Best Cpu Cooler for around 200$

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
D

die_for_me666

Distinguished
Aug 14, 2006
38
0
18,530
Hey


Im looking for something to tame my hot processor.

right now im running it on the zalman 9700 air cooler


im looking for the best cooling for around 200$


doesnt matter if its air or water(since air cooling and near 200 bones nowadays)


The only thing is i have never owned a watercooling system, but i have built computers for many years so i doubt it'd be anything i can't handle...



I would appreciate any feedback! thanks!!!!
 
biohazard420420

biohazard420420

Distinguished
Jul 14, 2006
223
0
18,680
From most of what I have read as far as air cooling goes this is top of the hill it is even tied or a little better than the Tuniq Tower 120. The only draw back is it is sold with no fan so you have to pick up your own. Just check out the review here on anandtech.com

http://anandtech.com/casecooling/showdoc.aspx?i=2943

And if you note in the review they test it with no case fans running, so if you add that in you might be able to get better cooling performance.
 
apt403

apt403

Distinguished
Oct 14, 2006
2,923
0
20,780
Yeah, water cooling is worth it, but not on a $200 budget. Just get a TEC like Chuckshissle suggested, a much better buy then getting a cheap water system.


EDIT: Just noticed something. Sorry for this, but I cant resist.

w 00 t y w 00 t ! 2 000 !

Just did the math, it took me 80 days even to get my first 1000 posts, for my 2nd 1000 it took me 78 days, so im shooting for 76 days to get my 3rd 1000. June 1st here I come!
 
apt403

apt403

Distinguished
Oct 14, 2006
2,923
0
20,780
Thanks. I figured out that if I keep going with this -2 days every 1000 posts ill have to make 1000 posts every 2 days when and if I hit 40,000
 
chuckshissle

chuckshissle

Splendid
Feb 2, 2006
4,579
0
22,780
Yep, I had a cheap water cooling system and it's not worth it at all. Well it does a little bit better than air but not that much. $250 will get you and good setup for cpu water cooling like that from Swiftech H20-220 kit.
 
W

wun911

Distinguished
Apr 28, 2006
794
0
18,980
Good air setup can beat crappy water setups.

But to get good water you will have to spend and a fair bit of time.

If the kid has a thin budget I would tend to stick to air, if he can spend a little more, swiftec makes nice stuff.
 
HotFoot

HotFoot

Distinguished
May 26, 2004
789
0
18,980
Yeah, so far we know the Tuniq and Ultra120+ are better, but 3rd place for the 9700 isn't bad. It's a good cooler. Since that's what the OP already has, they should make sure to note that they can expect a few degrees better with the best air cooler available, but not necessarily anything paradigm-shifting.

$200 is a dead zone for CPU cooling. Good air costs less than $100, while good water starts above $300. The "between" TEC solutions aren't performing as well as the best air, so what's the price premium for?

I would say if you want to experiment, spend the $200 on a TEC plate and controller, and sandwitch that behind your 9700. You may have to take precautions against condensation if your cooling is effective enough to get you below room temperature, so look into what that involves. It's a big goopy mess, but some people think it's worthwhile.
 
HotFoot

HotFoot

Distinguished
May 26, 2004
789
0
18,980
Right. I wasn't counting the two Ultra's.

My point was if the OP already has one of the better air coolers, then better gains might be had by sticking with it and testing out a TEC. Then again, when I look at Anand's charts, I see the 9700 is good at stock speed, but as power rises it seems to become overwhelmed and loses ground to the better coolers. In that case, the extra thermal load of the TEC might make a strong argument for switching to the Ultra120+.
 
geofelt

geofelt

Titan
Oct 9, 2006
54,295
4,145
174,240
1) How hot is hot? What are your temps? Idle/load for cpu and case.
Is there really a problem that needs to be solved?

2) Verify that the heat sink is mounted squarely with quality material. Arctic silver 5 is very good. This insures that the heat generated by the cpu is getting efficiently transferred to the cooler. The best coolers are only marginally better than the 9700; it's probably better to spend $200 elsewhere.

3) The case temperature limits what the cpu cooler is capable of. To get the case temperatures down, you need to get the heat out of the case. More/larger/faster fans will do this.

4) What is the VGA card? This is usually the biggest contributor to heat in the case. Does the vga cooler exhaust the heat out the back directly? If not, get an aftermarket vga cooler that does. Arctic silencer makes several.

5) Is the airflow in your case clean? Are your cables routed cleanly? Post some pics. Also, do you have some intake filters that might need cleaning?

---good luck---
 
D

die_for_me666

Distinguished
Aug 14, 2006
38
0
18,530
Get a Swiftech Apogee GT, Danger Den Mag II pump, DD Maze5 gpu block, Black Ice radiator (I am using 2 120 stealth x-flows), and whatever reservoir floats your boat.

dangerden
DD Mag II that is in stock and the price is not jacked up
Swiftech Apogee GT on sale $5 off
Click to expand...


Actually man that sounds like a great set-up, i haven't used water cooling yet, but im definitely know idiot. I've worked on computers for ever and i have a very, very strong understanding of how to set one up.




But yes as for my case i have the Thermaltake Kandalf The aluminum one.
The 250mm side fan window kit.
120mm fan rear
120mm fan front
92mm Top
80mm rear.
zalman 9700

cables are nicely tucked away and sleeved.

i will take pics after i get off work and let you guys know.


Here are my specs also.


x6800 @ 3.5ghrz( i want 3.8 but its too hot!)

4gbs OCZ platnium pc2 6400

Evga 680i Mobo

320gb Seagate PR HD

BFG 8800 gtx

x-fi xtreme music sound card

coolmax CTG 850w powersupply
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom