Need a Cheap i5-2500K Cooler. Please Help!

Both of those are going to be a major improvement over the stock cooler, and since LGA 1156 and LGA 1155 share the same cooler mounting arrangement both should be compatible. Why are you getting an aftermarket cooler for? Overclocking? Reduced noise/temps at stock speeds?

Primarily for overclocking. I am currently not overclocked but I do plan to I just wanted to see if it would be a good idea to invest in one of the above fans before I do so. If I have the stock fan on right now would I need to make any changes to install the aftermarket cooler?

Both of those heatsinks would be a good choice for overclocking and in general a aftermarket cooler is always a good idea for anything beyond a minor overclock. I don't have experience with the TX cooler, but I have installed the Hyper 212+. Installation isn't that difficult.

Basically there's a metal backing plate that is placed on the backside of the motherboard and then four threaded metal bolts run through the four mounting holes in the motherboard and nuts are used to secure the backplate to the motherboard. The nuts used to secure the backplate to the motherboard have a threaded hole to which the heatsink screws are screwed into to attach the heat sink. It sounds kind of complicated but it's actually pretty easy.

Cooler Master has an especially good installation video posted online that does a better job of explaining all the details.

Thank you for your response. I have heard many different opinions on how to apply thermal paste, how would you advise me to put on the paste? Spread? Dot? X?

I can't assure that you will get over 4.5GHz with that, but the 212+ along with arctic silver 5 is a good choice.

I don't think you will be able to achieve those clock rates with a cooler like this, for 4.7GHz you need something like the Noctua NH-D14. (The best CPU air cooler)

But you can get 3.6GHz with that cooler.

No overclock is ever guaranteed, but you should be able to get somewhere around 4.5GHz with the CM Hyper 212 Plus and sufficient case cooling. You just need to make sure it will fit in your case before you order it.

The TX3 is inferior to the 212 Plus, but still superior to the stock heatsink.

The Coolermaster Hyper 212+ is a good choice and an excellent value. I still have an original Hyper 212 in my personal system. That original model still produces excellent results.

I started a similar thread on the forums for my core i7 2600k as the stock coolers with these new sandy bridge chips are awful. I went with the CM hyper 212+ as recommended by the community, it reduced temps under load by about 30-35c vs the stock and is certainly the best for the money.

I was slightly frustrated however that I had to remove my motherboard and install it within the case all over again, was worth it in the end.

I don't have as much of a personal opinion on this subject as others do. The way I applied Arctic Silver 5 using my Hyper 212+ was to fill the slight crevices between the heat pipes on the bottom of the heatsink with thermal paste. Then I applied a BB size amount to the center of the CPU and used a piece of plastic to spread it, but I only spread it a small amount. After that I just placed the heatsink on the CPU, wiggled it slightly and finished the heatsink mounting procedures.

You don't have to do it the exact same way I did though, generally most of the methods of applying thermal paste will give about the same results. The main thing you need to do to get best results is to make sure you don't apply too much thermal paste and keep the heatsink/ CPU surfaces free of contamination from finger prints, dirt and old thermal paste. Since you have the stock cooler on currently you'll need to use 100% pure isopropyl alcohol and a coffee filter to remove all traces of the old thermal compound from the CPU surface.

Thank you all for the help. I went with the 212+. One final question, if i were to overclock to 4.5 with this heatsink what are the temps that my CPU should be at in both idle and maximum use?

Whether you can achieve that clock in the first place, depends on your case, room temperature and airflow. Don't be surprised if you can't get 4.5 because people get liquid cooling or a high-end air cooler for those sorta overclocks.

You may be able to but I'm just sayin' you are aiming too high for that cooler. Nothing wrong with that but just keep it in mind.