Question Best 120mm fans for cooling Vega 56?

[MajinCry]

I've gotten tired of my loud ass Vega 56, and decided I'll just plop down twenty bob to get some proper fans that don't sound like a jet engine when playing at sixty FPS, even when undervolted to a rather large degree. Did a bit of research, and the Sapphire Vega 56 Pulse, the one I've got, has fans which do 74CFM at max RPM, though I couldn't find their static pressure.

Tried to do a bit of digging, and Noctua's the only vendor out of them, Phanteks, and Be Quiet! that had a proper explanation of the fan models and their specialities. Found the NF-P12 to be the best fit, offering the same CFM at max RPM, while being 20db quieter than these Sapphire fans. Are there any better, or just as good budget alternatives? £25 For two fans is a bit dear, and I will have to find a fan controller for them that won't take up space inside my case, as my Fractal Define S has no front bays.

 

[mindless1]

Maybe I am making some kind of false assumptions so let's clear a few things up...

1) Your Sapphire Vega 56 Pulse has conventional box framed fans instead of being built into the heatsink shroud? OR, you will do without the shroud or build a new one or carve it up to fit full framed fans integrated into it?

2) You have measured the card's fans and are sure they are 120mm or at least 120mm will work?

3) You have measured that the existing fans are 120mm thick as the NF-P12 you mentioned, or you can sacrifice an additional slot-space below the card to fit the (I'm assuming) probably thicker 120mm replacement fans? Usually a gaming grade card with a 25mm thick fan strapped on, ends up taking up 3 slots.

4) You're going to run them from a fan controller with manual control rather than letting the card control based on temperature, or use a fan controller with a remote mounted temperature sensor on the card 'sink, and with the controller you don't have to worry about soldering the smaller video card fan connector onto a fan that has a larger connector?

5) Where did you get the data for the Sapphire fans? Was it measured while on the video card by a 3rd party? If so then it is probably turbulent noise due to proximity to the heatsink. It seems pretty unlikely that in a fair apples to apples comparison, that two fans of the same size, and same CFM, would have a 20dB difference.

6) If the Sapphire fans are not 25mm thick, they will have less static pressure than the *average* (even low end) 25mm thick fan at the same RPM. Glancing at a picture, the stock fans look 15mm thick, 20mm at most but I could be wrong.

7) What does "have to find a fan controller... that won't take up space inside my case... no front bays" mean? You will have long extension leads to the fans and mount it externally? Depending on what fan controller you settle for, if it has knobs in front of potentiometers, you could just drill holes in a case panel, to slip the potentiometer neck through, then put the nuts on to secure them to that panel, then the knobs are external, just not labeled.

I don't know what else you've considered or your willingness/capabilities, nor what temperatures the card runs out so we know how much thermal margin there is.

If there is enough thermal margin, one option is simply to put a 2W series resistor on the fans' power lead, so no matter what RPM the card tries to produce, the max RPM if the fans is lower. Some trial and error to achieve the ideal resistor value might be needed but generally you'd be looking at a couple dozen ohms.

If the case is airflow limited, might the card throttle the fans back if you just put a case side panel fan in blowing across the card and left the card's fans alone?

I'm going in multiple directions here, more info might help. In general, thicker fans can move as much air through a heatsink at lower RPM and noise level, whether some high end Noctua or even some low end Coolermaster that you can get a 4 pack of for (?? $15), but a low end fan mounted horizontally might not have a very long lifespan, but in this context of a gaming video card, you might replace it before "long lifespan" has elapsed, a period of time long enough that the original fans on the card would have failed already too.

 

[MajinCry]

Oh aye, fair enough. I was just looking for the best fans for around that price, in regards to static pressure and CFM. My Vega 56 is a bog standard Pulse, but those (removed profanity) reach 45db at 58-59 degrees. Emailed Sapphire, and they said that's just how Vega cards are and nothing can be done about it. Found the CFM of the fans, so I decided I'll just get a couple quality, quiet fans that can fill the heatsink with air.

I've plenty of space in the case, and there's lots of air flow. Got three phanteks on the front, one of the standard ARCTIC fans that came with my case in the exhaust, an old Be Quiet Pure Wings 2 on the bottom pulling air up and directly to the card, and a Noctua on the side. So there's plenty of air like, my i7 6700k doesn't break 70C with all cores on load, and I'm currently in a heatwave.

There's only the Vega 56, and my pcie x1 sound card which is snug tight against the PCB above the card, so it doesn't interfere with fans. The fans on the Sapphire Vega 56 are 90mm. Used the Vapor-X fans for reference: https://www.kitguru.net/components/...por-x-vapour-chamber-cpu-cooler-review/all/1/

They top out at 77 CFM at 2200RPM,. The fans on the pulse don't go past 1850RPM as they keep the temperature steady at 58C. Those Noctuas at 1700RPM get a similar CFM as the smaller GPU fans at 2200RPM. So they're fine, and work out at 25db at max RPM. Huge improvement.

I previously strapped a 120mm case fan to my old HD 7850 when one of it's fans died, and it actually reduced temperatures significantly. So my plan now, is to take off the shroud of my Vega 56, along with the fans, and just zip tie the Noctuas together on top of it. I thought about 140mm fans, but that's taller than the heatsink so there'd just be wasted air.

As for how long I'll be using the GPU, I rarely upgrade; I was perfectly fine with 30fps on my old monitor, and now that I've got Freesync and LFC, 30fps is completely fine for me. Hell, I drop down to 50fps in Mordhau with my card undervolted to try and keep the fans quieter, so once I get some proper fans on the thing, it's going to be fabulous.

So my question is, are there any better all-round cards than those Noctua NF-P12s? Or are they simply the best in town? I found some Corsairs that do have higher static pressure @ 3.1, but they go over 30db.


No Profanity in Tech Forums.
Moderator Aigo.

 

[Rifter]

Have you tried undervolting? it made a large difference for me in noise and power usage.

 

[MajinCry]

Have you tried undervolting? it made a large difference for me in noise and power usage.

It made a small difference, but not much. It was found that it's best to set the voltage to auto and reduce the clocks, as AMD made great strides in their undervolting mechanisms. But again, it's a minor difference in acoustics. Power usage went down by 25 watts, but the fans still sound far too loud.

Sapphire says that's just how it is, and the reviews of their cards concur, with the Vega 56 Pulse reaching 44db under load: https://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/amd-radeon-rx-vega-56-8gb-review,11.html

 

[ClockHound]

So my question is, are there any better all-round cards than those Noctua NF-P12s? Or are they simply the best in town? I found some Corsairs that do have higher static pressure @ 3.1, but they go over 30db.

The P12s are one of my all-time fav 120mm - very smooth, quiet with excellent performance.

However, the new NF-A12x25 delivers better performance with lower noise - at an elite price. See ehume's review. The P12 is now available in the redux line - ehume's redux review

The Darkside GT 1850 PWM is another better performing option, although a little noisier than the P12.

I like to replace most pathetic thin GPU fans with my own 25mm thick 92mm/120mm fans - the much lowered noise and temps make the mod worth it. I usually upgrade the stock meh thermal compound and pads as well.

 

[MajinCry]

The P12s are one of my all-time fav 120mm - very smooth, quiet with excellent performance.

However, the new NF-A12x25 delivers better performance with lower noise - at an elite price. See ehume's review. The P12 is now available in the redux line - ehume's redux review

The Darkside GT 1850 PWM is another better performing option, although a little noisier than the P12.

I like to replace most pathetic thin GPU fans with my own 25mm thick 92mm/120mm fans - the much lowered noise and temps make the mod worth it. I usually upgrade the stock meh thermal compound and pads as well.

https://noctua.at/en/which_fan_is_right_for_me Recommends the NF-P12, is that just outdated?

Thought about reapplying the thermal paste, but doing that to a bare die makes me squeamish

 

[ClockHound]

That page is a little misleading... but does state: "
as well as further explanations why the NF-A12x25 provides best results in real-world applications, despite being neither a pressure- nor an airflow-optimised model."

And the review link above confirms the superior performance of the A12x25.

If the bare die makes you squeamish, just wear a blindfold. ;-)

 

[Furious_Styles]

https://noctua.at/en/which_fan_is_right_for_me Recommends the NF-P12, is that just outdated?

Thought about reapplying the thermal paste, but doing that to a bare die makes me squeamish

I've done this mod on lots of gpus including the VII. I typically use zip ties to secure them. I also usually use 120mm fans but honestly I think 92mm would be best.

I should note those are NF-F12s. MUCH quieter and cooler than stock.

 

[MajinCry]

That page is a little misleading... but does state: "
as well as further explanations why the NF-A12x25 provides best results in real-world applications, despite being neither a pressure- nor an airflow-optimised model."

And the review link above confirms the superior performance of the A12x25.

If the bare die makes you squeamish, just wear a blindfold. ;-)

Gotcha, I'll nab those instead. When applying paste to the bare die, don't you have to spread it evenly and not spill any on the stuff surrounding the die itself?

I've done this mod on lots of gpus including the VII. I typically use zip ties to secure them. I also usually use 120mm fans but honestly I think 92mm would be best. View attachment 10234

I should note those are NF-F12s. MUCH quieter and cooler than stock.

Aye that's exactly what I had in mind, these puny GPU fans are just wank.

 

[ClockHound]

Gotcha, I'll nab those instead. When applying paste to the bare die, don't you have to spread it evenly and not spill any on the stuff surrounding the die itself?

Yes, it does help to smooth out the paste. I use a thick paste, Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut, so no spilling. It's also non-conductive, so no worries. Also replaced the VRM thermal pads with their Minus Pads cut to fit.

 

[MajinCry]

Took a look at those A12's, and they're £8 more. That's too dear for me. Even though they're quieter, I'll go for the P12's instead.

 

[Furious_Styles]

Took a look at those A12's, and they're £8 more. That's too dear for me. Even though they're quieter, I'll go for the P12's instead.

The P12s should work great.

 

[eldredtbmo]

Took a look at those A12's, and they're £8 more. That's too dear for me. Even though they're quieter, I'll go for the P12's instead.

Hello good sir, was your mod with Noctua fans successful? I also have Sapphire Pulse Vega 56 and I think about making it more silent with custom fans. Do you have any photos of how you strapped the fans to the heatsink?