CPU Cooler with Long Lifespan?

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DarkNovaNick

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I'm planning a LGA 1550 build and trying to pick out a CPU cooler. I don't plan on overclocking, and noise isn't a huge concern. My main concern is the lifespan of the fan. This computer won't be opened often, and I don't want the fan to die on me prematurely. I was looking at the Hyper 212+, but its fan is only rated at 40,000 hours MTBF, which means that if you left the computer on 24/7 that would only be 4.5 years. And that is mean-time-before-failure, so the average case, assuming a standard distribution there could be quite a few units that would fail by 2 years. So I'm looking for either a cooler with a fan with MTBF > 100,000 hours, or a fan to replace one on a cooler such as the Hyper 212+ (or other cooler) that has a MTBF > 100,000 hours. Sellers websites don't always make the lifespan totally clear, so I'm hoping someone knowledgeable knows of a good cooler/fan that can keep my CPU cool and also last a long, long time. Thanks!
 
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kittle
Your main issue is going to be dust / dirt / hair getting sucked in from the outside. So never opening the case will be a bad idea. If you open it every 6 months and clean the fan out (with the PC unplugged), it will go a long ways towards increasing the cooler lifespan.

My PC has an older model of this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835426023
Its 4 years old and going just fine.


My old xeon server had the stock xeon cooler last for 8 years. But I also shut down every once in a while, removed the fan and heatsinks to clean them out.
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Onus

Onus

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Jan 27, 2006
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Fan MTBF ratings should apply to a fan run at its full rated speed. Run slower (as most fans are), it should last a LOT longer.
I recommend giving any PC at least a yearly blow job with a pressurized duster (take it outside first to avoid enraging your wife, gf, or mom first) to get rid of accumulated dust.
The only bearing failure I recall in a fan was a low-end CM PSU I mistakenly bought some ten years ago; it became noisy within weeks.
 
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kittle

kittle

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Your main issue is going to be dust / dirt / hair getting sucked in from the outside. So never opening the case will be a bad idea. If you open it every 6 months and clean the fan out (with the PC unplugged), it will go a long ways towards increasing the cooler lifespan.

My PC has an older model of this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835426023
Its 4 years old and going just fine.


My old xeon server had the stock xeon cooler last for 8 years. But I also shut down every once in a while, removed the fan and heatsinks to clean them out.
 
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fkr

fkr

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yes never give your computer a blow job in front of children wife or mother, it is just bad form.

the idea of guaranteeing a 10 year life span on any component is just crazy so if I were to look for reliability and ease of fixing then i would maybe pick up a 4 pack cm 120mm fans and put an extra in for push pull and then just leave an extra fan or two in there so if something did happen you could fix really quickly

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103052

also installing some good dust screens will help

also if you are not overclocking then you can run a passive cooler that does not need a fan and that could always be a solution. i have no idea how 10 years of no cleaning would in that situation but if you got rid of all fans i guess dust would not really be an issue.
 
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Onus

Onus

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Passive coolers still need airflow. They're often not actually "fanless," but are better described as "elsewhere-fan," to maintain airflow through the case.

And actually (as I'm sure many realize), billowing clouds of dust tend to irritate those most likely to be expected to clean it up.
 
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Onus

Onus

Titan
Jan 27, 2006
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I usually buy Scythe case fans. I've had a couple of CM fans break blades for no visible reason. Anandtech tested some of their sickleflow fans not too long ago, and found that (like many CM products) they have liar labels, with lower airflow than advertised.
 
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