[Solved] The absolute best air CPU cooler under $100?

Hey there, I just got a new i7 build for xmas:

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Two
PSU: Diablotek 650W PSU
Motherboard: ASRock X58 Extreme
CPU: i7 920 (D0)
CPU Cooler: Arctic Freezer Pro 7 Rev.B
RAM: 3x2GB Triple Channel G.Skill 1600MHz DDR3
Video Card(s): 8600GTS-512MB (Pending my Radeon HD 5770)

I'm afraid I didn't do enough research on my CPU Cooler (Arctic Freezer Pro 7 Rev.B) and My CPU reaches 80C after only 5-10mins of Prime95.

I reseated it three times with AS5 and gut the same temps give or take 5C (yeah huge).

I am looking now for the best air CPU Cooler that money can buy. I have a couple in mind but don't mind any recommendations. This Arctic Freezer Pro sucks. I have been looking around on the internet for benchmarks of CPU Coolers but can't find any usable information. If anyone can find tests including all of these Coolers I'd be very grateful. I want to have some hardcore evidence of which cools the best.

-Xigmatek S1283
-Prolimatech Megahalems
-Thermalright TRUE Copper
-Arctic Freezer Pro 7 Rev.B

I would like to know which one is best and hopefully some proof and comparisons. I'm looking to OC my 920 D0 to 4GHz but with 80C in 10mins of Prime95 on STOCK. No way in hell.

I'm also looking at the Corsair H50. This is the only water cooling I will consider. So, I just need the BEST cooling out of: any AIR cooler, or the H50. whichever cools the most.

I currently live in Puerto Rico and have no air-conditioning (30C ambient probably) but I am actually in the process of moving to an air-conditioned house (20C) right now, hopefully my temps will drop but I doubt they will drop enough for some OC headroom. So please tell me which is the best CPU cooler money can buy and proof. Thank you for any help! ^.^

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Hi newcomer and welcome to the Tom's hardware forum.

My vote goes for the Thermalright, or the V8 or V10 from Coolermaster. But if the money isn't a problem for your, try to get a liquid cooling system.

Cheers from Colombia.

I have it on auto because I don't know much about voltages at this point. When I get my computer back (because as I said I am in the process of moving and it's in box) I will probably go through the process of putting it manual and going from 0.95V up, until it gets stable.

prolimatech

Here's 3 sites that came to the same conclusion:

http://www.frostytech.com/top5heat [...] ELHEATSINK
http://www.silentpcreview.com/Recommended_Heatsinks
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index. [...] itstart=15

Prolimatech Megahalems (the revision B comes with two fan clips). There's also a Megashadow version which I have. Has black nickel finish but not like you can actually tell once installed....doesn't cool any better....just looks nicer in the box

I used IC Diamond karat 7 Thermal Compound and twin Enermax Magma fans all purchased from FrozenCPU.com

is that your final answer?

good thats settled just remember to get a fan or fans for it since it doesn come with any

I can't say with absolute certainty....I just know that I've read that AS5 needs about a 200 hour cure period for it to fuction at it's greatest capability. I also read somewhere that AS5 needed to replaced every so often as well, but I don't remember where. Search Frostytech for thermal paste reviews or google it. I know I've read them in the past and those articles infuenced my decision to go with OCZ Freeze. There was also an article in PC magazine about a Dow Corning thermal paste that was supposed very efficient as well. I could never find the stuff, but there were plenty of scientific articles found in google about it.

NO one can tell you the ABSOLUTE best, too many variables to consider like case air flow, Tim application, fans used, etc.

One person may swear by one as being the best and someone else will say it just so-so.

The Megahalems, True, Venomous-X will all be capable of the OC you are looking for.

I can tell you from experience, you wont need even those. A Mehahalem is overkill. Hitting 4 GHz on an i7 is pretty damn easy.

I know they're all overkill, but I wanted to answer the Title Topic for people who want to know the definite answer anyways.

I'm going to get the Prolimatech Megahalems anyways to save me some money, and since it's smaller it will be easier to work with, and plus I love the transformers logo.

The NH-D14 is still the best cooler though because it can drop the temperatures lower than the Megahalems.

I found the answer here. After the break in period the temperature will be 2C-5C lower than when freshly applied. As seen here on the bottom of page 2.

the megashadow cools a lil bettter then the megalem not much only 1-2c .i cant seem to find any reviews on the thermalright venomous x it should be an evolution of the prolimatech's

One more thing. This Noctua NH-D14 also dropped the temperature inside my case 2 degrees. I have no explination for that?!? I am running Crossfire Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 X2.

Rest of set up is Antec Quattro 1000w,X58 pro-e, i7 920 overclocked to 3.9 and extremely stable, 12 gb DDR3 ram, and I also use the Antec nine hundred two case.

What about this review? they use the same exact heat setup for each and every cooler, and correct for ambient temps. That's science, not a case, a reviewer, a cooler, and some times the same chip. We all know every chip is different.

http://www.frostytech.com/articlev [...] cleID=2473

I believe that is true with any thermal paste.

+1

Thats exactly what I posted except you will never find noctua quality fans for $12.

I also just straight up don't trust those tests. I think if your going to test hardware, it has to be within a small time frame, in a controlled environment (humidity, light, temperature, air pressure) and the CPU installation, and Thermal Compound installation has to be done by a robot to make sure there are no variables. That way, the result depend directly on the CPU cooler itself.

The way they're doing it I doubt there results are accurate to the degree, therefore since there top two coolers are to them separated by only a tenth of a degree I think I read. The length of time between the results can sprout so many variables. The way they do there tests, there results cannot be that accurate (to the tenth of a degree.....pfft!).

I think someone has to do a test between the Prolimatech Megahalems and Noctua's NH-D14. Like the final showdown, In the same case, motherboard, cpu, and in a controlled environment with a consistent humidity, temperature, and air pressure, and have robotically applied thermal compound to the CPU, and make sure the same pressure is applied to the CPU with both coolers. Also to do it with two of each cooler and average the results. That is the most accurate test I can conceive.

Wow. again no statistics with variables. This this has the scythe mugen over half way down the list? lol

Please study tests results before you post. Their reviews are horrible.

I know lol I was like wtf??? That's why I only trust results from reputable sources, not some site someone made and posted some diagrams on, that he made in Microsoft Paint. The site is even called "legitreviews" which you can already tell its not legit.

have a look at the corsair h50-1

http://www.prolimatech.com/reviews/ms_reviews.html

http://www.prolimatech.com/reviews/mh_reviews.html

reviews of both versions

but i would wait for the thermalright venomous x reviews it should be on par or a lil better the the prolimatech since it is designed by the same engineers as pprolimatech

These 4 coolers were recommended to me. The first 2 being able to cool equally the best

Venomous X
Thermalright IFX-14

Prolimatech Megahalems
Noctua NH-D14


This is when used with i7 920, overclocked

Any new thoughts about these 4 coolers?

The Scythe Mugen 2 is pretty big as well, but it shouldn't have been in the middle of that chart, it should have been somewhere closer to the bottom.