NoFan CR-95C Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

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Das_Saunamies
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Re: NoFan CR-95C Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

Post by Das_Saunamies » Sun Jun 30, 2013 8:27 pm

NeilBlanchard wrote:I'm somewhat surprised this heatsink works so well - the spacing between the wires in fairly tight; but apparently it works quite well.
I'm not an expert in the science at play, but could the shape (round) and length of travel (short side-to-side) help the (low-speed) flow? As I've come to understand, tight spacing impedes forced flow, but the shorter the confined distance, the less back pressure is created. Or maybe it's just that the wires expose more surface area to open air?

PFunk
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Re: NoFan CR-95C Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

Post by PFunk » Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:07 pm

This cooler is the best passive heatsink SilentPCReview has ever seen and they don't give it top honors?

:P

Das_Saunamies
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Re: NoFan CR-95C Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

Post by Das_Saunamies » Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:11 pm

PFunk wrote:This cooler is the best passive heatsink SilentPCReview has ever seen and they don't give it top honors?

:P
"It's important to note that the entire genre of passive coolers, the CR-95C included, is encumbered with some significant disadvantages. A heatsink half the size and a third of the price can operate more efficiently with a fan running at very low, inaudible speed."

It is hardly the perfect product, so I can see why it's not an Editor's Choice.

Cistron
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Re: NoFan CR-95C Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

Post by Cistron » Mon Jul 01, 2013 1:13 am

Das_Saunamies wrote:It is hardly the perfect product, so I can see why it's not an Editor's Choice.
I'm also wondering why it needs such a massive hole in the centre, when it most cases (upright tower) this will be perpendicular to the convection direction.

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Re: NoFan CR-95C Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

Post by MikeC » Thu Jul 04, 2013 7:33 am

NeilBlanchard wrote:I'm somewhat surprised this heatsink works so well - the spacing between the wires in fairly tight; but apparently it works quite well.
Yes, it is fairly tight, but unlike a fin which is a planar structure, the wire is only a single thin round strut, so the airflow resistance is minimal. Blowing through it with your mouth, it's easy to feel how low the impedance is compared to any other heatsink.
PFunk wrote:This cooler is the best passive heatsink SilentPCReview has ever seen and they don't give it top honors? :P
As others have suggested, it has some limitations. An Editor's Choice award basically goes to a component which we'd choose to use in every silent PC build if at all possible. This one, which is the best passive CPU HS we've tested, has the following buts:
- it is huge, so doesn't fit well in all cases/setups
- the high price cannot be ignored
- it is not ideal for a system which will be at high load for long periods, esp. if longevity of mobo components is desired (the absence of CPU cooler fan does mean VRMs and other mobo components will run hotter)
- even w/95W TDP CPUs, it would tend to run a bit too hot if stressed hard/long in the summer.

Darth Santa Fe
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Re: NoFan CR-95C Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

Post by Darth Santa Fe » Sat Jul 06, 2013 8:28 pm

Whether the high price is worth it or not, it's a very interesting and apparently well designed cooler!

There's one thing I've been wondering since I read this review. With that big hole in the middle, what kind of performance would the thing have with a large fan (120mm?) zip-tied to it, pushing or pulling air? Would there be a significant difference? No difference? I realize this goes totally against the idea of a fully passive cooler, but I'm curious! :)

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Re: NoFan CR-95C Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

Post by photonblaster » Mon Jul 08, 2013 4:57 pm

Darth Santa Fe wrote:Whether the high price is worth it or not, it's a very interesting and apparently well designed cooler!

There's one thing I've been wondering since I read this review. With that big hole in the middle, what kind of performance would the thing have with a large fan (120mm?) zip-tied to it, pushing or pulling air? Would there be a significant difference? No difference? I realize this goes totally against the idea of a fully passive cooler, but I'm curious! :)
I was wondering exactly the same thing. I will go out on a limb and predict the Antec TrueQuiet 140 at 550rpm or less (ie at noise level not measurable directly by SPCR) will have less than 40C temp rise vs current 54C passive (based on some temp rise changes I see in other heatsinks with different fan conditions). With a fan it could well be the best available compromise between noise/temp (at the expense of size and cost).

BD Hopkins
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Re: NoFan CR-95C Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

Post by BD Hopkins » Sat Aug 10, 2013 6:07 pm

Think what this thing might do with just one fan strapped to/near it!

Like the last two posters, I'm curious. More than that, actually. :)

casetronic
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Re: NoFan CR-95C Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

Post by casetronic » Tue Sep 03, 2013 11:43 pm

Hey guys I just installed this in my fanless setup (Cooler Master HAF XB), reminds me of the 1st time the Zalman flower heatsink came out. Cpu thermals are great but I'll have to do something about the hdd temps, but that's a separate issue.

Juventas
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Re: NoFan CR-95C Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

Post by Juventas » Mon Sep 23, 2013 10:08 pm

casetronic wrote:Hey guys I just installed this in my fanless setup (Cooler Master HAF XB), reminds me of the 1st time the Zalman flower heatsink came out. Cpu thermals are great but I'll have to do something about the hdd temps, but that's a separate issue.
Is the entire system fanless? I looked at using this case, but didn't think it would be compatible with a fanless power supply. The top venting would be blocked by the motherboard tray...

What processor? What temps at load? Details please! :)

Odd Ramos
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Re: NoFan CR-95C Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

Post by Odd Ramos » Sat Dec 07, 2013 2:46 pm

I haven't seen any in-depth threads from members that build their silent rigs using NoFan CR-95C cooler on SPCR.

A member of [H]ard forum has posted a topic about his silent pc build using NoFan CR-95C with pictures and comments.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1740852

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Re: NoFan CR-95C Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

Post by CA_Steve » Mon Dec 09, 2013 8:44 am

Odd Ramos wrote:I haven't seen any in-depth threads from members that build their silent rigs using NoFan CR-95C cooler on SPCR.

A member of [H]ard forum has posted a topic about his silent pc build using NoFan CR-95C with pictures and comments.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1740852
60C with Prime95 and a i7-3770S. nice.

Odd Ramos
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Re: NoFan CR-95C Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

Post by Odd Ramos » Mon Jan 06, 2014 8:43 am

Another short review of build using NoFan CR-95C:

http://www.fanlesstech.com/2013/10/inte ... azing.html

Juventas
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Re: NoFan CR-95C Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

Post by Juventas » Sun Jan 19, 2014 9:08 pm

CA_Steve wrote:60C with Prime95 and a i7-3770S. nice.
He says, "I ran Prime95 on the pure CPU stress ... settled at 60". He's getting way better results than me, but I think he's also a bit confused.

The small FFT torture test is an FPU (floating point unit) stress test. It just tests one part of the processor for stability, not thermals.

There is no "settling" with Prime95. If you run the in-place large FFT torture test for maximum heat, you'll notice some iterations and lengths will produce much more heat than others. It can take a few hours to get through all of them. Also, since he has it in enclosure, the case temperature will probably creep up very slowly.

Juventas
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Re: NoFan CR-95C Copper Fanless CPU Cooler

Post by Juventas » Sun Jan 19, 2014 10:21 pm

i7-4770S, copper version, fins oriented vertically, open-air chassis, Shin-Etsu X23-7783D thermal material

idle at desktop: 35 C peak
Prime95-maximum heat for 35 minutes: 83 C peak

Despite my "disappointing" results, I've been very happy with this setup. I've been using it for a few months and it's been problem-free.

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