Please help me pick a CPU fan

Inquisitive Builder · Jul 22, 2013

Hey guys,

I had a AMD FX-8120 cpu (which I don't plan to overclock) that is using the stock fan right now, and I am looking at a few different fans for my next upgrade and I was wanting your opinions on these fans:

1. ($40)
ZALMAN CNPS9500A-LED 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler

2. ($50)
ZALMAN CNPS9900ALED 120mm 2 Ball Low-noise Blue LED CPU Cooler

3. ($80)
ZALMAN CNPS9900 D/F 140mm & 120mm Long Life Bearing Dual Fans Ultra Quiet CPU Cooler

4. ($100)
ZALMAN CNPS12X 120mm Long Life Bearing High Performance Triple Fan CPU Cooler

Which ones do you think would be enough to run my rig quietly? Also, would they be compatable with my "ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0 AM3+" motherboard and "Cooler Master Elite 430 Mid Tower" case?

Thanks, I'll appreciate any advice you guys can give me on this

Sn1992-1361850 · Jul 22, 2013

Get a corsair h100i would be better than all

Gam3r01 · Jul 22, 2013

If you arent planning on overclocking there is no reason to get anything over 40 bucks at most. I have the same case and board and Im going to get the coolermaster hyper 212 evo. Its cheap, fits well, and works well with the case. Since you arent planning to OC the Coolermaster would be better. Even the 212 plus is good for the price.

Inquisitive Builder · Jul 22, 2013

I considered the 212, but I have a window on my case and personally I'd be willing to pay a few bucks more for something cool looking. Do you guys know of any more eye-catching alternatives? (I really like that $100 zalman, but that's way to much for me to spend just for asthetics

)

Sn1992-1361850 · Jul 22, 2013

Have a look at this cooler
http://www.guru3d.com/news_story/cooler_master_v8_gts_cpu_cooler.html

Sn1992-1361850 · Jul 22, 2013

Or get this with many color options and great cooling
http://www.phanteks.com/PH-TC14PE.html

Gam3r01 · Jul 22, 2013

With the evo you can add blue led fans instead of the stock black ones to add to the existing blue in the case. With my 430 elite I already have 3 led fans in it.

wolfikygmr · Jul 22, 2013

http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm
This link will take you to a excellent review/test site of just about every after market cooler you could possibly want information on. The reviews are pretty solid.

Inquisitive Builder · Jul 22, 2013

Gam3r01 :

Hmm, that may be a good compromise.

Any suggestions for which blue LED fans I should get, and should I get one or two? Also, if I went ahead and installed the heatsink with the stock fan still in, would I be able to upgrade to led fans later without taking the whole computer apart?

Thanks for helping me with this guys. Swapping CPU fans makes me a little nervous, and so whichever one I get now is probably the one that I am going to leave in there long-term, which is why I'm trying to get one I'll be happy with both in performance and asthetics (and price of course)

Gam3r01 · Jul 22, 2013

Inquisitive Builder :

Yeah with the stock fan on it you simply put it in and if you want to replace it, it clips on, so you dont have to remove the heatsink. As for fan I just have some generic coolermaster blue led fans. These are similar, not what I have because mine connect to molex. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103022 to have them both power dynamically you can get this too http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812123298 2 fans hooked up to the cpu slot. I would say get 2 fans, more lights, and better cooling with 2.

frank the tank · Jul 22, 2013

If you are looking to overclock spending a good chunk of change on a nice heat sink will help. I don't like water coolers as they tend to have large amounts of pump noise (sometimes). and big air coolers tend to be less expensive than watercoolers. these are the ones I suggest you look at

Noctua NHU14S

Pros: quiet, very potent cooling for its size and shouldent block RAM slots
Cons: not the prettiest looking thing on the planet

Phanteks PH 14 TC14 PE

Pros: looks pretty, very potent cooling, quiet
Cons: HUGE

The CPNS 12 X is a good option although its HUGE and might not even fit on your main board properly. Toms hardware did a review on that heatsink in their X79 roundup

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/LGA-2011-i7-3960X-Air-Overclocking,3130.html

I also recommend the NDH 14 although that thing is a no nonsense hulk of a cooler and if aesthetics are important too. could be too ugly. I have pictures of those ones too

This is the NDH 14

This is the 12X (I think you know it well already. its a sweet looking cooler but be sure it can fit your board)

if you plan on overclocking your 8120. if you want air cooling. go big or go home

Gam3r01 · Jul 22, 2013

frank the tank :

If you are looking to overclock spending a good chunk of change on a nice heat sink will help. I don't like water coolers as they tend to have large amounts of pump noise (sometimes). and big air coolers tend to be less expensive than watercoolers. these are the ones I suggest you look at

Noctua NHU14S

Pros: quiet, very potent cooling for its size and shouldent block RAM slots
Cons: not the prettiest looking thing on the planet

Phanteks PH 14 TC14 PE

Pros: looks pretty, very potent cooling, quiet
Cons: HUGE

The CPNS 12 X is a good option although its HUGE and might not even fit on your main board properly. Toms hardware did a review on that heatsink in their X79 roundup

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/LGA-2011-i7-3960X-Air-Overclocking,3130.html

I also recommend the NDH 14 although that thing is a no nonsense hulk of a cooler and if aesthetics are important too. could be too ugly. I have pictures of those ones too

This is the NDH 14

This is the 12X (I think you know it well already. its a sweet looking cooler but be sure it can fit your board)

if you plan on overclocking your 8120. if you want air cooling. go big or go home

He said that he wasnt going to overclock so coolers like that are overkill.

Sn1992-1361850 · Jul 23, 2013

Bet this beast
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103055

Inquisitive Builder · Jul 23, 2013

frank the tank :

WOW! How did the pc in the first picture even run, it doesn't look like it has any room for the ram LOL!

Personally, if compatibility and money were not an issue, I'd love to get that 3-fan zalman. However, I've got a feeling that it probably wouldn't fit my case, and if it did it would probably be such overkill for my non-oc cpu that the $100 price tag would be downright wasteful (that's almost as much as the CPU itself if I recall

)

That said, I think I am essentially trying to pick a good "knock-off" version of that awesome fan that is more appropriate for the level that the rest of my computer is on.
So along those lines, which would be better, a Coolmaster Evo 212 with two LED fans, or a "ZALMAN CNPS9900ALED 120mm"?

Edit: Oh, and even through it doesn't glow, how would the "COOLER MASTER V8 RR-UV8-XBU1-GP 120mm Rifle" compare on a performance level?

Sn1992-1361850 · Jul 23, 2013

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Case Fan: Aerocool Shark 120mm Red 82.6 CFM 120mm Fan ($13.98 @ Outlet PC)
Case Fan: Aerocool Shark 120mm Red 82.6 CFM 120mm Fan ($13.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $57.94
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-23 02:06 EDT-0400)

Get these wud b great
Equal airflow

Dont forget to close the post

Sn1992-1361850 · Jul 23, 2013

These fans are not pwm and will have high sound evn at less load of cpu

Inquisitive Builder · Jul 23, 2013

Gam3r01 :

Inquisitive Builder :

Yeah with the stock fan on it you simply put it in and if you want to replace it, it clips on, so you dont have to remove the heatsink. As for fan I just have some generic coolermaster blue led fans. These are similar, not what I have because mine connect to molex. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103022 to have them both power dynamically you can get this too http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812123298 2 fans hooked up to the cpu slot. I would say get 2 fans, more lights, and better cooling with 2.

Sn1992-1361850 · Jul 23, 2013

Those fan would be great low noise and good leds but less performance and the fans are not pwm so the cable wont work get pwm fans

Azrael47 · Jul 23, 2013

Liquid cooler (h80) doesnt take up space and will keep your CPU cool and give you capability to overclock.

Inquisitive Builder · Jul 23, 2013

Whoops, sorry guys, I thought I wrote something below that quote I did, but apparently it got lost somehow

Anyway, what I meant to ask was which LED fans would work with the CPU plug (preferably two fans if that's possible) and if there was any reason not to use that over a molex-powered fan.

Thanks

Gam3r01 · Jul 23, 2013

Inquisitive Builder :

As I said earlier these would work http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... to have them both power dynamically you can get this too http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... 2 fans hooked up to the cpu slot. I would say get 2 fans, more lights, and better cooling with 2. And you want to have cpu fan plug powered ones because they dynamically adjust to the temps on the cpu, if they are molex its one standard speed.

Sn1992-1361850 · Jul 23, 2013

No they will very well work on a cpu pin
No issues

Dont frget to close the post mate

Inquisitive Builder · Jul 23, 2013

Gam3r01 :

I think your links may have broke somehow, as they just send me to newegg's homepage, but I'm assuming that those are the same as what you suggested before. I'm thinking that this is probably what I am going to wind up doing, especially since it would actually allow me to change out my fans cheaply if it want to change the look without having to mess with thermal pastes and such.

However, how does that y-connector work? Wouldn't it make each fan only go at half power? And on a side note, will my motherboard provide enough power to the cpu plug, or is the power to the CPU plug pretty standard among all motherboard?

Also, some of the review for the y-connector said something about that you would need to clip one of the pins for it to work or something. Will I need to do anything like that, or should it pretty much be plug-and-play? (I've never seen a connector like this, so I'm just curious)

Thanks guys, you've really helped me a lot with this

Gam3r01 · Jul 24, 2013

From what I have seen it would be able to power both fans fine, and with the pins Im not sure about clipping them. The board should supply a standard power as all other boards.

frank the tank · Jul 25, 2013

if you don't plan on overclocking maybe try a Zalman 9900 NT. I have that one in one of my desktops with an overclocked 1055T (running cool at 3.5 GHZ) so I think it has the same TDP if not a higher TDP than your chip. that cooler was designed for the Nehalam I7 chips. and it looks like a reactor core when running. should handle your 8120 without an issue. and since its nickel plated it wont oxidize either.

Zalman has a more current version called the 9900 MAX with a red or blue LED. but it too has the "black chrome" nickle plating too.

Please help me pick a CPU fan

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