5950X cooling options, AIO vs Custom, and OC options.

RanceJustice

Supreme [H]ardness
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Jun 9, 2003
Messages
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In having finally secured the core of my AMD high end build (5950X, Asus ROG Dark Hero mobo, and likely some Gskill Trident Z Neo 3600 "flat 16" B-die , not to mention a 3090 Strix - all for retail!) thoughts turn to cooling and overclocking. For cooling the choice seems to be between a higher end AIO setup and the much more expensive proposition of a custom liquid kit.

First is deciding which AIOs are the best . Previous research shows that (with the possible exception of oddballs like the Swiftech X3 series ) there are a few candidates for 360mm rad AIOs. Corsair's latest is the H150i Elite Capellix; it comes with their excellent MagLev bearing fans and I've had good experiences overall with their previous AIOs for quit awhile. Alternately, EKWB now has their own AIO kit in the Elite 360 and I'm not sure if it is meaningfully different in design or function vs Corsair and the many others. In any case it seems to be well regarded and kitted out with their Vardar fans in RGB optional mode, and even gives 6 of them in the box for push-pull configuration; it could be that this is the main difference between the standard RGB and the Elite version? For a time, nearly all AIOs seem to be built on the Asetek design so it comes down to support , fans, and ancillary features/components - but perhaps this is no longer the case. I know there are some other AIOs out there such as the LianLi Galahad, but I'm not sure if any are notably better or different.

The other option of course is to build a custom loop. While a part of me is excited to do so simply for the experience - I've not built one for personal use for awhile and have never worked with hard tubing before (thinking of going acrylic or possibly borosilicate glass) . However, I'm trying to discern how much difference in cooling / OC potential will arise from a custom loop(s) vs the AIO. Some investigations suggest that temps won't be much better vs a higher end 360mm AIO or that overclocks won't be any higher necessarily, though its likely it could be quieter? Others suggest there could be a moderate, possibly 10-15c temp improvement and higher OCs, but it will cost? Are either of these accurate or is there more to the discussion, especially with a 5950X , Dark Hero, and what I hope is decent RAM? I've not worked with Zen chips before so this will be a change and I'm unaware how the various OC methods compare (If I'm right there's PBO2 / automatic by software, Dark Hero Special Thing / automatic best of both worlds by hardware/firmware, and full manual old school OCing). Building a hardline cooling system would likely cost around $500-ish I'm guessing for a higher end CPU-only loop I wonder if it will be worthwhile.

Later I'll surely need some help with the actual OCing but first I need to decide on cooling and other updates. Input is appreciated, thanks.
 
Arctic Cooling AIO's seem pretty decent. They also extended their warranty coverage to 5 or 6 years and I think retroactive to last gen AIO's as well. I bought a last gen 120mm unit to cool a 2600X and it did pretty well, swapped pusher fan with a high dollar Noctua A12x25 fan and it is pretty quiet even at full speed and lowered my temps a couple of degrees C from stock fan.

If you go custom cooling, get a resevoir to hold more water, that should improve temps as you have more water to heat and should equate to lower temps longer until water temp hits equilibrium.
 
Arctic Cooling AIO's seem pretty decent. They also extended their warranty coverage to 5 or 6 years and I think retroactive to last gen AIO's as well. I bought a last gen 120mm unit to cool a 2600X and it did pretty well, swapped pusher fan with a high dollar Noctua A12x25 fan and it is pretty quiet even at full speed and lowered my temps a couple of degrees C from stock fan.

If you go custom cooling, get a resevoir to hold more water, that should improve temps as you have more water to heat and should equate to lower temps longer until water temp hits equilibrium.

I've heard occasional recent good words about Arctic, mostly for their fans being inexpensive and decent for the price. Thanks. I wonder how their 360mm stacks up to Corsair and EK's.

Good note about custom res volume. I'm guessing you mean more than the standard 100ml type, but I was pretty sure I'd go with at least 200 or 300, assuming I didn't find some way to use a "distribution plate" - which would be ideal but, alas, not viable as they're not making them for CaseLabs cases as they closed before that "fad" arrived. Its a neat idea though for cases that support something of the type.
 
I've heard occasional recent good words about Arctic, mostly for their fans being inexpensive and decent for the price. Thanks. I wonder how their 360mm stacks up to Corsair and EK's.

Good note about custom res volume. I'm guessing you mean more than the standard 100ml type, but I was pretty sure I'd go with at least 200 or 300, assuming I didn't find some way to use a "distribution plate" - which would be ideal but, alas, not viable as they're not making them for CaseLabs cases as they closed before that "fad" arrived. Its a neat idea though for cases that support something of the type.
Any reviews I have looked up about latest gen AIO shows it performing quite well against it's competitors and is quieter for the same performance. Radiators are thicker 38mm and the cold plate seems well designed to extract heat.
 
In having finally secured the core of my AMD high end build (5950X, Asus ROG Dark Hero mobo, and likely some Gskill Trident Z Neo 3600 "flat 16" B-die , not to mention a 3090 Strix - all for retail!) thoughts turn to cooling and overclocking. For cooling the choice seems to be between a higher end AIO setup and the much more expensive proposition of a custom liquid kit.

First is deciding which AIOs are the best . Previous research shows that (with the possible exception of oddballs like the Swiftech X3 series ) there are a few candidates for 360mm rad AIOs. Corsair's latest is the H150i Elite Capellix; it comes with their excellent MagLev bearing fans and I've had good experiences overall with their previous AIOs for quit awhile. Alternately, EKWB now has their own AIO kit in the Elite 360 and I'm not sure if it is meaningfully different in design or function vs Corsair and the many others. In any case it seems to be well regarded and kitted out with their Vardar fans in RGB optional mode, and even gives 6 of them in the box for push-pull configuration; it could be that this is the main difference between the standard RGB and the Elite version? For a time, nearly all AIOs seem to be built on the Asetek design so it comes down to support , fans, and ancillary features/components - but perhaps this is no longer the case. I know there are some other AIOs out there such as the LianLi Galahad, but I'm not sure if any are notably better or different.

The other option of course is to build a custom loop. While a part of me is excited to do so simply for the experience - I've not built one for personal use for awhile and have never worked with hard tubing before (thinking of going acrylic or possibly borosilicate glass) . However, I'm trying to discern how much difference in cooling / OC potential will arise from a custom loop(s) vs the AIO. Some investigations suggest that temps won't be much better vs a higher end 360mm AIO or that overclocks won't be any higher necessarily, though its likely it could be quieter? Others suggest there could be a moderate, possibly 10-15c temp improvement and higher OCs, but it will cost? Are either of these accurate or is there more to the discussion, especially with a 5950X , Dark Hero, and what I hope is decent RAM? I've not worked with Zen chips before so this will be a change and I'm unaware how the various OC methods compare (If I'm right there's PBO2 / automatic by software, Dark Hero Special Thing / automatic best of both worlds by hardware/firmware, and full manual old school OCing). Building a hardline cooling system would likely cost around $500-ish I'm guessing for a higher end CPU-only loop I wonder if it will be worthwhile.

Later I'll surely need some help with the actual OCing but first I need to decide on cooling and other updates. Input is appreciated, thanks.
I can chime in here as I've done both on my 5950x with the Dark Hero and an EVGA 3090.

I had everything on AIOs before, my 5950x on a Corsair H150 and my 3090 was a a Hybrid XC3 3090 (360+240). While everything was great, there was and probably still is a huge problem with fan noise. On the AIOs, under load the fans would need to ramp up pretty high in order to maintain decent temps. Also it was just messy and annoying to manage all the tubing in my case (O11D now, Fractal R6 before).

On my custom set-up now with 2x EK PE 360 rads I can keep a decent temp under load while having ok fan speeds (I try to maintain under 40C water temp at all times) I have my fans ramp up to 1400RPM which is audible (not as bad as all the stock fans from the AIOs though). I most likely am pushing the limits of rad space with all the heat I'm generating (5950x and 3090 in the loop) and so I have a MORA 420 on order that should be arriving soon to be able to maintain 800 or less fan RPM while hitting my water temp targets.

All said and done I'm deep in the watercooling hole and if you asked me if it was worth it, probably not if I could live with the fan noise. But was it fun? Yes. In almost all cases, watercooling is not worth it unless you are chasing silence. If you don't mind fan noise or wear headphones most of the time and can ignore it then save yourself the sanity and go aircooling unless you want to delve into the world of watercooling.

I also am OCing using PBO2 as well. Feel free to ask me any other questions!
 
The two differences between AIO, Air, and custom water is how much heat it can absorb before the fans have to ramp (the more water/material, the more thermal absorption before you have to ramp up fans to keep temps low), so thus quieter operations as transient loads don't increase fan speed and noise. The second half is that with multiple radiators, you can generally dissipate more heat overall than with an AIO or high-end air. Between an AIO and air, you end up with the same effective final-run temperature (after enough time), but you avoid the transient spikes (something I notice like MAD on my 3960X with a DH15), and with custom water you can theoretically do MORE if you have enough radiators, but that costs a lot more money. MM for MM, AIO or custom water are effectively the same - just that custom has more than one rad.

I have and use all three, depending on the use case. AIOs right now on a 6800K and 6700K (noise is critical on those) and temporarily a 10980XE, custom water on a gaming box (3090+10700K - I want as much cooling as possible), air on a set of servers (two threadrippers and a 10900k). Use the tool for the job. My 10980 will eventually go custom water (priority change, I had a spare AIO to get it going NOW).
 
currently using a Deepcool Assassin 3 on my 5950x and ocing uing dynamic switcher amd PBO 2 still hitting 5ghz on a few cores during gaming, highest iv seen was 54c during stressing 65c was max. amazing, and i can finnish a Render job without crashing or it taking 2-3 hrs, my poor 7980xe system was not fit for my use case.
 
I am running 5950x , Dark Hero, Noctua Nh-D15 air cooled. PBO2 I am hitting about 4.85ghz single core. Sucks my area is always hot. Ambient temp is 73-75c. Idle temp is around 48-50c ;[ When I stress my all core with cine23 it hits about 85c max. Currently I dropped it to 4.4ghz all core to get it to run 80-82c max load.
 
im thinking of trying a arctic 280 aio i have room at the back of my case (corsair 1000D) see if it makes any noticeable differnce.
 
As an update, I think I may go temporarily with an AIO just to get things going. Especially considering AMD Zen procs and OC's are new to me, and I've not built a full custom liquid system for well over a decade (and never a hardline which this would definitely be), besides the expense it will take me time to not just select components but also to plan out the loops, measure for everything, clean and flush all the core components, build the loop(s) externally and leak test, before final assembly on my components.

Looking at AIOs, it seems that almost everyone is using either an Asetek (round CPU block/pump shape), some other manufacturer that I forget (square CPU block/pump shape, Corsair uses these) , except for a few notables such as Swiftech, EK, and Arctic. I'm not hearing much about Swiftech recently, but they seem to be using the same (admittedly good looking on paper - copper/brass radiator, standard cooling block, mayhems tubing etc) Drive X3 setup they were using a couple years back for their AIOs. I had a problem with their Drive X2 series having a slow leak (slow enough to evaporate and just leave a film, so hard to detect until I noticed high temp issues!) ended up needing quick replacement with the Corsair that now cools my X99 build; the X3 arrived soon after this issue. Even aside from that personal experience I've not seen a lot of discussion or accolades for Swiftech either their custom pieces or their Driver X3 AIOs, so maybe I'll give them a pass. EK is of course a big name and their products seem to be of decent quality and a bit expensive, though I am slightly disappointed that they used the standard aluminum rads that most AIOs did. I'd think that EK would be perfect to make a "AIO using the same custom parts u " product but apparently despite a new design for their AIOs its a bit more conventional. Nice fans, good RGB, and good performance on their 360mm ; even more fans for a push pull setupand a more powerful pump (maybe other tweaks) on the Elite variant for a higher price.

While I see a lot of support for EK, it looks like Arctic may be the winner as far as AIO's go - and cheaper as well! Arctic's Liquid Freezer II models come up a 360mm and even a 420mm radiator setup, not to mention using a thick 38mm radiator and a custom CPU block with a little VRM fan. There seems to have been several revisions of this one, some with fixes that are pertinent to AMD AM4 use, so I imagine getting a later version is beneficial. Apparently they have also variants that have RGB with single color fans or A-RGB multi-color addressible, with the latter being the newest. Unfortunately despite the A-RGB version of the 240mm rad version available on Amazon (who is getting it directly from Arctic apparently, for US delivery) , the 360mm is not (yet?) in stock. I THINK the only difference between the standard, RGB, and A-RGB are the fans with lighting and of course a relatively small price premium but I figure its also the newest variant of the underlying system. Does anyone know if there are any other changes between the basic Liquid Freezer II 360mm with the black fans , the single color (12v?) RGB fans, and the multi-color addressible RGB (v5?) ? If not, then I'll just buy the version with the fans without A-RGB - I can always swap to other fans if I desire in the future - i just didn't want to miss out on any enhancements elsewhere to the cooler in a later variation?

Regarding custom liquid, I've been looking around trying to compare components from different vendors and it can be a bit difficult, especially deciding if it is better to go with mostly a single manufacturer's hardware for both technical and aesthetic uniformity or if picking-and-choosing for each is worthwhile. I've been using EKWB as a "baseline" as they seem to be the standard and make (mostly - we all know how their first Threadripper block wasn't up to the task) high end items. However, it seems there are some others that offer some niche benefits. For instance, I am assuming that EK's best cooling block is their next gen "Quantum Magnitude", but I am curious in seeing how latest gen blocks from Aquacomputer and OptimusPC compare (I'm told that Optimus may have the very best CPU blocks in existence currently) Likewise, deciding on which pumps/res are better when many of them are quite similar (ie almost all are built on D5's but some pump tops are better than others - Aquacomputer is noteworthy for having a high end pump, borosilicate glass res atop it, and even an integrated OLED monitor which looks impressive but there are a lot of pumps/res combos out there), radiators (EK has both 38mm and 60mm thickness options for performance, wonder how others stack up as again there are a lot of similar copper/brass rads out there ) and even distribution plates ( EK has a nice Quantum assortment, but I'm told that Singularity Computers makes some phenomenal ones sold a la carte under the Channelz line). Not to mention later upgrade-ability with next gen hardware using new sockets and the like. So there's a lot to look into! Of course, on June 1 it appears that EK is going to announce all new updated product lines so again that will change the calculus again - https://www.ekwb.com/news/upcoming-...ises-solutions-that-are-better-faster-cooler/ (nice to see they're getting mag-lev fans - I've been really happy with those from Corsair in terms of performance in years past).

So yeah, just an update there's a lot to consider. Its looking increasingly like getting the system built (before the next AMD generation is here - assuming there isn't going to be a massive delay based on fabrication and shortages!) on an AIO may lead to choosing an Arctic for the time being, as soon as I'm sure that i'm getting the latest version even with a lighting-free fan setup.
 
As an update, I think I may go temporarily with an AIO just to get things going. Especially considering AMD Zen procs and OC's are new to me, and I've not built a full custom liquid system for well over a decade (and never a hardline which this would definitely be), besides the expense it will take me time to not just select components but also to plan out the loops, measure for everything, clean and flush all the core components, build the loop(s) externally and leak test, before final assembly on my components.

Looking at AIOs, it seems that almost everyone is using either an Asetek (round CPU block/pump shape), some other manufacturer that I forget (square CPU block/pump shape, Corsair uses these) , except for a few notables such as Swiftech, EK, and Arctic. I'm not hearing much about Swiftech recently, but they seem to be using the same (admittedly good looking on paper - copper/brass radiator, standard cooling block, mayhems tubing etc) Drive X3 setup they were using a couple years back for their AIOs. I had a problem with their Drive X2 series having a slow leak (slow enough to evaporate and just leave a film, so hard to detect until I noticed high temp issues!) ended up needing quick replacement with the Corsair that now cools my X99 build; the X3 arrived soon after this issue. Even aside from that personal experience I've not seen a lot of discussion or accolades for Swiftech either their custom pieces or their Driver X3 AIOs, so maybe I'll give them a pass. EK is of course a big name and their products seem to be of decent quality and a bit expensive, though I am slightly disappointed that they used the standard aluminum rads that most AIOs did. I'd think that EK would be perfect to make a "AIO using the same custom parts u " product but apparently despite a new design for their AIOs its a bit more conventional. Nice fans, good RGB, and good performance on their 360mm ; even more fans for a push pull setupand a more powerful pump (maybe other tweaks) on the Elite variant for a higher price.

While I see a lot of support for EK, it looks like Arctic may be the winner as far as AIO's go - and cheaper as well! Arctic's Liquid Freezer II models come up a 360mm and even a 420mm radiator setup, not to mention using a thick 38mm radiator and a custom CPU block with a little VRM fan. There seems to have been several revisions of this one, some with fixes that are pertinent to AMD AM4 use, so I imagine getting a later version is beneficial. Apparently they have also variants that have RGB with single color fans or A-RGB multi-color addressible, with the latter being the newest. Unfortunately despite the A-RGB version of the 240mm rad version available on Amazon (who is getting it directly from Arctic apparently, for US delivery) , the 360mm is not (yet?) in stock. I THINK the only difference between the standard, RGB, and A-RGB are the fans with lighting and of course a relatively small price premium but I figure its also the newest variant of the underlying system. Does anyone know if there are any other changes between the basic Liquid Freezer II 360mm with the black fans , the single color (12v?) RGB fans, and the multi-color addressible RGB (v5?) ? If not, then I'll just buy the version with the fans without A-RGB - I can always swap to other fans if I desire in the future - i just didn't want to miss out on any enhancements elsewhere to the cooler in a later variation?

Regarding custom liquid, I've been looking around trying to compare components from different vendors and it can be a bit difficult, especially deciding if it is better to go with mostly a single manufacturer's hardware for both technical and aesthetic uniformity or if picking-and-choosing for each is worthwhile. I've been using EKWB as a "baseline" as they seem to be the standard and make (mostly - we all know how their first Threadripper block wasn't up to the task) high end items. However, it seems there are some others that offer some niche benefits. For instance, I am assuming that EK's best cooling block is their next gen "Quantum Magnitude", but I am curious in seeing how latest gen blocks from Aquacomputer and OptimusPC compare (I'm told that Optimus may have the very best CPU blocks in existence currently) Likewise, deciding on which pumps/res are better when many of them are quite similar (ie almost all are built on D5's but some pump tops are better than others - Aquacomputer is noteworthy for having a high end pump, borosilicate glass res atop it, and even an integrated OLED monitor which looks impressive but there are a lot of pumps/res combos out there), radiators (EK has both 38mm and 60mm thickness options for performance, wonder how others stack up as again there are a lot of similar copper/brass rads out there ) and even distribution plates ( EK has a nice Quantum assortment, but I'm told that Singularity Computers makes some phenomenal ones sold a la carte under the Channelz line). Not to mention later upgrade-ability with next gen hardware using new sockets and the like. So there's a lot to look into! Of course, on June 1 it appears that EK is going to announce all new updated product lines so again that will change the calculus again - https://www.ekwb.com/news/upcoming-...ises-solutions-that-are-better-faster-cooler/ (nice to see they're getting mag-lev fans - I've been really happy with those from Corsair in terms of performance in years past).

So yeah, just an update there's a lot to consider. Its looking increasingly like getting the system built (before the next AMD generation is here - assuming there isn't going to be a massive delay based on fabrication and shortages!) on an AIO may lead to choosing an Arctic for the time being, as soon as I'm sure that i'm getting the latest version even with a lighting-free fan setup.
I think an Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 would be a good choice for that CPU. I kicked around getting one for my 3800X, but I already bought a D15 to try that out.
Most other AIOs tend to be noisy with fans to achieve performance, but Arctic manages with quieter fans.
 
Definitely agree that the Arctic Liquid Freezer 360 is probably the way to go if you don't care for RGB and all that jazz. And of course the Arctic P12 fans themselves are no slouch and often touted as the budget version of the famed Noctua A12x25s.
 
question im awaiting stock on some custom loop gear it might be months till its available i have currently Deepcool Assassin 3 cooling my 5950x but my case has room for a 280 aio in the back would that cool better or pretty much the same? my intended loop will be 2 480 rads uptop 1 420 in front and itll have 8 GT fans exhausting.
 
question im awaiting stock on some custom loop gear it might be months till its available i have currently Deepcool Assassin 3 cooling my 5950x but my case has room for a 280 aio in the back would that cool better or pretty much the same? my intended loop will be 2 480 rads uptop 1 420 in front and itll have 8 GT fans exhausting.
A 280 AIO will probably cool better depending on what 280 AIO you get as not all cool as well due to pump capacity, cold plate efficiency, etc. at some point the AIO might get heat soaked and not be much different than the air cooler. CPUs like the one you have would need larger radiator/reservoir to spread that heat out. Would almost be cheaper to buy a portable room air conditioner and aim the cool air at your PC to lower ambient temps for better heat exchange for what custom water cooling costs!
 
i have actually tried that lol hada jerry rigged system to cool my old 7980xe rig when i would do any viceo work cores would spike to 100c, after the ac experiment was averaging 65c but wasnt practical lol. im thinking of the arctic frezzer 280 aio. the vrm fan may help but i dont oc my 5950 to its limit. just want better cooling, and they dont make 480 aios.
 
Artic has a 420 AIO and a 360 AIO if you are looking for a more cooling capacity and if you case supports those sizes.
The 280 AIO should be sufficient as long as you aren’t working that CPU hard all day.
 
oh no its only here and there mostly its on the gpu my corsair 1000D has duel 480 support uptop or 420 in front i mean i could switch them around and put the 8 fans as intake but think itd be a waste the open space in front is insane.
 
Speaking of fans, lets talk fans! I'm trying to decide if I'm to make another thread or not specific to fans, but I'll start here...

As fans go, they seem to fall into two categories - high static pressure focused fans preferable for liquid cooling radiator mounting and/or high airflow fans for mounting elsewhere in the case to either bring in cool air in or exhaust hot air. Both types have performance and loudness to take into consideration, as well as the potential for adressable RGB aesthetics and control/features.

These days there are tons of fans out there but I'm to understand that some of the more desirable manufacturers or models are...

Noctua - Having moved beyond their "unique" color scheme they have several fans that are noteworthy
Corsair - LOTS of RGB, not sure how the QL and LL models stack up, but the ML models are MagLev bearing and high quality. Not sure if their RGB requires Corsair controllers/hardware dongles and/or Windows only software, or if it can be managed by mobo addressable headers and compatible with Asus Aura et al.
Scythe - GentleTyphoons are an old one but apparently there are newly made ones that are worth it. Maybe others?
EK - EK Vardar seems to be focused on static pressure/radiators and for good reason given EK's focus. Now RGB versions too, and apparently on June 1 MagLevs will come. Not sure if EK can be controlled via mobo or sync via Asus Aura et al, or if it needs EK (windows only) software
LianLi - Seems to be really desired for the aesthetic, particularly their UniFan, maybe others? Mostly case fans?
Arctic - They make a solid AIO but not sure how their fans stack up - "good enough" or the kind to be sought out?
Noiseblocker / eLoop - I remember these used to be expensive but noteworthy , not sure how the tech has kept up.

I'm sure there are others, but that's a start. Feel free to weigh in!
 
Noctua! I can live with the "ugly" color. The NF-A12x25 PWM is a seriously awesome fan, even if it is a little on the pricey side! The Arctic 120 AIO I had started with original fans and then I swapped the pusher fan with the NF-A12 and it lowered my temps around 4C. Even at 2000 RPM they are rather quiet compared to other fans at the same RPM. They do a good job striking a balance between airflow and static pressure, you get the best of both.

I'm using Noctua Redux (two 140mm 1700 RPM versions for case cooling), Chromax (D15S black) and the NF-A12 (second fan on the D15S).

Arctic Cooling fans, at least the latest ones they using on the second gen AIO coolers are pretty decent, appreaching Noctua for performance and noise level.

Some Corsair fans are ok, but I haven't been impressed with their stuff unless you really want RGB.

I've heard some good comments about Scythe fans, but haven't seen much from them lately.

EK Varder I think has some decent fans.

Can't really comment much on the other fans listed.
 
For price/performance I don't think you can beat the Arctic fans. I have several P12 PWM/PST fans I've been using for a couple of years without issue. They move a good bit of air and to me they aren't loud. I have all fans (except video card) running 100% because I can't stand hearing fans ramp up and down all the time. I don't mind a low hum from fans running a constant speed. I also recently got a 5 pack of the P14 PWM/PST fans and I'm perfectly happy with them as well.

As for high static pressure fans and regular fans, I'm to the point where I only get the higher static pressure fans. Between grills and filters pretty much everything needs higher static pressure, even your normal case fans. A typical or standard case fan is going to struggle pulling air through grills and filters which is exactly what higher static pressure fans are for.

One caveat to the Arctic fans is some people say they notice extra noise at certain RPMs. I haven't experienced this because I run all mine at 100% but it's something to keep in mind. You may want to solicit opinions on those fans at certain RPM ranges.
 
Speaking of fans, lets talk fans! I'm trying to decide if I'm to make another thread or not specific to fans, but I'll start here...

As fans go, they seem to fall into two categories - high static pressure focused fans preferable for liquid cooling radiator mounting and/or high airflow fans for mounting elsewhere in the case to either bring in cool air in or exhaust hot air. Both types have performance and loudness to take into consideration, as well as the potential for adressable RGB aesthetics and control/features.

These days there are tons of fans out there but I'm to understand that some of the more desirable manufacturers or models are...

Noctua - Having moved beyond their "unique" color scheme they have several fans that are noteworthy
Corsair - LOTS of RGB, not sure how the QL and LL models stack up, but the ML models are MagLev bearing and high quality. Not sure if their RGB requires Corsair controllers/hardware dongles and/or Windows only software, or if it can be managed by mobo addressable headers and compatible with Asus Aura et al.
Scythe - GentleTyphoons are an old one but apparently there are newly made ones that are worth it. Maybe others?
EK - EK Vardar seems to be focused on static pressure/radiators and for good reason given EK's focus. Now RGB versions too, and apparently on June 1 MagLevs will come. Not sure if EK can be controlled via mobo or sync via Asus Aura et al, or if it needs EK (windows only) software
LianLi - Seems to be really desired for the aesthetic, particularly their UniFan, maybe others? Mostly case fans?
Arctic - They make a solid AIO but not sure how their fans stack up - "good enough" or the kind to be sought out?
Noiseblocker / eLoop - I remember these used to be expensive but noteworthy , not sure how the tech has kept up.

I'm sure there are others, but that's a start. Feel free to weigh in!
After owning noiseblocker Eloops and a couple of different Noctuas.....I have recently been liking Bequiet fans. They have a much more pleasant noise profile and "feel' quieter, even if they maybe don't actually measure lower decibels. The fan motor makes basically zero noise. And the cooling is just as good.

The Eloop fans are really cool and can be very silent in terms of the noise turbulence from the fan blades. However, they are no good as a pull fan with a heatsink or grill behind them, as their unique design results in a strange sawblade sort of buzzing sound, when in a pull configuration. and even though the noise from fan blade turbulence is VERY low----one of the motors emits a high frequency tone. Some people may not notice it, but I am sensitive to such things. And it doesn't' go away when the PC is idle. if the fans are on, the noise is there.

noctuas are a great balance of motor noise/turbulence noise/cooling performance. But they do have a fair amount of turbulence noise at higher speeds and its just not as pleasant as the two bequiet fans I have now.

i also have a Scythe fan which came with a Mugen 5 Rev. B heatsink. It probably pushes/pulls more air than any of my fans and you can really feel the airflow through any venting on the case. But....it makes a fair amount of noise in doing so. its a pretty pleasant whooshing sound. But its fairly loud and the motor noise, while not harsh, is also quite present. Maybe I got a lemon but, it doesn't seem as quiet as reviews have said.
 
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