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CPU Air Cooler


Plaayer
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Well guys, it's time again for another hardware thread. As you can tell by the title of the thread, I'm looking for a new CPU air cooler. I'm kind of sick of the stock cooler that Intel gives you now-a-days, since it's just f-ing horrible. I don't like deciding between items (not sure why...), so I went to you guys.

 

Anyways, the guidelines are:

1. No heavy ass heatsinks. I move my PC around a lot, and I don't want it snapping off. So, that rules out the Noctua NH-D14.

2. Under $60.

3. No water cooling. (Duh, thread title...) With my luck, I'll do something wrong and end up with coolant everywhere.

 

Note: Check my signature for case, motherboard, and ram.

 

Thanks guys!

- TehPlaayer. <3

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Well if you dont want something heavy i would do the corsair H50

it says water cooler..but its completely sealed. basically impossible for it to spill. no need to fill it up with anything and very easy to install.

most good heatsinks are very large. but trust me they are not going to snap off haha. if you have your system overclocked then go with the d14 it wont break. trust me

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The H50 is a nice compact little kit, but its over 60 dollars. The H70 would be my choice if I had an extra 105 layin around.

The D14 looks sick but it also looks huge and is over 60 dollars. :/

I just bought a Hyper N 520 upgraded from a really bad Freezer 7 Pro.

I hate the push down plastic attachment points. Anything that has the metal backplate that bolts on is the way to go.

Im super pleased with what I got so far. And its the only suggestion within your price range.

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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118075 (If you're willing to spend slightly more money)

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185129

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106606

 

Also please post your socket type, those are just some good quality heatsinks that Im fond of.

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I haven't bought it yet, so what would you go for?

 

Here's the problem.

 

  • You haven't told us what CPU you're running in the first place or if you plan on even overclocking it.
  • If you have no plans on overclocking it that changes what you need to buy drastically.
  • What are your temps now at idle/load?
  • What have you used to test?

 

The Zalman 9900 is one of the ONLY descent zalman coolers for the price. SO before I recommend a cooler, answer the above questions.

 

Terry what are you basing that information off of, because I currently have the ZalmanCNP9700 and it runs like a dream. So please indulge me on your findings.

 

The 9700 is a turd. Did some reading on the 9900 and it isn't bad, which surprised me, so I'll take back what I said about that. Zalman has been a shitty heatsink manufacture for a while, look at the reviews of their other heatsinks for proof.

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1. It should be in my signature, but I'll type it here: (RAM + Motherboard if there are clearance issues.)

- Intel Core i5-760

- Asus P7P55D-E LX Motherboard

- Corsair XMS3 2x2GB RAM

 

2. Yes, I do plan on doing a slight overclock. My goal is 3.2 GHz.

 

3. Idle: 32-35C ~~~ Full Load = 68-75C ~~~ Room Temp = 15C

 

4. Stress Test: Prime95 with 4 threads for 30 minutes ~~~ Temperature: CoreTemp ~~~ Heatsink/fan: Stock

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It seems that your best bet is the CM Hyper 212+. It's performance/price cannot be beaten, unless Terry has another suggestion. Others might cost some more $$$ such as the Prolima Megahalems (buy separate fan)or Scythe Mugen 2.

 

Also, Thermal paste is just as important as the heatsink itself. I'd recommend investing in some OCZ Freeze or IC Diamond 7. ~$8 and it'll last you forever.

IMHO, the traditional Zalman heatsink design is outdated. They were the bees-knees a few years ago but tower based, push-pull configurations have dominated it ever since.

If you can fit it, go 120mm.

Edited by Cefdinir
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I haven't bought it yet, so what would you go for?

 

It seems that your best bet is the CM Hyper 212+. It's performance/price cannot be beaten, unless Terry has another suggestion. Others might cost some more $$$ such as the Prolima Megahalems (buy separate fan)or Scythe Mugen 2.

 

Also, Thermal paste is just as important as the heatsink itself. I'd recommend investing in some OCZ Freeze or IC Diamond 7. ~$8 and it'll last you forever.

IMHO, the traditional Zalman heatsink design is outdated. They were the bees-knees a few years ago but tower based, push-pull configurations have dominated it ever since.

If you can fit it, go 120mm.

 

Yep I'd say the Hyper212 with some OCZ freeze would be perfect. 50$ total and it will push that CPU to the limits with ease.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Alright guys, with the objective of getting the Hyper 212+ over at my local Fry's, I saw it. Only thing is, it was $5 dollars above price Newegg's price. After looking down 1 shelf, I saw a H70 for $70 with a $10 mail-in-rebate and lucky me, it was the last one! So I grabbed that thing (and paid for it) and ran home to install it.

 

Temperature with i5-760 @ Stock 2.8GHz: Idle: 23-27C ~~~ 100% Load: 38-42C ~~ Fan Speed: 35% ~~ Room Temperature: 17C

 

Stress Test: Prime95 with 4 threads for 30 minutes ~~~ Fan Controller: SpeedFan ~~~ Temperature: CoreTemp

 

Note: Sorry if this is necroposting, I just wanted to let you guys know the progress.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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