Need Help Choosing a Cooler

I'm going to by building my first system soon and need help selecting my CPU cooler.

I'm going to be using the Sandy Bridge i5 2500K and want to try overclocking it.

I need a cooler that will fit into a Antec 300 and would like it if the cooler was under $50 however I would probably would be willing to go higher if I needed to.

So far I'm leaning toward this but I'm not sure how much room I would have to overclock with it. I've also looked into the Corsair H50 but I've heard only mixed reviews about it.

Suggestions/advice appreciated.

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by Typhoeus on 02-26-2011 at 05:17:52 AM

Reply to Typhoeus

i'm going to suggest the Scythe Mugen 2 or Coolermaster 212+ for your build
the scythe will perform slightly better but it's more expensive
the 212+ will outperform the N520
NEVER BUY THE H50!!!!

Message quoted 2 times

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Reply to dhongkool1

dhongkool1 wrote :

NEVER BUY THE H50!!!!

I've got an H70 in a build I made for my brother, with an i7 950 overclocked to 4.2GHz (200x21 @ 1.28750v). My temps never go over 85°C when using Intel Burn Test.
It real life situation, it never goes over 60°C. The only thing I've done is change the stock fans, because they were kind of loud. I've changed them to 2 Noctua NF-P14FLX.
The temps stayed the same, but it was much more quiet. Also, you should use 2 fans in a push/pull configuration, blowing air outside your case.
If you want to change the fans to something more performant, you could get this one : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835185092
If you have the space, you could get 2 fan shrouds as well, I've heard they worked very well with the H70.

I hope this helped,
al360ex

Message quoted 2 times

Reply to al360ex

al360ex wrote :

I've got an H70 in a build I made for my brother, with an i7 950 overclocked to 4.2GHz (200x21 @ 1.28750v). My temps never go over 85°C when using Intel Burn Test.
It real life situation, it never goes over 60°C. The only thing I've done is change the stock fans, because they were kind of loud. I've changed them to 2 Noctua NF-P14FLX.
The temps stayed the same, but it was much more quiet. Also, you should use 2 fans in a push/pull configuration, blowing air outside your case.
If you want to change the fans to something more performant, you could get this one : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835185092
If you have the space, you could get 2 fan shrouds as well, I've heard they worked very well with the H70.

I hope this helped,
al360ex

OP has a $50 budget, the H70 is way over that

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Reply to dhongkool1

Typhoeus wrote :

I'm going to by building my first system soon and need help selecting my CPU cooler.

I'm going to be using the Sandy Bridge i5 2500K and want to try overclocking it.

I need a cooler that will fit into a Antec 300 and would like it if the cooler was under $50 however I would probably would be willing to go higher if I needed to.

So far I'm leaning toward this but I'm not sure how much room I would have to overclock with it. I've also looked into the Corsair H50 but I've heard only mixed reviews about it.

Suggestions/advice appreciated.

Hi.

Personally, after checking some charts, such as the one found at: http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2567&page=4, I would suggest the Thermaltake Frio. It is $49.99 at Newegg right now and can be found here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106150&cm_re=frio-_-35-106-150-_-Product
According to the chart, it will keep a 125W processor at 11.1 degrees Celsius. Hope this helps!

Reply to nismo9132

OP look for coolers that aren't wide for starters and will fit in your case.
I doubt coolers like the Frio or CM V6GT will fit in your case as they are 165mm tall and will most likely cover at least one dimm.
Funny trend i notice is all the SB buyers choosing the very best air-coolers money can buy.
Not required imo the best coolers were made for 1366 platforms to cool overclocked i7's which run much hotter then SB i5's.'
I think a 212+ would be more then adequate as well as a problem free install.
Will not have any fit or ram clearance issues.
If that doesn't fit your idea of a cooler choose something 100mm wide and under 160mm tall at most otherwise you'll have issues.

Message edited by davcon on 02-27-2011 at 11:11:12 PM

Reply to davcon

^212+ is a great choice

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Reply to dhongkool1

Quote :

I've got an H70 in a build I made for my brother, with an i7 950 overclocked to 4.2GHz (200x21 @ 1.28750v). My temps never go over 85°C when using Intel Burn Test.

That's horrible...absolutely horrible. I dislike the H50/H70's, but even an H70 shouldn't let it run that hot. You must have horrid case airflow or high ambient temps. Or both. Even then mediocre H70 should keep it in the mid/high 50's or low 60's Celsius.

Real watercooling would have that OC CPU running around 45C at load.

Quote :

^212+ is a great choice

Also agree with this statement.

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by rubix_1011 on 02-28-2011 at 04:11:43 AM

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Reply to rubix_1011

al360ex wrote :

I've got an H70 in a build I made for my brother, with an i7 950 overclocked to 4.2GHz (200x21 @ 1.28750v). My temps never go over 85°C when using Intel Burn Test.
It real life situation, it never goes over 60°C. The only thing I've done is change the stock fans, because they were kind of loud. I've changed them to 2 Noctua NF-P14FLX.
The temps stayed the same, but it was much more quiet. Also, you should use 2 fans in a push/pull configuration, blowing air outside your case.
If you want to change the fans to something more performant, you could get this one : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835185092
If you have the space, you could get 2 fan shrouds as well, I've heard they worked very well with the H70.

I hope this helped,
al360ex

those temps are pretty bad, most people wouldn't want the cpu temp going over 80 degrees
i've got an i7 920 D0 with the same OC with more voltage on a high end air cooler (Megahalems) going 72 degrees MAX running prime95 for 12 hours

Message quoted 1 times

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Reply to dhongkool1

^^ Most GPU's run about 80's C at load. They are designed to run at those temps, 90-100's C are getting critical for GPU's/

You wouldn't want your CPU running at anything over 65C if possible...on any chip (minus old, old P3/P4's)

Message quoted 1 times

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Reply to rubix_1011

rubix_1011 wrote :

That's horrible...absolutely horrible. I dislike the H50/H70's, but even an H70 shouldn't let it run that hot. You must have horrid case airflow or high ambient temps. Or both. Even then mediocre H70 should keep it in the mid/high 50's or low 60's Celsius.

With the H70 at 3.8GHz, they got those temps : http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/for [...] iew-8.html
Mine is at 4.2, and the i7s are notorious to start being very hot really fast past 4GHz.
As I said, with IBT, I never go over 85°C. With Prime95, the highest I reach is 77°C. In real world application, I never go over 63-65°C.
As for the airflow of the case itself, it's a Cooler Master HAF X.

If you look at the same results of the NH-D14 : http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/for [...] ew-11.html

The H70 has better results than the NH-D14.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to al360ex

rubix_1011 wrote :

You wouldn't want your CPU running at anything over 65C if possible...on any chip (minus old, old P3/P4's)

As far as I'm concerned, if Intel says never to go over 100°C and I stay far from it (in real life situations, not stability tests), I see no problems with these temps. True, it might diminish the lifespan of your CPU, but not that much.

Reply to al360ex

That seems to be ridiculously high for either of those. I looked at the test setup, and it just doesn't add up with the temps there vs. what others have seen elsewhere including actual user results. I know a lot of people use the i7's and overclock them like mad...without seeing those kinds of temps. I agree that the results are close enough to seem like they fall in line with most tests, but I don't fully agree with the temps they got.

I'd rather keep everything as cool as possible, regardless what is posted. I know that GPU's are designed to run hot, but that doesn't mean I want to. I know this comes down to personal preference, but Tom's forum users seem to think that the H70 is a gift from the gods...without much merit.

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by rubix_1011 on 02-28-2011 at 06:29:00 PM

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Reply to rubix_1011

rubix_1011 wrote :

That seems to be ridiculously high for either of those. I looked at the test setup, and it just doesn't add up with the temps there vs. what others have seen elsewhere including actual user results. I know a lot of people use the i7's and overclock them like mad...without seeing those kinds of temps. I agree that the results are close enough to seem like they fall in line with most tests, but I don't fully agree with the temps they got.

I'd rather keep everything as cool as possible, regardless what is posted. I know that GPU's are designed to run hot, but that doesn't mean I want to. I know this comes down to personal preference, but Tom's forum users seem to think that the H70 is a gift from the gods...without much merit.

I agree with you...If it weren't for the RAM modules which have very high heatsinks (Corsair Dominator GT), I would have gone with the NH-D14.
But one thing that you cannot deny is that the H70 is quite compact and discrete. It fits really well with a black and red theme.
The NH-D14 is beige and brown, and has a huge gray heatsink...
So even if the H70 does not perform as well as other coolers, it fit the needs and taste of my brother, that's why I opted for it.

Reply to al360ex

As long as it works for you/your brother and it was chosen after some research and not a knee-jerk reaction...then good.

I support people choosing something based on research and what works for them as individuals. I do not have much patience for people that ask complete strangers what they should spend their own money on...without figuring out for themselves.

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Reply to rubix_1011

Corsair A70 is a good one for $34.99 at Tigerdirect.com...Comes with 2 fans for push-pull setup...

Reply to Bigmac80

dhongkool1 wrote :

those temps are pretty bad, most people wouldn't want the cpu temp going over 80 degrees
i've got an i7 920 D0 with the same OC with more voltage on a high end air cooler (Megahalems) going 72 degrees MAX running prime95 for 12 hours

Same here.

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Reply to JackNaylorPE

Hyper 212+ is a very good cooler that from what Im looking at will fit in your case.
There are a lot of reveiws on here about this cooler just read some and then make up your mind.

Reply to galeener

al360ex wrote :

As I said, with IBT, I never go over 85°C. With Prime95, the highest I reach is 77°C. In real world application, I never go over 63-65°C . s for the airflow of the case itself, it's a Cooler Master HAF X.

If you look at the same results of the NH-D14 : http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/for [...] ew-11.html

The H70 has better results than the NH-D14.

That is still high. I'd reapply the thermal paste.

For reference, here's BMR's recent test w/ all coolers in test using a single identical high flow fan

Corsair H50 68.1
Coolit Vantage A.L.C. 67.8
Corsair H70 64.7
Coolit ECO A.L.C. 64.3
Cooler Master V6 GT 59.5
Prolimatech Super Mega 59.4
Antec Kühler H2O 620 58.7
Thermalright Venomous X 58.0
Thermalright Silver Arrow 55.8

The DH-14 isn't reallya good comparitot anymore, at least on the 1366 platform, it dropped outta the top echelon last year (3rd Quarter 2010 Roundup)

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index. [...] &Itemid=62

* 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

* 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-Quiet

------------------------------ If a man speaks in the forest and no woman hears him, is he still wrong ?
Reply to JackNaylorPE

dhongkool1 wrote :

i'm going to suggest the Scythe Mugen 2 or Coolermaster 212+ for your build
the scythe will perform slightly better but it's more expensive
NEVER BUY THE H50!!!!

I'm gonna echo the Scythe Mugen 2 ...definitely worth the $10 over the 212 tho

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index. [...] itstart=15

Cooler - $40 - Scythe SCMG 2100 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835185142
TIM - $5 - Shin Etsu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835150080

------------------------------ If a man speaks in the forest and no woman hears him, is he still wrong ?
Reply to JackNaylorPE

Titan Fenrir is a damn good one for $44.99 at microcenter.com...Probably one of the best Heatsinks also...check out these benchmarks running against Noctua NH-D14, Prolimatech Megahalems and Cooler Master Hyper 212 plus...

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/for [...] ew-11.html

Im thinking of getting one for my new build instead of the Noctua NH-U12P..

Message edited by Bigmac80 on 03-01-2011 at 10:28:59 AM

Reply to Bigmac80

I'm saying 100% to Scythe Mugen 2 or 212+

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Reply to dhongkool1

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - £14.99 Free Delivery
http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/1171 [...] rd%3a88610
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech [...] 2P-GP.html

Reply to davcon

Think we could put a datestamp on JackNaylorPE's comment and throw it in a sticky somewhere?

Many many posts asking which cooler to buy, often with identical answers~ was about to post one myself before I saw there was a whole forum for it! I'm still sussing out how one decides which cooler to go with (rather, does price equal performance among top rated contenders, and do you only need high end performance when dealing with significant overclock?) I'll read that article and lurk about in this forum for a bit, but it'd be nice to have in a sticky at the top.

Reply to kskerns

If you can fit the Noctua NH-D14, splurge and get it. My temps on my AMD 965 125w overclocked to 4.0 GHz never gets over 52c while running Prime95, and idle around 32c. Some people have sawed off the heatsink fins on the last RAM to make it fit and have had no problems. But you need at least 8 1/2 inch wide case to fit this monster in. The fans push right out to an exhaust fan on back of the case. I know I could take it higher but do not want to up my CPU voltage. But if I did, I am certain this cooler would handle anything thrown at it. I have seen comparisons to some watercooling setups and the Noctua beats even them. The fans are a little tricky, just check the arrows. I had no plans to spend that much either, but am happy I did now. It just works, and well.

------------------------------ Patricia & Jon
Benton, AR
Reply to pjmoses

I don't think the OP has been back since the first couple posts.

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Reply to rubix_1011

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