current best air coolers

xDiVolatilX said:
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thnx for posting it.

heres the important part for those not watching. still really impressed by the pa120.
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kirbyrj said:
I just bought a PA SE for $34.XX on Amazon right now. I really can't believe it's that cheap. I look forward to trying it out.
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I have been considering getting a phantom spirit for a while now. But it wasn't in this review right? Just the Peerless assassin? I had to skim through the video cuz I haven't had enough time to wash the whole thing thoroughly.
 
xDiVolatilX said:
I have been considering getting a phantom spirit for a while now. But it wasn't in this review right? Just the Peerless assassin? I had to skim through the video cuz I haven't had enough time to wash the whole thing thoroughly.
Click to expand...
the PS is just a tiny bit better. so i would guess it would come in on par with the d15, based on this vids tests.
 
I'm about to build/update 2 PCs - my main high end multiiuse/gaming PC will have a 7950X3D which I am almost certain needs to be liquid cooled to get the most out of it, but the other (which will be my home server/NAS etc..system) will have a 5950X on an Asus ROG Dark Hero. I'm trying to decide if its worth it to use a AIO liquid cooler 360m (like an Arctic LiquidFreezer II ) or if an air cooler would be a better solution. Since it will be more of a server/NAS platform for stability and not "looked at" as frequently , I was wondering if taking the potential of leaks or other issues out of the loop with AIOs would be a good idea, but then again either cooling style can and should have warnings setup in the case of an emergency.

For cooling a 5950X, will a good air cooler let it get to the chip's potential (or close to it) with PBO2 + Asus DynamicOC or would a liquid AIO really be beneficial in keeping it cool and stable? If there are air coolers worthwhile, I am guessing its more likely to be Thermalright, Noctua, or maybe Scythe among others, but then again a top tier air cooler may come close to the price of liquid anyway; not necessarily an issue but it may be another reason to just use liquid if there are other advantages on performance and the like. Ideas and thoughts?
 
best bang for buck coolers are the thermalright pa120, ps120 or fs140, they will cool both fine. if you want them to run cooler and quieter get an arctic 360 aio. ive also never had an aio leak...
edit: added the c in artic.
 
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PS120SE is a little stronger than FC140, and PA120 takes up the rear. All are good coolers though, and when I say good, I do mean excellent.

What is nice about PS120SE is that it is the same footprint as PA120SE, so pretty small.

I guess it isn't that small.. but compared to LGMRT, FC140, even TS140P :D

I have been letting it fold for a few hours, I zeroed the counter just before I left for work..

Capture.PNG
 
I got a PA120 for the 5820k in my backup rig. It's an old CPU but it's a heat monster when overclocked @ 4.5Ghz. It used to push my old H100i GTX to it's limit. The CM 212 Evo I have on there right now, even with 2 fans in push-pull on an aggressive fan curve, is a joke and it will BSOD in about 10 seconds if I run Prime95. I think the overclocked 5820k actually puts out more heat than my overclocked 5900X did (before I swapped it out for a 5800X3D). I needed something decent, but don't want to deal with an AIO in a backup rig. This should work nicely. I thought about the PS120 but the PA120 is the only one I saw that still specifically lists 2011-V3 compatibility; better safe than sorry.

I was very surprised that they don't offer an easy way to buy extra fan clips. Is it not common to add a 3rd fan?
 
GotNoRice said:
I got a PA120 for the 5820k in my backup rig. It's an old CPU but it's a heat monster when overclocked @ 4.5Ghz. It used to push my old H100i GTX to it's limit. The CM 212 Evo I have on there right now, even with 2 fans in push-pull on an aggressive fan curve, is a joke and it will BSOD in about 10 seconds if I run Prime95. I think the overclocked 5820k actually puts out more heat than my overclocked 5900X did (before I swapped it out for a 5800X3D). I needed something decent, but don't want to deal with an AIO in a backup rig. This should work nicely. I thought about the PS120 but the PA120 is the only one I saw that still specifically lists 2011-V3 compatibility; better safe than sorry.

I was very surprised that they don't offer an easy way to buy extra fan clips. Is it not common to add a 3rd fan?
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Adding a 3rd fan really doesn't help any. The 2bd fan barely helps much. You get to the point you are removing heat away faster then heatsink can draw.
 
vegeta535 said:
Adding a 3rd fan really doesn't help any. The 2bd fan barely helps much. You get to the point you are removing heat away faster then heatsink can draw.
Click to expand...

It seems like there is definitely a difference based on fan airflow.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/thermalright-peerless-assassin-120-se/2

That graph should be relevant because the 5820k can push 200w+ when overclocked. A 14C difference just based on airflow makes it seem like there is still potential there. I'm still not sure if I'm going to use the stock fans at all, as most of the 120mm PWM fans I have available are good for 100+ CFM.
 
I did a bench shootout between my PA120 (non SE) and a PS120SE, and the PA120 is a little better....

Same settings for both. With the Silent Wings 4 fan in the middle and T30 on the back.


Looking closer at the PS120SE, the base is bigger and the two outer heatpipes do not fully sit on the CPU, and it does have less fins.
Shorter in height, and the rear fan also sits above the fins


Even Quaserzone found the PA120 to be slightly better than the PS120SE on an 12900k.....
PA120 that is, never had the PA120SE which would be similar in height to the PS120SE

Your milegae may vary....


https://quasarzone.com/bbs/qc_qsz/v...ject&page=1&popularity=&sort=num, reply&type=

418aa93c6e5f07e9a848f80501b166d3.png



02701aa668bb21617b1a5e4714e25617.png


-----------------

My tests today -
Fans are set to my usual, barely audible from 1m away settings, even for late night ambient noise levels
850rpm for CPU fans...

lxyZSwt.png



PS120SE

test 1 - AidA64 -




PS120SE

Test 2 - Cinebench20



Aida64




PA120

test 1 - Cinebench20



Aida64




PA120

test 2 - Cinebench20



Aida64

 
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CoolColJ said:
I did a bench shootout between my PA120 (non SE) and a PS120SE, and the PA120 is a little better....

Same settings for both. With the Silent Wings 4 fan in the middle and T30 on the back.


Looking closer at the PS120SE, the base is bigger and the two outer heatpipes do not fully sit on the CPU, and it does have less fins.
Shorter in height, and the rear fan also sits above the fins


Even Quaserzone found the PA120 to be slightly better than the PS120SE on an 12900k.....
PA120 that is, never had the PA120SE which would be similar in height to the PS120SE

Your milegae may vary....


https://quasarzone.com/bbs/qc_qsz/v...ject&page=1&popularity=&sort=num, reply&type=
View attachment 569484


View attachment 569485

-----------------

My tests today -




PS120SE

test 1 - AidA64 -




PS120SE

Test 2 - Cinebench20



Aida64




PA120

test 1 - Cinebench20



Aida64




PA120

test 2 - Cinebench20



Aida64

Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing 👍
 
Phantom Spirit 120
just got released - it measures 157mm, so it appears to have the same fin stack height as the PA120

All the PA120 models should be the same, but the SE models are different - shorter, less fins,
Now the new PS120, non SE, remains to be seen if it performs better than the PA120


ps120%E4%B8%BB%E5%9B%BE3-768x768-jpg.2614251
ps120%E4%B8%BB%E5%9B%BE1-600x600-jpg.2614250
 
CoolColJ said:
Phantom Spirit 120
just got released - it measures 157mm, so it appears to have the same fin stack height as the PA120

All the PA120 models should be the same, but the SE models are different - shorter, less fins,
Now the new PS120, non SE, remains to be seen if it performs better than the PA120


ps120%E4%B8%BB%E5%9B%BE3-768x768-jpg.2614251
ps120%E4%B8%BB%E5%9B%BE1-600x600-jpg.2614250
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The pa120 and se have the exact same fin stack. The se doesn't have the Thermalright heatsink cap, like the 120 does. See the last picture in your post. The pa120 is 157mm tall due to the cap. The se is 155mm. And the fans are different. Same specs but different models. Those are the only differences iirc.

PA120
TL-C12B FAN Spec：
Dimension：L120 mm x W120 mm x H25 mm
Weight：135g
Rated Speed：1550 RPM±10% (MAX)
Noise Level：25.6 dBA
Air Flow：66.17 CFM (MAX)
Air Pressure：1.53mm H2O (MAX)
Ampere：0.20 A
Connector：4 Pin (PWM Fan connector)
Bearing Type : S-FDB Bearing

PA120se
TL-C12C FAN Spec：
Dimension：L120 mm x W120 mm x H25 mm
Weight：120g
Rated Speed：1550 RPM±10% (MAX)
Noise Level：25.6 dBA
Air Flow：66.17 CFM (MAX)
Air Pressure：1.53mm H2O (MAX)
Ampere：0.20 A
Connector：4 Pin (PWM Fan connector)
Bearing Type : S-FDB Bearing
 
hititnquitit said:
The pa120 and se have the exact same fin stack. The se doesn't have the Thermalright heatsink cap, like the 120 does. See the last picture in your post. The pa120 is 157mm tall due to the cap. The se is 155mm. And the fans are different. Same specs but different models. Those are the only differences iirc.

PA120
TL-C12B FAN Spec：
Dimension：L120 mm x W120 mm x H25 mm
Weight：135g
Rated Speed：1550 RPM±10% (MAX)
Noise Level：25.6 dBA
Air Flow：66.17 CFM (MAX)
Air Pressure：1.53mm H2O (MAX)
Ampere：0.20 A
Connector：4 Pin (PWM Fan connector)
Bearing Type : S-FDB Bearing

PA120se
TL-C12C FAN Spec：
Dimension：L120 mm x W120 mm x H25 mm
Weight：120g
Rated Speed：1550 RPM±10% (MAX)
Noise Level：25.6 dBA
Air Flow：66.17 CFM (MAX)
Air Pressure：1.53mm H2O (MAX)
Ampere：0.20 A
Connector：4 Pin (PWM Fan connector)
Bearing Type : S-FDB Bearing
Click to expand...


PA120 has more fins and is taller than the PS120SE, which is similar to the PA120SE.
the SE models are budget versions.

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1vG4y1x7c1/?spm_id_from=333.788.recommend_more_video.7


Screenshot 2023-05-11 023645.png


Screenshot 2023-05-11 024017.png



Screenshot 2023-05-11 023855.png
 
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CoolColJ said:
PA120 has more fins and is taller than the PS120SE, which is similar to the PA120SE.
the SE models are budget versions.

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1vG4y1x7c1/?spm_id_from=333.788.recommend_more_video.7


View attachment 569493

View attachment 569494


View attachment 569496
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Mmmnah I don't do bilibili links, thanks.

I'll stick to Thermalrights tech specs when in doubt. Like I said, 2mm difference in height, fans are different models and oh yeah, the pa120 is 20g heavier lol. I've used both and they perform identically. Have a great day ☺️

PA120
Technical Spec :
Heatsink Specifications:
Dimension：L125 mm x W135 mm x H157 mm
Weight：750g
Heat pipes：6mm heatpipe x 6 units
Fin：T = 0.4 mm；Gap=1.8 mm
Copper Base：C1100 Pure copper nickel plated

PA120se
Technical Spec :
Heatsink Specifications:
Dimension：L125 mm x W110 mm x H155 mm
Weight：730g
Heat pipes：6mm heatpipe x 6 units
Copper Base：C1100 Pure copper nickel plated
 
My PA120 arrived yesterday. It's actually smaller than I thought it would be based on the pictures. I thought it would be more like 2x CM 212 heatsinks, but each side is about 2/3rds the size of a CM 212. I installed it on my 5820k last night and I am very impressed. Temperatures are better than what I was getting with my old Corsair H100i GTX AIO with 4 fans in push-pull.

Although I decided to stick with my existing fans. The stock TL-C12 fans look like decent fans but obviously designed for people with different priorities than I have (people who get angsty about loud fans). My existing fans are real dual-ball-bearing fans, good for 124 CFM as opposed to 66CFM. Of course they are noisier (44 dBA at 2800 RPM), but that's not really an issue for me when using a custom fan curve.

I'm really glad to see this sort of progress with air coolers (air coolers that don't cost a fortune). I bet it would cool my 5800X3D just fine. If my current 360mm AIO failed, I'd probably just buy one of these to replace it.
 
They make good coolers. I wonder if I am getting good results because of my Torrent? I swear PS120SE is as good as FC140, and both are better than PA120SE.. Maybe they react differently with Intel CPUs?
 
They definitely react differently with different CPUs. Differences in chip size and orientation can be 4-5c. Then there is differences in contact print of IHS to cooler base can easily be 2-3c difference. Sometimes different motherboards will react differently to same CPU because of socket and mount tolerances.
 
Finally got the PA120SE installed; swapped it from my ID-Cooling SE-226-XT.

Crazy having them both side by side.. how large the single tower SE-226-XT is... its a beast for a single tower heatsink.

Looking at the specs.. its obvious... the SE-226-XT comes in at 910g total weight (heatsink + fan) compared to the PA120SE's 850g total weight (heatsink + fan)... these are approximate though, as I am using a Phanteks PH-F120MP in place of the stock fan.

Also due to clearance issues, I am using just the single PH-F120MP in the middle of the twin towers... Seems to not be an issue though with the single fan and looks great in the rig (if you are into that sort of thing)

Appears to be about 1 to 1.5 c improvement at idle... but.. that can be chalked up to margin of error... better thermal paste application... etc... etc...
 
jlbenedict said:
Finally got the PA120SE installed; swapped it from my ID-Cooling SE-226-XT.

Crazy having them both side by side.. how large the single tower SE-226-XT is... its a beast for a single tower heatsink.

Looking at the specs.. its obvious... the SE-226-XT comes in at 910g total weight (heatsink + fan) compared to the PA120SE's 850g total weight (heatsink + fan)... these are approximate though, as I am using a Phanteks PH-F120MP in place of the stock fan.

Also due to clearance issues, I am using just the single PH-F120MP in the middle of the twin towers... Seems to not be an issue though with the single fan and looks great in the rig (if you are into that sort of thing)

Appears to be about 1 to 1.5 c improvement at idle... but.. that can be chalked up to margin of error... better thermal paste application... etc... etc...
Click to expand...

Ok.. now on higher loads... this is where I believe the PA120SE is shining over the SE-226-XT. Load temperatures are little lower, than the small "error margin" differences..

Ran OCCT for an hour, on Extreme setting.. and my 5800x never exceeded 70c.
When I periodically checked in on it, it was sustaining around 4700Mhz on all cores.

These are all set statically in my BIOS . (Using typical default values on a 95w type of CPU... PPT/TDC/EDC 128/80/125... also -50 on max boost... so keeping it going no higher than 4,800. This is giving me my best compromises .. instead of capping off performance too much by using 65w eco mode)
The two best cores cannot handle anything lower than -15 on curve offset.. so silicon lottery not being as kind as other 5800x's out there

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DonKing said:
There are some metal heatsink out there with poor performance...
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Sure. Intel used to make em. You'd be hard pressed to find a modern one that just doesn't cool.

*Edit* Within the design limitations of the cooler. If someone takes a low profile, 4 pipe, 92mm cooler and says "it won't cool my 300w CPU", it's not the coolers fault.
 
Less noise was my target.. Air cooled ie. durability, easy to install and no maintenance relatively speaking. Cost was not a factor for me.

About to get those offset bars ordered and installed....
 
freeagentt said:
There are a lot of coolers that are as good or better than D15 for sure.

And that has been the case for years now..
Click to expand...
Screenshot 2023-06-19 122720.png
Screenshot 2023-06-19 122638.png

Source: TR PA120 hardware canucks review


I know this looks like cherry picking but big 140mm dual tower coolers like the D15 still have their place for cooling CPUs with higher TDPs as they still perform better at above 250W. Below that, for sure, diminishing returns kick in and coolers like the PA120 offer unbeatable value.
 
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