NH-D14 performance vs. H80i?

[TheYellowEyedMan]

Recently I have began to lean more towards the Noctua NH-D14 over the new H80i as the CPU cooler for my new gaming rig. The H80i was my first choice until I began to read about some of the problems people have been experiencing with it, all of which has me more anxious about it than wanting it. In addition, after some research the NH-D14 seems to be a better option for my needs of great silence with great performance and my choice of RAM and motherboard are compatible so no worries there.

However, the reason I was more interested in the H80i to begin with was obviously the smaller size and lesser stress on the CPU socket. That and the setup I'm plannng on is MicroATX for space, monetary and personal preference reasons. Although I know everything will fit, I'm worried the clearance between my video card, a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130812 and the D14 will be too tight. Since the card is not all that blocky or huge I'm thinking that won't be much of a problem but the possibility still concerns me.

Finally, hang with me here, my last too concerns about the D14 are overclocking and color customization. As for overclocking, I most certainly will be doing this as I hope to hang onto my new rig for as long as possible and thus will need the boost to performance at sometime or other, but I doubt my needs will require going higher than 4.2GHz or 4.5GHz on the 3570K I will be using. Would the D14 accomplish this while keeping the CPU temp under say fifty degrees and maintaining relative quiet? Lastly, color customization. I hate the stock colors of the included fans, though I love the performance indicated by reviews. I'd like to paint the frames matte black and the blades a red that would go well with say the red on the Maximus V Gene motherboard. Could someone recommend a method of doing this and the right paint?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[amuffin]

50C is unachieveable on aircooling and CLC's, that's custom watercooling territory. Don't paint the actual cooler, just paint the fans.

Have you read this review?
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/h100i-elc240-seidon-240m-lq320,3380.html

The H100i outperforms the H80i but when it is compared to the NH-D14 it isn't worth it at all. Look at how loud it has to be in order to outperform the NH-D14!

 

[TheYellowEyedMan]

50C is unachieveable on aircooling and CLC's, that's custom watercooling territory. Don't paint the actual cooler, just paint the fans.

Have you read this review?
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/h100i-elc240-seidon-240m-lq320,3380.html

The H100i outperforms the H80i but when it is compared to the NH-D14 it isn't worth it at all. Look at how loud it has to be in order to outperform the NH-D14!

Yes, I've read that review. It was partly responsible for why I decided to give the NH-D14 a closer look. Still, the concerns I've listed are keeping me from pulling the trigger. I also never intended to paint the cooler, only the fans, though perhaps I should have been a bit more clear on that. Could you recommend a paint for this in the colors I asked about? And since I've never painted PC fans before some help on technique would be great. One thing that has been really bugging me is the video card clearance with the D14 installed. Any idea if the GPU I listed will be a problem?

 

[samuelspark]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106189&Tpk=thermaltake%20water%202.0%20pro

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/thermaltake_water20_performer_pro/4.htm

Better than the DH14.

The Kraken X40 is also being sent to retail stores right now.

 

[darksparten]

Maximus V Gene is a microATX and therefore you run a huge risk of the huge Noctua touching your GPU/Interfering with your RAM slots.

Overall though the Noctua is better than the H80i IMO, H80i corsair link is still terribly broken and the grinding fan noises from the H80 series have still not been fixed with the i revision, the Noctua will also cool better for a lower price and lower noise.

 

[Orlean]

If Color is a problem for you have you considered the Phanteks PH-TC14PE ? It's avaiable in 5 different colors it's pretty much on par with the NH-D14 though from what I've been able to gather it's a little quieter.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835709002

PS - Samuel: I don't see how the Thermaltake 2.0 is better than the NH-D14 in the review you linked to except the stock idle temps but everything else its on par if not better than the Thermaltake 2.0 especially when noise comes into the picture.

 

[TheYellowEyedMan]

Maximus V Gene is a microATX and therefore you run a huge risk of the huge Noctua touching your GPU/Interfering with your RAM slots.

Overall though the Noctua is better than the H80i IMO, H80i corsair link is still terribly broken and the grinding fan noises from the H80 series have still not been fixed with the i revision, the Noctua will also cool better for a lower price and lower noise.

Don't worry, I'm fully aware that the Maximus V Gene is a MicroATX. As for compatibility issues, it shouldn't be a problem but as I stated in my first post the NH-D14 does have problems with some video cards, namely those with "large protruding components at the back" according to the Noctua website motherboard compatibility list. This is why I asked about clearance with the GPU I listed in my first post even though the GTX 660 Ti I'm interested in seems like it should fit fine. The Maximus V Gene itself is entirely compatible with the NH-D14 as is the G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series RAM I choose for it, as far as clearance issues go. Once again this is from the manufacturer's official compatibility page.

As far as the NH-D14 over the H80i, the reasons for it being less than awesome in your post almost exactly echo why I began looking at the D14 instead. Sucks because I was really looking forward to the new H80, but hey the Noctua seems like it should get the job done and with less noise, so not a huge issue. Shame that Corsair Link is so messed up though, seeing as Corsair touted its integration as such a major reason for the superiority of the "new and improved" H80i. Wonder if they will get it together on this?

 

[TheYellowEyedMan]

If Color is a problem for you have you considered the Phanteks PH-TC14PE ? It's avaiable in 5 different colors it's pretty much on par with the NH-D14 though from what I've been able to gather it's a little quieter.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835709002

PS - Samuel: I don't see how the Thermaltake 2.0 is better than the NH-D14 in the review you linked to except the stock idle temps but everything else its on par if not better than the Thermaltake 2.0 especially when noise comes into the picture.

Hmmm, looks interesting but I'm not as sure about it as I am about the Noctua. That and I'm not usually the type of person to notice the difference between "a little quieter" or "a little louder". At least not when it comes to this kind of thing. On the subject of color though I was considering just grabbing a Corsair AF140 and SP120 to completely replace the stock fans on the D14. I'm not sure they will fit right on the D14's mounts though, and I'm pretty sure it woul be cheaper to just take some spray paint and make the fans it comes with the color I want, especially considering the fact that Noctua fans are some of the best on the market.

 

[TheYellowEyedMan]

Best answer selected by TheYellowEyedMan.