Morning all I'm thinking of building a Ryzen - probably a 1700 or maybe a 1600 (both non-X) - server / workstation to replace the two servers that I currently run and can't decide about the cooling. I'll definitely be overclocking but maybe not running a max overclock at all times. It's going to be housed in a 4U case that I have for space reasons and also as I'll have a lot of drives plugged into it (at least 10 or 11, maybe more) which limits my cooling options somewhat. The case has fairly good airflow from 2 exhaust fans at the back and 3 fans on the midplane controlled by a fan controller. Cooling options that I've narrowed it down to are either 1) The stock Wraith Spire cooler, which by all reports is actually very good - cost £free with the CPU. or 2) A Noctua NH-U9DXi4 for which I would have to purchase an NM-AM4 bracket as it's not eligible for Noctua's free bracket scheme - cost ~£55 after buying both the cooler and the bracket. There are obviously no direct comparison reviews of the two out there and only a minimal number of reviews of the Noctua cooler and none of which on Ryzen. Thoughts?
If you're getting the Wraith Spire with with the CPU anyways, why not just try it out and see how it does before dropping cash on another cooler? Or is swapping it out once everything is in and running such a ballache that £55 up front is better value?
That is a fair point - I am normally quite keen to get a build up and running and then leave it but the 4U case is ridiculously easy to work in - you just slide off the top and then everything is readily accessible. Kitguru's review of the 1700 and the Wraith Spire does mention that the included thermal paste is exceptionally sticky and is liable to pull the CPU up out of the socket when removing the cooler however.
Then just loosen it off, run the PC for a few minutes and then gently twist. That always worked for me, and I have been using Cerqmique which is really sticky for many years From what I've heard the stock cooler does OK.
After using the Wraith Spire for a bit I decided to plump for a Noctua NH-U9S as a replacement. At stock, in the case I'm using, the Wraith Spire was hitting just a tad over 60ºC at load - that's with 3 120mm intake fans and 2 80mm exhaust fans. The Noctua is running as I type this and instead is more like 50º and that's with the same 2 exhaust fans but no intake fans at all at the minute (see other thread - they're disconnected at the minute). It's quieter too - the Wraith Spire is quiet but this Noctua is definitely quieter and that's with 2 fans instead of 1. Edit: I went for the U9S as the U9D is for 3U cases - the U9S fits perfectly in a 4U case
Definitely so - very, very quiet indeed even with the fan at 100% - not at all like stock coolers of yore. Just in the case that I'm using (which doesn't have the best airflow ever) and in my man-cave (which gets hot in the summer) it was struggling a little. In a case with better airflow it would be absolutely fine
