120mm vs 140mm Fans for CPU Cooling
120mm vs 140mm Fans for CPU Cooling
I am organizing a new Ryzen PC build featuring the 1800X processor, aware that it has been surpassed in performance by the 2700X but secured a favorable price of £170. Realizing that the 1800X lacks a stock cooler and I aim to have some flexibility for mild overclocking, I opted for an aftermarket solution.
I chose the dual fan Cooler Master Hyper 212 LED Turbo model, as shown here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071D3RQC3/. While searching reviews on the Amazon product page, I saw a question from a QA reviewer about whether the two 120mm fans could be replaced with 140mm models. Several reviewers confirmed this was possible since the cooler supports both fan sizes.
This led me to consider if using two 140mm fans might enhance the cooling efficiency of this CPU cooler. My hypothesis was that the increased surface area of the larger fans could improve airflow over the heatsink or help maintain cooler temperatures on the VRMs, especially with mild overclocking.
However, I noted that 140mm fans tend to spin slower, which could potentially lower overall cooling performance. I was also evaluating two identical Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP-14 fans at 1000rpm, available here: https://www.amazon.com/Fractal-Design-Dy...01KIUF8BC/. These were brand new and still in their packaging when purchased.
In summary, should I stick with the included 120mm fans or upgrade to the 140mm ones? I’m keen to hear opinions on this decision, as discussions about 120mm versus 140mm fans for CPU cooling are common but limited in depth.
I would test it using the original fan to check performance. The second fan won't be very effective since the air is already moving, and it's mostly being driven by the first fan. There are 140mm fans with 120mm mounts available.
You can also opt for a 140mm cooler.
https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.p...11&area=en
Or purchase a 140mm cooler.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a...9ZH3S91415
The gap between 140mm and 120mm isn't about cooling, it's about sound quality. The bigger ones move more air, so they spin slower. Thus, smaller fans are generally noisier. Overall, the quieter model with 1800x hits a hard surface around 4ghz, no matter the cooling benefits. I wouldn't overdo it on cooling since you won't gain much from it. With that in mind, I don't prefer the 212 and would choose the Cryorig H5 for similar pricing.
The distinction between 140mm and 120mm lies in sound quality, not cooling. The larger size of 140mm allows it to move more air, so it doesn’t need to spin as fast as 120mm. Generally, smaller fans produce louder noise. Ultimately, the 1800X reaches around 4GHz when hitting a hard wall, no matter the cooling benefits. Therefore, I wouldn’t overdo the cooling since you won’t gain much more performance.
I’m not a big fan of the 212 model; I’d prefer the Cryorig H5 for similar pricing. Checked the Cryorig H5, but when I tried to buy it on Amazon (via CM Hyper 212 LED Turbo), it was £20 more than the CM Hyper 212 LED Turbo. That seems like poor value, especially since the latter includes an extra fan that likely improves cooling performance.
Hold on a moment—the 1800X already runs at 4GHz, at least during turbo mode, so it doesn’t overclock much.
That’s pretty disappointing for an X series chip that should offer better overclocking potential. I might have gotten the 1700 and pushed it to 4GHz instead...
SkyNetRising :
How exactly do you imagine putting 140mm fan on that cooler?
Screw holes are in completely different positions.
If you want cooler with 140mm fans, then NH-D15 SE-AM4 would be the choice.
https://noctua.at/en/products/cpu-cooler...d15-se-am4
I'm currently waiting for the cooler to be delivered so haven't actually seen it in person, I was just going from the question and answer section on Amazon.com where someone asked if 140mm fans could be used and they had two replies saying they could be used.
Plus from the tower type coolers I have had previously you don't actually screw the fans to the heatsink, they instead attach with wire holders, which could conceivably have two mounting positions to suit 120mm and 140mm.
KingOfComputing :
feelinfroggy777 :
The distinction between 140mm and 120mm isn't about cooling, it's about sound. The bigger ones move more air, so 140mm fans don't need to spin as fast as 120mm. Generally, the smaller the fan, the louder it gets. Ultimately, the 1800X reaches around 4GHz when hitting a hard wall, no matter what. Therefore, I wouldn't overdo cooling since you won't gain much more performance.
With that in mind, I don't really like the 212 model. I'd prefer the Cryorig H5 for a similar price.
I checked the Cryorig H5 but when I tried to buy it (Amazon) it was about £20 more than the CM Hyper 212 LED Turbo. That seems like a poor deal, especially since the latter includes an extra fan which likely improves cooling performance.
Take your time, the 1800X already runs at 4GHz, at least on turbo mode, so it doesn't overclock much.
That's pretty disappointing for an X-series chip that should offer better overclocking. I might have just upgraded the 1700 to 4GHz and pushed it further...
🙁
Maybe I'm used to older Intel chips from the Sandybridge era that could easily hit up to 1GHz+ without much effort. The Ryzens, on the other hand, seem quite limited for overclocking...
Yeah, he's mistaken about reaching 4GHz.
I have solid cooling and a decent motherboard, and XFR regularly pushes my CPU to 4.1GHz without any issues. I've set all cores to 4.1GHz and had plenty of thermal headroom to reach 4.2. You won't get crazy overclocks from any Ryzen chip, but the "4GHz ceiling" he mentioned is incorrect.
KingOfComputing :
the fans aren't actually screwed into the heatsink; instead, they use wire holders that offer two possible mounting spots for 120mm and 140mm sizes.
The Cooler Master Hyper 212 LED doesn't have any wire holders.
Fans are secured to black plastic components, which are then attached to the cooler. These aren't compatible with 140mm fans. Refer to the image for details.
SkyNetRising :
KingOfComputing :
the installation isn't as straightforward as it seems. Instead of using traditional screws, they use wire holders that offer two positions for different fan sizes like 120mm and 140mm. The Cooler Master Hyper 212 LED doesn't have any wire holders either. The fans are mounted on black plastic pieces and clipped onto the cooler, but these won't fit 140mm models. Look at the picture for clarity. It seems they might have made a mistake when listing it on Amazon. Given the Ryzen's limited overclocking range, temperature probably isn't the main problem, so the 120mm fans should work fine.