Need Help, I am lost on picking a cooler.

vladed · Sep 19, 2013

Hello.

I am at a total loss at the moment. A year or so back i picked up a gaming rig; I planned on building my own, but I found a deal with most of the parts that I wanted in a build PC so I bought it.
It is Oc'd at 4.3GHz.

I used it for studies and gaming for this year, never really going into deep mechanics and theories, as it went ( and still is ) going very smoothly. Now I want to start slowly upgrading my rig, as I want to OC my GPU. I have read so much past three days about various topics on OC and clock speeds and rigs that my brain feels like paste.

Now this is where I need your experience (where I have practically none) and guidance.

I have The Arctic cooler 13 (http:// )

The Specifications are as follows :

Fan (mm) 92
Rated Fan Speed 600 – 2000 RPM, (PWM Controlled)
Airflow 36,4 CFM / 61.8 m³/h
Cooling Capacity (Watts) 200
Noise Level (Sone) 0.5
Dimensions (Packaging) 126 L x 103 W x 140 H mm
Dimensions (Product) 123 L x 96 W x 130 H mm
Limited Warranty 6 Years
Weight 0.8 kg

To be honest, it has been bugging me from the start. Using RealTemp it shows temp of 42-48 C. now this is in idle mode.

My case is GIGABYTE Luxo X10

The dimensions are 180mm x 430mm x 440mm (W x H x D )

http://

it isn't very big and that is the problem - but it does it's job.
On the case, I am only using the rear fan and top fans (factory) but I am planing on buying decent front and side ones.

Now my problem is the case size. As you can see here, the ram slots are almost touching the cooler, and due to the case size, the cooler barely leaves space for the side fan.

[ 16Gb RAM. (when I bought this, they said the Pc had only 8GB

) ]

I have been searching and reading and measuring with my ruler all day non stop for good heatsinks etc. At one point I even considered Hydro Series™ H100i Extreme Performance CPU, but It seems big for the case and quite expensive.

I am totally lost....I am not sure if I need a bigger case in order to get a better cooler for me in order to OC GPU; to lower temp in general.

Or is there a cooler that could fit into this rig? or if not, would you guys recommend me a case?

I'd GREATLY appreciate even if you guys pointed me in the right direction.

For a cooler i could go up to £60 give or take.
Budget on the case, well....it depends how good the case is

Thank you again for reading this.

markwp · Sep 19, 2013

Several things here:

If you have clearance between the outside bottom of your case and the floor/desk where the case sits (unless it is on carpet), flip the psu over so that fan blows out. As it sits, when the psu fan runs you are sending warm air right at the cpu.

Your case is very limited on inside air volume and it's going to be difficult to get decent air flow. Make sure your rear fan above the psu is pushing air out and that the two top fans are pulling air in. Also make sure the fan on the cooler is pushing air toward the rear fan.

If you are going to install a front fan, see if you can remove the top portion of the drive cage so that the front fan will pull air in and across the gpu and cpu.

Your cooler is fine, but it could be the thermal compound was not correctly applied. Don't change it before you double check the fans - getting more intake than exhaust to keep it positive inside pressure will be important and might help the situation.

All that said, a mid tower like the half 912 would certainly give you better airflow, especially if you move the fans from your current case into the 912.

--EDIT-- What cpu and m/b?
Mark

Onus · Sep 19, 2013

If you want to OC your GPU (graphics card), your CPU cooler won't make much difference, unless you're worried about "splash heat." That issue would be better addressed by a larger case. I like Rosewill, Antec, Fractal Design, and Enermax for cases. You've listed a price in pounds, so I'm guessing that Rosewill won't be a choice for you. That's too bad, because one of the nice things about Rosewill is they typically offer more fans pre-installed than their near competitors; you might need to buy an extra fan or two with another case. Still, for graphics card overclocking, getting rid of the splash heat will require a larger case with better airflow.
As to the CPU cooler, most 120mm tower-style coolers offer similar performance. I use and recommend the Xigmatek Gaia myself, as it is considerably cheaper while cooling a little better than the more often parroted Hyper212 EVO:
http://www.techreaction.net/2011/07/07/review-xigmatek-gaia-sd1283/7/
http://www.techreaction.net/2011/11/27/review-cooler-master-hyper-212-plus/4/

Unlike the Hyper212 EVO (ignore the URL; it IS the EVO they tested), the Gaia never throttled, although it wasn't always the coolest depending on the fan used. Both got awards, but if you factor in the price, the Gaia wins hands down. Either would be cooler and quieter (and less whiny) than what you have now.
You can step up to a 140mm cooler such as a Noctua or Phanteks; those run $60-$80, basically up to 3x the price of the other two. I don't think they'd be worthwhile, unless you meant that you are going for high overclocks on your CPU, not GPU.

Onus · Sep 19, 2013

markwp :

Uh, no. The PSU fan is an intake to the PSU, and exhausts out the back; it does not blow warm air into the case. Turning it upside down (if there is a vent there) is still a good idea though, because 1) it will let the PSU draw in its own cool air rather than pre-warmed air (very important for the Corsair CX, which uses inferior Samxon capacitors that don't like heat), and 2) the way it is now, pulling warm air down, is fighting physics. Your case has an exhaust fan, so let it do that job.

vladed · Sep 19, 2013

markwp :

There is also two fans that I am able to place at the side, right in front would be when looking at the picture near the psu and a bit higher. Should these fans pull air in and top ones push air in or, like you said, make the two top ones pull air in ( they are pushing air atm) and the side fans push it out.

Ask for the cooler, I have read many reviews and benchmarks and it seems to perform "meh" under clocked speeds; and as the rig already at 4.3 Ghz I'm a bit worried of pushing my GTX 670 due to heat.

my motherboard is P8Z77-V LX
My CPU is Intel Core i5-3570k @ 3.40GHz (Oc'd at 4.3GHz; although it was the people who built this rid OC'd)

Thanks again.

vladed · Sep 19, 2013

Onus :

Aha, I see. so all in all, It would be wiser to upgrade into a better case which has good airflow with fans for the OC on the GPU. But I still think that for idle Pc just being at a desktop a temp of 40+ C is a bit high.

As for the cooler, before I was searching around and came across be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 2.

I am just wondering is it worth the buck for it.

Thing is I do not mind paying a bit extra for a good cooler that will last me, and a great case, as I plan on upgrading this PC as time goes on ( going SLI for instance ) so I take into account those scenarios when thinking of getting a good cooler.

So spash heat, and small space is the problem with this case, so I shall upgrade it; Although while we are on the subject, any recommendations at the top of your mind?

I think it's better to have an opinion of an experienced individual in the field, than me, alone relying on hundreds reviews that something contradict them self.

Thank you again for your time.

I REALLY appreciate it.

Onus · Sep 19, 2013

In general, top and rear fans are exhaust, and front and side (if present) fans are intake. You do not need the side fans though, as the exhausts will pull air in through the side. Turn the PSU over so it lives in its own little air-cooled world. If your PC is on carpet, set it on a plank or a piece of fiberboard so it can breath.

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