Achilles first impression

[loonym]

I like it although the stock fan is too weak for my needs (q6600@3.6ghz). I'll be ordering more for my open air rack crunchers. Running on a p35 ds3l in this instance using the scythe fan pictured.

[Vapor]

Nice looking HSF, though I doubt you'll gain much going from a 1500RPM fan to a 1900RPM one.

[cabbspapp]

And being a Slip Stream, which doesn't have much static pressure.

[loonym]

Was about 3c difference Vapor. I like the design and noise level of the sythe 110cfm fans, I use tons of them. And I like how the fins are just far enough apart on the achilles to let the airflow in sufficiently to cool without having to put the ultrakaze on. :D All in all very good unit, and I don't think the mount is an issue since the weight isn't very great at all.

[dA_PhReAk]

Is it commercialy available already?

[Maciaty]

i love this xigmatek fan :)

quite good temps on it you have ;]


btw: anyone know where i can order only xigmatek fans? [ it would be nice if i could order it in europe ] :)

[Spawne32]

i love this xigmatek fan :)

quite good temps on it you have ;]


btw: anyone know where i can order only xigmatek fans? [ it would be nice if i could order it in europe ] :)

They make them separately but i dont know if they are up for sale yet.

[RockfordFosgate]

I think best performance/Price cooler in the market ;)

[Spawne32]

I think best performance/Price cooler in the market ;)

Id still have to nominate the S1283 for that one ;)

[loonym]

I think it out performs my 1283 although at slightly more cost and while it's not quite as good as a true for the highest overclocks it's great for a q6600 at 3.6ghz

[BlazinTiger]

how does it perform with Q6600 @ 3.6 on stock fan?

[alexlyc]

@ BlazinTiger
I believe the third screenshot uses stock fan, the temp for quad is there.

What's the ambient temp? Is it done in a closed case?

[BlazinTiger]

i thought that temp was using the scythe fan...

[loonym]

Yeah I didn't post temps for the stock fan but as Vapor pointed out there is really little difference... about 3c at 100% load is all. I actually haven't tried a more powerful fan yet because I was so happy with the results of the 1900rpm scythe. If anyone is really curious I have a 3000rpm 133cfm scythe ultra-kaze I can try.

[BlazinTiger]

ok, I was just curious as to how well it performed at stock as opposed to spending another $5-10 on another fan (yes, I am cheap)
thanks for the info

[mrcape]

Cool pics.

I have one of these coming tomorrow with some Ocz freeze. Going to compare to the regular TR Ultra 120. Same thing, 3 x open air machines if I like it. I'm using either a kaze 3000 or a San Ace.

Anyone know if the True mounting kit will fit the Achilles? I can't find the crossbow kit anywhere. Do these guys want to sell their stuff or not?

[Vapor]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019 that it? OOS for a few more days though.

[adamsleath]

If anyone is really curious I have a 3000rpm 133cfm scythe ultra-kaze I can try.
if it's not too much trubble...? :D
ive gone to scythe slipstream 1900rpms and i have one ultra kaze 2000 (quite impressed about it's low noise/airflow.)
...then i saw scythe s-flex sposed to last longer :doh: i'll try some more fans next time i go shopping.:)

[mrcape]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019 that it? OOS for a few more days though.

That's it, thanks!

I scoured the not looking for that thing.

[loonym]

if it's not too much trubble...? :D
lolol... no trouble at all. As I suspected though, the fin arrangement on the achilles seems ideal for medium fans. The high powered fan seemed to make little difference in my particular application. I do think that in a closed case the big fan might make more of a difference? Temperature in the room where the setup is, is quite well maintained with thermostatic ac. The fans... the setup... the temps with the 133cfm ultrakaze... and last the temps on my 780i w/true push/pull at 3.6ghz in the same room at the same 100% load.

[mrcape]

So am I reading this correctly that the TRUE with push/pull was 8c cooler than the Achilles with one Kaze on it?

Thanks for the results man. Is your TRUE lapped?

[loonym]

That true is lapped as well as the IHS on the q6600 it's mounted on. That is where the comparison is flawed because how much could be gained by lapping the IHS on the cpu with the xigmatek is unknown. I don't see it as 8c. I guess you could if you squint? Perhaps 7c at the most but core 0 on each is within 2c. Any way you read it though the true wins but I think people already knew that. I really just posted that for a reference not so much to make an unfair comparison. I don't think any high cfm fan will make much difference on the achilles. I don't know the exact specs but the fins are far enough apart so a medium fan is perfect as opposed to the true on which the close fin spacing could be seen as restrictive without sufficient fan pressure. I like the achilles alot and I will buy more to put on crunchers. It cools great on an unlapped cpu, it doesn't take an hour of prep (lapping, cleaning) like the true, and it's a reasonable weight for the type of stock mount it comes with. It's easy to mount and easy to take off. I hate xigmatek's fan mounting system but some may like it. I always feel like I'm going to snap the little rubber thing in half when I dismount a fan.

[mrcape]

Nice. I took some temp readings today with the trusty Ultra 120 non-lapped. Going to install the Achilles there tomorrow and check it out. I think I'll lap the Ultra while I have it off.

[mrcape]

I went to autozone and picked up the fine grit paper. I'm going to do one of my 8400s, the TR 120 and the achilles while I'm at it. Then I'll do a compare.

[khamo]

>> I don't think any high cfm fan will make much difference on the achilles<<
So am a correct in assuming that on achilles there is little or no difference in temps in stock vs 133cfm ultrakaze ( 60,60,55,56 vs 61, 58, 54, 55) ? What are you using for load ?. On Xigmatek RS stock fan (q6600 @ 3.4) I get 68,67,65,65 prime 95 small ftt, 22C ambient. I have a spare Kaze slip stream 120 1900 and was thinking about changing the stock fan with slip stream 1900 to improve temps. Thanks for sharing the info.

[Vapor]

Going from a ~53-59CFM fan (stock) to a 75CFM fan (Slip Stream SH) really won't do much. loonym only got ~3C improvement. And unless the stock fan is particularly bad, the noise increase is not trivial.

[khamo]

Vapor,
You are propable right, but the Slip Stream 1900 ( Kaze-Juni) loonym had ( I have the same) is rated for 110.31 cfm on the box. And yes it is somewaht loud, thats why i changed it from exhaust position to a S-Flex G 1900 rpm ( rated 75 cfm) which to my ears was somewhat quieter. I was hoping Slip Stream 1900 ( Kaze-Juni) with 110 cfm on the HS will give me a 4-6C temp lowering at full load ?. The noise on HSF in the middle of the case may not transmitt as much?

[mrcape]

The achilles was pretty flat, but I lapped t razor flat with some 400, 600 and 1000 grit wetodry. It took maybe 2 minutes to get it perfectly even.

[Vapor]

In my testing, Slip Stream SH is 75CFM and the S-Flex G is 71.5CFM, so a very small difference in airflow.

loonym only got a 3C difference by going from the same stock fan to the same Slip Stream SH (yes, different heatsink, but very similar at least)...I don't see you getting 4-6C improvement by going from the stock ~53-59CFM fan to the 75CFM Slip Stream SH.

If it were me and I wanted to use both your 1900RPM fans, I'd put the loudest fan furthest into the case--so put the Slip Stream SH on the HSF like you said.

Though I'm more quiet-oriented and have a belief that case airflow above 'adequate' gains very little in terms of temperatures and just adds noise. With the fans you have, I'd put the S-Flex G on the HSF, the S-Flex F as exhaust and the 1283's stock 1500RPM fan as intake (unless it's particularly loud--I've never played with one before). The Slip Stream SH is just too loud for my tastes. That's just me though :p:

[khamo]

Vow! rated for 110.31 cfm and real 75 cfm. Amazing.
You are right on about the noise. Infact I have S-Flex G on intake, S-Flex F on exhaust with zalman fanmate to 1600 rpm and I,ll leave the Xigmatek fan on the HS,
thanks

[mrcape]

The Achilles pushpins and fan mounts suck! I couldn't get it to stay down. Ever try to put a 38mm San Ace on with those little rubber jobs? About the pushpins, maybe the mounting holes in my DFI are a tad too big or something, it kept popping out.. Also, it wouldn't fit vertically in the DFI UT P35 as it hits the NB sink. I'm waiting on the crossbow mount to give this sink a fair chance.

I must have had a pretty flat IHS and TRU 120 to begin with. Lapping them to mirror and using OCZ freeze instead of Arctic silver only gave me a 1c drop at load and none idle.

[loonym]

My load temps were all running boinc WCG. The high cfm fan seemed to make little difference but 2-3c can mean the difference in an overclock succeeding or crashing in some instances. The pushpins I didn't find to be a problem but I don't care for the rubber fan mounts. Did you say you were lapping the achilles mrcape? I'm curious as to your opinion as to whether this will make any real difference.

[mrcape]

Yeah I lapped the Achilles yesterday. Still need to get her mounted and then I will report back. I think I'll use the TR backplate until I get the crossbow. The pins on mine didn't want to stay put.

[BlazinTiger]

what about stock fan vs. s-flex f? no difference? cuz the fans are about the same right? is the s-flex quieter?

[darkorb]

Returning my Scythe Infinity for a Noctua Up12

[mrcape]

Decided to mod the Achilles to fit vertically on my setup tonight by cutting off the left two bottom fins that interfered with the NB sink.. I pulled out the plastic pins from the bracket, and used a backplate and screws from a TRU 120 which fit just fine. The temps are about identical with the TRU 120, maybe one degree cooler. The surface is lightly lapped but it doesn't tell me anything because I never tested it pre lapping. I used the same 2500 rpm San Ace fan on both sinks.

[loonym]

Thanks. It kinda tells me something. Or not? lol :D I think there might be a slight gain to be had here with a few minutes work on the base of my achilles.

[mrcape]

Heheh, it's heating up around here so all of my tests were done in the same full blast AC room - that part is consistent. I definitely don't have a before /after numbers for the lapping of the Achilles.

Here's the data I have -

TRU 120 / e8400 - neither lapped - 33c I/58c L
TRU 120 / e8400 - both lapped - 33c I / 56.5c L
Achilles / e8400 - both lapped - 31.5c I / 55.5c L

Paste = OCZ Freeze
Temp Program - Core Temp (also ran real temp which was identical -10c for 95c tjmax)
OC - 8.5x500 or 4250ghz
Load test - Orthos small fft
Fan on sink - 1 San Ace 109R1212H1011

[mrcape]

Another thing, I tried the Kaze 3000 and it is way too loud. The San Ace fans blow at 2500rpm, get the same temps, and are way quieter.