IFX-14 Navig's Review

[Ace-a-Rue]

Alright, Part 3, Heatsink Comparison is completed at the main thread.




Here are the summary tables:

Thermalright IFX-14 vs Ultra 120X, Single Fan Configurations



Notes: all testing for the IFX-14 was done with the fan in the middle position (between sink towers)
and for the Ultra120X in the Pull configuration (Pulling air thru the tower sink).
Flames indicate where the cpu failed due to overheating. 75c probably doesn’t represent an accurate temp, as the cpu automatically terminated its load.


Well, with a low speed fan, the Ultra120X actually failed. Its not so surprising as the heatsink tower has fins that are very dense, as well as large in surface area. The IFX-14 appears to have the same density, but breaks the surface area into 2 towers.

However, once you get some fans with some oomph, the 2 heatsinks performed virtually identically. Maybe the slightest edge to the Ultra120X with 38mm thick fans.







Notes: Best Mod mode for the Ultra120X was Push-Pull Panaflo M1's. Best Mod mode for the IFX-14 was Delta25 - Panaflo M1 - Panaflo M1 + 80mm fan on the backside cooler.

With 2 fans, the Ultra120X gains a small edge.

However, in the best mod mode, you can strap 4 fans to the IFX-14! The 2 best mod configurations are pretty equal in sound, but the IFX-14 gains a 1.3c advantage. The ability to use more fans increases its performance, with minimal addition to noise.


IFX-14 vs Ultra120X comments

Well, I think its much more complicated than saying one heatsink is better than another. They always performed within 1-2c of each other. As of the writing of this article, the IFX-14 is some $30 more than the Ultra 120X. If you are looking for that extra money to translate directly into higher performance, you will be disappointed.

What DO you get for that extra money.
1) A much better mounting mechanism.
2) Significantly better performance if you are looking at using only ONE low speed fan, and generally better performance for low noise solutions (for example 3 yate loons is quiet yet performs quite well).
3) Native support for multiple fan configurations (Recall the Ultra 120 requires modding to support a second fan).

There may be other differences, which I haven’t specifically pointed out. For example, with my IP-35, the IFX-14 consistently beat out the Ultra120X in PWM temps.

On the downside (besides the price), the IFX-14 is enormous, which may interfere with large gpu coolers, nb coolers, or active RAM cooling.

interesting results compared to Vipor's results...i would say significant difference...he showed the Ultra-X to be ahead in almost every category...so....i have to interpolate your results with mixed feelings as to whether the IFX-14 is worth the expenditure to get equal or slightly less performance than the Ultra-X if you use the right fan(s) with IFX.

another interesting statement; you said, you got lower PWM temps using the IFX...
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my questions to you:

"how did you mount the IFX and Ultra-X"?

did you use the secondary cooler which is mounted beneath the mobo?

were the heatsinks facing to the rear of the case (i presume all testing was actually done on a bench, outside of a case)?...OR...were they mounted in the direction of south-to-north direction as the board would stand in the case, in a vertical position?
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if you mounted the secondary IFX cooler that would explain lower temps for the PWM...the sensor is adjacent to the cpu socket on the side that would face the PSU when installed in the case....you can put a 40 or 60 mm fan right there pointing at the cpu socket and influence the PWM temperature reading.

here is my final thought...the IFX is a massive cooler...but..."NO" cooler will operate at full stress load (especially the quad cores unless they are the newer "G0" steppings) inside of the case with the side door closed and you are running a high overclock.

i have a case that has two rear 120 mm fans mounted to exhaust...they are running at 2.5 RPM (silverstone) in the exhaust position (besides the 120mm in the PSU)...they cannot keep up with extraction of the super-heated air coming off from my Ultra-X with the side door closed when running Prime 95...as soon as i take the side door off...no problem....SO...it will not matter how many fans you mount on the IFX...heat is heat!...trapped inside, it will be a hinderance for a full stress load...it is why water works so much nicer than air heat exchangers!

EDIT:..forgot to add that you can mount two 120 MM fans on the Ultra-X by just purchasing an extra set of clips from thermalright...they can be hooked into the fins just one notch below the normal hook up for one fan.