Well, the title pretty much says it all. I'm in the market for a new CPU cooler and am at a bit of a loss on which to choose. The ever-popular Evo 212 seems like it would be the most efficient but it's a freaking behemoth! I really don't like the form factor - because of that I went out and purchased a Noctua NH-L9i because the price was right (around $50) and it has a beautiful form factor with a top mounted fan.
http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=50&lng=en
Unfortunately, after it arrived and I read through the documentation it's really only good for HTPC/Mini-ITX setups without beefy processors. Booo!
Caution: The NH-L9i is a highly-compact low-profile quiet cooler designed for use in small form factor cases and HTPC environments. While it provides first rate performance in its class, it is not suitable for overclocking and should be used with care on CPUs with more than 65W TDP (Thermal Design Power). Please consult our TDP guidelines to find out whether the NH-L9i is recommended for your CPU.
My max TDP is 77 so now I'm stuck with a crappy CPU cooler that I'm wary of installing, Evo 212 is out of stock at Amazon (and honestly it's fugly), and my dang computer keeps throttling itself because of the heat. Sooo I was hoping one of you kind souls might know some good alternatives that cost around the 50 dollar mark. As much as I like Noctua, I'm not paying $80-100 for their big daddy. I'd preferably like something with a smaller form factor, but that will still give good performance. I do not OC at all.
Thanks in advance.
T
http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=50&lng=en
Unfortunately, after it arrived and I read through the documentation it's really only good for HTPC/Mini-ITX setups without beefy processors. Booo!
Caution: The NH-L9i is a highly-compact low-profile quiet cooler designed for use in small form factor cases and HTPC environments. While it provides first rate performance in its class, it is not suitable for overclocking and should be used with care on CPUs with more than 65W TDP (Thermal Design Power). Please consult our TDP guidelines to find out whether the NH-L9i is recommended for your CPU.
My max TDP is 77 so now I'm stuck with a crappy CPU cooler that I'm wary of installing, Evo 212 is out of stock at Amazon (and honestly it's fugly), and my dang computer keeps throttling itself because of the heat. Sooo I was hoping one of you kind souls might know some good alternatives that cost around the 50 dollar mark. As much as I like Noctua, I'm not paying $80-100 for their big daddy. I'd preferably like something with a smaller form factor, but that will still give good performance. I do not OC at all.
Thanks in advance.
T