Recommendations for CPU fan cooler

omega3111 · Nov 15, 2016

I have an i5-6500 (no OC) on a micro ATX MOBO and an RX 470. I want to get an aftermarket cooler to keep the temps and noise low. I collected some info on coolers that are compatible and are withing my budget (30-40 USD converted currency) and would like recommendations:

XML:

Scythe Tatsumi SCTTM-1000I	$30
Arctic Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2	$31
Zalman CNPS5X			$33.5
Scythe Katana 4			$33.5
Arctic Freezer 13		$35
Arctic Freezer I11		$38
Scythe Kotetsu			$39
Scythe Iori			$39
CoolerMaster Hyper T2		$39

Did some research but it's hard to get a versus comparison of these exact models, what with the Scythe ones being even less popular (though I read good reviews on them).

Isokolon · Nov 15, 2016

I had a Scythe Katana 3 running on my AMD Phenom II x4 965 and it kept it cool for years.
considering it's a 125W CPU, it won't have a problem with the i5.

however it's overkill for your CPU.

superninja12 · Nov 15, 2016

whats your case
whats your ram
where are u from?

omega3111 · Nov 15, 2016

Isokolon :

I see. I don't need an overkill. Do you know about the other Scythe ones? Maybe the Tatsumi then? Or any other from the list you think are suitable?

omega3111 · Nov 15, 2016

superninja12 :

Case: Sharkoon S25-V
Ram: 4 x 4GB DDR4 2133 (no heat spreaders, just regular sticks)
From: Israel

superninja12 · Nov 15, 2016

i know cryorig isnt available in your country (sadly)
get yourself the coolermaster hyper 212 evo if its avaiblable.

omega3111 · Nov 15, 2016

superninja12 :

It isn't, or at least not close to the price range

Isokolon · Nov 15, 2016

superninja12 :

the evo is an even bigger overkill for that CPU
a CM Hyper 212 evo can cool an overclocked i7

I'd go with something like a Scythe Samurai ZZ, or a Phanteks PH-TC90LS (but it's rather expensive since it's Phanteks)
there's no need for a big tower cooler

but honestly there's no need for anything better than a Arctic Freezer 11 LP or a Deepcool Gamma Blade

superninja12 · Nov 15, 2016

how about the cooler master tx3?

omega3111 · Nov 15, 2016

Isokolon :

Scythe Samurai ZZ, or a Phanteks PH-TC90LS are not available lcoally

However, there is an Arctic Freezer 11 LP for $21 if that's good enough.

omega3111 · Nov 15, 2016

superninja12 :

52$ for the tx3. The hyper evo 212 is 48$.

superninja12 · Nov 15, 2016

get this one you recommanded CoolerMaster Hyper T2 $39

Isokolon · Nov 15, 2016

superninja12 :

the Hyper T2 can cool a 125W TPD FX 8350.
that's some serious overspending for a locked, 65W i5-6500

superninja12 · Nov 15, 2016

Isokolon :

im not looking at the cooling capabilities, since a stock cooler cna do that.
i am looking at the amount of noise the fan would produce.

omega3111 · Nov 15, 2016

Isokolon :

Fan coolers' specs list the processor's TDP they can handle? I can just look at fans that are in the 70-100W(?) ballpark and go from there?

Isokolon · Nov 15, 2016

that's why you recommend 31dBa coolers?

if we're going with the ultimate silence build, the go-tos would be Noctua and BeQuiet, a shadow rock slim is rated for 21 dBa which is less than half than the CM, seeing the power of this cooler it won't go to full load ever.
an EKL Alpenföhn Ben Nevis can match this at significantly lower cost
the Arctic Freezer mentioned before, that is roughly half the cost of the CM does get to 34dBa under max load, I give you that, which is still better than the Intel stock cooler with it's 37-38dBa

for 15-20$ extra I'd rather get a quality case fan than spending it on a cooler that I cannot push anymore than a cooler for half the price

Fan coolers' specs list the processor's TDP they can handle? I can just look at fans that are in the 70-100W(?) ballpark and go from there?

generally, yes.
there are a few other things to be taken into consideration: socket compatibility (that's a given), actual air pushed, noise produced. but a CPU cooler for 70-100W that doesn't create too much noise (I'd say up to 27, 28dBa) comes ideally with 2-3 heatpipes is sufficient.

of course you can get a 50$ cooler as well. but it's not really money spent wisely.

madmatt30 · Nov 15, 2016

I see no poin tat all if youre spending on an aftermarket cooler going for less than anything with a 120mm fan personally.
The prices on that list are all within $10.

The best cooler on there is the Scythe Koketsu by a massive margin when it comes to both temps & noise.

omega3111 · Nov 15, 2016

Isokolon :

that's why you recommend 31dBa coolers?

if we're going with the ultimate silence build, the go-tos would be Noctua and BeQuiet, a shadow rock slim is rated for 21 dBa which is less than half than the CM, seeing the power of this cooler it won't go to full load ever.
an EKL Alpenföhn Ben Nevis can match this at significantly lower cost
the Arctic Freezer mentioned before, that is roughly half the cost of the CM does get to 34dBa under max load, I give you that, which is still better than the Intel stock cooler with it's 37-38dBa

for 15-20$ extra I'd rather get a quality case fan than spending it on a cooler that I cannot push anymore than a cooler for half the price

Fan coolers' specs list the processor's TDP they can handle? I can just look at fans that are in the 70-100W(?) ballpark and go from there?

generally, yes.
there are a few other things to be taken into consideration: socket compatibility (that's a given), actual air pushed, noise produced. but a CPU cooler for 70-100W that doesn't create too much noise (I'd say up to 27, 28dBa) comes ideally with 2-3 heatpipes is sufficient.

of course you can get a 50$ cooler as well. but it's not really money spent wisely.

Yeah, I was hoping to invest somewhat wisely. I can go for the 11LP if that's not being cheap. Been looking a bit and not all specs seem to list noise levels. As for air pushed, what numbers am I looking for?

madmatt30 · Nov 15, 2016

You cant compare noise levels that way.

To spend $38 on the i11 when the koketsu is $1 more would be foolish beyond belief.

No 92mm fan tower is going to match a 120mm tower with a 1400 max rpm fan when it comes to temps & noise together.

You could run the koketsu fan at 800rpm max even under full load with that i5.

At 800rpm its proven to be virtually silent.

omega3111 · Nov 15, 2016

madmatt30 :

Someone else said the same thing about the Kotetsu and the i11, so good to know there's at least some consensus

From what I managed to gather, the Kotetsu will serve me well in the future if I want to upgrade the CPU. But what happens if the socket changes? Do I need an adapter of some sorts or do I need to replace the whole thing? If I'm going long range here I'd like to know if it's valid or I should go for a cheaper solution for a locked i5 and upgrade both in the future.

madmatt30 · Nov 15, 2016

The socket mounting is not going to change mate, its been the same for 5 years now.

If you buy the koketsu just keep all the spare mounting bits safe.

If your after lowering noise levels etc with an aftermarket cooler I just don't see the point in going with something like the i11 which isn't really that much better than a stock Intel cooler personally when a few $ more gets you the koketsu which will pretty much handle anything.

As you said - a heatsink will last literally forever , the only thing you ever have to replace is the thermal paste & the fan if it does.
The arctic coolers do not have standard fan mounts which would make replacing it in the future a pain, the koketsu takes a standard 120mm fan which will always & forever be readily available

It may be $39 but that $39 is a one time only spend.

omega3111 · Nov 15, 2016

madmatt30 :

Good to know about the socket mounting not changing much. And yeah, I also read about the Arctic ones having trouble with replacing fans. The ~40$ is certainly something I'm willing to spend on the long run (after all, I posted ~40$ solutions).

So last question. Before I posted my list I took measurements of my MOBO (GA-B150M-D3H) with the Gigabyte G1 RX 470 installed to make sure the cooler fits. It's a microATX MOBO so I was a bit concerned but it should be fine. Do you have any experience with this cooler on microATX boards?

(BTW, it's Kotetsu, not Koketsu

)

madmatt30 · Nov 15, 2016

omega3111 :

So it is ,its all japanese to me though

Fitted it on an atx board,fitted 212 evos to matx boards ( dimension are very similar although the [strike]kojitsu[/strike] [strike]kojetsu[/strike] scythe has zero ram interference)

you wont have an issue ,your case has ample room ,itll take most of the board up but that really doesnt matter.
couple of builds here on partpicker on matx boards in matx cases.
plenty of pics to peruse

https://pcpartpicker.com/builds/by_part/7998TW#E=6

omega3111 · Nov 15, 2016

madmatt30 :

The case lists 167mm CPU fan height which is fine for the 160mm cooler (though 7mm is tight). The MOBO has 4 DIMM slots so it's going to be rough. Will have to go to the store and measure there. BTW, in this https://pcpartpicker.com/b/cHgLrH build you posted, what are the shiny cyan things in the 3rd picture - one near the back IO and one beneath the graphics card?

madmatt30 · Nov 15, 2016

The cyan blocks are vrm & south bridge heatsinks, most boards (if not all) will have the bottom heatsink, cheap or no oc'ing boards may just have the bare vrm's showing with no heatsink.

You said you have bare ram with no sinks ??
I'm which case you won't have any issue.

Loads of room.

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