Best cooler for SandyBridge 2600k overclock

[reaperz]

Hey guys,

after building my SandyBridge 2600k rig ive now decided to up the game a bit, and do some overclocking.

my last overclock attempts were years ago, with the AMD x64 cpu's, and this is my first time owning an Intel CPU, so im sure things have changed a lot !

i am wanting a 4.6+ghz overclock, the hardware im using is as follows

hardware

CPU : Intel Sandy Bridge 2600k

Moytherboard : Asus p8p67-m motherboard
http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=hcyfdEpZcMvFkTNm

Ram : Corsair VENGEANCE 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL8
http://www.computerlounge.co.nz/components/componentview.asp?partid=14138

Case : NZXT Phantom black
http://www.nzxt.com/new/products/crafted_series/phantom

HDD : OCZ Vertex2 60gb SSD + various seagate 1tb drives

GPU : GTS250

Case Fan Setup


REAR, 1 X 120mm
SIDE, 2 x 120mm
TOP, 1 X 200mm



my question is, what is going to be the best cooler ? i dont mind spending good money to get a strong cooler, my limited research has showed that the Venemous X, Hyper212+ and Megahelem are all excellent contenders, with the Noctua ND-D14 being one of the top.

By running only 2 ram sticks i can move these to slot 3 & 4 thus hopefully giving clearance over the heatspreaders.

I'm also not running the large centre fan on the case, so this gives extra clearance if needed.

here is a list of coolers i can get, as im from New Zealand.

http://pricespy.co.nz/category.php?o=produkt_pris_inkmoms&rev=1&l=s65155847.


Thanks !!!!! i cant wait to be more active in this community.

 

[dhongkool1]

i don't believe that the computer would be able to boot if you move the RAM to slots 3 and 4
i'm not sure about dual channel RAM but in triple channel configs like x58, there are set places the RAM must fill up

 

[4Ryan6]

Noctua NH-D14, on my 2500K dropped idle temp 5c with fresh Artic Silver 5, I have an ASRock P67 Extreme4 had to use the second ram slots but the ASRock manual says it doesn't matter what slots you run dual channel in, it's totally your choice.

Read your manual regarding memory slot configuration, it should read the same as mine.

The Noctua is so massive I had to do some fan rearranging, allowed the center 140mm to drop lower and that helped cool the M/B heatsinks, rearranged the mounting clips on the 120mm fan to place it on the backside as a pull setup drawing the air through it.

The Noctua 1156 mounting holes are identical to the 1155's mounting configuration so the mounting kit fits great, it dropped load temp 10c compared to the stock Intel heatsink.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Ya can't move the RAM, it' goes where it's gotta go in the 2nd and 4th slots from the CPU.

The Vengeance Heat Spreaders may be problematic....and for that price, holy craps !

I see ya looking for something better than plain vanilla CAS 9 but be be advised that the only main cooling provided by those coolers is "looking cool". Today's RAM doesn't need coolers and few actually provide any benefit. THG tested some and found that they ran cooler once removed.

See if ya can get ya hands on something like these normal height CAS 7's out your way:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226178

As for the coolers you mentioned, the Megahalems and Venemous are definitely in the top 12. The Noctua falls into the 2nd tier, and while it certainly had its day, the 212 has dropped outta the top 25. Note when reviewing web sites with large databases, check out the test system and avoid ones that use the LGA 775 as the heat signature of the 775 is much different from the 1155/1156/1366 coolers.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=447&Itemid=62

Top Performers (Top Tier)

* Prolimatech Megahalems
* Thermalright Venomous-X RT
* Scythe Mugen 2 SCMG-2100
* ProlimaTech Super Mega
* Cogage Arrow
* ProlimaTech Armageddon
* Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme
* Cogage TRUE Spirit
* Xigmatek Balder SD1283
* SilenX Effizio EFZ-120HA4
* Titan FENRIR TTC-NK85TZ

Highly Recommended (2nd Tier)

* Noctua NH-D14
* Zalman CNPS10X-Performa
* Coolink Corator-DS Heatsink
* CoolAge CA-X120TF Wind Tunnel
* Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme
* Thermolab BARAM
* Xigmatek Thor's Hammer S126384
* Scythe Yasya SCYS-1000 Cooler
* Noctua NH-U12P
* Cooler Master V6 GT Heatsink
* Thermaltake Contac-29 CLP0568
* Zalman CNPS10X-Quie

Note that if ya check the reviews, the top 2 or 3 units will actually switch places depending on what specific CPU is used. Personally I favor the Mega ($100 w/ twin fans, TIM and PWM splitter cable) and the Scythe ($40 + $6 for TIM)

 

[reaperz]

thanks JackNaylorPE

4gb ram sticks are expensive here in NZ .. the only way to get cheaper ram was 4x 2gb sticks, which i didnt want to do. - i did a fair amount of research/value and this was the best deal apart from importing.

Mushkin doesnt exist, and no low profile 4gb sticks sadly.

how can i check if the megahalem will clear the Vengeance heatspreaders?


so i will go with the Prolimatech Megahalem then
http://www.dtconline.co.nz/components/componentview.asp?partid=9794

as you can see this comes with no cooling fans, would you be able to reccomend me some ?

the company who stock the megahalem seem to have a reasonable stock of fans
http://www.dtconline.co.nz/components/componentlist.asp?parttypeid=234&t=3

 

[dhongkool1]

^ the megahalems will 100% not be able to clear the vengeance heatspreaders

 

[reaperz]

damn so other than changing the ram (not preferred) what options do i have ?

is it possible to remove the heatspreader? could this cause an adverse reaction?

 

[dhongkool1]

i'm not sure whether u can remove the heatspreader or not
on the megahalems you got 3.708 cm of RAM space, if the RAM's taller than that, you need to change it

 

[reaperz]

Thanks dhongkool1

i have been looking at alternative ram, since i am building my mum a new PC i can sell her my vengeance ram, and look at something more suitable for me.



http://www.playtech.co.nz/afa.asp?idWebPage=39235&CATID=24&ID=15333&SID=125203568

do you think this ram will clear ? .. you mention 3.708cm, is that from the motherboard ? im going to assume so.

in relation to CL7 ram, this is virtually the only CL7 stuff i can get... and would get 2 of these kits..
http://www.elive.co.nz/corsair-cmx4gx3m2a1600c7-4gb-memory-ac1100.php

do i need cl7 ? i dont understand ram timings much. also i see this ram is 1.65v, as opposed to 1.5v i was advised to get, due to a larger overhead if needed, would this be a fair comment ?


NZ RAM PRICES AND AVAILABILITY SUCK D*** btw

 

[dhongkool1]

no 3.708 cm is from the bottom of the heatsink (not taking into account the height of the socket)
I read a topic on overclock.net a person with a 920 fit the ripjaws under the megahalems
i think you'll be fine

 

[geofelt]

1) You can put your ram in either the blue slots, or the black slots. That gives you a bit more room, but not two slots worth.

2) The sandy bridge cpu's do not need the best coolers to OC well. The 32nm manufacturing keeps them cooler than previous generations. I suggest the CM hyper 212 which is relatively slim and should not have any clearance problems. A second fan for push-pull should be possible, but is probably not necessary. Wait to see how you do before adding one.

Normally you would orient the cooler to exhaust out to the rear of the case. Since you also have a top exhaust, I think that orientating to a top exhaust would be more effective. I think that would resolve any clearance issues, even with a megahalems.

3) Ram does not need fancy heat spreaders. They are mostly marketing gimmicks. My G.skil 1600 ram feels just slightly warm to the touch.
I was worried about clearance, and contacted G.skil support. They said their heat spreaders were attached via double sided thermal tape, and could be safely removed. Turns out, I had to do nothing.

4) Plan on using only the 2 6gb sata ports until the 6 series issue gets resolved. Get a pci-e add-in sata card if necessary.

 

[reaperz]

hi geofelt nice to see you over in this section too!

1) thanks, i was aware of this

2) im a bit of a 'gimmick' person, and i personally think the megahalem looks amazing as opposed to the hyper212+. i dont mind spending the extra money for the 'looks'

i was wondering about the orientation of the heatsink like you mention, having it feed to the top exhaust would be more effective in my eyes too. so if i were to orientate it this way would it clear my current Corsair Vengeance ram ?.

3) thanks for the info regarding the heatspreaders on the ram. this was effectively one of few ram packages i could get with 2x4gb at 1.5v and wasnt aware of clearance issues *doh* .. live and learn

4) i read about this yesterday briefly, are you able to explain more about it to me ? do i need to RMA my cpu?

i really appreciate the help guys

 

[dhongkool1]

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/cougar-point-sandy-bridge-sata-error,12108.html
no you need to RMA the motherboard the link gives you info
i forgot to mention the megahalems doesn't include fans so you'd need to get some
the megahalems is pretty big not gonna lie, when you have 2 fans on it it'll be square so it still won't clear the vengeance RAM

 

[jonpaul37]

I am getting along just fine with my Hyper 212+, idle temps hover @ 29c-ish and load temps do not pass 61c I am running 4.6 GHz 24 x 7 with a 1.33 vcore

When i say 61c, i mean running 6 hours of prime, it didn't pass 61c

I have had my PC running continuously @ 4.6 since Saturday and have not gone past 43c once since i started up HWMonitor and i have played many different games between Saturday and now...

 

[geofelt]

hi geofelt nice to see you over in this section too!

1) thanks, i was aware of this

2) im a bit of a 'gimmick' person, and i personally think the megahalem looks amazing as opposed to the hyper212+. i dont mind spending the extra money for the 'looks'

i was wondering about the orientation of the heatsink like you mention, having it feed to the top exhaust would be more effective in my eyes too. so if i were to orientate it this way would it clear my current Corsair Vengeance ram ?.

3) thanks for the info regarding the heatspreaders on the ram. this was effectively one of few ram packages i could get with 2x4gb at 1.5v and wasnt aware of clearance issues *doh* .. live and learn

4) i read about this yesterday briefly, are you able to explain more about it to me ? do i need to RMA my cpu?

i really appreciate the help guys

2) The megahalems is about the most efficient cooler you can get; I highly recommend it. It is also one of the easiest to install. I used one in a larger case and loved it. Oriented to exhaust upward, should give you more ram clearance. It will be slightly wider than the 120mm fan that is attached to it. If you have the motherboard already, see if you have about 65mm clearance from the center of the cpu. I think only one fan is needed, and it can be mounted in either push or pull orientation.

The cpu's are good; no need to return/exchange them.

4) There is a defect in the 3gb sata ports on 6 series chipsets. The two 6gb ports are fine. In time, the 4 3gb ports might degrade(5-15% chance). When the corrected P67 chips are available, the motherboards should be exchanged. Count youself lucky to have snagged one; they have been recalled from retail.
Anandtech has been following this:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4143/the-source-of-intels-cougar-point-sata-bug

 

[reaperz]

sadly i dont have 65mm clearance.

what im going to do is change my ram to this - i assume this will clear, and if not i can remove the heatsinks

http://www.playtech.co.nz/afa.asp?idWebPage=39235&CATID=24&ID=15333&SID=125203568

then i will add the megahalem all the reports i have read online show that the megahalem will clear the g.skill sticks.

are you able to reccomend me fans to run ? i would like to run two fans, will i also need to buy a cpu fan power splitter ? or does the megahalem come with one of these? do they just use standard 120mm case fans? i'd like excellent performance

Thanks all!

 

[Leaps-from-Shadows]

If you can get the CL9 version of that RAM for cheaper, do it. RAM timings make very little difference with the newer generations of CPUs. The one fan on the Megahalems will rest on top of the heat spreader of the Ripjaws X RAM, but that won't hurt anything.

Standard 120mm case fans will work just fine. Higher-speed ones would be preferred for maximum cooling performance, but quiet fans do well with the Megahalems also. And yes, you will need a splitter.

 

[reaperz]

cant get cl9 version in new zealand, out of stock country wide.

since my case is the NZXT Phantom, and i can orientate it directly under my 200mm fan, is there much point getting a second 120mm fan for this cpu cooler ?

or would you reccomend i start with 1 strong 120mm fan in a push config on the bottom, and see how i go with this , and if needed add a second fan + PWM splitter cable.

are there any particular tried and tested fans for this cooler? thanks

 

[geofelt]

I think one fan is plenty. You can always add another.
Noctua makes the best fans, quiet, and good airflow; but more expensive. They come with two adapters to reduce the fan speed (and noise).
A good value fan is Yate loon.
Actually, any 120mm fan will be acceptable so long as the airflow/noise balance suits you.

If you add a second fan, a splitter is not needed. Just connect it to the mobo, or to the psu.

 

[reaperz]

thank you geofelt

i assume the only advantage the splitter offers is to have variable speed be the same on two fans, which really isnt too much a concern for me, i would rather them running at full speed all the time.

i would rather pay more and get something slightly better, so after some research into the Noctua fans i have decided to pick up one of these

Noctua NF-P12 120mm - 12/20db / 900-1300rpm

it seems to outperform the Noctua NF-S12B which is similar price.

also - i will need to purchase a tube of AS5 to get optimal performance right ?

this is exciting!!

i cant thank you guys enough for your help

 

[geofelt]

thank you geofelt

i assume the only advantage the splitter offers is to have variable speed be the same on two fans, which really isnt too much a concern for me, i would rather them running at full speed all the time.

i would rather pay more and get something slightly better, so after some research into the Noctua fans i have decided to pick up one of these

Noctua NF-P12 120mm - 12/20db / 900-1300rpm

it seems to outperform the Noctua NF-S12B which is similar price.

also - i will need to purchase a tube of AS5 to get optimal performance right ?

this is exciting!!

i cant thank you guys enough for your help

I don't think a splitter can control two fans at the same time anyway. There will be confusion if two different speed sensors are active into the same fan header at the same time.

For me, it is a moot point, since I like a constant fan speed which is less obrtrusive to me.

You will get a tube of thermal grease with the megahalems. No need to get anything else. How well you put it on is more important than the minor differences among brands.
The key is to not put too much which asts as an insulator.

 

[reaperz]

have purchased the Prolimatech Megahalem, and a Noctua NF-P12 120mm to cool it!

cant wait to crank some benchmarks

 

[reaperz]

Best answer selected by reaperz.

 

[reaperz]

so i have been supplied the Rev.B version of this cooler instead of the original, i understand it doesnt cool as well.

is it worth kicking up a fuss over and getting this swapped somehow? the suppliers website states nothing about it being Rev.B - see here http://www.pp.co.nz/products.php?pp_id=AA19858

i understand the rev.B cools less effectively by up to ~2degrees, is someone able to link me to information relating to this ? i have it bookmarked at home, however im at work and cant spend all day searching sadly.

Thanks !

 

[Leaps-from-Shadows]

They no longer produce the original, so even if it did perform better, you're SOL.

When everyone recommended the Megahalems, they were recommending the Rev.B version as that's the only one available and has been for some time now.