all of which are less expensive. By using these "real world results" the test fails to really tell us what is different about the new design of the fan!
I want to know that at 1/4, 1/2, or full voltage this fan either:
a. is quieter (better design/aerodynamics)
b. pushes more air (more efficient/ better design)
It's great to show in your testbed that it works !great!, the problem is its not really that helpful to a potential buyer wondering WHY its so great.
During video card reviews this site constantly takes heat from the H-site (we'll remain nameless :) ), on your reviews not being "real-world", and I've always sided with you guys because you are scientifically limiting your variables to give a good indictation of which card is better. But now I feel these heatsink/fan reviews are somewhat falling into the same trap of that other site in providing data points that are not accurate; just rather you can say that the Noctua, Alpine, Freezer 7, Nirvana, Ultra 120 Extreme, Ultima90, and Kama Cross are all below your artificial noise floor. It's the equivalent of testing all of the new video cards at 1024X768 resolution with a 60fps framerate cap in Quake3, they are all going to look like winners!
What a competent review needs to aim for is removing all variable outside of what is being tested. When your testing video cards, make sure the cpu isn't the bottleneck, when your measuring hard drives, make sure you don't have a mobo/driver issue, and when your measuring heatsinks and fans, make sure that if your not actually checking their stated cfm's for accuracy, at least you are measuring the noise level of the fan.
My case sits under my desk doing its thing out of sight. If I'm going to throw down $20 for a FAN, a freaking FAN man!, I want to know those pretty shaped blades are actually doing something measurably different and beneficial than a $5-10 one.
Our noise floor is limited by the Power Supply, which was selected because it is one of the quietest variable fan speed models we could find. That noise level is equivalent to a suburban bedroom at night as pointed out in every recent review. Real world is NOT running a power supply in one room so you can measure noise levels lower than you will ever see in a real system limited by power supply noise. If you want those measurements there are websites devoted to those esoteric numbers and you can find what you seek.
For our part we did measure the single fan at high speed and the cululative two fans at highest speed in a system with a quiet variable speed power supply and a fanless video card. Both measurements were below our noise floor. All lower speeds with the shunts will be below that and are not measurable in our system.
The sad fact about the current low noise obsession is that readers see so many low numbers they have lost perspective on what the numbers actually mean. Those screaming for measurements of 10 to 20 dbA should Google a few articles on noise measurement to see what those numbers actually measure and the laboratory needed to accurately measure those low noise levels.
130 dBA Loud hand clapping at 1 m distance (maximum level)
120 dBA Whistle at 1 m distance, test run of a jet at 15 m distance
Threshold of pain, above this fast-acting hearing damage in short action is possible
115 dBA Take-off sound of planes at 10 m distance
110 dBA Siren at 10 m distance, frequent sound level in discotheques and close
to loudspeakers at rock concerts, violin close to the ear of an orchestra
musicians (maximum level)
105 dBA Chain saw at 1 m distance, banging car door at 1 m distance (maximum level),
racing car at 40 m distance, possible level with music head phones
100 dBA Frequent level with music via head phones, jack hammer at 10 m distance
95 dBA Loud crying, hand circular saw at 1 m distance
90 dBA Angle grinder outside at 1 m distance
Over a duration of 40 hours a week hearing damage is possible
85 dBA 2-stroke chain-saw at 10 m distance, loud WC flush at 1 m distance
80 dBA Very loud traffic noise of passing lorries at 7.5 m distance,
high traffic on an expressway at 25 m distance
75 dBA Passing car at 7.5 m distance, un-silenced wood shredder at 10 m distance
70 Small car at 30 mph; 3 meters from a vacuum cleaner.
65 1 meter from normal conversation. Busy office. About half the people in a large sample will have difficulty sleeping.
55 Recommended upper limit for large open offices, restaurants, gymnasiums, swimming pools.
45 Recommended upper limit for homes, hotels, laboratories, libraries, private offices, court rooms.
40 Quiet office. Recommended upper limit for classrooms, churches, motion picture theaters (without the film soundtrack).
35 Quiet bedroom.
25 Countryside on windless day, away from traffic. Sound of breathing at 1m distance.
So then please tell me how this fan is better than any $5 fan? If it doesn't matter if its below the noise floor, I don't know how you can come to the conclusion that its a good product? To me if it performs the same as a $5 fan its overpriced right?
For those howling for readings in the 10-20dB range the world must be an incredibly noisy place. Ants on the sidewalk sounding like stormtroopers, ducks on a pond sounding like top fuel hydros...not sure how they can even enter a room with a PC running.
They are both the new fans. Due to the curvature and sweep of the blades it is more difficult to distinguish the notches from the front view. That is why all the "notch" pictures are from the rear of the fan.
I am a huge Noctua fanboi too.
I own over 15 of their fans, as they just exude quality with their lovely sleeved cables, nice design & color, & low RPM adaptors, nevermind the packaging.
But as much as i like Noctua, they don't make the best CPU heatsinks. Not yet anyway.
It's Thermalright, not Thermaltake. What isn't clear is that buying additional clips also buys you additional gel strips. That's the only part one can actually use, as the Thermalright clip holes are sized for one fan clip, not two. Been there. Zip ties are wonderful, they're my universal modeling clay.
Yes, buying the additional clips will get you additional gel strips. You do not use the same holes but the ones next two it. In other words you just place the second clips over one cooling fin.
The reason I actually posted is that I just replaced a Scythe Ultra Kaze (3000rpm) with two of these Noctura fans om my Thermalright 120 Extreme (push/pull). Not only is the setup very quite it works very well due to the air pressure these fans produce.
FWIW, i'd rate the Noctua cooler + fan as a better overall package.
But for those wanting the best, a TRUE + a couple P12 fans is a bit better...though you might have the lap the TRUE (poor TR QC IMO vs. excellence from Noctua in that regard).
And yes, i know the holes are technically designed for just one set of clips, but i didn't find it impossible to clip in a second set by any means.
I think many users know that they sold that separately.
But if you dont buy the clips when you buy your heatsink or any other hardware you may need to pay extra for the shipping and just for a par of clips.
Thermalright could give 1 USD on price for the cooler including 2 pairs if they want, but this is the important part of the noctua service as I see.
Also, gheto is not really difficult.
On the other hand, Thermalright has 2 holes for thwe clips and the other ones even they can be used for clips are not really meant for it as you can see.
Anyway. Im not defending Noctua or anything here. Im big Thermalright user so I have no problems there.
Finally, for the reviewer: When you said about the Noctua inluding the fan which is another cost, you may also want to say that thay also include the NT-H1 Thermalpaste and also has a value for the user.
The early versions of the IFX-14 were not competitive with the other top coolers from Thermalright. Thermalright has promised us a revised version for months now but we have yet to receive it.
In our converstaions with Thermalright we have been clear that we can't recommend the IFX-14 unless it actaully outperforms the U120 eXtreme since the IFX-14 costs a good deal more. Perhaps your question will light a fire.
Im in this with you.
For the ones who really want to know the performance, I already did the tests,. and yes, the TRUE wins by 2-3 degrees depending on wattage created when OCing. The more heat you create, the more difference (which ios ionly 1 degree or 2 aprox).
What you can do to have 2 fans on TRUE is simple. One clip for one side and one clip to another.
I think the analisys on this working on TRUE is not the most properly because the article is from Noctua, not thermalright.
Anyway, the analysys later would be very good :)
i know, i hate it when reviewers just omit these questions that they KNOW everybody will be asking. c'mon anandtech, why give us a review of a TRUE without a push/pull config and test the other heatsink with it?
We covered the Thermalright question head on in the Final Words. The Thermalright is not really set up for push-pull fans so you have to jury rig to get two fans on the cooler. We stated clearly the Thermalright would likely outperform the Noctua with the same fan, but if you wanted to conveniently mount two fans the Noctua was a better choice. Several readers have detailed instructions in the comments on how to mount two fans on the U120 eXtreme with Zip Ties.
BTW we have tested every heatsink that was setup for multi-fans with both single and push-pull configurations, so your comment is not fair or accurate. The Thermalright is not really set up for two fans and you end up ripping open the fan wire holders if you try to force two fans. That is why people resort to jury-rigging and Zip ties. We hope Thermalright will address this in the near future as the Thermalright could othwerwise easily mount push-pull fans.
oh ok, i dont recall reading that part of the article, my bad. yea if Thermalright isnt setup for a push/pull config from the factory, it wouldnt make sense to start making customizations just to accomodate it. cheers though.
At first I was little taken back by the airflow numbers of the fan, but then I noticed they where reporting in Cubic Meters Per Hour instead of the normal Cubic Feet Per Minute. Do you have CFM numbers so this fan can be compared to other fans on the market?
Air Flow 92.3/78.5/63.4 cubic meters/hour (1300 stock/1100 LNA/900 ULNA)
Those numbers make much more sense. Other ~1000RPM 120mm fans also push in the 36ish CFM range.
I was hoping Anandtech would put the CFM numbers in the article, it could be misleading if readers don't notice that the rates are not listed in the standard measurement. Anyone who buys a whole bunch of these $21 fans because they think they're putting out 63.4CFM at 900RPM and 12dba is going to be upset.
freezer pro 7 won't give u a 50%-70% overclock. a 70% overclock is hardly trivial, this is'nt video card overclocking wherein people usually get a 10%-15%.
What am I missing here? As I read the charts in this article, the best listed cooler gave 34% OC on this CPU, while the AFP7 gave 31%. Maybe I'm missing the obvious; or are you reporting un-cited data?
My instinct was the same as others: the AFP7's the better performance/$$ unit, although this new kid has a slight upper end edge.
Not that I don't appreciate the fan improvements. My instinct is there are several further improvements to reduce flow turbulence [noise/efficiency], but we don't see much change in fans.
im going on previous cpus that overclocked upto 70%, currently the wolfdales that go from 2.6 to 4ghz are'nt a 50% overclock, but still bloody impressive. My opty 165 goes from 1.8-3.0ghz, which is a 66% overclock.:)
i've had two f7p's for the past 14 months. problems: zero; performance: fantastic. anything that can keep a pentium d 945 in the 50s under load and not sound like a f'n jet engine is fantastic in my book. and my e6600 @ 3ghz peaks in the low 40s with the fan spinning at only 800rpm.
I too have a Thermalright U120E push pull, using a pair of Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F fans, in an Antec P182 case decked out with other fans. I too used cable ties: One can fashion a pair of four-sided harnesses, using four cable ties each. Size them almost to fit, trimming so there's still a bit of plastic to pull on, then gingerly tighten a click at a time to snug, for a perfect fit.
Anandtech has the best air cooling reviews, period, lending much-needed credibility to any comparisons with water cooling. In contrast, another site has a water cooling review that cools a 3.2 GHz Q6600 to 58 C to 62 C at full load, comparing favorably with a Zalman 9700. Those are exactly the numbers I'm getting with my U120E, and I'm getting nowhere on that forum pointing out how cooked the review looks.
For those of us trying to wring every advantage from air, we're unlikely to use an "average" case, and we're likely to consider lapping. Besided returning the U120E to the ring in push pull mode, those are my questions.
Back on the Noise Levels page, I noticed that at 6", 7 of them were at the same and at 24", 9 of them were at the same level. Rarely, if ever, are these tests with so many the same. ( not even .1 differenece ) So, this leads me to wonder if the method of testing is accurate.
Is there any way to get a sensor that reads below 30? Maybe near 20?
Since its at the low end of the sensor, maybe its bottoming out?
As clearly stated in the review those noise levels are the noise floor of the test system, which is equivalent to a suburban bedroon at night. Since we are running a varaiable speed low-noise power supply and fanless video card these levels represent the quietest power supply we could find that also realistically supports overclocking. The video card is fanless and zero noise.
We don't test or try to measure even lower levels because that is not the way people actually run their systems. If you are interested in the noise level of a component in isolation with a power supply in another room there are other web sites that will provide you that information.
I would not blame the sensor.
I guess the problem is a higher-than-desired ambient noise. There's evidently something else in the testing room that shouts in the background, and that covers the whisper of the fans. We need a more silent environment to compare noise from a fan or two. Also, we should measure noise at about 1m, that would be a typical real-world minimum distance.
For some serious thoughts and hints about silent computing visit www.silentpcreview.com.
So when are you going to slap that fan on a the big thermalright? Best fan meets best heatsink? Could be a match made in heaven even without push-pull..
I already did that when doing Noctua Review.
What I mean, is that as the autor says, Noctua fans working on TRUE are the best but Noctua already impressed me out by far going well on results.
Now, Im keeping TRUE with 2 fans. It was not difficult to addapt. You can put one clip in one direction and the other to the other direction.
The, just put 2X-NF-P12 fans and tight them by zip ties and all the work is done. Then, you will have the ultimate performance air cooling with very low noises.
I love this kit.
The main part from noctua this time, are the fans for sure. The cooler is very good of course, compared to the top with others but still cant beat Thermalright.
thanks for this awesome review! love to see high end cooler reviews! i gotta get me one of those noctua NF-P12 fans to use on a TRUE. i'll skip their heatsink cause u need 2 fans for best performance, but for ultra silence and best overclocking i dont think u can do any better than a noctua NF-P12 combined w/ a TRUE. gotta love progress and technology!
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51 Comments
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7Enigma - Wednesday, April 9, 2008 - link
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm 2-ball UFO Bearing / Transparent CPU Cooler - Retail ($36.00 after rebate)With the $10 rebate its the same price as the Arctic Cooler Freezer 7 Pro
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
coolsmith - Thursday, March 27, 2008 - link
Just to complement my previous post on this fanI should have mentioned that I found leaving the speed setting to
medium gave the best result for noise verse speed.
This fan does cost a little bit more than the others but it should
last a lot longer.
coolsmith - Thursday, March 27, 2008 - link
I installed one as a rear case fan and I'd have to say they are indeedquiet and do a good job.
But I'd have to agree with most the color is a bit of a turn off, but
since mine is inside the case a really don't mind.
A well built fan but crappy color .
If they were to change the color they would probably sell alot
more of them, for sure.
7Enigma - Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - link
I have a bit of a problem with the review and conclusion. This heatsink/fan looks to be good, the problem is it seems to be just as good as the:Nirvana, Ultra 120, Infinity, Ninja, Ultima90, Tuniq Tower
all of which are less expensive. By using these "real world results" the test fails to really tell us what is different about the new design of the fan!
I want to know that at 1/4, 1/2, or full voltage this fan either:
a. is quieter (better design/aerodynamics)
b. pushes more air (more efficient/ better design)
It's great to show in your testbed that it works !great!, the problem is its not really that helpful to a potential buyer wondering WHY its so great.
During video card reviews this site constantly takes heat from the H-site (we'll remain nameless :) ), on your reviews not being "real-world", and I've always sided with you guys because you are scientifically limiting your variables to give a good indictation of which card is better. But now I feel these heatsink/fan reviews are somewhat falling into the same trap of that other site in providing data points that are not accurate; just rather you can say that the Noctua, Alpine, Freezer 7, Nirvana, Ultra 120 Extreme, Ultima90, and Kama Cross are all below your artificial noise floor. It's the equivalent of testing all of the new video cards at 1024X768 resolution with a 60fps framerate cap in Quake3, they are all going to look like winners!
What a competent review needs to aim for is removing all variable outside of what is being tested. When your testing video cards, make sure the cpu isn't the bottleneck, when your measuring hard drives, make sure you don't have a mobo/driver issue, and when your measuring heatsinks and fans, make sure that if your not actually checking their stated cfm's for accuracy, at least you are measuring the noise level of the fan.
My case sits under my desk doing its thing out of sight. If I'm going to throw down $20 for a FAN, a freaking FAN man!, I want to know those pretty shaped blades are actually doing something measurably different and beneficial than a $5-10 one.
Wesley Fink - Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - link
Our noise floor is limited by the Power Supply, which was selected because it is one of the quietest variable fan speed models we could find. That noise level is equivalent to a suburban bedroom at night as pointed out in every recent review. Real world is NOT running a power supply in one room so you can measure noise levels lower than you will ever see in a real system limited by power supply noise. If you want those measurements there are websites devoted to those esoteric numbers and you can find what you seek.For our part we did measure the single fan at high speed and the cululative two fans at highest speed in a system with a quiet variable speed power supply and a fanless video card. Both measurements were below our noise floor. All lower speeds with the shunts will be below that and are not measurable in our system.
The sad fact about the current low noise obsession is that readers see so many low numbers they have lost perspective on what the numbers actually mean. Those screaming for measurements of 10 to 20 dbA should Google a few articles on noise measurement to see what those numbers actually measure and the laboratory needed to accurately measure those low noise levels.
130 dBA Loud hand clapping at 1 m distance (maximum level)
120 dBA Whistle at 1 m distance, test run of a jet at 15 m distance
Threshold of pain, above this fast-acting hearing damage in short action is possible
115 dBA Take-off sound of planes at 10 m distance
110 dBA Siren at 10 m distance, frequent sound level in discotheques and close
to loudspeakers at rock concerts, violin close to the ear of an orchestra
musicians (maximum level)
105 dBA Chain saw at 1 m distance, banging car door at 1 m distance (maximum level),
racing car at 40 m distance, possible level with music head phones
100 dBA Frequent level with music via head phones, jack hammer at 10 m distance
95 dBA Loud crying, hand circular saw at 1 m distance
90 dBA Angle grinder outside at 1 m distance
Over a duration of 40 hours a week hearing damage is possible
85 dBA 2-stroke chain-saw at 10 m distance, loud WC flush at 1 m distance
80 dBA Very loud traffic noise of passing lorries at 7.5 m distance,
high traffic on an expressway at 25 m distance
75 dBA Passing car at 7.5 m distance, un-silenced wood shredder at 10 m distance
70 Small car at 30 mph; 3 meters from a vacuum cleaner.
65 1 meter from normal conversation. Busy office. About half the people in a large sample will have difficulty sleeping.
55 Recommended upper limit for large open offices, restaurants, gymnasiums, swimming pools.
45 Recommended upper limit for homes, hotels, laboratories, libraries, private offices, court rooms.
40 Quiet office. Recommended upper limit for classrooms, churches, motion picture theaters (without the film soundtrack).
35 Quiet bedroom.
25 Countryside on windless day, away from traffic. Sound of breathing at 1m distance.
7Enigma - Wednesday, April 9, 2008 - link
So then please tell me how this fan is better than any $5 fan? If it doesn't matter if its below the noise floor, I don't know how you can come to the conclusion that its a good product? To me if it performs the same as a $5 fan its overpriced right?marine73 - Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - link
For those howling for readings in the 10-20dB range the world must be an incredibly noisy place. Ants on the sidewalk sounding like stormtroopers, ducks on a pond sounding like top fuel hydros...not sure how they can even enter a room with a PC running.vajm1234 - Sunday, March 23, 2008 - link
is there ny possibility of reviewin the new scythe zipang n all.Thorsson - Saturday, March 22, 2008 - link
The fan shown in the picture on the Installation page doesn't look like the new one to me...Wesley Fink - Sunday, March 23, 2008 - link
They are both the new fans. Due to the curvature and sweep of the blades it is more difficult to distinguish the notches from the front view. That is why all the "notch" pictures are from the rear of the fan.n7 - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
I can't believe no one here knows Thermaltake sells additional clips for fans for their coolers.You don't have to do any ghetto zip tie mods either.
Simply purchase an extra set of clips, install two Noctuas, & you have what i run:
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/9930/img2383cop...">http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/9930/img2383cop...
I am a huge Noctua fanboi too.
I own over 15 of their fans, as they just exude quality with their lovely sleeved cables, nice design & color, & low RPM adaptors, nevermind the packaging.
But as much as i like Noctua, they don't make the best CPU heatsinks. Not yet anyway.
So i use a TRUE + their fans.
Syzygies - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
It's Thermalright, not Thermaltake. What isn't clear is that buying additional clips also buys you additional gel strips. That's the only part one can actually use, as the Thermalright clip holes are sized for one fan clip, not two. Been there. Zip ties are wonderful, they're my universal modeling clay.Sargon - Monday, March 24, 2008 - link
Yes, buying the additional clips will get you additional gel strips. You do not use the same holes but the ones next two it. In other words you just place the second clips over one cooling fin.The reason I actually posted is that I just replaced a Scythe Ultra Kaze (3000rpm) with two of these Noctura fans om my Thermalright 120 Extreme (push/pull). Not only is the setup very quite it works very well due to the air pressure these fans produce.
n7 - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
Sorry, i'm asleep :(I have a TT case...but run a TRUE.
FWIW, i'd rate the Noctua cooler + fan as a better overall package.
But for those wanting the best, a TRUE + a couple P12 fans is a bit better...though you might have the lap the TRUE (poor TR QC IMO vs. excellence from Noctua in that regard).
And yes, i know the holes are technically designed for just one set of clips, but i didn't find it impossible to clip in a second set by any means.
KainAT - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
I think many users know that they sold that separately.But if you dont buy the clips when you buy your heatsink or any other hardware you may need to pay extra for the shipping and just for a par of clips.
Thermalright could give 1 USD on price for the cooler including 2 pairs if they want, but this is the important part of the noctua service as I see.
Also, gheto is not really difficult.
On the other hand, Thermalright has 2 holes for thwe clips and the other ones even they can be used for clips are not really meant for it as you can see.
Anyway. Im not defending Noctua or anything here. Im big Thermalright user so I have no problems there.
Finally, for the reviewer: When you said about the Noctua inluding the fan which is another cost, you may also want to say that thay also include the NT-H1 Thermalpaste and also has a value for the user.
Regards.
Kain.
Ytterbium - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
Could you test the Thermalright IFX-14, this looks like an interesting designWesley Fink - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
The early versions of the IFX-14 were not competitive with the other top coolers from Thermalright. Thermalright has promised us a revised version for months now but we have yet to receive it.In our converstaions with Thermalright we have been clear that we can't recommend the IFX-14 unless it actaully outperforms the U120 eXtreme since the IFX-14 costs a good deal more. Perhaps your question will light a fire.
KainAT - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
Im in this with you.For the ones who really want to know the performance, I already did the tests,. and yes, the TRUE wins by 2-3 degrees depending on wattage created when OCing. The more heat you create, the more difference (which ios ionly 1 degree or 2 aprox).
What you can do to have 2 fans on TRUE is simple. One clip for one side and one clip to another.
I have some photos for you here:
http://bandwidth.se/view/6253">http://bandwidth.se/view/6253
http://bandwidth.se/view/6254">http://bandwidth.se/view/6254
I think the analisys on this working on TRUE is not the most properly because the article is from Noctua, not thermalright.
Anyway, the analysys later would be very good :)
varneraa - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
Given how close the 120-Extreme is in performance to the stock noctua unit, I wonder how a 120-Extreme with push-pull fans would do?poohbear - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
i know, i hate it when reviewers just omit these questions that they KNOW everybody will be asking. c'mon anandtech, why give us a review of a TRUE without a push/pull config and test the other heatsink with it?Wesley Fink - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
We covered the Thermalright question head on in the Final Words. The Thermalright is not really set up for push-pull fans so you have to jury rig to get two fans on the cooler. We stated clearly the Thermalright would likely outperform the Noctua with the same fan, but if you wanted to conveniently mount two fans the Noctua was a better choice. Several readers have detailed instructions in the comments on how to mount two fans on the U120 eXtreme with Zip Ties.BTW we have tested every heatsink that was setup for multi-fans with both single and push-pull configurations, so your comment is not fair or accurate. The Thermalright is not really set up for two fans and you end up ripping open the fan wire holders if you try to force two fans. That is why people resort to jury-rigging and Zip ties. We hope Thermalright will address this in the near future as the Thermalright could othwerwise easily mount push-pull fans.
poohbear - Saturday, March 22, 2008 - link
oh ok, i dont recall reading that part of the article, my bad. yea if Thermalright isnt setup for a push/pull config from the factory, it wouldnt make sense to start making customizations just to accomodate it. cheers though.Mr Perfect - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
At first I was little taken back by the airflow numbers of the fan, but then I noticed they where reporting in Cubic Meters Per Hour instead of the normal Cubic Feet Per Minute. Do you have CFM numbers so this fan can be compared to other fans on the market?Air Flow 92.3/78.5/63.4 cubic meters/hour (1300 stock/1100 LNA/900 ULNA)
poohbear - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
its 54cfm @ 1300rpm.1 foot = 0.3048 metres; therefore
1 cubic foot = 0.3048*0.3048*0.3048 cubic metres = 0.028316846 cubic metres
and
1 hour = 60 minutes
therefore 1 m3/h = 0.5885778 cfm
hence 92 m3/h * 0.5885778 = 54.1491576 cfm
cheers.
JarredWalton - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
Some simple math should suffice....1 cubic meter = 35.31467 cubic feet
60 minutes per hour
That gives 54.326/46.203/37.316 CFM, assuming they didn't just put in the wrong abbreviation.
Mr Perfect - Saturday, March 22, 2008 - link
Those numbers make much more sense. Other ~1000RPM 120mm fans also push in the 36ish CFM range.I was hoping Anandtech would put the CFM numbers in the article, it could be misleading if readers don't notice that the rates are not listed in the standard measurement. Anyone who buys a whole bunch of these $21 fans because they think they're putting out 63.4CFM at 900RPM and 12dba is going to be upset.
Baked - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
If you're not overclocking, Freezer 7 Pro should be the no brainer HSF of choice.Baked - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
Why bother wasting all that money on trivial performance gain. Just get the Freezer 7 Pro and be done with. Oh wait, I forgot about the epeen factor.poohbear - Saturday, March 22, 2008 - link
freezer pro 7 won't give u a 50%-70% overclock. a 70% overclock is hardly trivial, this is'nt video card overclocking wherein people usually get a 10%-15%.Basilisk - Saturday, March 22, 2008 - link
"freezer pro 7 won't give u a 50%-70% overclock"What am I missing here? As I read the charts in this article, the best listed cooler gave 34% OC on this CPU, while the AFP7 gave 31%. Maybe I'm missing the obvious; or are you reporting un-cited data?
My instinct was the same as others: the AFP7's the better performance/$$ unit, although this new kid has a slight upper end edge.
Not that I don't appreciate the fan improvements. My instinct is there are several further improvements to reduce flow turbulence [noise/efficiency], but we don't see much change in fans.
poohbear - Monday, March 24, 2008 - link
im going on previous cpus that overclocked upto 70%, currently the wolfdales that go from 2.6 to 4ghz are'nt a 50% overclock, but still bloody impressive. My opty 165 goes from 1.8-3.0ghz, which is a 66% overclock.:)Nihility - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
I thought the F7P had terrible build quality, at least that's what I hear from the reviews on newegg.RamarC - Saturday, March 22, 2008 - link
many newegg reviewers are idiots.i've had two f7p's for the past 14 months. problems: zero; performance: fantastic. anything that can keep a pentium d 945 in the 50s under load and not sound like a f'n jet engine is fantastic in my book. and my e6600 @ 3ghz peaks in the low 40s with the fan spinning at only 800rpm.
JarredWalton - Sunday, March 23, 2008 - link
Yeah, we pretty much http://www.anandtech.com/casecoolingpsus/showdoc.a...">found the same thing in our review. No, you're not going to match the Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme, but then at 1/4 the cost you can't complain too much. The F7P is substantially better than retail HSF in noise levels and performance, at a cost of http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=FAN-AC7PRO">$20 shipped.Syzygies - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
I too have a Thermalright U120E push pull, using a pair of Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F fans, in an Antec P182 case decked out with other fans. I too used cable ties: One can fashion a pair of four-sided harnesses, using four cable ties each. Size them almost to fit, trimming so there's still a bit of plastic to pull on, then gingerly tighten a click at a time to snug, for a perfect fit.Anandtech has the best air cooling reviews, period, lending much-needed credibility to any comparisons with water cooling. In contrast, another site has a water cooling review that cools a 3.2 GHz Q6600 to 58 C to 62 C at full load, comparing favorably with a Zalman 9700. Those are exactly the numbers I'm getting with my U120E, and I'm getting nowhere on that forum pointing out how cooked the review looks.
For those of us trying to wring every advantage from air, we're unlikely to use an "average" case, and we're likely to consider lapping. Besided returning the U120E to the ring in push pull mode, those are my questions.
silhrt - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
Back on the Noise Levels page, I noticed that at 6", 7 of them were at the same and at 24", 9 of them were at the same level. Rarely, if ever, are these tests with so many the same. ( not even .1 differenece ) So, this leads me to wonder if the method of testing is accurate.Is there any way to get a sensor that reads below 30? Maybe near 20?
Since its at the low end of the sensor, maybe its bottoming out?
Wesley Fink - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
As clearly stated in the review those noise levels are the noise floor of the test system, which is equivalent to a suburban bedroon at night. Since we are running a varaiable speed low-noise power supply and fanless video card these levels represent the quietest power supply we could find that also realistically supports overclocking. The video card is fanless and zero noise.We don't test or try to measure even lower levels because that is not the way people actually run their systems. If you are interested in the noise level of a component in isolation with a power supply in another room there are other web sites that will provide you that information.
a09805 - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
I would not blame the sensor.I guess the problem is a higher-than-desired ambient noise. There's evidently something else in the testing room that shouts in the background, and that covers the whisper of the fans. We need a more silent environment to compare noise from a fan or two. Also, we should measure noise at about 1m, that would be a typical real-world minimum distance.
For some serious thoughts and hints about silent computing visit www.silentpcreview.com.
woofersus - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
So when are you going to slap that fan on a the big thermalright? Best fan meets best heatsink? Could be a match made in heaven even without push-pull..Wesley Fink - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
You read our mind - or at least the hints in the Final Words :) We'll be doing it soon.Xpl1c1t - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
http://www.delta.com.tw/product/cp/dcfans/dcfans_m...">http://www.delta.com.tw/product/cp/dcfans/dcfans_m...It would be interesting to see this benched with a high quality oldschool delta fan. I think you might be surprised about the number of people who are still interested in seeing the results of a voluminously high cfm fan... apart from their criticisms...
poohbear - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
dude, deltas are a thing of the past, nobody will tolerate a helicopter 1m away from them for a few mhz more, not w/ near silent 120mm fans around.bigboxes - Sunday, March 23, 2008 - link
LOL, truth.KainAT - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
I already did that when doing Noctua Review.What I mean, is that as the autor says, Noctua fans working on TRUE are the best but Noctua already impressed me out by far going well on results.
Now, Im keeping TRUE with 2 fans. It was not difficult to addapt. You can put one clip in one direction and the other to the other direction.
The, just put 2X-NF-P12 fans and tight them by zip ties and all the work is done. Then, you will have the ultimate performance air cooling with very low noises.
I love this kit.
The main part from noctua this time, are the fans for sure. The cooler is very good of course, compared to the top with others but still cant beat Thermalright.
takumsawsherman - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
I think we would all be interested in that result.PCTC2 - Friday, March 21, 2008 - link
Now all that needs to be done is put two of these Noctua fans on a TRUE in Anandtech's test and see how well it performs...poohbear - Thursday, March 20, 2008 - link
thanks for this awesome review! love to see high end cooler reviews! i gotta get me one of those noctua NF-P12 fans to use on a TRUE. i'll skip their heatsink cause u need 2 fans for best performance, but for ultra silence and best overclocking i dont think u can do any better than a noctua NF-P12 combined w/ a TRUE. gotta love progress and technology!trexpesto - Thursday, March 20, 2008 - link
They Tight!Jedi2155 - Thursday, March 20, 2008 - link
The "vortex control notches" remind me of the of same design in the newest jet aircraft....so you really are getting bleeding edge technology ;).Notches!!!!
http://www.dailyaviator.com/2006-07-pages/images/0...">http://www.dailyaviator.com/2006-07-pages/images/0...
stevemedes - Thursday, March 20, 2008 - link
Now if only they made it in something other than pink...Conroe - Thursday, April 17, 2008 - link
It's not pink. It may be our TN monitors but it's really more of a tan-yellow off-white and brown--at least the one I have is.