Is my cooler worth re-using?
- Thread starter OverDrive
- Start date
Short answer is PH-TC14PE is as good or better than most CLCs.
Most users say AIO when they are really CLC. CLC is a sub-group of AIO. CLCs are factory sealed with no provisions to do anything but use and throw away. AIOs that are not CLC have proper fittings, fill port, usually copper radiator and higher flow rate pump .. basically a low end custom loop but definitely not a CLC.
Do you have PH-TC14PE?
How old is it?
I ask because they have used 3 different fans over the years and now the cooler has 1-piece fins instead of 2-piece fins it used to have. I have both old and new PH-TC14PE and find the new one to be less than 2c, maybe 3c as good on extreme overclocks (200+w) as old one .. depending on how good the solder joints are on original PH-TC14PEs'. Most were good but a few were not and unless fins came loose it's hard to know how good they are without some serious testing on 200+ watt CPU overclocks and high performance fans.
PH-TC14PE is about the same performance as most AIOs that are CLC and quieter doing it. When compared at full speed / high noise levels CLCs give lower temps, but we are talking twice as loud or louder doing it. Put a pair of hi-performance fans on that make similar noise to CLCs' fans and top tier air is clear winner .. all assuming case airflow is setup so cooler is getting air only a few degrees warmer than room. Most stock case fans even in very good cases are almost worthless. Phanteks and be quiet! cases come with good fans. Fractal Design are nice cases but their fans are garbage.
Even the best AIOs are only a degree or 2 better than top tier air like PH-TC14PE is.
Silver Arrow SB-E, Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme vs H100. Silver Arrow SB-E is same performance as new Silver Arrow IB-E, PH-TC14PE, NH-D14, NH-D15, etc. Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme has high performance TY-143 fans needing similar case fans supplying it with needed cool airflow.
I7 [email protected] Temperature in Delta
Cooler . . . . . . . . . Delta . RPM . RPM . dB(A) . Fans
H100 . . . . . . . . . . 41c . . 2500. . . . . . . 55 . . . . 2x
SA SB-E. . . . . . . . 42c . . 1000 & 1300. 38 . . . . TY-150 & TY-141
SA SB-E Extreme . 34c . . 2500 . . . . . . 56 . . . . 2x TY-143
You can see H100 is 1c cooler than Silver Arrow SB-E but H100 makes more than 3 times the noise doing it
Siver Arrow SB-E Extreme is 7c cooler with fans making similar amount of noise as H100 does.
PC-Cooling video review above data came from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6xrsuPwDbo
Most users say AIO when they are really CLC. CLC is a sub-group of AIO. CLCs are factory sealed with no provisions to do anything but use and throw away. AIOs that are not CLC have proper fittings, fill port, usually copper radiator and higher flow rate pump .. basically a low end custom loop but definitely not a CLC.
Do you have PH-TC14PE?
How old is it?
I ask because they have used 3 different fans over the years and now the cooler has 1-piece fins instead of 2-piece fins it used to have. I have both old and new PH-TC14PE and find the new one to be less than 2c, maybe 3c as good on extreme overclocks (200+w) as old one .. depending on how good the solder joints are on original PH-TC14PEs'. Most were good but a few were not and unless fins came loose it's hard to know how good they are without some serious testing on 200+ watt CPU overclocks and high performance fans.
PH-TC14PE is about the same performance as most AIOs that are CLC and quieter doing it. When compared at full speed / high noise levels CLCs give lower temps, but we are talking twice as loud or louder doing it. Put a pair of hi-performance fans on that make similar noise to CLCs' fans and top tier air is clear winner .. all assuming case airflow is setup so cooler is getting air only a few degrees warmer than room. Most stock case fans even in very good cases are almost worthless. Phanteks and be quiet! cases come with good fans. Fractal Design are nice cases but their fans are garbage.
Even the best AIOs are only a degree or 2 better than top tier air like PH-TC14PE is.
Silver Arrow SB-E, Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme vs H100. Silver Arrow SB-E is same performance as new Silver Arrow IB-E, PH-TC14PE, NH-D14, NH-D15, etc. Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme has high performance TY-143 fans needing similar case fans supplying it with needed cool airflow.
I7 [email protected] Temperature in Delta
Cooler . . . . . . . . . Delta . RPM . RPM . dB(A) . Fans
H100 . . . . . . . . . . 41c . . 2500. . . . . . . 55 . . . . 2x
SA SB-E. . . . . . . . 42c . . 1000 & 1300. 38 . . . . TY-150 & TY-141
SA SB-E Extreme . 34c . . 2500 . . . . . . 56 . . . . 2x TY-143
You can see H100 is 1c cooler than Silver Arrow SB-E but H100 makes more than 3 times the noise doing it
Siver Arrow SB-E Extreme is 7c cooler with fans making similar amount of noise as H100 does.
PC-Cooling video review above data came from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6xrsuPwDbo
A big heatsink like PH-TC14PE should always be good at cooling. There aren't many coolers that would be much better. If you have one, use it.
I quite like having a large reliable lump of aluminium that just works and even if the fan stops it'll still take the edge off the CPU temperature.
I quite like having a large reliable lump of aluminium that just works and even if the fan stops it'll still take the edge off the CPU temperature.
What Tealc said. Even without fans running they can handle low load as long as case is flowing air like it should. Always nice to know in case something goes wrong with fans With a CLC it's the pump that usually stops working and then there is no CPU cooler at all so can't use system until new cooling system is installed .. both expensive and inconvenient.
Thank you for these really informative replies guys, one of the many reasons I love these forums 
I will stay with traditional cooling rather than a CLC then. A custom loop is probably beyond my requirements/knowledge right now. I would just like a healthy, but not extreme overclock.
I have uploaded a couple of photos of my PH-TC14PE. I purchased it around June 2012 when I built my current Ivy Bridge rig. Not sure if this is the new or old version? It looks different to the one that is currently listed on the OCUK store. After purchase, I had to contact Phanteks directly to obtain the PWM cable, which I also have installed. It's been fantastic over the last 6 years.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yetVnkRqJPxSKwZM6
If you guys think it will be good to carry on to a new 9900K build then that's good enough for me I'm not sure what the thermals of the new CPU will be, but as I said, I'm not looking at doing any extreme overclocking.
I will probably re-use my white Corsair 600T case too, which I've also been very happy with.
I will stay with traditional cooling rather than a CLC then. A custom loop is probably beyond my requirements/knowledge right now. I would just like a healthy, but not extreme overclock.
I have uploaded a couple of photos of my PH-TC14PE. I purchased it around June 2012 when I built my current Ivy Bridge rig. Not sure if this is the new or old version? It looks different to the one that is currently listed on the OCUK store. After purchase, I had to contact Phanteks directly to obtain the PWM cable, which I also have installed. It's been fantastic over the last 6 years.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yetVnkRqJPxSKwZM6
If you guys think it will be good to carry on to a new 9900K build then that's good enough for me
I'm not sure what the thermals of the new CPU will be, but as I said, I'm not looking at doing any extreme overclocking.I will probably re-use my white Corsair 600T case too, which I've also been very happy with.
Are the fans on your PH-TC140PE 3-pin? Possibly with a PWM adapter? That is what they look like, and if true they are PH-F140TS 1200rpm variable voltage fans, the oldest of PH-TC14PE cooler fans. The next generation were PH-F140HP 1300rpm PWM and now they come with PH-F140HP_II 1600rpm PWM fans.Thank you for these really informative replies guys, one of the many reasons I love these forums
I will stay with traditional cooling rather than a CLC then. A custom loop is probably beyond my requirements/knowledge right now. I would just like a healthy, but not extreme overclock.
I have uploaded a couple of photos of my PH-TC14PE. I purchased it around June 2012 when I built my current Ivy Bridge rig. Not sure if this is the new or old version? It looks different to the one that is currently listed on the OCUK store. After purchase, I had to contact Phanteks directly to obtain the PWM cable, which I also have installed. It's been fantastic over the last 6 years.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yetVnkRqJPxSKwZM6
If you guys think it will be good to carry on to a new 9900K build then that's good enough for me
I will probably re-use my white Corsair 600T case too, which I've also been very happy with.
Phanteks is funny this way. They change the fans to much better fans but don't tell use or have any reviews done showing how these better fans give better cooling with less noise .. other cooler companies make a big deal about changes that improve performance .. strange to say the least.
Simply put, you would have better cooling and less noise with better fans ..
But that would also depend on how good your case airflow is.
Yes, I recall them being three pin and they do have the PWM adapter.
The way Phanteks have continued to improve the cooler and have not changed the model no. or added a revision is strange.
I'd be happy to buy a new cooler for my next build. Would the latest version of the PH-TC140PE with the 1600rpm fans be a good choice, or is there something else you would recommend?
I've added another photo to the album which shows my whole case.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yetVnkRqJPxSKwZM6
How does the case airflow look to you? The front and top case fans pull air in, the rear fan pushes air out (exhaust). The Phanteks fans pull air from the front of the case towards the rear. I've also done my best to keep the cabling neat to help airflow.
I've got a profile setup using Asus FAN Xpert 2 for fan control.
Thanks
I'm still using the stock Corsair fans that came with the 600T
PS, just had a look on OCUK.. Wow, Phanteks do some really smart looking cases - maybe I should start fresh with my next build rather than upgrading the Corsair fans
Yes, I recall them being three pin and they do have the PWM adapter.
The way Phanteks have continued to improve the cooler and have not changed the model no. or added a revision is strange.
I'd be happy to buy a new cooler for my next build. Would the latest version of the PH-TC140PE with the 1600rpm fans be a good choice, or is there something else you would recommend?
I've added another photo to the album which shows my whole case.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yetVnkRqJPxSKwZM6
How does the case airflow look to you? The front and top case fans pull air in, the rear fan pushes air out (exhaust). The Phanteks fans pull air from the front of the case towards the rear. I've also done my best to keep the cabling neat to help airflow.
I've got a profile setup using Asus FAN Xpert 2 for fan control.
Thanks
Your PH-TC14PE is easily as good as new one except for fans. I would just buy new fans for about £32 .. your existing mount will fit 9900K. Use the £30-40 saved for something that makes a difference .. maybe better / more case fans or a new case.
I can't tell you how your airflow is looking at a side view of system. No idea what case fans you have or what their speed to temp curve is.
As soon as I read '600T' I figured it out. If I remember they are the 'Air' series fans which not what I consider good fans. Corsiar cases are not really all that good but could be worse .. definitely not when compared to Phanteks except for some of the Eclipse series which are their entry-level cases.I'm still using the stock Corsair fans that came with the 600T
PS, just had a look on OCUK.. Wow, Phanteks do some really smart looking cases - maybe I should start fresh with my next build rather than upgrading the Corsair fans
Phanteks will be releasing a new improved version of Evolv ATX, named Evolv X end of the month for orders and arriving mid September. Also a new Eclipse case. I've talked to a lot of people who went for Corsair to Phanteks and were amazed at how much better built and how much nicer the feature are in Phanteks cases.
Which ones do you like the looks of? I have used almost every case Phanteks makes and except for the entry level Eclipse I really like them.
I just had a quick read online about the upcoming Evolv X, it looks excellent and appears to be highly anticipated on the forums. The Phanteks case that caught my eye in the current range was actually the Evolv ATX, so as you say, it would be best to wait for the new model, which would be fine as the 9900K is not due until Oct. I had no idea Phanteks made such good cases I don't mind investing in a good quality case that I can re-use. I've not checked the dimensions yet, but i'm guessing the Evolv X being a mid tower will be smaller than my current 600T. This would not be an issue for me as I don't intend to run multiple GPUs etc.
Thanks for the advice re: the cooler. I will keep my PH-TC140PE and change the fans - do you have any recommendations on that? Can the upgraded PH-F140HP_II 1600rpm PWM fans be bought separately?
I don't mind investing in a good quality case that I can re-use. I've not checked the dimensions yet, but i'm guessing the Evolv X being a mid tower will be smaller than my current 600T. This would not be an issue for me as I don't intend to run multiple GPUs etc.Thanks for the advice re: the cooler. I will keep my PH-TC140PE and change the fans - do you have any recommendations on that? Can the upgraded PH-F140HP_II 1600rpm PWM fans be bought separately?
While OcUK does not have any of the PH-F140HP_II / PH-F140HP_BK2 ( black housing / white impeller) PH-F140HP_WT2 (all white) they can be bought other places. If you have problems send me a trust message. OcUK does not want use discussing availablity and price of product, even if they don't sell them.
Yeah, the new Evolv X is really nice. Here's image with some of it's features:
Yeah, the new Evolv X is really nice. Here's image with some of it's features:
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No it doesn't but that's the trend these days since most new builds don't need or use them. Provides a cleaner look and you can always drop the optical into an external housing. Not like USB3 ports are in short supply on motherboard configurations
.I have a BD drive, however I’ve not used it in over a year now. As you say there is no need for optical drives anymore.
I still have some movies and box sets on BD and DVD and some audio CDs that I would like to copy to my NAS Plex server. Then I won’t need the optical drive anymore.
That’s a good idea about external housing though, that way it can always be hooked up in the unlikely event it would be needed.
I still have some movies and box sets on BD and DVD and some audio CDs that I would like to copy to my NAS Plex server. Then I won’t need the optical drive anymore.
That’s a good idea about external housing though, that way it can always be hooked up in the unlikely event it would be needed.
If you shop around you can find CD/DVD USB drives for £10-15 .. £25-35 with BluRay too. I think it's worth having one for all 3 types, but like I said I've only used mine twice in last several years, once for software and once to put dvd onto usb stick.