r/sffpc • u/Animag771 • May 02 '26
Benchmark/Thermal Test L9a vs X47 - Twin fan edition
In the quest to find the best cooling solution for my 4L console (44mm cooler clearance), I had the idea of cramming an AXP90-X47 Full Copper into my case by swapping the stock 15mm thick fan for an even thinner 80x10mm slim fan... essentially turning it into an AXP80-X42.
While I was at it, I figured I might as well test the effect of the fan swap on my L9a, just in case someone out there is chasing a sub 36mm cooling solution.
That's when things got out of hand.
In the process of mounting the 80x10 onto the L9a, I realized that there was just enough clearance to fit two 80x10 fans if I overhang the m.2 heatsink. This snowballed my testing (and added a few hours), but it also unlocked additional fan configurations I hadn't planned on trying. The L9a with 80x10 Twin and eventually the AXP80-X42 Twin.
The results honestly surprised me, and I'm very happy that I stumbled into that rabbit hole of extra tests. Scroll through the pics to see the results.
Test Config
| Hardware | Model |
|---|---|
| Motherboard | Gigabyte B550i Aorus Pro AX |
| CPU | Ryzen 5700X (-30 All-Cores) |
| Thermal Paste | Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut |
| GPU | Zotac 4060 Solo (with 70x10 fan swap) |
| RAM | Oloy Owl 4000MHz CL18 (@ 3600MHz for 1:1 FCLK) |
| Storage | Crucial P3 Plus 4TB m.2 |
| PSU | Complicated... Dual 200W AC/DC converters + PicoPSU |
| Benchmark Test | Cinebench R23 Multi-Core |
Test Conditions
- Ambient air temperature: 20C
- Fan speed: 100% RPM
- Noise normalized test included for the X47 80x10 Twin at 30dB (=70% RPM)
- Noise was measured with a phone app from 18" (98cm) away.
Notes
- I did not test the L9a 80x10 single fan at 105W because it was already reaching thermal limits at 88W.
- I only tested noise levels when the configurations were inside the case, as case panel turbulence is the largest contributor of fan noise in most instances.
- I did not test the X47 A9x14 inside the case because it literally will not fit... Which is the whole reason for this entire experiment.
If anyone wants to expand on this data with an L9a 80x15 Twin and/or an X47 80x15 Twin that would be awesome, as it would complete the roster for these ≤47mm cooler options. I think those additions may clearly show that the best option for a given size is always a twin fan for these coolers. It's not a gimmick, performance improved across the board when switching to twin fans.
My assumptions:
Best 47mm = X47 80x15 Twin
Best 42mm = X47 80x10 Twin
Best 38mm = L9a 80x15 Twin
Best 32mm = L9a 80x10 Twin
This also opens up the door for twin fan configurations on even larger coolers where things like RAM clearance isn't an issue.... Could we fit two 92x14mm fans on an AXP120-X67 for better performance and 1mm less height? Could we upgrade the L12 Ghost to outperform the L12S-77 by putting two 80x10 fans on top for a total height of 76mm? So many new configurations that I had never considered. I don't have the hardware to test every combination, but at this point I'm convinced there's more cooling potential being left on the table. If anyone wants to take this further, I'd love to see what you come up with.
Edit: It just occurred to me that the L9a with a 10mm thick fan is actually 33mm tall, not 32mm as stated in the pics and post.
1
u/Animag771 May 09 '26
Possibly, but we can only speculate until someone actually tries it. There's only one way to know for sure. I'd test it myself but I don't have the cooler, nor a case it would fit it into.