zhylun

I am considering this HSF as my next investment. Will it need to be lapped? The pictures make it seem very flat and smooth, but I thought I'd ask to be safe. Would it be worth it buy an extra Noctua fan or two for push/pull set up and/or case fans? The fans are quite expensive, so I wasn't sure if something cheaper could perform as well.

wigseryc

This is how mine arrived. Not lapped at all, but i looked smooth enough for me.

Also, i can't comment on the push/pull setup, but i can justify buying two more of the fans for your case, as this is exactly what i did. They move a fair bit of air, and in my opinion, are worth it. Colours might not be your thing though, especially if you've got a windowed case.

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feels good man.

Aumotocnic: "An unfortunate member of the overclock.net insomnia club"

RayvinAzn

Scythe S-Flex fans are slightly less expensive than the Noctua, nearly as quiet at equal RPMs, perform on the same level at the same RPM, and have the same MTBF. They can also be cranked up higher than the Noctua if you feel the need, but last I heard the NH-U12P's fin spacing doesn't really benefit as much from a higher-powered fan as something like the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme. You could try a 38mm deep fan if you want, but it'll probably only fit on the push side of the cooler, it'll be a rather tight fit if you want to get it as the pull fan. I prefer Panaflo for my 38mm needs, but the Ultra Kaze fans are also decent.

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Dusted.

Kopi

There is no curve in the fins and they are almost 1/8" gap in between, so they're optimized for low CFM fans.

I noticed a 1-2c difference in push pull with 2 noctua fans

But with an 88cfm yate loon over one stock fan, about 3-4cfm.

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B!ol

Is it any louder with the Yate Loon?

RayvinAzn

At 88CFM, yes.

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Dusted.

zhylun

I just purchased one from Jab-Tech.com. Will post pics when it arrives. I didn't pick up any extra fans for the time being, will get some when I have a steady job (summer school coach only lasts so long...). Thanks for all your replies, they helped very much in my decision making.

Kopi

You've made a great choice and performance with the stock fan will still be awesome, only a few degree's warmer than my 90cfmer!

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wigseryc

Even with the stock fan (which is brilliant) i idle at 28/29 most of the time.


You really have made a good call. Quality > All.

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feels good man.

Aumotocnic: "An unfortunate member of the overclock.net insomnia club"

zhylun

My Noctua just arrived via FedEx! I will be installing it tomorrow as I don't have time today. I'm going to be lapping my E6400 and (possibly) the Noctua, though the base seems fairly smooth. It is shiny, but there are machining grooves still. Recommendations? I was also thinking that lapping through the nickel down to the copper would increase performance?