How could I make my computer colder for overclocking and less noisy?

[Cerb]

I just read the following: "Pricy but no real choice as NZXT phantom only takes NZXT fans" Please say it isn't true?

No idea. I would make it a point to not buy a case with funky fan sizes, anyway, though. Even 180mm is pushing it, for availability (but, 180mm fans available are pretty good, mainly from Phobya and Silverstone).

The Nepton is better than the x60 according to this: https://encrypted.google.com/url?sa...jCa9e_5X3u0Qgefzw&sig2=o90lBC7enNdQrT2m2sGoHg but the x61 seems to have the upper hand: http://elchapuzasinformatico.com/2014/09/review-nzxt-kraken-x61/5/

The differences aren't very high, though.

The NZXT H630 comes in colors, and takes 140mm basically everywhere, so fan options wouldn't be a problem. It also fits your board. With 4x140mm intake options, doing standard bottom/front to top/back, fan selection is overwhelming.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

No idea. I would make it a point to not buy a case with funky fan sizes, anyway, though. Even 180mm is pushing it, for availability (but, 180mm fans available are pretty good, mainly from Phobya and Silverstone).

The differences aren't very high, though.

The NZXT H630 comes in colors, and takes 140mm basically everywhere, so fan options wouldn't be a problem. It also fits your board. With 4x140mm intake options, doing standard bottom/front to top/back, fan selection is overwhelming.

Well, I know I qualified my remarks about the comparison review of Nepton and Kraken. The Kraken was the X61. I'd been reading the review in Maximum PC. And I've usually taken those reviews with a grain of salt. They pre-select the items for comparison. They can make one of them appear to be "the best." Two pages thereafter, a big, two-page color advertisement appears for the winning model. That seems like an advertising variant of payola.

The cooler-makers have to choose their specs to fit a wider variety of cases.

As for the fans. You'd just think that maybe the 200mm fan -- with models ranging from 180mm to 230mm -- is a fairly non-standard item across fan-makers. I know that Phobya makes some. NZXT, BitFenix, CoolerMaster -- of course, and Apevia -- a Chinese knockoff with performance like the CM models.

For this reason alone, I wouldn't make a great effort to match a case to a fan. The worst you might do in modding the case doesn't much count for damage against the case. You would gather a couple drill bits, measure for holes carefully and mark with a spring-loaded punch that leaves a mark deep enough to guide any drilling. There's a choice of fasteners, and a choice of techniques for deadening noise.

I wouldn't let my choice of cases be constrained my something like that. I follow another set of more urgent priorities.

 

[Raskolnikov]

No idea

Took 15 minutes for a customer representative to answer my question. Turn out it's untrue.

The NZXT H630 comes in colors, and takes 140mm basically everywhere, so fan options wouldn't be a problem. It also fits your board. With 4x140mm intake options, doing standard bottom/front to top/back, fan selection is overwhelming.

I hate to be that guy, but the design seems rather bland.

It does seem better when it comes to bang for buck, tho. http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/chassis/75377-zalman-h1/?page=4

 

[Raskolnikov]

Just discovered this.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...d_Cooled_Edition.html?tl=g1c7s532&id=cmhqnjSt

Worth it?

Their profit margins seem quite high.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Just discovered this.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...d_Cooled_Edition.html?tl=g1c7s532&id=cmhqnjSt

Worth it?

Their profit margins seem quite high.

Depends on your indifference between spending more and the sweat equity of DIY water-cooling. I have also been eye-balling their custom double-radiator options for a Carbide Air 540:

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/2...-_Custom_Dual_Radiator_Series.html?tl=g1c2s35

The radiators and fittings don't figure in the base price. It all adds up to a bigger outlay. I just haven't looked closer at "how big."

 

[Cerb]

I hate to be that guy, but the design seems rather bland.

My case is the epitome of bling, and I mainly chose it because I dislike brushed aluminum, and didn't want to take the time to take a TJ08-e apart and paint the aluminum over (I do wish I'd gotten in white, though). So, I'm probably the last person you want to pick out an eye-catching case.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

My case is the epitome of bling, and I mainly chose it because I dislike brushed aluminum, and didn't want to take the time to take a TJ08-e apart and paint the aluminum over (I do wish I'd gotten in white, though). So, I'm probably the last person you want to pick out an eye-catching case.

"Epitome" or "antithesis?" I see a neat little case in the link, but no "bling."

 

[Cerb]

Sarcasm

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Sarcasm

Just subtle enough to evade my recognition, I suppose . . . :biggrin:

 

[Raskolnikov]

Still haven't made my final choice.

This article scared me of full water cooling: http://www.pugetsystems.com/blog/2013/03/11/The-Hidden-Pitfalls-of-Liquid-Cooling-188/
So back at: http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=36854984&postcount=21 -- however still some confusion as whether to get Noctua A-14, F-12, or P-14. I guess the P-14 is better because it's more expensive?

Maybe I should look at non-full tower cases? Are they the same thing when it comes to cooling efficiency, or better/worse?

I currently have

1x SSD 250GB
1x SSHD 4TB
1x HDD 1TB
2x DVD drive

During the transfer, I'm going to dump the HDD and one DVD drive. However I'm not sure whether my motherboard (ASUS Rampage IV Extreme) and graphic cards (Gigabyte G1 GTX 980 4GB) are going to fit. According to my computer technician, the installation of my video cards was rather tricky.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Still haven't made my final choice.

This article scared me of full water cooling: http://www.pugetsystems.com/blog/2013/03/11/The-Hidden-Pitfalls-of-Liquid-Cooling-188/
So back at: http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=36854984&postcount=21 -- however still some confusion as whether to get Noctua A-14, F-12, or P-14. I guess the P-14 is better because it's more expensive?

Maybe I should look at non-full tower cases? Are they the same thing when it comes to cooling efficiency, or better/worse?

I currently have

1x SSD 250GB
1x SSHD 4TB
1x HDD 1TB
2x DVD drive

During the transfer, I'm going to dump the HDD and one DVD drive. However I'm not sure whether my motherboard (ASUS Rampage IV Extreme) and graphic cards (Gigabyte G1 GTX 980 4GB) are going to fit. According to my computer technician, the installation of my video cards was rather tricky.

If you're depending on a qualified "technician" or a friend who is computer-building "savvy," maybe water-cooling isn't for you. I think you could do better than what you now have by selecting either an AiO cooler or top-end heatpipe cooler like a Noctua NH-U14S, NH-D14 or NH-D15.

One of us here -- check the "CPUs and OC'ing" forum -- is setting up a Haswell-E system, and has managed so far to overclock it to 4.4 Ghz with a D14 cooler. Since the Haswell's have higher TDP (thermal-design-power) than your Ivy-Bridge "E" system, I think you could do just as well -- maybe better.

If you don't feel so confident meddling with your hardware, you could either let your tech-guy add the water-cooling, let your tech guy add a better heatpipe-cooler, or proceed cautiously and slowly on your own to build that confidence.

Nothing to be ashamed of. I have an old college friend (class of '70) who dropped out and later enrolled in a "computer-science / information systems" program. She's deathly afraid of touching internal computer components, and I don't think that's changed much.

A lot of us have deferred using custom water-cooling because of the risks cited by the Puget-systems author, but there are risks with everything. It IS important to understand that you could install cooling capacity that keeps severe load temperatures below 45C, and you still wouldn't get better overclocking results. Instead, you want cooling capacity that will keep temperatures low enough so that temperatures don't require higher voltage (leading to higher temperatures), and so that temperatures don't create electrical noise causing instability. There is a happy medium.

I think it's like Goldilocks and the three bears with the porridge. You don't want "too big;" don't want "too little." You just want it to be "just right."

But ask AigoMorla -- our water-cooling guru. You will have to do "maintenance." Part of the fascination with water-cooling is the "bling."

As for fans -- I get by (no -- I excel!) with only four. I don't have a noise problem. But I had to pursue some tedious work to squeeze the maximum out of my D14 cooler. You don't sound like the type of user who wants to do such things.

I wouldn't discourage you from BECOMING that type of user, though.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

One more thought . . .

Whether you choose a full-tower or midtower doesn't depend entirely on your cooling strategy.

But a midtower -- with less space -- may require more planning and discipline about component choices.

Take for instance my HAF-922. Some say "ugly." They may say a lot of things. But it was chosen to be (a) compact, so it would fit under my desk; and (b) it supports an air-cooling strategy. I use 200mm fans (x2) to pressurize the case, and all the air in the case-interior goes through my heatpipe cooler and out the exhaust -- without mixing heatpipe exhaust with internal air in the process. I could STILL use the 922 for water-cooling, but I will have to do some work -- modifications, additions, possibly rearranging a drive cage.

Full-tower better supports water-cooling options: more room for radiators, for one thing. But you will find a thread in this forum posted by a member who used an mATX case with water-cooling. He had to "mod" and remove at least one of the disk-storage cages, and I'm still asking myself how he plans to install an optical drive. But then -- he may think he doesn't need an optical drive, so . . .

 

[Cerb]

IMO, you should be...not scared of water cooling, but respectful of a substance that can conduct electricity and flow over electronic parts (distilled water may become conductive from any contaminants, biocides, leftover cleaning chemicals, and what have you). Unless you really want an AIO/CLC, you should probably not go with water until you are ready to go prepare for it from research to revising it.

I've ended up, in my, "maybe I finally should go with a water loop," adventures, finding cheaper and easier ways to handle my needs by air, sometimes going a bit extreme just for fun (my C2D rig's case #2 I got cooled by the PSU fan and a single 120mm intake, in a case without a 120mm intake vent, with no case modding...with a max RPM of 800 for the fan, and normally not getting close to that ). With heatpipes (that are themselves liquid cooling, just passive), air cooling can get quite a lot done.

 

[Raskolnikov]

Thanks for your continued help, guys.

I've started looking at other cases, namely the Cooler Master Storm Stryker and Corsair 780T Graphite series. Maybe I should go beyond the aesthetic. :hmm:

Also looked at the SilverStone FT05. I couldn't find a benchmark for the FT05, but the F04 has some surprising results for a case with only two fans. I've seen it numerous times at or near the top in temperature load benchmarks. It's ugly as hell and only has two USB front ports, though.

As with the NZXT Phantom 820 choice, I'l probably replace the stock fans with Noctua ones.

 

[Cerb]

http://www.techspot.com/review/890-silverstone-ft05/
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2014..._90_degree_atx_full_tower_review#.VF2Ysq7mTlY

It's new, so there's not much.

But, it's a take on the same case as the RV05, for which there are more reviews. Internal space, and cooling, should be nearly the same. The [H] review even compares them.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Thanks for your continued help, guys.

I've started looking at other cases, namely the Cooler Master Storm Stryker and Corsair 780T Graphite series. Maybe I should go beyond the aesthetic. :hmm:

Also looked at the SilverStone FT05. I couldn't find a benchmark for the FT05, but the F04 has some surprising results for a case with only two fans. I've seen it numerous times at or near the top in temperature load benchmarks. It's ugly as hell and only has two USB front ports, though.

As with the NZXT Phantom 820 choice, I'l probably replace the stock fans with Noctua ones.

There's no doubt that the Noctua fans are good. But I didn't hesitate replacing the fans on my D14 cooler --- so far, with a single Akasa Viper 140mm fan. The rated airflow is around 105 CFM and the noise level isn't all that high. I think the top-end RPM on the AKASA is 1,600 RPM.

The fans are just a bit ugly: black, with bright yellow fan-blades.

 

[MongGrel]

There's no doubt that the Noctua fans are good. But I didn't hesitate replacing the fans on my D14 cooler --- so far, with a single Akasa Viper 140mm fan. The rated airflow is around 105 CFM and the noise level isn't all that high. I think the top-end RPM on the AKASA is 1,600 RPM.

The fans are just a bit ugly: black, with bright yellow fan-blades.

I still love my D14, and the Noctua fans, I still have a few other Noctua fans on top of the CPU ones in an old Antec 1200, but guess I've said that enough all ready over time.

It's more of just an Antec frame these days I guess.

 

[exar333]

I still love my D14, and the Noctua fans, I still have a few other Noctua fans on top of the CPU ones in an old Antec 1200, but guess I've said that enough all ready over time.

It's more of just an Antec frame these days I guess.

This.

Used a NH-D14 with triple fans and it was pretty darn quiet. The key is to get good-quality fans that are quiet and push enough air.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

This.

Used a NH-D14 with triple fans and it was pretty darn quiet. The key is to get good-quality fans that are quiet and push enough air.

Heh-heh. . . . . My Gentle Typhoon AP-30 "really sucks" -- in a very positive way.

You don't need to hang a lot of fans on a D14, if you use the case fans to assure high-airflow through the D14 fins (both towers). The tedious strategy of ducting -- even for the D14 -- can pay off well.

 

[Raskolnikov]

Someone told me that the 820/780T/Primo/900D were overkill for air cooling. Sort of disappointed since I really liked the aesthetics of the 820 and 780T.

Instead, I was - strongly - recommended the Phanteks Enthoo Luxe.

However, I'm totally confused about the fan distribution (and somehow can't get out of my head that the more fans, the better)

It says that the Luxe has space for (10 x 120mm) fans, (7 x 140mm) ones, and (2 x 200mm) ones. It's obviously not cumulative, but let's say that I wanted to maximise the number of fans in the case, and I wasn't a fan (no pun intended) of 200mm ones, I should merely order seven 140mm Noctuas (A-14 PWM 3000 rpm) and call it a day? 3000 rpm is probably overkill and very loud, though? I'm guessing it's for things in the vein of servers or Bitcoin mining machines or something?

http://www.phanteks....nthoo-Luxe.html

 

[Raskolnikov]

Finally decided to go with the Phantek Primo. I'm ditching the Noctua idea since it would be crazy expensive for only a difference of 1-2 degrees. (If I'm reading this right: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1345-page7.html) I'm also going to order five additional*PH-F140SP fans to attain its maximum air cooling potential. Still haven't changed the x61 Kraken idea for the heatsink role.
*
Sadly the case is backordered by every Canadian outlet. Amazon.ca has one, but it's white.

 

[xthetenth]

What's the difference between the primo and the luxe? It looks like the primo's got a bit more room, but the luxe has some enhancements like the bottom clearance that look handy. I just wish they had a black with orange inside for the luxe like they do for the primo.

 

[Cerb]

However, I'm totally confused about the fan distribution (and somehow can't get out of my head that the more fans, the better)

Cool air in, hot air out. More air flow can mean lower temps, but all else being equal, more dust and noise.

Larger fans push more added air, compared to smaller, than their relative size differences would indicate, all else being equal. The outer edges of the fans are pushing/pulling more air than towards the hub. A single 180mm fan can push as much as 3-4 120mm fans.

Slower fans and positive pressure make a huge difference, if dust a problem. Negative pressure reduces a temps a bit, compared to positive pressure (being in a pollen-heavy area, and with multiple cats, the difference was night and day, after I made a change to positive pressure, but YMMV).

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Cool air in, hot air out. More air flow can mean lower temps, but all else being equal, more dust and noise.

Larger fans push more added air, compared to smaller, than their relative size differences would indicate, all else being equal. The outer edges of the fans are pushing/pulling more air than towards the hub. A single 180mm fan can push as much as 3-4 120mm fans.

Slower fans and positive pressure make a huge difference, if dust a problem. Negative pressure reduces a temps a bit, compared to positive pressure (being in a pollen-heavy area, and with multiple cats, the difference was night and day, after I made a change to positive pressure, but YMMV).

I'm not trying to start a p***ing contest on this. But negative pressure would -- in the extreme -- mean something akin to a vacuum, which would have no heat dissipation at all. Somewhere, I saw some discussion of "dead spots" within a case associated with positive internal case pressure, but with enough air circulation and turbulence, with a directed, concentrated airflow exhaust, I'm not sure that's a problem either.

All I can say is that I pressurize my case with two 200mm fans at low RPM, and all the exhaust goes through the CPU cooler first -- never mixing with the rest of the pressurized case air. Works for me!

 

[Cerb]

I'm not trying to start a p***ing contest on this. But negative pressure would -- in the extreme -- mean something akin to a vacuum, which would have no heat dissipation at all.

Negative pressure in the extreme wouldn't be a vacuum, as in space; but as in a vacuum cleaner, or the intake side of a jet engine.