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I'm currently using the Corsair H-50 and the temps are so-so. I'm in a quest to find the best aftermarket cooler and I picked up a Noctua NH-D14 to see how it fares.
The NH-D14 is coming in the mail in the next few days and I'm going to post the results of multiple stress tests to determine which cooler works the best.
My i7 920 is currently at 4.0GHz at 1.30625 V-core. I want to push this chip further, and until I can do watercooling we're going to need the best cooling solution.
I will be using the manufacturer supplied TIM (Shin-Etsu on H50 and Noctua NT-H1)
Tests:
1. LinX 20 runs problem size 25,000
2. OCCT 1 HR
(using Coretemp to measure CPU temps)
Test subjects:
1. Corsair H50 (mounted as intake with fans in push/pull--stock Corsair fan + XION 120mm)
2. Noctua NH-D14 (with stock fans)
Ambient Temps:
20*C
TEST RESULTS (link to Screenshots):
Corsair H50
OCCT max temps: 76, 73, 72, 68
LinX max temps: 80, 77, 74, 72
Noctua NH-D14
OCCT max temps: 68, 66, 63, 62
LinX max temps: 72, 71, 67, 66
Summary:
The Corsair H50's hottest temp was 80'C while the Noctua NH-D14's hottest temp was 72'C. In all of my stress testing (Intel Burn Test, OCCT, LinX and Prime95) my LinX temps are always the highest, therefore I think that it is the best to point out while testing. Furthermore, the Corsair H-50 is a solid cooler and definitely a space saver, but it did not provide results as good as the Noctua NH-D14.
So...
There you have it...the Noctua NH-D14 is our winner!!
*Note*
The point of this test is to determine which is the better cooling solution for my setup. I am neither claiming to be the authority on heatsinks nor claiming my testing to be infallible
