Best Air Cooler with LED fans for Non-OC

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jpmeneses21

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I have a non-overclockable i5 4570 on a stock Intel cooler, but the temps reaches about mid to high 30s on idle, and low to high 50s in full load. I'm kind of a temp freak, and would love to see those temps go down maybe at least 5ºC, and better if more. Also, it would be much better if the air cooler comes with an LED fan.

So what budget air cooler has the best balance of performance and looks? And what do you guys suggest?

My budget is around 60 bucks for an air cooler (plus additional fans if necessary.) I have 3 top picks right now.

The Enermax T40-VD, T60-VD, and Cooler Master's legendary Hyper 212. Without a doubt, I know that the 212 has the best performance of the three, but it doesn't come equipped with LED fans. Unless of course, If I can change it to LED ones without the affecting the kickass performance when used with the fans that comes with the box.
 
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k1114
Horizontal coolers will not perform as well as towers for cpu temps (as with the t60 vs 212) but provides better cooling to the mobo. The blowback off the mobo is one cause of lower performarce, the other is disruption of case airflow. Blowing down has air going in all directions disrupting the front/bottom to top/rear airflow. This is really just that 3c difference so isn't a big deal. You can't oc and your temps are really good even with the stock cooler so this shouldn't even be an issue at all.

I'd really say it's more of an issue of will you actually see it or really pay attention to care. The t60 is directed to the side of the case for if you have a window and can actually see the patterns it does. You do have a window but if...
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k1114

k1114

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The t60 will be a bit hotter than a 212 evo though only 3c (another review only showed 2c). http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Enermax-ETD-T60-VD-CPU-Cooler-Review/1467/6 But if you want something with lights and something flashy then it's a good fit especially if you have a side window. Idle temps usually aren't really any different with air coolers since it has more to do with room temp but either will drop load temps more than 5C.
 
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jpmeneses21

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Yes, I've been reading and watching a lot of good reviews for the SP's and would like to consider that. But having an LED fan on the cooler is also a deciding factor for me. Would you know of any fan that performs like (or maybe even slightly less) than the SPs but sports LEDs?
 
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jpmeneses21

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Based from the charts, the 212 seems like the better of the two. This is going to be a close call. I hear that the fans that come with the 212 perform really great, but if there's an alternative that can match the 212's stock fans and sports and LED, I might go with the 212. But is there an LED fan of the same caliber?

Also another thing to consider is the airflow. The T-60 is a downward pushing air cooler, as opposed to the 212s sideways oriented setup that can either be positioned to exhaust air to the rear (which is most common) or the top fans. What are the pros and cons of both downward pushing air and the 212s traditional setup? I have a CM Storm Scout 2 case, and is planning to add 4 LED case fans as well (2x120mm Top, 2x120mm Side). I'm not quite sure which will work best.
 
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k1114

k1114

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Horizontal coolers will not perform as well as towers for cpu temps (as with the t60 vs 212) but provides better cooling to the mobo. The blowback off the mobo is one cause of lower performarce, the other is disruption of case airflow. Blowing down has air going in all directions disrupting the front/bottom to top/rear airflow. This is really just that 3c difference so isn't a big deal. You can't oc and your temps are really good even with the stock cooler so this shouldn't even be an issue at all.

I'd really say it's more of an issue of will you actually see it or really pay attention to care. The t60 is directed to the side of the case for if you have a window and can actually see the patterns it does. You do have a window but if you never really look at your case, an led fan on a tower cooler will really just have the same light effect (maybe minus the blinking and different colors) but will be better cooling and probably cheaper.
 
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Calculatron

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The Enermax ETS-T40 fits the bill perfectly, especially for just out-of-the-box. While it is surpassed in enthusiast-class overclocking, other sites have shown it to operate better in non-overclocking situations than the much-lauded Hyper 212 EVO. (It has a larger surface area, with more optimized airflow.)

The Xigmatek Gaia, another commendable cooler, is on sale (again) for $25 bucks. Xigmatek is also having a sale on some of their LED fans, so for another $10 bucks you could replace the fan (or possibly get two, some are being sold in twin-packs). You would spend at least $12 bucks for a replacement LED fan from Enermax, and I think I would trust an Enermax fan over a Xigmatek fan. For an extra $20 bucks, currently, you could get one of those Cougar Dual-X LED fans - this pairing would equal the current cost of the Hyper 212 EVO alone.

Although I don't like paying more than $15 dollars for a fan, I can tell you that Cougar fans are pretty good. I have been turning into a bit of a fan-atic (har har) and I'm happy to stay that the cougar fan I have performs roughly on par with my Corsair SP120 fan. When they are at full tilt (something that rarely happens) the edge goes to the Corsair fan, but the difference is within the margin of error (which is generally considered about 2C) and the Corsair fan is noticeably louder. When left to their own devices, the Corsair always needs to spin with a faster RPM so are usually louder in that sense as well.
 
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jpmeneses21

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I've read a lot of good things about Cougar's fans, especially the Dual-X's. I'm just concerned that the LED version is a bit less powerful (at least according to the spec sheet) than the normal black one. The T60 is out of the equation. Now it's a toss between the T40 and the 212.
 
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jpmeneses21

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You do have a point right there. Air from horizontal coolers actually disrupts the overall airflow inside the case. Maybe those types of coolers are better suited on Mini-ITX cases. It doesn't matter which way the fan faces, as long as the light effects are obvious from within the case, I'm ok with it.

So yeah, I think I'll go ahead with the 212 or the T40.
 
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Calculatron

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Comparing specs of the Cougar fans, you'd be right to see that the PWM versions that allow for higher RPMs operate better than their base 3-pin variants, which include the Dual-X fans, when at full tilt. However, the difference at which the two operate isn't that great. In fact, for most fans you won't see a world of difference between a medium setting and full tilt - a handful of degrees at the very most. If you have a well-ventilated case, your heatsinks fans will never run at full-tilt; my cougar fan, interestingly enough, never goes above 1200 RPM, which is why I don't have an issue recommending the Dual-X in this case.

Just some food for though. The ETS-T40 would be the easiest and best pick, at this point.
 
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