- Aug 11, 2015
- 48
- 0
- 10,530
This is for my gaming rig.
Setup:
i5 4690k (not overclocked yet)
8gb G. Skill memory
Z97S SLI Krait Mobo
Asus Strix R9 380 4gb
Samsung EVO SSD (boot drive)
WD 1TB 7200 RPM HDD (mass storage)
EVGA SuperNova GS 650w
Define R5
Right now, I'm really interested in silence. I do plan on overclocking in the future when I have more free time (so the cooler has to be good for OC), but for the moment I mainly want this PC as close to silent as possible. Not interested in any kind of liquid cooling at this time.
I'm currently just using the Intel stock cooler that came with the CPU, which is by no means loud, but I have a suspicion it is the loudest component in my system at idle.
Thoughts on that assessment?
The HDD can make more noise, but appears to be silent when not in use, so I'm good with that.
So here's a couple of my main questions:
1. How does the NH-D15 compare to the intel stock cooler in terms of noise?
dB ratings would be nice, I can't seem to find any for the stock cooler.
2. Am I going to have problems with clearance?
The R5 is pretty bulky as mid towers go, and my memory doesn't have tall heatsinks, so I assume this should be a non-issue.
We all know the NH-D15 kicks ass in general, and really the only gripe people seem to have is the color of the fans. I'm one of those people. *sighs*
I know Noctua offers some black fans now, but I'd rather not buy new fans just for the aesthetic. It's my understanding the NH-D15 comes with two tan fans, and with that in mind here's my third question:
3. Is it ok to use the NH-D15 heatsink without any fans attached?
I know there are really good heatsinks out there that don't use fans, and are fine for normal use as long as there is adequate airflow in the case.
My idea is to take both fans off the cooler and mount one to the front of the case (where it can't be seen) along with the other 140mm fan that came with the case. The other Noctua fan I'd keep stored as a spare. What would the limits of this setup be? Would it be fine for gaming, but not for OC? Maybe later I'd put both Noc fans at the front and mount the black Fractal case fan to the heatsink. That would be a little more noisy, but better for OC.
All thoughts are appreciated. Feel free to say I'm shallow as f#%k with my PC...it's sad but true.
Thanks!
Setup:
i5 4690k (not overclocked yet)
8gb G. Skill memory
Z97S SLI Krait Mobo
Asus Strix R9 380 4gb
Samsung EVO SSD (boot drive)
WD 1TB 7200 RPM HDD (mass storage)
EVGA SuperNova GS 650w
Define R5
Right now, I'm really interested in silence. I do plan on overclocking in the future when I have more free time (so the cooler has to be good for OC), but for the moment I mainly want this PC as close to silent as possible. Not interested in any kind of liquid cooling at this time.
I'm currently just using the Intel stock cooler that came with the CPU, which is by no means loud, but I have a suspicion it is the loudest component in my system at idle.
Thoughts on that assessment?
The HDD can make more noise, but appears to be silent when not in use, so I'm good with that.
So here's a couple of my main questions:
1. How does the NH-D15 compare to the intel stock cooler in terms of noise?
dB ratings would be nice, I can't seem to find any for the stock cooler.
2. Am I going to have problems with clearance?
The R5 is pretty bulky as mid towers go, and my memory doesn't have tall heatsinks, so I assume this should be a non-issue.
We all know the NH-D15 kicks ass in general, and really the only gripe people seem to have is the color of the fans. I'm one of those people. *sighs*
I know Noctua offers some black fans now, but I'd rather not buy new fans just for the aesthetic. It's my understanding the NH-D15 comes with two tan fans, and with that in mind here's my third question:
3. Is it ok to use the NH-D15 heatsink without any fans attached?
I know there are really good heatsinks out there that don't use fans, and are fine for normal use as long as there is adequate airflow in the case.
My idea is to take both fans off the cooler and mount one to the front of the case (where it can't be seen) along with the other 140mm fan that came with the case. The other Noctua fan I'd keep stored as a spare. What would the limits of this setup be? Would it be fine for gaming, but not for OC? Maybe later I'd put both Noc fans at the front and mount the black Fractal case fan to the heatsink. That would be a little more noisy, but better for OC.
All thoughts are appreciated. Feel free to say I'm shallow as f#%k with my PC...it's sad but true.
Thanks!
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