The 140mm Slim Tower CPU Cooler Roundup: Thin & Light Done Just Right
by E. Fylladitakis on May 24, 2017 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- be quiet!
- Noctua
- Phanteks
- Cooler
- Thermalright
Testing Results: Maximum Fan Speed
To start things off, let's take a look at the peak cooling performance of our four tower coolers. We should note that the Phanteks PH-TC14S is once again the oddity of this review, with its fan reaching 1520 RPM. The specifications of the PH-F140HP fan state a very broad maximum speed range of 1300 ± 250 RPM, so our reading is within the fan’s specifications, yet this is the first time that we have encountered a fan spinning that much faster than its rated speed.
With their fans running at their maximum speed, the best overall thermal performance comes from Thermalright’s True Spirit 140 Direct. Noctua’s NH-U14S handles high loads a little better, but Thermalright’s offering has a very strong advantage at lower loads, suggesting more efficient heat transfer due to its direct contact design.
The Be Quiet! Shadow Rock Slim falls a little behind in terms of thermal performance but only by a couple of degrees, which is acceptable considering that it had the lowest noise reading of this review. Considering the overall design of the cooler and that it has a smaller number of heatpipes in comparison to every other cooler in this review, its top speed performance is surprisingly good.
| Core Temperature, Constant Thermal Load (Max Fan Speed) |
Although its thermal performance is satisfactory, the Phanteks PH-TC14S falls behind the other three coolers of this review. It is both slightly louder and less efficient, especially when it has to deal with very high thermal loads. The difference however is small and a more carefully designed revision can easily turn the tables.
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Yuriman - Wednesday, May 24, 2017 - link
Nice review! Please do more of these.One thing I'd like to see is to have the coolers' thermal resistance normalized for noise. I understand that's not an easy task, but it would be nice to see how much each can dissipate at a given noise level (the only two metrics most people really care about), rather than having both noise and resistance being variables.
Paapaa125 - Wednesday, May 24, 2017 - link
I agree, that would be the best data. If not feasible, I'd like to see the thermal characteristics of each cooler using the same fan at the same speed (tested at many levels).Lolimaster - Thursday, May 25, 2017 - link
Ryzen 7 1700 + Hyper 212X <45°C at load @900rpm, can't even hear the thing.fanofanand - Thursday, May 25, 2017 - link
There are way more variables loli, what kind of case do you have? Any added insulation? What's the average sound level in your room? Do you have a high powered GPU that drowns out the CPU cooler? Do you have loud case fans? Do you have a loud PSU? I'm sure you have a very nice system so having a normalized test would clear up the questions for everyone rather than anecdotal "I can't hear it" statements. Not trying to attack what you are saying but I 3rd the idea that normalized testing for performance at a specific sound level would be great. Even then, different sounds can be more grating than others depending on the pitch. This is probably the hardest area of computing to test, is sound.Lolimaster - Saturday, May 27, 2017 - link
Cheapo case, only fans are the cpu, psu (a seasonic) and a RX560 a low rpm + undervolt.The only thing I actually hear are my 3 HDD's, if I boot without those is basically the expected electric hum.
My place is quite silent.
Gigaplex - Monday, May 29, 2017 - link
If you can't hear the Hyper 212X @900rpm you may need to get your ears checked.JocPro - Monday, May 29, 2017 - link
Same here, R7 1700 + Thermaltake NiC L32 (It's a Slim 140mm tower - why wasn't in the review?) 500 RPM idle, ~600 RPM load... I can't hear it, even trying. The case has 4 CM Silencio PWM @ 900 RPM, and only the air pushed is audible.jospoortvliet - Friday, May 26, 2017 - link
I would prefer to see coolers sped up to the point they produce a fixed amount of noise (say 38db or so) and then compare how much they cool. A much better way to compare them.Robotire - Wednesday, May 24, 2017 - link
Interesting topic but I have a hard time getting useful information out of this article. I would have prefered to see noise levels and efficiency at idle and at full CPU load instead of these artificial 7V and 12V levels. Also there is no easy to read conclusion to help people in a hurry choose the best cooler for their need, and I have no idea what the thermal resistance values mean.mgilbert - Wednesday, May 24, 2017 - link
When it comes to air coolers, there's Noctua, then there is everyone else. They are superior in virtually every respect, especially quality and support.