Many things have changed over the years and like Grandpa's old saying that "[insert brand name here] is the Cadilac of [insert product here]" to indicate the best of the best, the superiority of the Scythe GTs faded before the relationship ended. Budding enthusiasts from those days remember the accolades placed on the GTs and from way back when and many are hesitant to let it go.
1. Back in the day, radiators were medium to hi fpi which benefitted from the GTs higher SP. Those rads are rare today and the higher speeds / FPI do not really bring anything to the table except on cheap aluminum rads and CLCs.
2. Comparing fan speeds / CFM / SP based upon what's on the ads and on the box is a fools errand. Fan performance is represented by a curve, not a single data point ... you get then highest flow at 0 backpressure and o flow at the highest backpressure. A fan that produces 80 cfm at 0 SP and 0 flow at 1.4 SP will often be advertised as Flow: 80 CFM / SP: 1.4. The fan is simply not capable of producing both those numbers at the same time. Even here ... were at least they idientify them as "Max", we see
Max airflow: 45.9 CFM
Max static pressure: 1.30 mm H2O
And in TPUs test, we see only 33.5 or 73% of "what's written on the box".
3. Another preference from days gone by that matters little today is PWM. In the past, you had to decide between the lower speed threshold of PWM versus the extra cost and putting up w/ the low speed clicking / hum that comes with PWM. newer DCV 3 pin designs have no problem going to 25% of full speed. The primary reason that DCV lost that low speed was because at lower voltages, the fans could not overcome the intertia of a static fan blade. If ya gave them a finger bum, they'd turn. Now control algorythms, start the fans with a voltage pump and once moving slow down to lower speeds than could be achieved otherwise. We also have Fan Hubs that provide PWM control of DCV fans. Also w/ some brands (i.e. Corsair), you had the problem of losing all speed control if you ganged too many fans on one channel.
4. Personally, I am am not interested in quiet fans ... only absolutely non detectable fans. If I sit down on the desk where the monitor is sleeping, if I can tell that the PC is ON with my ears, papa is unhappy. In blindfold testing, that comes at about 850 rpm. Using a 1450 rpm fan means the max allowable flow is only 58% of fan speed. These DCV GTS fans are well into what used to be considered "PWM territory" with a low speed cutoff of 29%. That leaves a range of only 29% - 58% of silent operating range. So for my usage, anything above 12100 rpm just won't make the list,
5. Surprised no one mentioned Noctua who sorta inherited the title after the GTs became rare. But Noctua got taken off the throne years ago, Take the Noc fans off a Noctua cooler and at same rpm, temps drop by a whopping 6C. Here's silent PC Review's top 10, tho its a bit dated (2013-05-21)
Phanteks PH-F140HP/TS
Noctua NF-A14 FLX
Noctua NF-A15 PWM
Noiseblocker B12-2
Noctua NF-P14 FLX
Scythe Gentle Typhoon 120-12
Noiseblocker M12-S1
Corsair AF120 Quiet
Corsair AF120 Performance
Thermalright TR-TY150
I'm anxious to see a test on Noctua's new low clearance design with strengthened blades that they've been showing at trade shows in the past year.
Looking at this test, ya gotta like the beQuiets which both produce more air and lower noise .. as the does the Corsair and the Blacknoise
6. Another thing that should factor in is what comes with the case. Is Corsair including the MIl pro fans with their cases now ? If so that would be a factor. Phanteks does tho at a more reasonable (for my usage anyway) 1200 rpm. It would be great if case manufacturers provided an "option" where ya can pick ya own fans as an "upgrade"
7. Buying a $165 CLC (i.e. Kraken X62) and then slapping on a pair of $20 replacement fans makes more sense when ya can get better cooling and less noise from a Swiftech all copper and expandable unit for $150.
