Which i7 Heatsink?

[thechief73]

Hello, I am planing to buy a heatsink very soon, these are the two I am currently looking at:

Prolimatech Megahalems REV.B CPU Cooler $59.99 free s/h (platinummicro price)

Scythe SCMG-2100 MUGEN-2 Rev.B $39.99 free s/h (Newegg price)

*^Both are confirmed to fit Antec 300^*


Feel free to recommend others but I think $60 is the highest i'll go for the cooler w/out fans. Unless something really stands out. They must fit in a Antec 300, Dont go out of your way on this, just if you know for sure. Otherwise i can figure it out.

I will be using it on either a i7-930 or i7-950, any opinions on this is also VERY welcomed.

Also I am on the fence about getting the CPU now due to the recent price drop or wait for Black Friday/Holidays/ or Sandybridge but I am skeptical if there will be another price drop so soon, maybe after Sandybridge release. Opinions on this are also VERY welcomed.



I am sorry about all these questions, I thought might as well be adressed in one post. Dont feel required to answer them all, my main concern is the heatsink recomendations.

Thank You in advanced.

 

[bavman]

I would recommend the prolimatech because ive heard good things about it and many people are able to get their 920/930's up to 4.0 with ease.

If you live near a microcenter check out the hyper 212+ also, its $30 (i actually found it for $30 on newegg as well but it has a $8 shipping charge). People have been also able to reach 4+ with this cooler and fairly decent temperatures.

I dont think any of them will have trouble fitting in your case.

Good luck.

 

[thechief73]

Thanks for the recommendation, that cooler looks very promising aswell. The same site that has the other 2 coolers I am looking at also has the Hyper 212+ fo $30 free S/h.

Sadly the nearest Micro Center is ~135miles away, but I may be going there to pick up a CPU anyhow. :lol:

 

[bavman]

Yup great store, I got my 860 for $200 when it was $280 on newegg. sadly, you have to pay taxes when you go there though, and thats no fun.

 

[thechief73]

Yeah the prices there on some items like CPU's it seems are hard to be beat.

Well when your an internet shopper sometimes you forget about taxes (Whats that? ) when ya go to a B&M Store, but you know what they say, only things certain in life are death and taxes.

 

[thechief73]

Anyone that reads this could you PLEASE give me your opinion if your have any knowledge of the two coolers I listed in the first post or of the others below I really need some kind of input.


Well anyways, I have a short list I have put together while waiting on replys of some reputable coolers and current prices, if you have any information or expeirence with these please let me know what you think of them. Thanks.



*Hyper 212+..........................................................................$30
Xigmatek HDT-S1283............................................................$35
Thermalright Cogage TRUE Spirit..........................................$36
Thermaltake isgc-300...........................................................$38
*Scythe Mugen 2 SCMG-2000...............................................$40
Thermalright HR-01 Plus.......................................................$48
Thermalright Venomous X.....................................................$54
*Spire TherMax Eclipse II SP984B1-V2..................................$55
*Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme....................................................$56
*Prolimatech Megahalems.....................................................$56
Thermalright TRue Black 120.................................................$50 + $7 for bracket
Thermalright Cogage Arrow .................................................$59
Xigmatek Thor's Hammer S126384.......................................$65
Zalman CNPS 10x extreme....................................................$66
Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme (TRUE)................................$82 / $56(black or chrome not true)

* - Top picks

**Alot of these have free s/h but some do not.**

 

[aznshinobi]

The mugen is actually the best deal, for also the quietest performance as well. That or the Hyper 212+ is good as well. The True is not even worth that much (82$) and the CNPS 10X Extreme is also good.

I recommend the Mugen 2 though because it cools so well and is so quiet at stock, plus its cheap. Just be sure you can fit it in your case.

Review Mugen 2 (ver 1): http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/2736/scythe_mugen_2_cpu_cooler/index6.html

To summarize if you don't want to look at it that long. The Mugen 2 (not rev B sooo even the first version) produces the same noise as the Noctua coolers which are double even triple the cost of the Mugen 2. Another thing, the performance is phenominal as well, just look at it, it compares to even the U12P (1 fan). So just spend another 10$ for another Scythe Slipstream or Scythe S-Flex and it'll cool your i7 just fine.

Review CNPS 10x Extreme: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1034/5/
Decent, not the best. But for what it's worth, it performs equal to the U12P which is 10$ more than the 10x Extreme. Plus if you don't want to buy the fan controller the Extreme offers a wireless controller for the fan.

 

[thechief73]

Thank You aznshinobi for your input, I have been reading reviews and looking at charts that past two-three days strait(No joke), and I never came across these charts, they are very helpfull for comparison and seem professional.

I am not so sure I would ever go with the Hyper 212+ because of the direct touch heatpipe has large gaps between them on the CPU mouning surface [EDIT] I have since learned that the Hyper 212+ does not have this problem and is a great product, but be aware that some DTH coolers do have this issue[END EDIT]. I have gooten good recommendations for it but I personally dont like that about the desing after studying it.

I think im going to hold off a few days to buy and look through more information, since I mistakenly thought the Scythe SCMG-2100 MUGEN-2 Rev.B for $28.99 came with free s/h as many others did on that site(superbiiz) - currently has one of the best prices over many coolers on my list, best is Hyper 212+)), but when I went to buy that was sadly not the case, the price came to within a $1 of Newegg so I'll buy from them instead as this model is my top choice currently, if I do not change my mind after further study.

Again, Thanks.

 

[aznshinobi]

No problem, but to put something to look at. You should take a look at the Cooler Master V6 GT. That or the Spire Thermax II. The Thermax II is one of best budget coolers I know (budget being 50-60$).

Review Spire Thermax II: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Spire-TherMax-Eclipse-II-CPU-Cooler-Review/1085/6

With this review you can see it actually IS ON PAR! with the D14 from Noctua. Great feat to be honest. http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11423/cpu-spi-28/Spire_TherMax_Eclipse_II_Five_DT_Heatpipe_Universal_CPU_Cooler_SP984B1-V2_-_Sockets_775_1156_1366_939_AM2_AM2_AM3.html You can buy it there, but the only problem its out of stock, so you'll have to wait. Probably this is one of the best coolers out for its price right now.

 

[aznshinobi]

Oh right the V6 GT.

Review: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/34658-cooler-master-v6-gt-cpu-cooler-review-9.html

As you can see, it has great stock fans, which make it run cooler than changing up the fans. The only thing is the stock fans... They are loud! nearly 50 dBA. So... Yeah. however the pricing is pretty expensive. Coming in at 70$.

At this point, I recommend the Thermalright Venomous X, GREAT COOLER for 62$ without fans. With one fan it performs on par with the D14, plus the pressure mount system really helps on lowering temps.
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cooling/2010/01/24/thermalright-venomous-x-cpu-cooler-review/2

 

[d1rtyju1c3]

The Megahalems all the way, it is one of the best air coolers out with a couple of good fans. There is really only 1 other air cooler I would put above it and it is huge. The IFX-14.

 

[aznshinobi]

How? For practically the same price on Newegg. The V6 GT comes in which it is so much cooler than the Megahalems. Except the fact that the Megahalems doesn't even come with fans. In fact the Venomous X beats it in alot of comparisons, plus the Venomous X has better fit with most ram kits.

 

[d1rtyju1c3]

What comparisons?
Just about every comparison I can find the Megahalems comes out on top.
Hardware Canucks review on the Venemous X shows the Megahalems beating it.
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/29405-thermalright-venomous-x-cpu-cooler-review.html

Toms hardware CPU cooler chart shows the Megahalems on top.
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/cpu-cooler-charts-2010/CPU-Temperature,2146.html

Benchmak Reviews.
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=544&Itemid=62

 

[aznshinobi]

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/29405-thermalright-venomous-x-cpu-cooler-review-11.html

Same review. The Megahalems BARELY beats the Venomous X. It doesn't even beat it, if it does, it beats it by like .1 of a *.

Also the megahalems doesn't come with a fan.... Soooo I'm pretty sure the V6 GT comes in at a better value...

 

[thechief73]

Thank You both, Sorry for my absence but ive been doing alot of reading , no need to argue because I asked for your opions, and I can sort it out from there.

I am still liking the Scythe Mugen 2 SCMG-2000 just because the great value and performance and also looking closely at the Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme only thing is it has blue LED's on the fan witch would eventually need to be replaced along with all my tricools and dualcool that I have, I dont care for LED's, ideally I want my PC not to emmit any light or sound. I am also considering the Spire Thermax Eclipse II

And those are the ones I belive my decision has come down to.

The Prolimatech Megahalems is still under consideration just because the OC community speaks so well of them but as it has been said no fans really puts a hurting on the wallet.

Been doing alot of reading on Hardware Canucks, FrostyTech and BenchmarkReviews. They all seem to have the largest database of information and seem profesional and organized.

 

[aznshinobi]

Yeah, the best budget coolers are probably these.
-Spire Thermax Eclipse II
-Hyper 212+
-Scythe Mugen 2 Rev. B

Those are probably your best budget bets. BBB

 

[thechief73]

Thanks for all your help aznshinobi and D1RTYJU1C3 for the recommendations, I am almost 100% sure im going to go with the Prolimatech Megahalem. After days of reaserch it seems that this cooler had the best overall OC results, quality, and features on many reviews, as well as other competitors have less than disirable fans and db ratings. But yes it is somewhat of a premium price of $59 without fans compared to the Hyper 212+ which is almost identical performance and Scythe Mugen a little behing those but also great price.

The Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme looked very promissing but it can with a blue led fan and I belive that it can only accomadate one fan total, pricing was the sam as the Megahalems. I was on the fence about the looks to be honest.

The Spire Thermax Eclipse II, same price point, came with two fans which was a good deal but they were 50+ db at top speeds and were not PWM fans, I liked the desing just not the fans.

I still like the Synthe Mugen 2 B. mostly because the $15 cheaper price and nice design but it lagged behind the absolute top coolers slightly in most tests and I was will to pay $15 more for all out performance of the Megahalems. The Scythe was one of the quiter performing CPU coolers out there with the stock fan and with good aftermarket fans Im sure it will give anything a run for its money.

With that said, does anyone know if the Megahalem can be mounted both directions? I know it works with fans blowing front/back but can it be mounted with fans going top/bottom?

 

[d1rtyju1c3]

Yeah, the best budget coolers are probably these.
-Spire Thermax Eclipse II
-Hyper 212+
-Scythe Mugen 2 Rev. B

Those are probably your best budget bets. BBB

I agree if the budget is low then these are the best coolers for the money. I particularly like the Hyper212+ but they are all great budget coolers.

 

[d1rtyju1c3]

"With that said, does anyone know if the Megahalem can be mounted both directions? I know it works with fans blowing front/back but can it be mounted with fans going top/bottom?"


Yes.

 

[tx-jose]

Coolermaster V6GT all the way man!!!! i have on on my HTPC on an i5- 661 3.33GHz and it OCed to 4.16 and torture tests for about 6hrs temps never see above 67* but average 64-65 running Prime95 and playing a movie lol

 

[Gekko Shadow]

Coolermaster V6GT all the way man!!!! i have on on my HTPC on an i5- 661 3.33GHz and it OCed to 4.16 and torture tests for about 6hrs temps never see above 67* but average 64-65 running Prime95 and playing a movie lol

keep in mind your running a dual-core lol

 

[thechief73]

I agree if the budget is low then these are the best coolers for the money. I particularly like the Hyper212+ but they are all great budget coolers.

I am going to have to agree with you both also(just for anyone else reading this). On a tight budget the Hyper 212+ would probably been my 1st choice also, I was skeptical of DTH(Direct Touch Heatpipe) at first because some companies have got it all wrong but these they got it right. You can't beat it at $30 free s/h from Superbiiz(have some nice deals and great customer service). The Scythe Mugen 2 B after that at $40 free s/h from Newegg(top notch site).

I was tryiny at the begining is stay on a tight budget and get best performance without breaking the bank, but after doing so much reaserch I got the all out performance bug and I couldnt turn down a Megahalems for $56. I am just goin to use a 120mm fan I already have to lessen the blow.

 

[thechief73]

Just to sum everything up I found for interested readers

To start if you want to do your own research these are some great sites, if not the best:
Hardware Canucks
FrostyTech
BenchmarkReviews


These are a short list of my top picks:
(Each has its own pros and cons for you to decide on for yourself)

Cooler Master Hyper 212+
Scythe Mugen 2 SCMG-2000
Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme
Spire Thermax Eclipse II
Prolimatech Megahalems

 

[d1rtyju1c3]

I would have to choose between the Hyper212+ for the price and reviews or the Megahalems for reviews and personal experience as I am using one on my i7 860 at 4ghz with around 70c prime 95 load.

 

[thechief73]

^^^I agree^^^ Cooler Master Hyper 212+ for budget minded folks and Prolimatech Megahalems for top of the line performer. Both are great products.

I have already made a choice though and have a Prolimatech Megahalems on the way I was going to do this budget wise but then I decided to go all out