This . . . AKASA VIPER 145x25mm job . . .

[BonzaiDuck]

Anyone tried one of these?

http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/ak14virfan.html

With the various threads on fan-control, I began to despise the two Noctua fans that came with my NH-D14 cooler. I think I could simply replace the 140mm "P14" fan with this Akasa and ditch the 120mm "P12" Noctua. Less weight -- less clutter -- same or less wattage at idle -- less use of mobo fan ports by 1.

The decibels seem low even at the top-end, while the airflow is about as high as it gets even for "beefier" 120x38mm fans. I'll have to research the amperage draw later, but it should be close to the sum of the Noctuas.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

This fan is used often in OC.net in builds so it is decent.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

This fan is used often in OC.net in builds so it is decent.

That's a decent observation on its worthiness. I can't understand why they don't post the amperage spec. Not at the Akasa website; not on review sites or reseller sites -- which often parrot the manufacturer.

For the chump-change, I might as well order one or two and "giv' 'em a spin" so-to-speak . . .

 

[T_Yamamoto]

That's a decent observation on its worthiness. I can't understand why they don't post the amperage spec. Not at the Akasa website; not on review sites or reseller sites -- which often parrot the manufacturer.

For the chump-change, I might as well order one or two and "giv' 'em a spin" so-to-speak . . .

I heard they're decent for the price.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I heard they're decent for the price.

I placed my order. The Performance PC reseller showed them for about $10.95, but you had to put them on "backorder." I didn't want to wait for however long their re-supply business was going to take.

So I think I got them from Frozen CPU for about $15 each.

Not exactly sure where I'm going with this, except that I regard the Noctua P14 and P12 on my NH-D14 cooler as "limp with quality." I'm asking myself why I left those fans on the cooler when I first installed it. The Panaflo 120x38mm 0.4A NMB-MAT exhaust fan behind the cooler and ducted to it does a major portion of the work.

So I'll replace both of the Noctuas with at least one of these "Viper" jobs.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Akasa Viper 140 "R" -- your black fan plastic with puke-yellow fins, oddly and definitively shaped . . .

To answer the question I couldn't find on all the reseller spec sheets and maybe even the Akasa promotional web-site:

The amperage rating on these suckers is 0.28A. 0.28A can be put to good purpose, as opposed to being split between a Noctua P14 and a P12 for a total of less than 0.22A.

The plot thickens. I will definitely hype my thread here and post when I have these acoustically secured in my case and running across the thermal spectrum . . .

ALSO: These Bad Boys seem light compared to the Noctua. While it often is true that this could be a drawback on the noise factor, there have been notable exceptions. Frankly, the NH-D14 comes close enough to the hard-disk cage and 5.25" shelves that you could secure it there with internal case mounting points, bumper it with black rubber, and hang it within 1/4" of the cooler with Akasa foam rubber gaskets instead of the cooler's original silly-cone rubber adhesive strips . . .

I'm going to weigh them and update this post . . .

 

[BonzaiDuck]

OK -- if anyone interested. The weight of the Akasa Viper and the NH-p12 are the same.

So -- we uncover new challenges. The akasa Viper 140 "R" is a perfect replacement for the Noctua-P14 -- in the center of the D14 cooler. Putting the Viper or the P14 in the "front" position runs into RAM module obstruction. It can be installed, but part of the fan sits above the top cooler fin by maybe a half inch. Even so, I was hoping to eliminate one fan in this equation, and the Viper does it.

Also -- the damn fan clips on the Noctua fans. I never realized it before, but they are a Major Capital B**** to remove and then install on another fan. Anyone tries -- you'll see what I mean.

The wire ends are supposed to fit through plastic pins barely protruding from the fan holes, and since wires are sharply bent on the ends, you may get one side installed, but the other seems nearly impossible. SO? Use a small-sized wire "zip" tie to replace the pin.

The Viper does truly spin up to its rated 1600 RPM, and the throughput seems to be as promised. With only one fan, I think the temperatures are a degree lower at load running a quick Prime95 sFFT.

 

[lehtv]

Can you test the noise level per RPM compared to Noctua? You can get a dB meter smartphone app if you don't have an actual decibel meter, or just use your subjective hearing.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Can you test the noise level per RPM compared to Noctua? You can get a dB meter smartphone app if you don't have an actual decibel meter, or just use your subjective hearing.

This may be where I fall down -- smartphone not smart enough, no decibel meter. Always was the case that I "played it by ear."

The only motor noise I have now . . . if you look at my thread on the NZXT 200mm . . . is a barely perceptible hum coming from that fan. I mean barely perceptible.

The Viper has no noise at low thermals where I've set it to run at 800 RPM. Spinning up to 1600, it seems like any noise derives from turbulence, just as when the CHA-FAN1 also spins up with CPU temperature from about 1000 to 2500 RPM. The latter is a 120x38mm Panaflo NMB-MAT.

Anyway . . . I dumped a net number of two fans from the case. There was a 140mm Aerocool in case bottom, where I blocked off the vent with an art-board plate and nylon screws. Then the two Noctuas replaced by one Viper. So barring the VGA's proprietary fan, there are only four fans in the entire system.

The Aerocool was giving me crappy readouts from the CHA-FAN2 pinout. the monitoring software would variously show 460 RPM and ~ 221,000 RPM. I'm going to find out if it's the mobo or the Aerocool. But either way -- I need neither at the moment. . . . All the pressure in the case comes from the NZXT and the CM 200mm fan in case bottom-front.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

OK. O. . . K. . .

Anyone interested. . . Here's the result of replacing the two limp Noctua fans on the NH-D14 with a single Akasa Viper 140 "R" fan.

Room ambients two days ago were the same as now.

People are inclined to look at all their core temperatures as separate. But there is a margin of error in the core sensors. Of cores 0,1,2, 3 -- my core 1 always shows the highest value. But the grouping of the remaining sensors suggests core 1 is out of whack.

Nevertheless, an average of all four cores at different times under LinX stress-testing is a good indicator. Seen another way, my LinX runs two days ago showed core 1 with a peak of 84C. Today, after removing the two Noctuas and replacing with the Viper, the same LinX run never exceeds 80C for this core.

Here's four sets of readings:

69, 79, 73, 72
68, 80, 75, 73
68, 80, 74, 73
69, 80, 75, 72

or the averages: 73C, 74C, 74C, 74C

IF the averages two days ago with the high core showing 84 were about 78C, then this fan replacement has dropped my LinX temperatures by about 4C.

That's a pretty darn good improvement, just for replacing their puke-beige-brown fans with a single Viper 140. And the fan works very well under the motherboard's thermal control. You can hold the speed at 650RPMs and set the motherboard BIOS or Asus software to ramp up to full-bore 1,600 RPM when CPU temperature reaches 60C.