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Four Closed-Loop CPU Coolers Take On Noctua's NH-D14

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  • CPUs
  • Motherboards
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a b V Motherboard
December 31, 2012 3:00:06 AM

Closed-loop liquid coolers relieve stress from our motherboards, without the portability and maintenance issues of traditional open-loop kits. Are these the best devices for system builders who plan to move their machines and want to avoid damage?

Four Closed-Loop CPU Coolers Take On Noctua's NH-D14 : Read more

More about : closed loop cpu coolers noctua d14

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December 31, 2012 3:22:48 AM

I'm suprized to see a single 120mm rad can keep up with the h100i, bravo Zalman.
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9
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December 31, 2012 3:27:31 AM

Love the title!

Nice review as well. Too bad you didn't test NZXT kraken cpu coolers.

If you ask me, I'd rather stick with the D14
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20
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December 31, 2012 3:37:52 AM

Keeping up and beating with all the Water coolers should earn the NH-D14 a "best of the best" award of its own. And its a ~2-3 year old product!
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18
December 31, 2012 3:39:12 AM

Small nit : i would have liked to see similar test done with a 3770K and a high OC.
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3
December 31, 2012 3:45:31 AM

A possibly overlooked benefit of closed loop AIO systems are their ability to fit in SFF cases. While this certainly applies more to the single 120mm radiator designs, some cases (such as the Fractal Design Node 304) can accommodate 240mm radiators)

(Source: Using a Corsair H60 w/ 2 Noctua NF-F12's in push-pull config in my Lian-Li PC-Q08; such large air-coolers as the Noctua could not fit due to the limited vertical clearance above the CPU)
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6
December 31, 2012 3:45:56 AM

Awesome review. Keep it up. I remember commenting about how much better the closed loop CPU coolers have gotten and I got down voted but this just proved my point. I have very sensitive hearing and I can never hear my CoolIt R120(?) spin apart from the initial startup. And this is inside a CM Haf XM. I play games with CPU+GPU OCd to 4.5GHzby 1.2GHz and you can barely hear any noise. First I thought something was wrong then I got my friends and wife to listen whil I played with muted sound and they were impressed. Up next is water cooling my GPU when I add another one in a month in SLI mode. Gaming PCs FTW!
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1
December 31, 2012 3:47:40 AM

No NZXT Kraken and Thermaltake Water 2.0 (which is 3rd gen Asetek iirc)?
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9
December 31, 2012 3:48:52 AM

BTW DH-14 still deserves an award alongside the H100i and Zalman. Not many, if any air coolers out there can keep up with top notch closed loop CPU coolers.
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8
December 31, 2012 3:51:04 AM

tanjoNo NZXT Kraken and Thermaltake Water 2.0 (which is 3rd gen Asetek iirc)?


Bit-tech.net has a review of Thermaltake water coolers and their top end 240mm took the crown. Better than H100i and the rest shown here.
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2
a c 145 à CPUs
a c 133 V Motherboard
December 31, 2012 3:57:09 AM

With MB control the NH D14 can be very quiet :) 

It is HUGE, but I got it for 50$ and to me that was a great value. It was also on for 50$ again at NCIX's boxing day sale.

Sure fills up an SSF system.
Not embedding the image because it may mess up the page.
http://imageshack.us/a/img39/1358/dsc0458s.jpg

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8
December 31, 2012 4:44:02 AM

I have the has even lower temps, quieter running, for a similar price and is 240g lighter!

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-3
December 31, 2012 4:44:47 AM

I have read the NH "C"14 has even lower temps, quieter running, for a similar price and is 240g lighter!
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-3
a b à CPUs
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December 31, 2012 5:20:24 AM

austingI'm suprized to see a single 120mm rad can keep up with the h100i, bravo Zalman.
Others are twice as wide, Zalman is twice as thick, if you're making that choice it should be determined by your case.
mayankleoboy1Keeping up and beating with all the Water coolers should earn the NH-D14 a "best of the best" award of its own. And its a ~2-3 year old product!
The NH-D14 already got a "best of the best" award.
tanjoNo NZXT Kraken and Thermaltake Water 2.0 (which is 3rd gen Asetek iirc)?
Kraken samples got delayed until Christmas Eve, far too late for this article. All five of the companies who sent samples (the four tested plus NZXT) had previously requested this review.

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10
December 31, 2012 7:03:51 AM

I would've liked to see a timed trial. From my experience with an H50, H70 and NH-D14, the closed loop coolers will eventually increase in temperature overtime as they are unable to fully drop the fluid to ambient before it gets pushed back to the CPU and reheated. Heating it, and the CPU just a little bit more.

I recommend at least a 60 minute Prime95 test of each cooler to get an accurate delta over ambient
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2
December 31, 2012 7:04:48 AM

H100i seems to end up poorly in about all tests, The H80i performs about as well. The only time the H100i perform as it should is with a push / pull config using a total of 4 fans. Could be just a firmware issue (Yes the H100i can be flashed)
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2
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December 31, 2012 7:08:40 AM

cmcghee358 said:
I would've liked to see a timed trial. From my experience with an H50, H70 and NH-D14, the closed loop coolers will eventually increase in temperature overtime as they are unable to fully drop the fluid to ambient before it gets pushed back to the CPU and reheated. Heating it, and the CPU just a little bit more.

I recommend at least a 60 minute Prime95 test of each cooler to get an accurate delta over ambient


60mins? Somewhere around 20mins isn't enough for these CLCs to reach equilibrium?
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December 31, 2012 7:19:57 AM

EzioAs60mins? Somewhere around 20mins isn't enough for these CLCs to reach equilibrium?


For an lcs without any reservoir - 60 mins sounds excessive to have them maxed out, 20 min sound more than sufficient. Some home reviewers have claimed that it takes about 60 mins for a lcs without reservoir to max out but its been busted when its been shown the ambient room temperature have been the major change for the last 45 mins...
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4
December 31, 2012 8:17:42 AM

Yes, if you knock your PC over you'll probably break your motherboard, but with such a big cooler it's going to take a bit more force.
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-5
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December 31, 2012 8:30:46 AM

cmcghee358I would've liked to see a timed trial. From my experience with an H50, H70 and NH-D14, the closed loop coolers will eventually increase in temperature overtime as they are unable to fully drop the fluid to ambient before it gets pushed back to the CPU and reheated. Heating it, and the CPU just a little bit more.I recommend at least a 60 minute Prime95 test of each cooler to get an accurate delta over ambient
That could have been a useful suggestion if not for the fact that it was already the approximate method used.
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1
a c 245 à CPUs
a c 205 V Motherboard
December 31, 2012 9:08:58 AM

Is it just me or do Asetek coolers always eem to have little nitty gritty issues? Anyway. nice review. Loved it BUT I much prefer Silver Arrow SB-E extreme above the Noctua. But yes, its sad that not even the H100i outpaces the Noctua...
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1
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December 31, 2012 9:22:27 AM

Well, look at how much louder the CLC's have to be in order to either slightly outperform the NH-D14 or perform on par with it...
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9
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December 31, 2012 9:55:00 AM

BigMack70Meh... I just don't see the point of closed loop coolers and this article doesn't do anything to convince me they're worthwhile. Either do water cooling right and build yourself a nice custom loop, or don't do it at all and stick to a nice dual tower air cooler like the NH-D14.


Closed water coolers are easy options for water cooling, it even says why they are useful, "Closed-loop liquid coolers rarely leak, they have no fill ports from which to spill, there is no separate pump or reservoir to break loose, and the small water blocks place little stress on the motherboard. Although they aren't as configurable as conventional water-cooling kits, sealed coolers boast superior portability, transportability, and maintainability".

They are made for people who don't know how to do a custom water loop properly or for people who can't be bothered with custom coolers or can't afford the parts of custom coolers.
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a c 84 à CPUs
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December 31, 2012 9:59:39 AM

i've been wondering about a few things.
if i want to cool an overclocked i5(4.2-4.4~ ghz) cpu with coolers like cm hyper 212 +/evo or thermaltake frio will it be better to get a corsair h80/100 instead?
i am worried about the weight of the tower coolers because the case will be moved around a bit. in clcs' case, their longevity and effective operation (e.g. gradual heat build up issue mentioned above).
how long these closed loop coolers last (the system may run at max load for 5-10 hrs every day)?
edit: i am asking this because after reading this nice article and re-reading the previous h80/100 review i've been wondering if i should invest in lcs and how useful it will be in the long term. :) 
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1
Anonymous
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a b V Motherboard
December 31, 2012 10:54:24 AM

these closed loop coolers work perfectly on graphics cards too!

i have one on each of my gtx480's, with a 25% oc the temps never go above 60c

perfect!
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0
December 31, 2012 11:41:06 AM

Umm please stop calling the premade water loops "closed". Almost all custom water loops are closed, an open water loop is one where the water is not recycled, ie where water is sourced directly from mains, used once and then removed. Custom verse premade, sealed verses unsealed are all terms you can use, but closed verses open is one that watercoolers already use.

Also very surprised by the results, especially since they differ so wildly from results on Anandtech and other review sites.
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-3
December 31, 2012 12:23:56 PM

Besides the fact that the Noctua performed very well... I'm curious why we never see the real Big Air contenders: Phanteks PH-TC14PE. It's been out over a year, and it has yet to be reviewed here at Toms. Granted, it's been reviewed everywhere else and it has out performed Noctua 4/5 times. It's in a similar price bracket as some of the LCL's, but is clearly the top performer.
At the same time... the NEW Zalman ZM-CNPS14X costs ~$50, and pulls beats Noctua's best offerings as well.

Don't get me wrong, I see the benefits of LCL's when it comes to the sheer force we put on mobos with huge Air Coolers, but picking the "creme de la creme" would probably show a better Value/Performance comparison.
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3
Anonymous
a b à CPUs
December 31, 2012 12:58:55 PM

Yup, CLC has its uses, but they are far and few in-between.

Big Air Wins out yet again, and honestly, how often do peeps move their machines that it is a worry!

If you want water, custom is the only way at the moment.

Why dont they make a CLC with larger pump and thicker diameter pipes and improved channels for the extra flow on the Block? This will surely beat out the Big Air then!
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0
a b V Motherboard
December 31, 2012 1:32:36 PM

BigMack70 said:
But, as also said, they don't carry much of a performance increase over a solid dual tower heatsink (NH-D14, silver arrow, tc14pe). They're also more expensive, often louder, and in the case of 240mm radiators like the H100, even more difficult to fit into a case.

Sorry, I just don't see it. It's half assed water cooling without any of the real advantages water cooling offers.



The case to be made is when you don't have space for a large air cooler or a real water cooling setup. These closed loop coolers are great in small form factor cases. With that said I don't see why anyone would use a closed loop cooler in a regular ATX sized case.
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1
December 31, 2012 3:47:46 PM

CrashmanThat could have been a useful suggestion if not for the fact that it was already the approximate method used.


Oh I must have missed that in the explanation at the beginning. My apologies
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December 31, 2012 3:53:44 PM

I'm disappointed the 2013 H60 wasn't in this test. But, then again, the tests I've seen so far suggest that it performs rather closely to the H100 (within 1-2C), especially if you do push pull.
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December 31, 2012 4:05:19 PM

BigMack70But, as also said, they don't carry much of a performance increase over a solid dual tower heatsink (NH-D14, silver arrow, tc14pe). They're also more expensive, often louder, and in the case of 240mm radiators like the H100, even more difficult to fit into a case.Sorry, I just don't see it. It's half assed water cooling without any of the real advantages water cooling offers.


More expensive? Depends on the model. I really like the new Thermaltake and the 2013 revision Corsair kits for the money, cheaper than an NH-D14 and better performance in a closed case. The fan that came with my new H60 is inaudible and I'm using an existing case fan for a push-pull config.

The Corsair units now have a 5 year warranty and frees up a ton of space in my computer. I can actually get to everything easily now that I don't have a monster HSF on top of my CPU. Plus, going from my 120mm 4-pipe HDT cooler to the 2013 H60, my load temps have dropped from about 57C to 46C on a 140W CPU. Idle is at 33C and I'm pushing case air through the radiator!

I'm sorry, but I don't really see a downside to these improved all-in-one water coolers. I'll have moved on to new hardware before the warranty runs out on my H60...
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-2
December 31, 2012 4:26:39 PM

As an NH-D14 owner that seriously considered moving to a closed loop build, I'm glad I stayed with the air nearly two years ago in my last Sandy build. Sure, it's a big hoss and barely fits in my Antec 900 (and the horrendous color of the fans and fan cowlings leave a lot to be desired). But I don't travel with it anywhere; it sits parked under my desk where it's sat ever since minus installing a new SSD. If I did travel with it or need to ship it somewhere, it would take all but about 2 minutes to remove teh cooler for transport and another 2 minutes to put it back in. I'm perfectly fine with 4.83GHz @ 55C load and see no need to go any higher than that, especially considering the games I play are more GPU limited than CPU limited when running a 2560x1600 resolution.
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2
a b V Motherboard
December 31, 2012 4:32:12 PM

Would loved to have seen the e NZXT Kraken X40 & X60 in this roundup. I know they came out late but could you guys add them into mix?
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1
December 31, 2012 4:55:44 PM

Good article. Thanks Toms.
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1
a b à CPUs
December 31, 2012 5:22:46 PM

Look at the fan speeds for the closed loops. 2k can be ridiculously loud. Air cooling is still the way to go in my opinion.
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1
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December 31, 2012 5:40:27 PM

codyleemanofactionBesides the fact that the Noctua performed very well... I'm curious why we never see the real Big Air contenders: Phanteks PH-TC14PE.
We did:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/LGA-2011-i7-3960X-A...
cmcghee358Oh I must have missed that in the explanation at the beginning. My apologies
No need to apologize, the article probably didn't give a full description. The system is started and loaded for about an hour, but using a clock rather than a timer so it's sometimes a few minutes longer than an hour.
JamesSneedWould loved to have seen the e NZXT Kraken X40 & X60 in this roundup. I know they came out late but could you guys add them into mix?
I thought about adding a 1-page addendum, but decided to spend Christmas with the family instead.
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4
a b V Motherboard
December 31, 2012 6:46:14 PM

now this is a very helpful review that all gamers who bought an aftermarket cooler want to see!
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3
December 31, 2012 8:12:56 PM

Quote:
Sometimes I'd experiment with water-cooling in my high-end SBM submission, and that was equally problematic when it came to shipping.

Fortunately, a more user-friendly form of cooling is available. Closed-loop liquid coolers rarely leak, they have no fill ports from which to spill, there is no separate pump or reservoir to break loose, and the small water blocks place little stress on the motherboard. Although they aren't as configurable as conventional water-cooling kits, sealed coolers boast superior portability, transportability, and maintainability.



today it is 8ºF
22º below freezing. transport any liquid cooler with out keeping it heated would be disastorous.
the over night is supposed to be -24ºF .

at -36º below freezing when i am out ice fishing on a lake makes atleast an inch of ice every hour.

imagine your new liquid cooled pc in an automobile that is not running and heating your auto's cabin or in the back of a freight trailer being shipped to you from newegg crossing any point in north america above 40º Lattitude in those temps!
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2
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December 31, 2012 8:24:57 PM

I'm definitely not the first to recommend closed block liquid loops but after reading the reviews here and at Anandtech I'm heavily intrigued by what Corsair's iLink technology can do, it's very promising stuff.
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0
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December 31, 2012 9:23:05 PM

f-14today it is 8ºF 22º below freezing. transport any liquid cooler with out keeping it heated would be disastorous.the over night is supposed to be -24ºF .at -36º below freezing when i am out ice fishing on a lake makes atleast an inch of ice every hour.imagine your new liquid cooled pc in an automobile that is not running and heating your auto's cabin or in the back of a freight trailer being shipped to you from newegg crossing any point in north america above 40º Lattitude in those temps!
These are liquid coolers, not water coolers. The coolant has a lower freezing point than water.
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3
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December 31, 2012 9:34:36 PM

Is it just me, or does the Zalman look identical to Corsair H-55, same brackets, same ring clip, even same looking pump? And if they are identical, does that mean the H-55 will perform similarly against the other coolers, including its big brother, the H-100i?
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a b à CPUs
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December 31, 2012 9:54:37 PM

KaradjgneIs it just me, or does the Zalman look identical to Corsair H-55, same brackets, same ring clip, even same looking pump?
H55 has a thinner radiator. Fan speed might also be different.
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0
January 1, 2013 1:35:51 AM

Thanks Tomshardware and Thomas, good reviews showing that these closed-loop liquid coolers are indeed the real deal. No surprise, the Corsair H100 comes out on top, as it has on other review sites.

One thing I would caution Enermax about, and any manufacturer planning on jumping into an apparently lucrative market, is that your name is on the line with every one of your products, and if you make something that's less than what people have come to expect, people will lower their opinion of you.

I expect the best from Enermax; I expect your coolers to be among the best available, period. Frankly though, I think I'm seeing a philosophy shift toward profit and not making the absolute best, and that troubles me. I've gone down that road with other name brands - and let me tell you there is nothing in my mind that sours me more than to buy a product from a company, pay a premium price, and find the product wanting.
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January 1, 2013 1:38:28 AM

To be clear about my previous post - I have yet to buy a product from Enermax that I didn't think was worth the price (I have 2 of their PSUs and one of their cases), I just don't want to see them go down the road of cutting corners to make more money.
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0
January 1, 2013 9:50:18 AM

Honestly, the results look poor compared to air cooling. Might be the air-cooler was just too good, but I would like to see better results out of a liquid cooled system.
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3
January 1, 2013 7:52:45 PM



Ooops! I used the search bar to look for the PH-TC14PE, and it returned no "Review" results. Being that I had read the article you linked when it came out... I'm even more embarassed.

I wonder why it was lackluster in your testing configuration, but several other "similar" testbeds at other sites show it wielding much better results? Guess I'll just buy both, run my own tests in my personal setup, and go from there!
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January 1, 2013 9:45:17 PM

codyleemanofactionOoops! I used the search bar to look for the PH-TC14PE, and it returned no "Review" results. Being that I had read the article you linked when it came out... I'm even more embarassed. I wonder why it was lackluster in your testing configuration, but several other "similar" testbeds at other sites show it wielding much better results? Guess I'll just buy both, run my own tests in my personal setup, and go from there!
Hey, I just install them, run the test and record the results. My job is easy.
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0
a c 185 à CPUs
a c 160 V Motherboard
January 2, 2013 3:09:06 AM

3-pin vs 4-pin:

Just a WARNING. Make sure your motherboard can control the fan speed. My older Gigabyte board could use PWM and VOLTAGE and my NH-D14 fan speed was variable.

My new Asus Sabertooth Z77 has PWM only. I have to find a way to replace my NH-D14 fans with 4-pin PWM models.
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0
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