CPU Cooler for DAW PC

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pcsuperhero

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Jul 11, 2012
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I am planning to build a digital audio workstation (DAW) PC with Skylake i7 6700k and a Z170 motherboard (leaning towards the Sabertooth Z170 Mark 1 for its high durability and aesthetics). I am planning to use the CPU at stock speed of 4.0Ghz with Intel Turboboost to 4.2Ghz as needed.

I have trouble finding an ideal CPU cooler. I would like to cool and silent performance since I would like for my components to last a long time (5+ years). I have been leaning towards Corsair H100i v2 but afraid of incidents such as leak in the long-run that could potentially ruin other components. Although air coolers are free of these incidents, I find most (if not all) of the high performing air coolers to be ugly/bulky and I am a bit worried about the weight and strain it would impose on the motherboard PCB in the long run. I think there are some good looking low-profile coolers but not sure if they can keep the CPU under 65 degC at load with turboboost.

I wish to know which route to take. Would an AIO be the best option for me and that I am just freaking out too much about chances of it leaking? Is there a low profile air cooler out there that performs decently?

Thanks in advance, much appreciated!
 
Solution
bailojustin
The corsair water coolers perform very well, and especially if your not opening up your pc and messing with it all the times, thats your absolute best bet.

the water cooler really dosent have a large chance of failure, I qould expect it to be under 1%, the reason being is they are very well designed, They have a negatice pressure on the inside of the tubing to account for expansion of fluids incase of overheating and various other catches to make sure they dont fail.

Aside from that you do not have much option.

If you are good with electricity and ready to tinker, I have a sub zero CPU that works at 25db or less. using a peltier cooler connected to a passive finned aliminum/coppercore heatsink with 4 heatpipes, 8mm tall with a...
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bailojustin

bailojustin

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Dec 7, 2014
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The corsair water coolers perform very well, and especially if your not opening up your pc and messing with it all the times, thats your absolute best bet.

the water cooler really dosent have a large chance of failure, I qould expect it to be under 1%, the reason being is they are very well designed, They have a negatice pressure on the inside of the tubing to account for expansion of fluids incase of overheating and various other catches to make sure they dont fail.

Aside from that you do not have much option.

If you are good with electricity and ready to tinker, I have a sub zero CPU that works at 25db or less. using a peltier cooler connected to a passive finned aliminum/coppercore heatsink with 4 heatpipes, 8mm tall with a watercooler on top to help with heat dissapation from the core. This is the most silent cooler I build, typically this is designed for imaging.
 
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Solution
Ecky

Ecky

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Feb 3, 2013
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The pumps in AiO coolers all eventually fail. I've had tons die on me over the years, and find they last about 3-4 years typically.

Don't worry about the weight of a tower cooler, it's not going to hurt anything. Air coolers cool better at the same price than liquid coolers, and are quieter. The only place with a liquid cooler is better than an air cooler is at the extreme high-end ($150+), but that's massive overkill for a stock CPU.

Why not go with the 6700 non-k and use the free included cooler? If not, something like the Noctua NH-L9i would be adequate for the 6700k, or for something a bit quieter under load, the U12, D14 or D15. I consider the D14 or D15 to be overkill though.
 
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bailojustin

bailojustin

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Nuclear plants could meltdown as well, fans will have bearings go bad, Fans will need oil, and the list goes on sometimes its just the best bet to take the more efficient route. Utilize new technology, otherwise you lose out on some pretty sweet overclocks and coolers components(less thermal degradation).
 
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