Noctua NH-D14 stock fans vs Deepcool 140mm PWM?

Rockbox · 6 Feb 2022 at 08:43

My NH-D14 came with NF-P12 and NF-P14 non PWM fans, but I barely used them. Instead I used two Deepcool UF-140 PWM fans. I think PWM is what won me over, but maybe I underestimated Noctua's tuning. Also, I think they're case fans, rather than tuned to high static pressure for heatsinks and radiators.

The noise isn't bad, and I've had them for years, but I'm wondering whether I left performance on the table. Also, noise is only a problem when ramping up, so if the Noctua fans are tuned to be quiet at full tilt, they may be better.

On the other hand. I saw a video of a guy comparing the D14 to the D15, which has two 140mm PWM fans. It was 10C lower, and I'm guessing the hunk of aluminium isn't the reason. So maybe 140mm PWM fans pass more air over in general.

I've considered replacing the D14, but with low profile ram, and AM5 socket taking AM4 coolers, it might not be worth it. The stock fans might inject new life into it, but I prefer the lazy man's approach of leaving things be. Especially given the hassle of removing the clips from the fans.

Rockbox · 7 Feb 2022 at 13:06

I went ahead and swapped back to stock fans. The difference is night and day. Cooler AND quieter. My thoughts about switching to an AIO are gone. Noctua knew their stuff, who'd have known?

Rockbox · 8 Feb 2022 at 08:53

The P14 fan seems to be a little rattly. I wrote about it here. EDIT you're on the other thread, so no need to post about it. Not sure if a bad mount, but I wanted to swap with my F12P. I heard the F12P(WM) is the improved version of the P12, which is the other fan my D14 came with. However, a LTT thread said they cool the same, and the P12 is actually quieter. Still, if the F12P takes care of the rattling or coil whine or whatever's coming from the F14, who am I to judge?

Rockbox · 8 Feb 2022 at 10:14

Took the 140mm fan out. It rattles on its own. Tried the pwm fan on the splitter. While it works, it isn't quiet, so it can't accurately control voltage and pwm fans, which is what I wanted to know. What I'll probably do is hook my 3 pin case fan to the y splitter, and have the f12p on a board of its own. It's quiet IMO, and I heard 140mm fans spill over heatsinks designed for 120mm.