Never overclocked my i5-2500k. About to start. Advice on liquid coolers?

suhw33t

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Aug 25, 2011
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Hey everyone,

I built my first rig in 2011, and i bought an i5-2500k with the intention of overclocking in the future. I haven't yet, and am about to start. But before I start I am thinking of getting a liquid cooler or a different CPU fan setup to replace my Zalman CNPS9700 (Didn't think the fan noise would bother me but it eventually got to me)

I have been looking at water coolers and am looking for a good one to keep temps at 60 or under under load. I'm looking to overclock to 4.3ghz min.

Like to keep under $100 if possible, if not its ok.

Any input would be appreciated guys!



CPU: Intel Core i5-2500k 3.3ghz (not overclocked)

Mobo: MSI Z68A-GD55 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

GPU: EVGA Superclocked w/ACX GTX 770

RAM: G.SKILL Sniper Low Voltage Series 16GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB SATA III SSD

Storage Drive: 1TB Seagate Storage Drive

PSU: Antec High Current Gamer 750W
 
Overclocking on stock cooling is generally considered a bad idea, and the stock cooler is likely to be significantly louder. However, I wouldn't count on a sealed-loop liquid cooler being quieter than a Zalman CNPS9700. Something like a Hyper 212 evo or a Noctua NH-D14 should be fairly quiet and still have decent overclocking headroom. Also, I suggest you read through this thread if you haven't already:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/277130-29-read-first-watercooling-sticky
 

schmuckley

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Jul 18, 2011
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Wait for deal on h100i
This cooler's supposed to be pretty good :http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835214023&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-CPU+Cooling-_-Enermax-_-35214023

@ 4.3..2500K shouldn't heat up very much.