Undecided on CPU cooling

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Cdn1955

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Mar 29, 2017
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I am planning to use 3D software and do video processing.
With my new PC I will have ATX form Asus Prine z370-A motherboard, i7-8700k, 64g ddr4-3200, asus dual gtx1060-o6g. My case will be mid tower Rosewill R5 [Max CPU Cooler Height Allowance is 170 mm and it supports 8 fans].

I am unable to decide on a CPU cooling. All that I read is rather old (not considering the latest CPU generation). The coolers suggested by Tom do not mention anything about temperature. I need to consider first : a) how cool it will be in the PC, b) noise level, c) quality. Then they can go on with description of their coolers. But that is not what we have.

I am not going to go water cooling as it looks like you have to replace them regularly to avoid bad surprise, that is too expensive. And water in my PC is not really an option as they proved to be leaking. For air cooler, it looks like I would be stuck with the big 1.3 kg beast. That appears to be quite a ridiculous option as I was told to go water because that big thing does break the motherboard.

Could someone tell me, if they have a similar setup (with overclocking), what air-cooling they are using and if possible an appreciation of their cooler?
I will do some overclocking when necessary. Unless someone is telling me that I do not need to overclock for my video processing.
Thank you
 
Solution
geofelt
One of the problems with cooler reviews is that they are done in a pristine, controllable environment, namely on a work bench.
We users will typically put out parts in a case.
To get efficient cooling, one needs to have a case that allows sufficient air into the case so any cooler can do it's job.
I like at least two 120/140mm front intake fans that are filtered.
That is sufficient to run an overclocked 8700K and a GTX1080ti card.

I am a big fan of noctua. They make top quality coolers
They are easy to install, are efficient, and come with low noise adapters.
If you have a case with 160mm available, the Noctua NH-D15s will do the job.
Here is their TDP guidelines:
https://noctua.at/en/tdp-guide

You might wonder how high you can...
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photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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Noctua NH-D15S

It's a high quality, relatively small (designed to avoid RAM and top PCIe slot issues), very quiet cooler with excellent cooling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5AP_Nqqx8E

I've research that for others but I also still have the old NH-D14 which works great. My fans at roughly SIX YEARS run perfectly fine.

Other:
Setup the motherboard FAN CONTROL SOFTWARE so that the i7-8700K rarely exceeds 80degC under heavy REAL-WORLD (not Prime95) load such as 100% usage in Blender or Handbrake.

Depending on ambient room temp, case, silicon lottery etc you may or may not hit 5GHz but it sounds likely. I personally drop at least 100MHz below what I can get to stably so if say 5.1GHz was unstable I'd go with 4.9GHz since at best it's now 2% per 100MHz benefit.

The VOLTAGE in particular has a huge impact on temperature so you may need to experiment manually rather than use a pre-applied profile.
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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https://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/7301/noctua-nh-d15s-style-cpu-cooler-review/index6.html

(then click NEXT to see conclusion)

"However, for those in the know - builders, extremists, and even users sitting editing hours of video - and you are desiring silence, really good performance from an air cooler, ..."

Read more: https://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/7301/noctua-nh-d15s-style-cpu-cooler-review/index7.html

CPU cooler reviews are hard to analyze much of the time, but basically it's only a few degrees off from good liquid coolers but far more reliable and quieter.

*the only POTENTIAL ISSUE would be if it can't quite keep things cool enough for a max overclock but you can expect almost full or actually full speed so it's not a huge deal.

(actual throttle point is about 100degC but again Intel recommends to stay below 80degC in sustained, real-world usage)
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Oct 9, 2006
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One of the problems with cooler reviews is that they are done in a pristine, controllable environment, namely on a work bench.
We users will typically put out parts in a case.
To get efficient cooling, one needs to have a case that allows sufficient air into the case so any cooler can do it's job.
I like at least two 120/140mm front intake fans that are filtered.
That is sufficient to run an overclocked 8700K and a GTX1080ti card.

I am a big fan of noctua. They make top quality coolers
They are easy to install, are efficient, and come with low noise adapters.
If you have a case with 160mm available, the Noctua NH-D15s will do the job.
Here is their TDP guidelines:
https://noctua.at/en/tdp-guide

You might wonder how high you can overclock.
It will depend on your luck in getting a good bin.
as of 12/01/2017
What % of I7-8700k chips can oc
at a aggressive vcore near 1.4 or so and delidded
4.9 99%
5.0 72%
5.1 43%
5.2 16%
5.3 3%

Most of the time, your tolerance for a high vcore and for a hot temperature will happen about the same point.
You really do not NEED to OC a 8700K, it is a beast at stock.

FWIW:
My canned rant on liquid cooling:
------------------------start of rant-------------------
You buy a liquid cooler to be able to extract an extra multiplier or two out of your OC.
How much do you really need?
I do not much like all in one liquid coolers when a good air cooler like a Noctua or phanteks can do the job just as well.
A liquid cooler will be expensive, noisy, less reliable, and will not cool any better
in a well ventilated case.
Liquid cooling is really air cooling, it just puts the heat exchange in a different place.
The orientation of the radiator will cause a problem.
If you orient it to take in cool air from the outside, you will cool the cpu better, but the hot air then circulates inside the case heating up the graphics card and motherboard.
If you orient it to exhaust(which I think is better) , then your cpu cooling will be less effective because it uses pre heated case air.
Past that, A AIO radiator complicates creating a positive pressure filtered cooling setup which can keep your parts clean.
And... I have read too many tales of woe when a liquid cooler leaks.
Google for AIO leaks to see what can happen.
While unlikely, leaks do happen.

I would support an AIO cooler primarily in a space restricted case.
If one puts looks over function, that is a personal thing; not for me though.
-----------------------end of rant--------------------------

Your pc will be quieter, more reliable, and will be cooled equally well with a decent air cooler.
 
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Solution
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Cdn1955

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Mar 29, 2017
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photonboy and geofelt are both good solution but I can only pick one as it appears. Photonboy, I clicked a vote for you.
But I will need to get a supplementary fan for the noctua nh-d15 to equal the nh d15 score. Thank you
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Oct 9, 2006
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Be aware that there is a significant difference between the NH-D15 and the NH-D15s.
The s variants have been redesigned to clear tall ram and are offset to clear graphics cards mounted in the first pciex16 slot.
Both will do the job of cooling.
Really, the NH-D15s does not need a second fan. I would try the stock arrangement first .
You can always add a second fan later.
Adding a fan that you don't need adds expense and results in a noisier rig.

The Corsair 760T mentioned above is a good example of what I consider to be a good case.
It comes with two 140mm front fans with filters.
I am not so hot for "bling" though.


 
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