Second fan for noctua nh-u12p

[akara083]

I recently bought the Noctua NH-U12P cpu cooler, its the model for the LGA775 socket (not the i7 model). The cooler only came with one fan, the amazing NF-P12 fan, and I wanted to buy another one so I can get a push pull set up for increased cooling. My question is does it matter which fan I buy? I mean I would buy the exact same fan but there arent any stores in ottawa that sell them. I could order one online, but buying locally is a lot cheaper for little things like fans.

Would a different model fan (i.e different CFM ratings) cause any airflow problems in a push pull configuration with the Noctua? Also, which fan would be a good pair with the NF-P12 fan in push pull?

thanks!

 

[jimishtar]

its preferable to have the exact same fan. however, the push fan looses some CFM cause of the heatsink fins, so a pull fan with lower RPM and CFM should work ok.

 

[randomizer]

The extra fan doesn't make a great deal of difference, it's only a few degrees. Don't stress about the fan to much

 

[jimishtar]

totally true. i tried push-pull on mugen 2 and it gives ~5 degrees difference, useful only at heavy OC.

 

[randomizer]

I don't think there's even a 5C difference with the Noctua, but it depends on alot of variables.

 

[akara083]

Thanks for the input guys. I ended up getting a Scythe S-Flex (1200RPM one). I'll use that as the pull fan since it has the lower RPM and CFM. S-Flex seems pretty good, only 20 dBA.