Cooling

I've started looking at the Noctua NH-C14 instead, because it is near the top of Frostytech's comparison chart. The problem is that I'm sure that it was tested with both fans installed, and I would have to remove the bottom one. On the comparison chart, is shows that fan as getting a 14.1C temp with the fans running in high mode, and 17.1 in low, but nothing on a one fan setup running in high mode. I wonder how much difference there would be?

seekermeister said:

I realized that I made one mistake, I hadn't allowed for the extra height of the CPU and it's socket. That raises the height above the PCB to about 2.1". I think that would leave ~ .1" of clearance for both the HS/F and the RAM. Therefore the Noctua NH-C12P SE14 would be my choice, except that the temperature given on the benchmark of this test was not as good as I hoped:

The Noctua NH-C12P SE14 CPU Cooler Review-Hi Tech Legion-The Noctua NH-C12P SE14 CPU Cooler Review

It ran 56 degrees loaded with a lesser CPU than mine, and that is not as cool as I want. Not all that much cooler than my CM Hyper TX3.

If you saw my post here I did say that if you went for 4+gig, this wouldn't be the cooler for you. However low to mid range clocks makes it a very good cooler, especially where noise is a concern.

BTW......

This is at idle.....



Prime 95 load is around 71 ish. Bear in mind I have the fan set to run low RPMS at idle (800ish), load at 1170ish (max is 1200).

It is awful not to be able to make a final decision, but I'm looking at a different alternative. After checking the FAQ, I found that the NH-D14 has the same amount of clearance below it as the NH-C12 does. However, the fan reduces that if mounted centered, but the FAQ says that the fan can be moved upward if necessary to provide clearance for the RAM. I can only assume that the same would be true for the mosfet HS/F. If so, that would permit using both fans, and since the temperature performance is nearly identical to the NH-C14 on the FrostyTech chart, which I'm sure uses both fans on both coolers, I suspect that the NH-14 would work better for me, since I could run it dual fan.

I don't don't fully understand the mounting system...does it require any kind of crossbar to pass over the processor to attach to the mounting points? The reason for the question is to understand whether the orientation could be changed, or if it is set in one direction?

Hmm, it can't be rotated on the mount, but it appears that the orientation of the mount itself can be changed. A little less convenient, but still workable.

essenbe said:

According tro the FAQ, it cannot be rotated on an AMD board. Most coolers say that. If you will look around on their site they list boards it will fit on and ram it will clear. Installation Manual and Compatability lists.

According to the compatibility chart, the NH-D14 is compatible with my motherboard, and unlike some, it doesn't list any comments, which regards installation considerations. Sounds like this is the cooler to get.