Hi

 

Has anyone tried this in place of a water cooler?

 

Phanteks PH-TC14PE 140mm UFB CPU Cooler 

 

 

You haven't told us which "water cooler" you're comparing to, make and model, so not possible to compare temps.

 

The Phanteks PH-TC14 PE isn't a bad cooler, in fact it's not far away from the NH-D15 in terms of temps and noise. It also has a spring retention system, which is essential on a big tower air cooler to minimise dynamic load. It's pretty much Phanteks attempt to copy the Noctua NH-D14 to be honest.

 

My suggestion though is that you go for the best air cooler out there, namely the Noctua NH-D15S. You get the legendary Noctua build quality, the best spring retention mechanism out there, great cooling and low noise. Not to mention great RAM compatibility.

 

I've posted a lot about the D15S on the forum and commented how, in my opinion, it's the NH-D15 perfected.

 

Don't be put off by the fact it has only one fan. Two fans on a big tower cooler only reduces temp by 1 - 2 degrees. That's because the velocity of the air passing through the cooler is the same, only static pressure increases a fraction with two fans. Noctua do give you some clips though if you insist on two fans.

 

And the best recommendation of all that I can give you is that I actually have one cooling my CPU. It's a 6700K overclocked to 4.6 GHz. It runs super cool and very, very quiet. In fact the PWM fans mostly run at low RPM unless I'm running a stress test.

 

It's big though, so do check it fits in your enclosure.

 

http://noctua.at/en/products/cpu-cooler-retail/nh-d15s

Hey Martin

 

Many thanks. I have never had a water cooler, but have considered until i read of problems leaking, so was thinking of something else.

 

I am going to check yours out!! I have a Corsair 750D - maybe it will fit?

 

cheers

 

lennie

... I have never had a water cooler, but have considered until i read of problems leaking, so was thinking of something else.

 

Early all-in-one liquid coolers (and custom loops) did have occasional problems with leaking and pump failures (though rare). Modern liquid coolers are very reliable and efficient and have the warranties to back them up. I have a Corsair H110i GT on my i7-6700k (virtually silent with the "Quiet" profile) and it runs flawlessly.

 

There are some great air coolers out there but don't dismiss liquid cooling because of the early models.

 

 

I am going to check yours out!! I have a Corsair 750D - maybe it will fit?

 

cheers

 

lennie

 

 

Almost certain it will fit in 750D.

Hi

 

Has anyone tried this in place of a water cooler?

 

Phanteks PH-TC14PE 140mm UFB CPU Cooler 

 

Just wondering why you are thinking of a new cooler?

In your other thread about upgrading your cpu it sounded like

your present 4790 was not the K version and therefor not overclocked?

 

gb.

Early all-in-one liquid coolers (and custom loops) did have occasional problems with leaking and pump failures (though rare). Modern liquid coolers are very reliable and efficient and have the warranties to back them up. I have a Corsair H110i GT on my i7-6700k (virtually silent with the "Quiet" profile) and it runs flawlessly.

 

There are some great air coolers out there but don't dismiss liquid cooling because of the early models.

 

 

 

Early all-in-one liquid coolers (and custom loops) did have occasional problems with leaking and pump failures (though rare).

 

No... that's misleading! Occasional issues exist with AIO coolers NOW! Issues were even more prevalent when AIO's were fist released. You make it sound as if issues don't occur anymore, which is untrue.

 

Modern liquid coolers are very reliable and efficient and have the warranties to back them up.

 

But they still fail, probably not that common but they do fail. And when they do fail you have the hassle of an RMA, the hassle of taking photographs of your water damaged motherboard and graphics card, applying for compensation, a protracted delay while the company in question assess your claim... the fastest I've seen is three weeks, but on occasion it can take months. That's a long time without a PC.

 

It's also worth bearing in mind that AIO coolers have "moving parts" that wear out. Pumps have a limited lifespan and as they age become nosier and ultimately fail.

 

Compare the above to a big tower air cooler that has zero moving parts, zero chance of leaks, lasts forever, can be used on as many builds as you like and cools quietly and efficiently enough to overclock your CPU as far as you need to. 

 

There are some great air coolers out there but don't dismiss liquid cooling because of the early models.

 

As I said, that's wrong. It's not "early models" do a search and you will see that they still fail.

 

We can assume of course that AIO cooler leaks, pump noise and pump failure are rare and they probably are. But do bear in mind that manufacturers never publish failure rates, so in reality we have no idea. But yes, I am prepared to consider the possibility that such eventualities are "occasional".

 

Consider the following analogy...

 

Imagine a bridge across a huge chasm. The bridge fulfils it's primary function, namely it transports your body from one side to the other. The bridge has zero chance of failure.

 

​Now consider a second bridge, adjacent to the first, it too fulfils it's primary function, in that it transports your body from one side to the other. However, on occasion it fails.

 

Only an idiot would choose to cross via the second bridge. Logic dictates that you choose the bridge that can't fail. Why risk even the rare chance of bridge collapse and your imminent death when the alternative is "utterly safe!". :smile:  

 

In my opinion, the only reason to choose an AIO cooler over something like an NH-D15S is for aesthetics, because you don't like the look of a big tower cooler. Logically there is no other reason.

 

Sure, some try to justify the decision to cool with AIO by claiming the overclocks are better, or that the D15 is a strain on the motherboard, but when you analyse these claims they are shown to be irrelevant or erroneous.

 

Even the best AIO coolers that do mange to cool somewhat better than the D15 aren't far enough ahead to justify the risk of occasional leaks or other failures. 100 or 200 MHz greater overclock eguates to 1 - 2 frames per second at 30 frames per second. Meaningless!. And we should bear in mind that AIO coolers often "cheat" by using high RPM noisy fans. Use the same fans on the D15 and most AIO's won't be as efficient.

 

Then we have "motherboard strain". This is something that AIO fans often throw around. But in reality it's nonsense. The D15 utilises the Secu-Firm 2 mounting system that is quite frankly superb. It has a spring retention system that prevents damage to the motherboard. In fact, dynamic load is lower than Intel's recommended spec for Skylake. Static load is slightly higher but that's by design and intentional in order to improve cooling.

 

The only issues you will find regarding the D15, is when idiots have decided to ship their entire PC's across the US with cooler still attached. 

 

The above, is just my opinion. Some will disagree, some will agree, either way that's fine. I have no issue with others making a different choice.

Just wondering why you are thinking of a new cooler?

In your other thread about upgrading your cpu it sounded like

your present 4790 was not the K version and therefor not overclocked?

 

gb.

 

 

He said he believed it was the "K".

Martin, I know that you're an air cooling evangelist but just because you don't like them doesn't mean that they're not good or that others should avoid them. I could list all the excellent reasons to use an AIO cooler but I won't. Consider this my last post on this thread, life's too short!

 

Lennie, read the reviews and make up your own mind - take a look at http://www.guru3d.com/articles-categories/cooling.html for a good place to start. Both types have their pro's and con's and there are good and bad versions of each type.

Martin, I know that you're an air cooling evangelist but just because you don't like them doesn't mean that they're not good or that others should avoid them.

 

 

 

 

1. I'm not an "evangelist" as you put it. In fact I considered the Corsair H110 for my latest rig. And in fact, if I were to build a Micro ATX rig I would consider AIO due to the lack of space. While accepting the risk of leaks of course.

 

2. I didn't say other shouldn't use them.

 

3. I didn't say they "weren't good!

 

4. You didn't read all of my post.

 

As I said, and it's there right at the bottom of my post...  :smile:

 

 

"The above, is just my opinion. Some will disagree, some will agree, either way that's fine. I have no issue with others making a different choice."

 

 

 

I think you owe me an apology there.  :smile:

 

 

I could list all the excellent reasons to use an AIO cooler but I won't.

 

 

 

Why won't you list them? It's just a friendly discussion between enthusiasts. We might both learn something.

 

Please do post your list of excellent reasons! I would love to hear them.  

 

As I said, I have no issue with others making a different choice, it's just my take on it. However, if you wish to disagree my opinions and claim I've said things I haven't, then it would be nice if you gave us your list, and also countered my arguments. Teach me the error of my ways! I'm willing to benefit from your experience.

 

 

Consider this my last post on this thread, life's too short!

 

 

 

Why are you offended? We can't get offended just because someone has a different opinion and makes different choices. 

 

Would be great if you countered any or all of my opinions re AIO coolers. Can you?

Hey Guys,

 

Let's let it rest for now. With some slider changes i have a smooth ride now and my son who knows more about computers than i do [no surprise here!!] he doesn't think that i need any additional cooling now. My case has 3 fans, and not too loud.

 

Thanks for all suggestions!!!

 

Lennie

Hey Guys,

 

Let's let it rest for now. 

 

Lennie

 

 

 

 

Damn! I wanted to see his special list!  :smile: