Author: Ľubomír Samák

Beware, some Arctic MX-5 thermal pastes may dry out faster

Cooling, News, TIMs | | Ľubomír Samák

Less than a year into the MX-5’s existence, the first publicly known flaw is associated with this thermal paste for which it may achieve lower thermal conductivity than expected. This is due to the compound that makes up the paste not holding together properly, and the thermally conductive interface will harden before application, in the tube. Arctic has supposedly already withdrawn these batches from circulation, but one needs to be cautious. Read more “Beware, some Arctic MX-5 thermal pastes may dry out faster” »

Big Shuriken 3’s revision B: LGA 1700 support and better fan

Cooling, CPU coolers, News | | Ľubomír Samák

Scythe has followed up the original Big Shuriken 3 cooler with a new revision. It brings, in addition to native support for Alder Lake processors, a supposedly improved fan. The Kaze Flex II is said to achieve the same cooling performance at lower noise levels, which is nice in the inexpensive top-flow category. There are really few coolers like this, and the Big Shuriken 3 rev. B has all the prerequisites to sit on an imaginary throne in its price category. Read more “Big Shuriken 3’s revision B: LGA 1700 support and better fan” »

Noctua NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM: Not every low-end is the same

Cooling, Extra tests, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

In this test, we’ll take a look at Noctua’s anticipated first representative and how it ranks next to other fans. We’ll start from the bottom with the most affordable one from this Austrian company. It should be noted that Noctua views this class of fans slightly differently than other brands, and has the base perched very high. However, there is one BUT, which is rather insignificant, but still “lifted some people out of their chairs”. Read more “Noctua NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM: Not every low-end is the same” »

SilentiumPC Fluctus 120 PWM: “Miracle” fan from the Fera 5

Cooling, Extra tests, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

SilentiumPC presents the Fluctus 120 PWM as its very best fan. But, to beat the whirring Sigma Pro 120 PWM and the obviously sketchy Sigma Pro Corona RGB 120 is relatively simple. The company’s marketing, however, talks about psychoacoustic optimizations. And while there’s no reason to smirk (psychoacoustics is a legitimate scientific field), there were some imperfections that the Poles didn’t avoid. Read more “SilentiumPC Fluctus 120 PWM: “Miracle” fan from the Fera 5″ »

PWM vs. DC control. Why do fans work better with impulses?

Analysis, Fans, Technology | | Ľubomír Samák

We avoid it like the plague when it comes to backlighting LCD monitors, but we can’t imagine the best fans without it. We’re talking about pulse-width modulation for voltage regulation. In this article, we will explain in the simplest possible terms the reason why PWM regulation is gradually replacing linear regulation. Related to this in computers is the strong disproportion of 3-pin to 4-pin fans, of which there are considerably more. Read more “PWM vs. DC control. Why do fans work better with impulses?” »

Akasa releases suspended fans resistant to dust and water

Cooling, Fans, News | | Ľubomír Samák

Added value in fans can take different forms. In the case of Akasa’s new OTTO SF12 and OTTO SC12 fans, it is dust resistance and the fans are also not to be disrupted by contact with liquid. Such designs are typically suited to the harsh ambient conditions of industrial plants. But neither airflow nor pressure is supposed to be on the second track. Finally, the fans also excel with a sophisticated anti-vibration system. Read more “Akasa releases suspended fans resistant to dust and water” »

MSI MEG Silent Gale P12: A dominant all-rounder for a price

Cooling, Extra tests, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

While the Silent Gale P12 isn’t the first fan in MSI’s lineup (like the Strix XF120 from Asus), it beats anything previous from the company by a mile. This is by the efficiency of the rotor, which is suitable for radiators as well as for a case, but also by the overall robust design. There’s a big, powerful but quiet motor, and you won’t even know about the hydrodynamic bearings. Read more “MSI MEG Silent Gale P12: A dominant all-rounder for a price” »

Copper wire fins, the basis of the Ineo M12 SSD cooler

Cooling, CPU coolers, News | | Ľubomír Samák

Many different SSD coolers with atypical designs have been released over the years. But not a single one resembles the Ineo M12. Not only is it copper (but that doesn’t make it unique), but most importantly, it doesn’t use the traditional heatsink profile. In fact, this is most likely the only cooler with a wire heatsink. It also returns to the cooling philosophy of the bankrupt Nofan. The Ineo M12 uses an “icepipe”. Read more “Copper wire fins, the basis of the Ineo M12 SSD cooler” »

Asus ROG Strix XF120: An excellent fan, but only in some ways

Cooling, Extra tests, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

The first and still the only Asus fan that is on sale individually may be a good choice. But you can also get burnt. It depends on what you want to use it for. In the right context, it gives attractive results, and the impression of a very decent fan is spoiled mainly by pointless design details or sugar-coating the specs. Anyway, you can see that compared to the more ordinary fans from the last test, the Strix is a bit of a different class. Read more “Asus ROG Strix XF120: An excellent fan, but only in some ways” »

Core i5-12400 with DDR4 test: Meet the fresh bestseller

Extra tests, Processors | | Ľubomír Samák

The more efficient Alder Lake processors with TDP/PL1 35–65 W are out. We are, of course, ready, and for a perfect overview we have complete tests of the Core i5-12400, i.e. the successor of the most popular models of the past generations. You can compare this processor in all aspects not only with them, but also with the Ryzen 5 5600X . It looks like this processor will sell like hot cakes. Read more “Core i5-12400 with DDR4 test: Meet the fresh bestseller” »

Big test of 120 mm fans. We known everything about eight of them

Cooling, Extra tests, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

To write that we have something mapped out to the last detail is perhaps too bold, but after proper preparation, few pieces of hardware are as easy to evaluate as fans. Of course, this had to be preceded by long preparations, developing a methodology, but you already know the story. What you don’t know yet is the first fruit, or rather the results of Akasa, SilentiumPC, SilverStone, Xigmatek or more exotic Reeven fans. Read more “Big test of 120 mm fans. We known everything about eight of them” »

Cougar sends a new cooler into battle, the massive Forza 85 tower

Cooling, CPU coolers, News | | Ľubomír Samák

The choice of more powerful single tower CPU coolers is growing. A year ago there might have been a shortage, but now, one model after another. The latest is the Forza 85, with which Cougar builds on the slimmer design of the Forza 50. Very high cooling performance is to be expected not only because of the extra weight and a high-speed fan, but also because the closed fins on the sides achieve the highest possible pressure. Read more “Cougar sends a new cooler into battle, the massive Forza 85 tower” »

New EK Momentum2 block covers 2/3 of the motherboard

Cooling, News | | Ľubomír Samák

EKWB has released a striking block for those who like small but powerful and quiet computers. The Momentum² is designed for the ROG Strix X570-I Gaming, a Mini-ITX board from Asus. It is a monolithic design, which is supposed to be characterized by low restrictiveness (thus it is also suitable for slower pumps), but mainly by a wide reach – in addition to the CPU, it covers both the VRM and the AMD X570 chipset. Read more “New EK Momentum2 block covers 2/3 of the motherboard” »

Enough TF thermal paste for now, Thermalright introduced the CFX

Cooling, News, TIMs | | Ľubomír Samák

Until now, Thermalright’s current thermal pastes have been from the TF series. The latest paste (CFX) no longer carries this label. This might be because it no longer fits into the current pyramid due to its properties. The new CFX thermal paste is among the top of the company’s range in terms of parameters, but we believe that you may pay less for it per unit of “ability to dissipate heat” than is usual with Thermalright. Read more “Enough TF thermal paste for now, Thermalright introduced the CFX” »

Sapphire comes out with AIO coolers under the Nitro+ brand

Cooling, CPU coolers, News | | Ľubomír Samák

The variety of liquid coolers is growing rapidly, but few build on such a strong brand as the two new Sapphire products. We’re talking about the “Nitro+”, an attribute that has gained a very good reputation in the graphics card market. Sapphire is going down a similar path as it once did with the Vapor-X. But this cooler succeeded only on the GPU, the CPU design didn’t stand too strong compared to the competition. The AIOs will hopefully turn out a lot better. Read more “Sapphire comes out with AIO coolers under the Nitro+ brand” »

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