Thermochill PA140.X (For use with 140mm Fans) Voice Your Opinion!

[MaxxxRacer]

Now that Marci has spilled the beans on the Thermochill PA140.X Prototype I felt the need to see what you guys think of the idea. Who knows, if enough of us like the idea we might get a production PA140.X radiator.

From what I could gather the radiator will be designed like a PA120.X but will be a bit wider and longer to accomdate 140mm fans like the 140mm Yate Loon fans Crediki uses. If this radiator were put into production those of you who strive for silence but have hot systems would benefit from the added surface area and larger, higher CFM fans.

Please vote in the pole and voice your opinon in the thread

EDIT: My personal Opinion is that its a great idea and if I could find a case that I like (aka is designed for silence) I would buy the largest 140.x series rad I could fit into it.

Here is A Quote From Cathar on the PA140 Series

Okay, to repeat selected information that I posted in this thread, which details physical size and performance.

PA140 History

Marci and I both realised that the PA160, in the flesh, was a fairly large radiator. This was in part due to Thermochill's use of their hi-flow end-tanks, and so didn't quite fit into as many cases as was hoped for, and so the PA140 concept was born. Time-wise, we're talking around 22 months ago now.

Since the PA140 was specced much later than the PA160, and also had the benefit of having data from the first round of PA120.x design & test sequences to draw from. It was also designed to perform better at the lower ends of the fan speed ranges (<60cfm), rather than the 50-80cfm of the PA160's original design. This was settled in after much research with actual fans searching for acceptably quiet physically existing fans, and not just trusting manufacturer specs. In a nutshell, if a fan is specced for >60cfm, it's gonna be noisy when run at full speed, and also fairly noisy even at lower speeds due to the beefier motor bearings. No ifs, buts, or anything else. Reality is what it is.

Performance of the first PA140 prototype

The PA140 performs very well. It is only a first-stab prototype, and further performance was eked out of the PA120 design after the first PA140 prototype was specced, so the PA140 prototype may not be as highly performing as it could possibly be, but it'd be pretty close. Might be another 5&#37; to gain, with an upper stretch possibility of a further 10%, but not likely. In my testing it actually outperformed the PA160 by around 5% with low speed fans (~25cfm), level pegs with the PA160 at ~50cfm, and loses to the PA160 by around 10% with 100cfm fans. Given that it cedes a 30% facial surface area loss to the PA160, that is a fairly monumental achievement, and highlights the advances we made together with the PA120 design.

If you love using very low speed fans, and can still fit a single slightly over-sized 120mm fan based radiator in-case, the PA140 prototype is the best single slower-speed fan radiator I've tested. For stronger & noisier fans, stick with the PA160. Coupled with a slow & quiet 140mm fan, which was Marci's and my final design intention, the PA140 would make for an extremely compelling compact format single-fan low-noise radiator solution that would fit into far more cases than the PA160.

Physical Size

The PA140 prototype's external dimensions are 145mm wide x 185mm long x 50mm deep (without shroud).

A 5.25" Drive Bay slot is 147mm wide.

A PA140, would therefore fit, just, within a 5.25" drive bay.

[dietwaterrr]

fitting a PA 120.3 is a pain in the ass in some cases already. A PA 120.3 performs like a monster with low cfm too. I dont think people need this rad...only for bragging rights. i guess it just depends on how much of a performace gain there will be switching from a pa 120.3 to a pa 140.x

[AuroraProject]

I'd buy one.

[ramenchef]

I think this is a great idea. It would fit fine in say a stacker in the 5.25" bay according to Cathar. And the early numbers look good to me.

[Sideroxylon]

I'm currently using a GTX360. If testing showed that a 140.3 is better I'd snatch it up in a second.

[hopper]

i would be intrested in a 140.2 on my next build later down the line for now im happy with the 120.2

[MaxxxRacer]

I'm currently using a GTX360. If testing showed that a 140.3 is better I'd snatch it up in a second.

Most would say that a P120.3 is better. So accordingly a 140.3 would be better. IIRC there are tests around somewhere showing the GTX series gettings its ass handed to it.

[Baenwort]

Sounds interesting to me but I wouldn't purchase one as I'm more about performance then silence(witness my fans) and as far as I know there aren't any performance 140mm fans out there.

If I'm wrong about >160cfm 140mm fans I might be interested in this due to the ease of mounting into 5.25" bays.

[ziddey]

damn, now I need to get a 5.5in hole saw

[ramenchef]

There are some 140mm yates among other fans (29dBa 62cfm), and you could probably use 120mm with a shroud. So in any case, it should outperform a pa120 just how a pa160 beats a pa120.1, at least that's what I assume.

[tommrussell]

more quiet is always better imo , besides i would'nt want to break up my collection of tc rads

[ziddey]

yeah. 140 would probably be perfect for my setup. i've got a 2x120 up top right now and it could be a little wider to fill up the whole width of the case

[Shift]

fitting a PA 120.3 is a pain in the ass in some cases already. A PA 120.3 performs like a monster with low cfm too. I dont think people need this rad...only for bragging rights. i guess it just depends on how much of a performace gain there will be switching from a pa 120.3 to a pa 140.x

Exactly. Already a PIA to fit a 120.3, and only a UFO case will allow a 120.3 without modding. Fitting in a pa140 will require modding on all the cases on the market. Maybe in the future when cases get bigger and start using 140mm fans will a pa140 be useful.

[situman]

I doubt it will have much of an improvement unless someday we move to triple videocards or even quad vidcards with quad core cpus. Current 120mm fans are quiet enough, even with six of them sandwiched.

[epion2985]

-pa120.3 is a monster, I don't really see a need for anything bigger. Plus it won't be as easy to fit in to cases as a 120mm radiator. 120mm fans are kind of a standard now a days and the pa120.3 is hard enough to fit as it is, in most cases.


On a more personal note:

-pa120.3 fits in to my MM U2-UFO, a 140.X would not, so not interested by default.

-I still have a spot under the 5.25" bays on the MM U2-UFO for a pa160 if I wanted more heat dissipation as well as the space behind the hard drives for another dual 120mm radiator.

-I have phase on the cpu and the only thing on the water loop is the video card, which really doesn't need anything bigger then the pa120.3.


Don't think I would ever buy a pa140.X.

[IanY]

I wouldn't move from a PA120.3 to a PA140.2, but if there are PA140.3s, all the better. Bigger and more.. a good thing.

[ramenchef]

Looking at the potential heat output of the R600 cards, I'd get one. If they really do draw 270ish watts on stock, imagine overclocking a pair of these things. Plus quiet is always better.

[mion]

As long it fits in between bays of stacker

[thunderstruck!]

Sounds like a good idea. Mmm...140mm fans.

[Sideroxylon]

Most would say that a P120.3 is better. So accordingly a 140.3 would be better. IIRC there are tests around somewhere showing the GTX series gettings its ass handed to it.

I was under the impression that the 'new gen' of GTX rads hasn't been directly tested against the PA series, at least officially. I don't doubt that the GTX gets beat by the PA, especially at low cfm, but the difference isn't enough to warrant purchasing a PA. I expect the difference a PA140 will make will be substantial enough for me to HAVE to pick one up.

[MaxxxRacer]

I was under the impression that the 'new gen' of GTX rads hasn't been directly tested against the PA series, at least officially. I don't doubt that the GTX gets beat by the PA, especially at low cfm, but the difference isn't enough to warrant purchasing a PA. I expect the difference a PA140 will make will be substantial enough for me to HAVE to pick one up.

Considering the PA series was designed for low CFM fans I would think that they would beat the GTX per frontal surface area, no?

[thecoldanddark]

I think it's a good idea, but I would not get one personally.


I wouldn't get one as much as I would like to. I see no reason for it. I only put my cpu under water. Any triple fan'd radiator with 70 cfm fans is already good enough for a single cpu. The biggest problem is mounting it, where would I mount the sucker. It might be the greatest for temps, but I would probably have to mount it on the upper portion of my sidepanel and I own a big case (lian li pc73 slb). It won't fit up on top where I have my old radiator with a custom shroud and plenarium. I would have to mount it under the the frame to put it in up there and get rid of the chamber. I might switch from my bix 3 to a swiftech but other than that I don't see myself changing radiators($).

That being said I wouldn't mind owning a pa 140/x I think they are awsome, unfortunately they just don't fit my need. I would probably have to spend about 400 dollars to put one in a case. I would have to buy the case and the pa. I just don't see that happening.


edit
I take some of it back. I would be able to fit in my case by putting the fans before the radiator. So the cost would just be the radiator+ redoing the plenarium.

[phelan1777]

If it would perform at the same level as a PA120.3, or if a PA140.3 were to perform better then the 120.3, and it was reasonably a little more then the PA120.3, then I would def. pick one up as it would fit snug in my Stacker.

[nealh]

I would love a PA140.x rad...larger fan, quiet and better cooling on the best rads out there

140.2 might perform close to 120.3..less fans and noise

size might be an issue but whenever has that matter when you have to mod anyway

[afireinside]

I'd be all over a PA140.1 if it were made. I want a single fan radiator for both convenience and noise but the 120.1 seems a bit weak.