Ram fan really worth it?

[EvilJoker]

OK.. im thinking about getting a ram fan. Like the Corsair airflow or kingston fans
or crucial ballistix active cooling or even g-skill ram fan., But are they really worth the money? And do they make a difference?

Thanks to all that help!

 

[EarthDog]

Not if you have to pay for it. Ram doesnt need cooled, even overclocking where most go (say 2133Mhz or less).

 

[EvilJoker]

LOL. well i would.. mine ram didnt come with any Not sure why. But nether set did... SO i guess i should not buy one than ,huh?

 

[EarthDog]

It didnt come with as its not needed in 99% of cases. Its a novelty only.

That said, I have a ram fan I can send down to you (edited out, please take to PM arrangements - mudd)...its the ram in my last review and that ram cooler.

 

[EvilJoker]

Thats cool with me, Does it matter witch kind of ram? Or will they fit all brands?

 

[Blueleader]

My new HyperX cooler dropped the cpu by 8 degrees C under Prime 95 and the mobo by 11 degrees C. And that is in a Cooler Master HAF X case with 3 200mm fans and 2 140mm fans. And the RAM is cool to the touch now. I also like the look. So I would say it is far from just a novelty with it's proven side effect cooling. BTW, I use a V8 under the hood to cool the CPU and a dedicated 120mm fan on the GPU's as well. And everything is whisper quite.

 

[grumperfish]

^^^
It would depend heavily on what kind of RAM you're using. Older overvolted DDR2 kits (especially OCZ stuff) ran up to 2.0-2.1V, so it could get fairly warm. Newer DDR3 kits range from 1.3-1.65V so they run much cooler. 1.5V 1333mhz DDR3 doesn't need a heatspreader to work effectively, so a RAM fan would be a total waste in most modern systems.

In the OP's case, 6 2V DDR2 sticks in a small space might benefit from direct cooling, but for most cases it's not any more effective then just adding another intake fan.

 

[glazer1972]

Not worth it.

 

[manu2b]

My new HyperX cooler dropped the cpu by 8 degrees C under Prime 95 and the mobo by 11 degrees C. And that is in a Cooler Master HAF X case with 3 200mm fans and 2 140mm fans. And the RAM is cool to the touch now. I also like the look. So I would say it is far from just a novelty with it's proven side effect cooling. BTW, I use a V8 under the hood to cool the CPU and a dedicated 120mm fan on the GPU's as well. And everything is whisper quite.

I really don't understand how it could lower the CPU temps by 8°C

 

[kerkegr06]

CPU temps prob aren't dropping from a ram fan. I personally prefer heat plates but for all I know its placebo and my ram isn't any cooler, either way good ram doesn't need to be cooled...

 

[Rotary]

but it does get hot if you hold your finger on it while you're playing games so anything HOT, needs to be cooled off

 

[grumperfish]

but it does get hot if you hold your finger on it while you're playing games so anything HOT, needs to be cooled off

"Hot" is pretty relative. If you have decent case airflow DDR3 isn't likely to get above 35-40C, which is well within operating parameters even if it's "hot" compared to a room-temperature glass of water. If you've checked it with an IR probe and it's actually getting up to 50C+ then a RAM fan might be reasonable, but otherwise it's not. This is maybe more likely with a watercooled system as the general reduction in case fans in such a system would possibly leave more room for direct spot-cooling, but in a given system it's just not necessary in 2012 to have a fan specifically for the RAM modules.

35C is nowhere near the point where you'd be concerned about a mechanical harddrive's temperatures, so I can't see why RAM would demand more concern.

 

[Efonzerellie]

heat spreaders work well enough