Wise old saying, eh?

Well, after installing NoiseMagic Thermocontrol's on the two 120mm Papst 4412 FGL's, the fan speeds were alot slower and I could feel more heat lingering in the case. Yet the temps reported were barely different. SOmething just wasn't right. I could hear the NMT-2 and 3 spinning the fans a little faster even after some time folding. So, that meant they were picking up more heat. Also, checking temps in the BIOS told another story. It was reporting 42C.

So after some futzing around with MBM5, I finally found the correct diodes (I"m 90% sure this time). Turns out MBM5 had CPU temp was the actually the motherboard chipset's diode.

So now the temps are 37C Idle, 44C Folding. Now that sounds more realistic.

And this is with the two fans running around 5-7V.

-Ed

Cut a hole on the top of the desktop case for the HSF to stick out and you get the benefits of cool intake ducting

LOL, it could be like a hot rod funny car!

-Ed

does anybody know (or can anybody guess) whether the XP-120 will fit the new nForce4 s939 mobos (eg. from Asus, MSI, Gigabyte) that are coming out in the next few weeks or so?

Possibly to probably, mainly depending on the layout of capacitors around the CPU socket. It's likely that at least one nForce 4 motherboard will prove compatible or just about compatible.
If you want to be sure, wait until someone's tried it, or watch the ThermalRight K8 compatability page.

Now what could possibly cool better with air than a XP-120???
(Also look at the fifth pic with the Tt, LOL!!!)

Uh, is it just me, or does that look like an accident waiting to happen?

yes, the last pic there really was a literal case of LOL

I skimmed this thread and doesn't see any mention of a good online dealer for the globe fan mentioned in the review. For that matter I don't see a mention of the Globe S1202512L-3M on globe's site.

http://www.globefan.com/DC.htm

I guess I missed something Could someone help me out here? Where can I buy the exact model desribed in the review? (18 dB)

Thanks

Hmmm, still no luck finding a source for the Globes. Has anyone tried the 120 with the new Amber 120mm fans from AKASA??

http://www.akasa.co.uk/

Also, I found a post elsewhere on the forums stating that a 92mm Nexus Silent Fan would be even quieter than the globe. What gives??

Oh man, and what about the silent iXtrema? So many decisions

T,

If you are in the UK, there are globes on the hec-compucase site. I don't remember what the link is exactly. Up until about 2 months ago you could get globes from mnpctech and coolcases - both used compucase cases that were supplied with globes. They took some of the globes out to install other fans and sold the surplus globes. They now advertise the Tek-Chain 120, which is probably a little quieter than the globe (I have both of them and they have similar specs - sleeve bearings, ~1600 max. rpm, rpm sensing, etc.). The globes sold for $8 and the Tek-Chain is closer to $15 so you might as well get a nexus unless you need more speed. The akasa is interesting because it could be made by globe or another top mfg. and rebranded. - FG

If you must have a globe, the acoustifan is a rebranded globe. It only cost a couple of dollars to manufacture a fan so its easy to tell when you're getting ripped of. With nexus, you're getting consistency, and the quietest.

EDIT: The akasa is a low speed ys-tech as you can see from one of the pictures in the review. The ys-tech version is here -
http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewto ... t=fan+test

Hi,

I want buy a Thermakright XP-120 and a Panaflo L1A, and Best Buy (http://www.bestbyteinc.com) has booth, with good prices.
Anybody has bought anything from this store? They deliver on time? Any comment or suggestion?
Anyone suggest other on-line retailer for this combo?

Best regards,
FireMan

I don't much about bestbyteinc.com other than visiting their website, but they participate in this forum. Here is a thread they started:
http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?t=21237

Like a few others on this forum, I found that the base on my XP-120 was a bit concave, especially at the edges. So I purchased a lapping kit from EasyPCKits at http://www.easypckits.com. I purchased the coarse kit and the premium kit. If you need to fix a base that is not flat, the coarse kit is needed, but if you only want to smooth out a rough or scratched surface, the premium kit should be sufficient.

The premium kit comes with AS Ceramique thermal paste, but you can upgrade to AS5 for a small additional charge. You can also get lapping kits without the paste or glass (just the sandpaper).

The sandpaper included with the kits is very high quality and is waterproof, so the sheets can easily be cleaned with soap and water and re-used. Sandpaper that is not waterproof will curl and shrink and not be reusable. EasyPCKits has excellent customer service.

Hi,

I've bought there recently. No problems, everything arrived in good shape and on time. - FG

I know sidewindercomputers.com has xp-120's and panaflows and they are very good to do business with if the price is right and they usually have good prices. Just a thought.

Go with Bestbyteinc - best prices.

sidewinder seems to have the best panaflo prices, i got a m1a with an rpm monitor and 3-pin connector for the same price that bestbyte sells them bare-wire. But how can they sell the xp-120 for so little!? Newegg is selling it for $60-$70 depending on the day...and they sell nexus fans!? how come searches never give me links to this site??

There's a vendor section in the forums with a few comments about bestbyteinc. An spcr reader suggested that they should pick up the seasonic line, and now they are thinking about offering a silent fan based on the thread they posted, so I think they are just trying to improve their market share by doing some new things and offering great prices. I'm not sure why they don't show up in searches. Maybe you have to pay to be listed.

Newegg, for some reason, has always had the highest prices for xp-90's and 120's. I always check zipzoomfly.com after newegg for major items just to make sure I'm getting a good price. - FG

Bestbyteinc has a much better price than newegg on a seasonic s12 380. $64 vs $79

Has anybody out there in SPCR-land tried the XP-120 (or XP-90) oriented with the heatpipes vertical (heatpipe bend up or down)? My CPU bracket would result in that orientation, which Thermalright says will work "100%" but experience is even more credible.

In particular, if the heatpipe bend was up (close to a conventionally-located PSU) the XP fin overhang and fan would provide a lovely cooling flow to the passive NB HS beneath. Or if oriented with the bend down, that flow might benefit the power regulator MOSFET's instead.

I apologize if this has been discussed before, but I have a question about fan orientation. In the review it pretty much seems to cool the CPU the same blowing up or down, but what about the surrounding chipset? (regulators and such). Does anyone have a guess as to whether or not one direction is better than another for cooling the surrounding MB elements?

I'd guess blowing down is better. The intake airflow of a fan seems a lot more diffused than the output.

My voltage regulator load temps are consistently 4C or more lower in "suck mode" with the Papst fan (at 7-11V) blowing away from the CPU. The passive NB heatsink temp is about the same, probably because my only possible orientation puts the heatpipe curves over the NB and I suspect the regulator ("PWM") sensor is at the top of the motherboard, where those MOSFETs are scattered around two sides of the CPU. CPU temps are slightly lower in suck mode.

The XP series makes it extremely easy to flip the fan to evaluate for your configuration.

Cooling those adjacent elements, which run hotter then the Northwoods CPU on this MB, was why I chose the XP-120 over a Scythe product.

So, do you reccomend XP120 over Schyte Ninja's?

Though the official consensus seems to be that the Ninja is more efficient, I still recommend the XP-120. It is still one of the most highly regarded & widely used HSs here at SPCR, and it weighs much less than the new Scythe and Zalman products. It is also seated much closer to the MB, so the torque on the board is nowhere near as bad. Unless you are running a Prescott, intense over clocking, or some other situation where you really need that little bit of extra efficiency from a HS, I would definitely say that the XP-120 is still the way to go.

I am currently running mine ("power" system in my signature) with a Nexus 120mm@7v. It keeps my P4 3.4C under 50C even when over clocked 10%.

dfrost: How did you get a temp reading on your voltage regulators?

I decided to run my HSF blowing up ("suck mode") because it seemed to create a better airflow pattern. The case is an SLK3000B*, so the exhaust and PS fan (S12 w/bottom 120mm) are right there. I got a little concerned about the MB components after reading the new CNPS9500 review though. I guess it'll be fine the way it is, no?

[EDIT] * I have removed and covered the TAC duct and covered the video card vents so that all of the intake comes through the lower front grille. After several trials and incense tests I found that this configuration yielded the best airflow pattern and lowest temperatures without needing an intake fan.

OmegaZero,

The Abit AI7 motherboard has sensors for the "PWM" (voltage regulators) and "System" that are nominally read in Abit's uGuru package. I use Motherboard Monitor to read that data instead (Speedfan can't access it), plus HDD temps, voltages, and the fan speeds from MB headers. MBMLog is handy to plot all of that.

The System temperature is really more of a case temperature (runs 28-32C), but it is used by the BIOS to vary the voltage to the fan header intended for the noisy and failure-prone NB fan, now gone. I now use that header instead to power and automatically adjust the Nexus 120mm exhaust fan - works great!

I also use a small infrared thermometer to measure actual temps of the NB passive heatsink and PSU exhaust (actually the metal grill of the S12).

Does it show that I'm a (frustrated) ex-test engineer?

Does anyone know how much clearance is required above the fan on this XP-120?

I'd like to put it in a PC-V600 like this one http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php ... e=65&pp=20 but there would only be 8mm or so of clearance from the top of the fan to the PSU.

I know the fan on this can go either way so may that affects whether it will work. Any advice?

If not I know I can go with the zalman 7700 but clearly its not as good.

Edit: Link was to the wrong page.

Hello & welcome to SPCR!

8mm is a bit too tight for noise and cooling -- unless you can cut a hole right above the fan? Then it would be pretty ideal, either way that you might want to use the fan.

Thanks for the reply. I actually posted the wrong link in that message. I meant to post a link to the case, not the review.

Here it is: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php ... e=65&pp=20

As you can see, the PSU is right above where the CPU heatsink and fan would be so there's nothing I could do about clearance without moving the psu, as I've seen some people do.

I figured the 8mm was too little, thanks for confirming. Do you know about how much would be necessary?

I e-mailed thermalright, they said 25mm above the fan if anyone else is interested.

25mm above the fan is what?

I'm thinking to going with Thermalright XP-120 (not decided yet whether it's the best) for a P4 Prescott 2.4GHz in socket478, in an Asus P4P800-E Deluxe board, and in an Antec Solo case, but really, the distance between the PSU and the Socket 478 retention guide seems to be quiet short. I don't know it will fit...

What is strange for me what's this 25mm said by "tg401"? He mentions that Zalman CNPS7700 will fit for him, but, the Zalman 7700 is bigger than the Thermalright Xp-120. So how he could fit the Zalman?

Anyway, does any recommend any other CPU cooler for cooling a P4 Prescott 2.4GHz in socket478? Is this XP-120 is still recommended, or are there better alternatives? Keep in mind that S478 cooler weight limit is 450 gramm, of course the cooler can be heavier a bit, but not much.

I was saying that Thermalright told me that the fan should have a minimum of 25mm clearance above it

The 7700 is definitely lower profile than the XP-120.. The XP-120 dimensions on the product page don't include the fan.