua was hitting max 87C which was rather high for my liking. That's the only reason why I only run the test for 5 minutes and not longer.

At the same time Raijintek kept to max 76C in this test with no indication the temp would go any higher. In fact I run it for 15 minutes at the third attempt ant the temp would not go any higher.

CLOSING THOUGHTS
I must say I had high expectations of Noctua fan and while it delivered in acoustic performance it really disappointed in it's main duty cooling. Difference of 9C at full load is significant and would severely impact on overclocking capability.

So for anyone considering swapping stock fan on Raijintek Aidos. If your aim is to only reduce fan noise at idle/medium loads Noctua would be great. If you want to achieve a decent overclock though and aren't bothered with noise at full load stick to the stock Raijintek fan.

For the last category of people who like me want both cooling performance and quiet system at full load with overclock Raijintek simply isn't the solution. It is a very decent cooler though and I would recommend it to anyone.

--------------------------

So the next step in my quest for perfection will be ordering Scythe Fuma as suggested by doyll and I will be posting the results once installation/testing is done.
 
20% more rpm usually makes quite a difference in airflow. In your case it appears to be about 11c worth of difference
Aidos specs their fan at 53cfm and Noctua specs are 46.4cfm, but my guess is either Raijintek is conservative or Noctua is liberal with their ratings.
 
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i had one of these before on a q6600, but didnt overclock however was very silent, cant remember if i have one on a less processor, but for the money(i paid more at time from local shop) its a great cooler and should hold overclocks well, but this is my experience, never justified high prices for some coolers that looks fancy.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £20.69
(includes shipping: £8.70)
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Whilst a good cooler at stock, the Akasa is barely any bigger than the stock Intel cooler. It would be fine with a low power chip like the Pentium G3258, but I don't think it would hold up to a heavy overclock.

Noctua fans are expensive, but quiet in my experience.
 
insider9
You said the Noc is quieter. Is this with both at full speed with NF-A9 at 2000rpm and Raijintek at 2400rpm, or running at same speed?
 
doyll said:
insider9
You said the Noc is quieter. Is this with both at full speed with NF-A9 at 2000rpm and Raijintek at 2400rpm, or running at same speed?
Click to expand...

Forgot to mention my Raijintek spins to 2250 rpm max. Temps were tested at full blast (Noctua 2000, Raijintek 2250) You made a very good point regarding that in your earlier post. It's rather interesting that 14% spec cfm difference related to 14% temp difference at load.

In terms of acoustic performance I compared both at same speeds idle 1200 rpm and max load 2000 rpm. Noctua is silent at 1200 rpm where you can still hear Raijintek.

With both at 2000 rpm Noctua is quieter but it's not just that. The sound it makes is much more pleasant sort of low mid hum with a gust of wind where the only way I can describe the Raijintek is hoover like.

Even if I managed to match them at the same noise level the lower frequency hum from Noctua would be kinder on the ear.

In other news my Scythe Fuma is shipping from Germany today :) should manage to install it and test it next weekend.
 
Only just noticed this thread but thought I would give some input as I recently built a 6600K system in the same case as you, the Corsair Carbine 88r, so had to contend with the same 150mm max height.

I chose the Cryorig H7 for around £30 and have been very happy with it. I'm running the 6600K at 4.5ghz 1.28v and with Prime95 I only just reach 80c with a custom fan profile giving me a quiet hum. Under normal gaming it is barely audible and maxes out at around 70c.
 
Thanks Daaaveee I've seen Cryorig I like the look of it. It was a consideration at one point. Mostly due to looks and how quiet it is.

The reason I didn't go for it is reviews I've seen would only give extra 2-3C most of the time and max 6C at load. That would be like paying £30 to make the system quieter, which isn't too bad but that extra bit of cooling would be nice.

I've not seen direct comparisons between Cryorig H7 and Scythe Fuma though Scythe delivers similar performance to Noctua NH-D15 being a little bit louder. In this instance difference in temps are more pronounced 5-6C most of the time with peak 12C at load when compared to Aidos.

I've picked up Fuma for £42 incl. delivery from Germany which I think to be an excellent value. If only it performs that well... if not I've got 4 Silent Wings PWM fans that can swap with the stock Scythe fans.
 
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