New Noctua fans capable of both high static pressure & high air flow.
With a bit of luck their price should improve after a while.

I just forked over a small fortune for six of them for my dual 360mm rads. Will see whether they improve what I have on there now. The low fpi rad with little restriction should pose no issues for the lower static pressure than what would be possible with the NF-F12 IPPC 2000 fans. I have those also on another machine. A really great fan though noisy. Three of the new Noctua's are replacing the standard NF-F12 fans. If am to believe Noctua's P-Q graph literature, they are supposed to work better than the NF-F12. What will be the harder test is the high fpi/high restriction rad. That has the stock XSPC Xinruilian 120mm 1650 RPM fans on it.

I've been looking at these, too....considering them for my new build. Only downside is they're just as ugly as the old ones. And no bling whatsoever...
But please report on your findings ? Have you tried EK's Vardar fans ?

Changed them out on Monday. Achieved an instant 3-4° C. drop in temps compared to previous fans. I can actually feel more air moving through the radiators. I've never been bothered by Noctuas choice of color on their main product line. What counts is performance and reliability. I have Noctua fans over ten years old and they are still going strong with no issues. Can't say that about some of the Corsair or Coolermaster fans I have tried and thrown away because their bearings froze up or started rattling.

So a definite improvement over the previous generation NFF-12 fans which were always considered some of the best. So the P-Q graph didn't lie. Never tried the Vardar's.

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Seti@Home classic workunits:20,676 CPU time:74,226 hours

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association)

I have lots of ML140's too. Move lots of air but are very loud. I have an LED in the bottom of the reservoir. Not "bling" to me but serves a useful function of illuminating the water level at quick glance whether there might be a leak. Don't have to grab a flashlight to see what's going on.

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Seti@Home classic workunits:20,676 CPU time:74,226 hours

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association)

Changed them out on Monday. Achieved an instant 3-4° C. drop in temps compared to previous fans. I can actually feel more air moving through the radiators. I've never been bothered by Noctuas choice of color on their main product line. What counts is performance and reliability. I have Noctua fans over ten years old and they are still going strong with no issues. Can't say that about some of the Corsair or Coolermaster fans I have tried and thrown away because their bearings froze up or started rattling.

So a definite improvement over the previous generation NFF-12 fans which were always considered some of the best. So the P-Q graph didn't lie. Never tried the Vardar's.

was this comparing the new fans to the NF-F12 "normal/pwm"? or against the NF-F12 iPPC fans?

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Seti@Home classic workunits: 29,492 CPU time: 134,419 hours

Changed them out on Monday. Achieved an instant 3-4° C. drop in temps compared to previous fans. I can actually feel more air moving through the radiators. I've never been bothered by Noctuas choice of color on their main product line. What counts is performance and reliability. I have Noctua fans over ten years old and they are still going strong with no issues. Can't say that about some of the Corsair or Coolermaster fans I have tried and thrown away because their bearings froze up or started rattling.

So a definite improvement over the previous generation NFF-12 fans which were always considered some of the best. So the P-Q graph didn't lie. Never tried the Vardar's.

was this comparing the new fans to the NF-F12 "normal/pwm"? or against the NF-F12 iPPC fans?

No, not the IPPC fans, just the normal NF-F12 PWM fans. I have the NF-F12 IPPC 2000 fans on a H105 in another computer. Don't see any reason to replace or upgrade those. They do fine.

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Seti@Home classic workunits:20,676 CPU time:74,226 hours

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association)

Changed them out on Monday. Achieved an instant 3-4° C. drop in temps compared to previous fans. I can actually feel more air moving through the radiators. I've never been bothered by Noctuas choice of color on their main product line. What counts is performance and reliability. I have Noctua fans over ten years old and they are still going strong with no issues. Can't say that about some of the Corsair or Coolermaster fans I have tried and thrown away because their bearings froze up or started rattling.

So a definite improvement over the previous generation NFF-12 fans which were always considered some of the best. So the P-Q graph didn't lie. Never tried the Vardar's.

Interesting. I would say 3-4 degrees is a significant drop, everything else being equal. Just out of curiosity : what kind of rads are you using ?

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Humans may rule the world...but bacteria run it...

Changed them out on Monday. Achieved an instant 3-4° C. drop in temps compared to previous fans. I can actually feel more air moving through the radiators. I've never been bothered by Noctuas choice of color on their main product line. What counts is performance and reliability. I have Noctua fans over ten years old and they are still going strong with no issues. Can't say that about some of the Corsair or Coolermaster fans I have tried and thrown away because their bearings froze up or started rattling.

So a definite improvement over the previous generation NFF-12 fans which were always considered some of the best. So the P-Q graph didn't lie. Never tried the Vardar's.

Interesting. I would say 3-4 degrees is a significant drop, everything else being equal. Just out of curiosity : what kind of rads are you using ?

The original rad was an XSPC AX360 rad that was part of the XSPC AM4 X4 Photon kit. I call that my "thin" rad. Then I added a XSPC RX360 rad a week or so ago. I call that my "thick" rad. So a total of 720mm of surface area of two thicknesses and volumes. I needed to drop the loop temps down from the single rad which was getting overwhelmed by the GTX 1080Ti Hydro Copper gpu that was sharing the loop. It dumps more heat into the loop than the AMD 2700X does. I achieved my desired objective. I actually think I may get even better, (or hope) since I have a new cpu block on the way from Germany. I currently have the XSPC Raystorm Pro block which is no slouch and usually is rated very highly in the charts. I'm going to try the Aquacomputer Cuplex Kryos NEXT AM4, PVD/.925 Silver block next. From kittyman's comments, it should improve the cpu temps another couple of degrees over the Raystorm Pro. I will post my results when I get it hopefully next week and probably get it installed next weekend.

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Seti@Home classic workunits:20,676 CPU time:74,226 hours

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association)

Greetings,

Speaking of 'BLING'...

I just got my new G933 Logitech wireless headset yesterday to replace my broken G430 wired with a non-functional mic. This thing has 'BLING' all over it and since the headset is wireless, the 'BLING' gobbles up battery power. After getting it installed I went into the setup and turned the 'BLING' off.

I see no logic in having 'BLING' on a headset since, well, it sits on ones head and one cannot see the 'BLING' unless one stares at ones self in a mirror. Not only that, the 'BLING' is on the backside of the ear cups which means looking in a mirror would not work unless one held a mirror behind ones head and reflected it in the mirror one was looking into. LMAO!

As I said the other day, the industry has gone way overboard on the 'BLING'! I really like Logitech products, just dump the 'BLING' please.

Have a great day! :)

Siran

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CAPT Siran d'Vel'nahr - L L & P _\\//
Winders 11 OS? "What a piece of junk!" - L. Skywalker
"Logic is the cement of our civilization with which we ascend from chaos using reason as our guide." - T'Plana-hath

The original rad was an XSPC AX360 rad that was part of the XSPC AM4 X4 Photon kit. I call that my "thin" rad. Then I added a XSPC RX360 rad a week or so ago. I call that my "thick" rad. So a total of 720mm of surface area of two thicknesses and volumes. I needed to drop the loop temps down from the single rad which was getting overwhelmed by the GTX 1080Ti Hydro Copper gpu that was sharing the loop. It dumps more heat into the loop than the AMD 2700X does. I achieved my desired objective. I actually think I may get even better, (or hope) since I have a new cpu block on the way from Germany. I currently have the XSPC Raystorm Pro block which is no slouch and usually is rated very highly in the charts. I'm going to try the Aquacomputer Cuplex Kryos NEXT AM4, PVD/.925 Silver block next. From kittyman's comments, it should improve the cpu temps another couple of degrees over the Raystorm Pro. I will post my results when I get it hopefully next week and probably get it installed next weekend.

I'm thinking EK-Coolstream XE360.
Ohhh...That water block looks very nice, and has done very well in tests too. Expensive, tho...!
Tnx for the tip, Keith :-)

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Humans may rule the world...but bacteria run it...

Yes, it is expensive because of the sterling silver coldplate. But that is why I am willing to pay the cost. I figured the material probably would give me the gain in temps I desire over the already very good Raystorm Pro.

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Seti@Home classic workunits:20,676 CPU time:74,226 hours

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association)

Yes, it is expensive because of the sterling silver coldplate. But that is why I am willing to pay the cost. I figured the material probably would give me the gain in temps I desire over the already very good Raystorm Pro.

This is what Thermalbench says about the water block after testing :
"The .925 silver base is more for an anti microbial and unique finish than any improvement in heat transfer. I don’t really recommend it. "
"The most expensive version is going to be more for looks than performance."

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Humans may rule the world...but bacteria run it...

Yes, it is expensive because of the sterling silver coldplate. But that is why I am willing to pay the cost. I figured the material probably would give me the gain in temps I desire over the already very good Raystorm Pro.

This is what Thermalbench says about the water block after testing :
"The .925 silver base is more for an anti microbial and unique finish than any improvement in heat transfer. I don’t really recommend it. "
"The most expensive version is going to be more for looks than performance."

All I can tell you is that it gave me a couple of degrees better cooling. Silver is a slightly better conductor of heat than copper. And as long as one is spending that much for a block, the small upcharge for getting a silver baseplate makes sense.
I do hope that Keith gets the same results that I saw.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Yes, it is expensive because of the sterling silver coldplate. But that is why I am willing to pay the cost. I figured the material probably would give me the gain in temps I desire over the already very good Raystorm Pro.

This is what Thermalbench says about the water block after testing :
"The .925 silver base is more for an anti microbial and unique finish than any improvement in heat transfer. I don’t really recommend it. "
"The most expensive version is going to be more for looks than performance."

Since Thermalbench only tested the standard copper with nickel finish block, we don't know any of the thermal performance of the PVD/Silver block I am getting and what kittyman already uses. Silver is a much better thermal conductor over copper and nickel. I never even considered the possible antimicrobial benefit for the silver block. I was just basing my decision on the innate physical properties of the block material. Once I get my block and install it, we will know whether there is a benefit or not. I hope so.

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Seti@Home classic workunits:20,676 CPU time:74,226 hours

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association)

Yes, it is expensive because of the sterling silver coldplate. But that is why I am willing to pay the cost. I figured the material probably would give me the gain in temps I desire over the already very good Raystorm Pro.

This is what Thermalbench says about the water block after testing :
"The .925 silver base is more for an anti microbial and unique finish than any improvement in heat transfer. I don’t really recommend it. "
"The most expensive version is going to be more for looks than performance."

Since Thermalbench only tested the standard copper with nickel finish block, we don't know any of the thermal performance of the PVD/Silver block I am getting and what kittyman already uses. Silver is a much better thermal conductor over copper and nickel. I never even considered the possible antimicrobial benefit for the silver block. I was just basing my decision on the innate physical properties of the block material. Once I get my block and install it, we will know whether there is a benefit or not. I hope so.

So they were talking outta their butt, eh? I thought by that statement that they had actually TESTED the silver base version. Gee whiz. Talk about stepping in it.
There well may be some antimicrobial side benefit, as some folks buy small silver strips to add to their reservoir or loop for that purpose. But that is not the primary reason that the silver base is offered. It is for the heat transfer improvement.
Meow.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Yes, I was confused by Ghia's quote since I had read that review already and never remember seeing that quote in the article. Turns out the quote was from the posted comments section following the article. The author really was talking outta their butt as you say. Most reviewers don't ever pay for the review specimen but rely on the manufacturer to provide the test sample. I can understand why AquaComputer sent the $120 SKU instead of the $220 SKU. The author should not try and comment on a product he has never tested.

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Seti@Home classic workunits:20,676 CPU time:74,226 hours

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association)

Yes, I was confused by Ghia's quote since I had read that review already and never remember seeing that quote in the article. Turns out the quote was from the posted comments section following the article. The author really was talking outta their butt as you say. Most reviewers don't ever pay for the review specimen but rely on the manufacturer to provide the test sample. I can understand why AquaComputer sent the $120 SKU instead of the $220 SKU. The author should not try and comment on a product he has never tested.

Someone asked a question, and the reviewer answered it. Where he got this info from, I have no idea. I just thought it was an interesting input to the discussion here.
If Keith or someone else can prove him wrong, so much the better.

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Humans may rule the world...but bacteria run it...

Yes, the silver base version has never been formally tested by any reviewer as far as my internet searches have produced. So only a few anecdotal forum comment posts from actual owners and users of the silver version can be found. All positive for the ones I have found so far. No actual temp numbers posted though. I don't have the equipment to do formal testing like the review sites.

All I will be able to do is compare the cpu temps under BOINC load with the current radiators and fans with the Raystorm Pro and the new AC Cuplex Kryos Next silver block. And hope that any difference in mounting or thermal compound spread is minimal compared to the Raystorm Pro. I will be using my standard Arctic MX-4 thermal compound again as usual. My application technique has been pretty standardized now for a while so I hope that I duplicate the application of the compound the same as the last time the Raystorm Pro was removed and reapplied so that any comparisons between the Raystorm Pro block and the Next block can be attributed just to the block. Then we may be able to draw some conclusions as to whether the added cost of the silver block was worth it.

Usually as in the case for any kind of product that occupies the high-end of performance, the cost of more performance is large compared to the performance gained. $1000 more in engine costs = 100HP more = a few tenths of a second quicker. For the average user the standard copper/nickel blocks would perform admirably. But when you are pushing the limits you need every bit of performance possible. You just have to be willing to pony up for the added cost.

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Seti@Home classic workunits:20,676 CPU time:74,226 hours

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association)

be very cautious if you have any nickel plated blocks in the loop with this CPU block.

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Seti@Home classic workunits: 29,492 CPU time: 134,419 hours

be very cautious if you have any nickel plated blocks in the loop with this CPU block.

??Why is that?

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Seti@Home classic workunits:20,676 CPU time:74,226 hours

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association)

lots of mentions of galvanic corrosion on the interwebs. it was quite a scandal some years back with EK nickel block and silver kill coils.

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Seti@Home classic workunits: 29,492 CPU time: 134,419 hours

I've just looked for those comments. The gist was that the EK blocks just had crappy plating that flaked off. No other posts about anyone having any other issues with copper, nickel or silver in the loop because the galvanic values for those metals are so similar that no galvanic corrosion is possible.
Total red herring.

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Seti@Home classic workunits:20,676 CPU time:74,226 hours

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association)