• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Hardware Secrets

Hardware Secrets

Uncomplicating the complicated

  • Case
  • Cooling
  • Memory
  • Mobile
    • Laptops
    • Smartphones
    • Tablets
  • Motherboard
  • Networking
  • Other
    • Audio
    • Cameras
    • Consumer Electronics
    • Desktops
    • Museum
    • Software
    • Tradeshows & Events
  • Peripherals
    • Headset
    • Keyboard
    • Mouse
    • Printers
  • Power
  • Storage
Home » Phanteks PH-TC90LS CPU Cooler Review

Phanteks PH-TC90LS CPU Cooler Review

[nextpage title=”Introduction”]

The Phanteks PH-TC90LS is a low-profile CPU cooler that is 1.77 inches (45 mm) tall and uses a 92 mm PWM fan. Let’s test it!

According to Phanteks, the PH-TC90LS has three 6 mm heatpipes embedded into the base. However, those heatpipes are not visible, and the manufacturer doesn’t inform buyers as to how those heatpipes are exactly positioned.

The PH-TC90LS comes in a small cardboard box, in white and black shades, as seen in Figure 1.

Phanteks PH-TC90LSFigure 1: Package

Figure 2 shows the contents of the box: heatsink, fan, a tube of thermal compound, manuals, and installation hardware.

Phanteks PH-TC90LSFigure 2: Accessories

Figure 3 displays the PH-TC90LS heatsink.

Phanteks PH-TC90LSFigure 3: The PH-TC90LS heatsink

This cooler is discussed in detail in the following pages.

[nextpage title=”The Phanteks PH-TC90LS”]

Figure 4 illustrates the front of the heatsink. The fins are painted white. Phanteks calls this painting P.A.T.S. (Physical Antioxidant Thermal Shield) technology, claiming it deflects the heat coming from other hot parts of the computer.

Phanteks PH-TC90LSFigure 4: Front view

Figure 5 reveals the side of the cooler. Notice that there are no visible heatpipes.

Phanteks PH-TC90LSFigure 5: Side view

In Figure 6, you can see the top of the cooler.

Phanteks PH-TC90LSFigure 6: Top view

[nextpage title=”The Phanteks PH-TC90LS (Cont’d)”]

Figure 7 illustrates the well-polished base of the cooler, made of nickel-plated copper. There are two perforations: one compatible with sockets LGA1155/LGA1156 and the other for use with socket LGA2011.

Phanteks PH-TC90LSFigure 7: Base

Figure 8 shows the PWM compatible 92 mm PWM fan used by the PH-TC90LS. It is only 0.6 inch (15 mm) tall.

Phanteks PH-TC90LSFigure 8: Fan

Figure 9 reveals the heatsink with the fan installed.

Phanteks PH-TC90LSFigure 9: Fan installed

[nextpage title=”Installation”]

The installation of the Phanteks PH-TC90LS on an LGA1155 CPU is quite simple. Just place the backplate (shown in Figure 10) at the solder side of the motherboard, put the cooler over the CPU and attach it, using four spring-loaded screws.

Phanteks PH-TC90LSFigure 10: Backplate

Phanteks PH-TC90LSFigure 11: Cooler installed

[nextpage title=”How We Tested”]

We tested the cooler with a Core i5-2500K CPU (quad-core, 3.3 GHz), which is a socket LGA1155 processor with a 95 W TDP (Thermal Design Power). In order to get higher thermal dissipation, we overclocked it to 4.0 GHz (100 MHz base clock and x40 multiplier), with 1.3 V core voltage (Vcore). This CPU was able to reach 4.8 GHz with its default core voltage, but at this setting, the processor enters thermal throttling when using mainstream coolers, reducing the clock and thus the thermal dissipation. This could interfere with the temperature readings, so we chose to maintain a moderate overclocking.

We measured noise and temperature with the CPU under full load. In order to get 100% CPU usage in all cores, we ran Prime 95 25.11 with the “In-place Large FFTs” option. (In this version, the software uses all available threads.)

We compared the tested cooler to other coolers we already tested, and to the stock cooler that comes with the Core i5-2500K CPU. Note that the results cannot be compared to measures taken on a different hardware configuration, so we retested some “old” coolers with this new methodology. This means you can find different values in older reviews than the values you will read on the next page. Every cooler was tested with the thermal compound that comes with it.

Room temperature measurements were taken with a digital thermometer. The core temperature was read with the SpeedFan program (available from the CPU thermal sensors), using an arithmetic average of the core temperature readings.

During the tests, the panels of the computer case were closed. The front and rear case fans were spinning at minimum speed in order to simulate the “normal” cooler use on a well-ventilated case. We assume that is the common setup used by a cooling enthusiast or overclocker.

The sound pressure level (SPL) was measured with a digital noise meter, with its sensor placed near the top opening of the case. This measurement is only for comparison purposes, because a precise SPL measurement needs to be made inside an acoustically insulated room with no other noise sources, which is not the case here.

Hardware Configuration

  • Processor: Core i5-2500K
  • Motherboard: ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z
  • Memory: 6 GB OCZ (DDR3-1600/PC3-12800), configured at 1,600 MHz and 8-8-8-18 timings
  • Hard disk: Seagate Barracuda XT 2 TB
  • Video card: Point of View GeForce GTX 460 1 GB
  • V
    ideo resolution: 1920×1080
  • Video monitor: Samsung SyncMaster P2470HN
  • Power supply: Seventeam ST-550P-AM
  • Case:  Cooler Master HAF 922

Operating System Configuration

  • Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit SP1

Software Used

  • Prime95
  • SpeedFan

Error Margin

We adopted a 2°C error margin, meaning temperature differences below 2°C are considered irrelevant.

[nextpage title=”Our Tests”]

The table below presents the results of our measurements. We repeated the same test on all coolers listed below. Each measurement was taken with the CPU at full load. In the models with a fan supporting PWM, the motherboard controlled the fan speed according to core load and temperature. On coolers with an integrated fan controller, the fan was set at the full speed.

Cooler Room Temp. Noise Speed Core Temp. Temp. Diff.
Cooler Master Hyper TX3 18 °C 50 dBA 2850 rpm 69 °C 51 °C
Corsair A70 23 °C 51 dBA 2000 rpm 66 °C 43 °C
Corsair H100 26 °C 62 dBA 2000 rpm 64 °C 38 °C
EVGA Superclock 26 °C 57 dBA 2550 rpm 67 °C 41 °C
NZXT HAVIK 140 20 °C 46 dBA 1250 rpm 65 °C 45 °C
Thermalright True Spirit 120 26 °C 42 dBA 1500 rpm 82 °C 56 °C
Zalman CNPS12X 26 °C 43 dBA 1200 rpm 71 °C 45 °C
Zalman CNPS9900 Max 20 °C 51 dBA 1700 rpm 62 °C 42 °C
Titan Fenrir Siberia Edition 22 °C 50 dBA 2400 rpm 65 °C 43 °C
SilenX EFZ-120HA5 18 °C 44 dBA 1500 rpm 70 °C 52 °C
Noctua NH-L12 20 °C 44 dBA 1450 rpm 70 °C 50 °C
Zalman CNPS8900 Extreme 21 °C 53 dBA 2550 rpm 71 °C 50 °C
Gamer Storm Assassin 15 °C 48 dBA 1450 rpm 58 °C 43 °C
Deepcool Gammaxx 400 15 °C 44 dBA 1500 rpm 60 °C 45 °C
Cooler Master TPC 812 23 °C 51 dBA 2350 rpm 66 °C 43 °C
Deepcool Gammaxx 300 18 °C 43 dBA 1650 rpm 74 °C 56 °C
Intel stock cooler 18 °C 41 dBA 2000 rpm 97 °C 79 °C
Xigmatek Praeton 19 °C 52 dBA 2900 rpm 83 °C 64 °C
Noctua NH-U12P SE2 18 °C 42 dBA 1300 rpm 69 °C 51 °C
Deepcool Frostwin 24 °C 46 dBA 1650 rpm 78 °C 54 °C
Thermaltake Frio Advanced 13 °C 56 dBA 2000 rpm 62 °C 49 °C
Xigmatek Dark Knight Night Hawk Edition 9 °C 48 dBA 2100 rpm 53 °C 44 °C
Thermaltake Frio Extreme 21 °C 53 dBA 1750 rpm 59 °C 38 °C
Noctua NH-U9B SE2 12 °C 44 dBA 1700 rpm 64 °C 52 °C
Thermaltake WATER2.0 Pro 15 °C 54 dBA 2000 rpm 52 °C 37 °C
Deepcool Fiend Shark 18 °C 45 dBA 1500 rpm 74 °C 56 °C
Arctic Freezer i30 13 °C 42 dBA 1350 rpm 63 °C 50 °C
Spire TME III 8 °C 46 dBA 1700 rpm 70 °C 62 °C
Thermaltake WATER2.0 Performer 11 °C 54 dBA 2000 rpm 49 °C 38 °C
Arctic Alpine 11 PLUS 11 °C 45 dBA 2000 rpm 82 °C 71 °C
be quiet! Dark Rock 2 10 °C 41 dBA 1300 rpm 58 °C 48 °C
Phanteks PH-TC14CS 16 °C 47 dBA 1300 rpm 58 °C 42 °C
Phanteks PH-TC14PE 16 °C 48 dBA 1300 rpm 57 °C 41 °C
SilverStone HE01 (Q) 19 °C 44 dBA 1150 rpm 63 °C 44 °C
SilverStone HE01 (P) 20 °C 57 dBA 2050 rpm 62 °C 42 °C
Thermaltake WATER2.0 Extreme (S) 17 °C 44 dBA 1250 rpm 52 °C 35 °C
Thermaltake WATER2.0 Extreme (E) 17 °C 53 dBA 1900 rpm 50 °C 33 °C
Deepcool Neptwin 11 °C 46 dBA 1500 rpm 56 °C 45 °C
SilverStone HE02 19 °C 49 dBA 2000 rpm 64 °C 45 °C
Zalman CNPS9900DF 23 °C 45 dBA 1400 rpm 68 °C 45 °C
Deepcool ICE BLADE PRO V2.0 22 °C 43 dBA 1500 rpm 67 °C 45 °C
Phanteks PH-TC90LS 24 °C 47 dBA 2600 rpm 95 °C 71 °C

In the graph below, you can see how many degrees Celsius hotter the CPU core is than the air outside the case. The lower this difference, the better is the performance of the cooler.

Phanteks PH-TC90LS

In the graph below, you can see how many decibels of noise each cooler makes.

Phanteks PH-TC90LS

[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]

The main specifications for the Phanteks PH-TC90LS CPU cooler include:

  • Application: Sockets LGA1155, LGA1156, and LGA2011
  • Dimensions: 3.7 x 3.7 x 1.77 inches (95 x 95 x 45 mm) (W x L x H)
  • Fins: Aluminum
  • Base: Nickel-plated copper
  • Heat-pipes: Three 6-mm copper heatpipes (embedded)
  • Fan: 92 mm
  • Nominal fan speed: 2,500 rpm
  • Fan air flow: 28.67 cfm
  • Power consumption: 3.0 W
  • Nominal noise level: 26 dBA
  • Weight: 9.6 Oz (273 g)
  • More information: https://www.phanteks.com
  • MSRP in the U.S.: USD 30.00

[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]

The Phanteks PH-TC90LS is a very well-made low-profile cooler, with the same construction quality we are accustomed to seeing in other coolers from this manufacturer.

However, there is no point in comparing the cooling performance of such a low-profile cooler to those of high-end tower coolers. Therefore, y
ou must pay attention to our data and compare the portrayed cooler to the Intel stock cooler and other low-profile models.

The PH-TC90LS has the same height (1.77 inches or 45 mm) as Intel’s stock cooler and of the Xigmatek Praeton. The performance of the PH-TC90LS was better than the stock cooler (unfortunately, it was a little noisier, too), but it didn’t reach the cooling performance of the Prateon (which was the noisiest of the three).

So, if you are building a PC (or an HTPC) in an SFF case with about 1.77 inches (45 mm) clearance, with a low-TDP socket LGA1155 or LGA2011 processor, the Phanteks PH-TC90LS is a choice you can consider.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

As a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, this site may earn from qualifying purchases. We may also earn commissions on purchases from other retail websites.

car service

Why Is Fleet Maintenance Important?

If you have a fleet of vehicles you use within your business, it’s crucial you keep up with their

Playing Fifa on Play station 4

Tips for Recycling Your Gaming Consoles and Devices

These days, it seems like almost everybody is gaming. As great as this is, it’s also creating a

Business planning

How to Develop Your Venture Capital Business

Venture Capital (VC) is a type of private equity investment in which investors provide funding to

Footer

For Performance

  • PCI Express 3.0 vs. 2.0: Is There a Gaming Performance Gain?
  • Does dual-channel memory make difference on integrated video performance?
  • Overclocking Pros and Cons
  • All Core i7 Models
  • Understanding RAM Timings

Everything you need to know

  • Everything You Need to Know About the Dual-, Triple-, and Quad-Channel Memory Architectures
  • What You Should Know About the SPDIF Connection (2022 Guide)
  • Everything You Need to Know About the Intel Virtualization Technology
  • Everything You Need to Know About the CPU Power Management

Copyright © 2023 · All rights reserved - Hardwaresecrets.com
About Us · Privacy Policy · Contact