Quiet cooling solution for i5-2500K

[bsmooth]

Building a new system and was looking at Hyper 212 plus, but the two cases i've picked a Antec 300 and Rosewill case are both fairly narrow. Now I've never overclocked, but want to try it a bit on this system. I also looked at the Noctua cooling systems and they look great, a little expensive but I'd rather not take any chances.
Any other ideas as far as replacing the stock fan or anything else, preferably with a very easy install for me being a new builder as well. Any info is greatly appreciated!

 

[wolfram23]

As far as ease of installation goes, they don't vary too much. IMO one of the biggest differences there is whether the fan is screwed on or uses clips. Clips are easier to work with so you can install with the fan detached. I had a huge pain in the ass with my Zalman CNPS10X Extreme due to it using screws.

Hyper 212 plus is a nice and pretty small cooler. Noctua is a great brand with very quiet fans. You could also just buy aftermarket fans, like Scythe gentle typhoon or cool master sickle flow which are very quiet and have good airflow.

There's just so many coolers out there and the difference in temps isn't all that much sometimes. Still you should just see what's available to you, and within your price range, and then check out some reviews on each.

For the price though, it's hard to beat a Hyper 212 Plus.

 

[davcon]

If the Rosewill case is 7.5" wide the 212+ will fit.
It's a great cooler for the price i consider it louder then i like though.
Other good coolers that fit and are quieter.
ZALMAN CNPS10X Performa - 152mm tall
GELID Solutions Tranquillo - 153 mm
Scythe SCMG-2100 (Mugen2) - 158mm = same as the 212+
The 212+ is very easy to install.
I'll take wolfram23's word on the Zalman, the Performa will probably be no different it's from the same model line.
Gelid i don't know about ease of install
Scythe will be a pain due to it's size, weight and from what i've read.

 

[bsmooth]

Thanks for the quick responses , it seems though all the images I've seen of the 212+ make them look gigantic.
BTW If I do use an aftermarket cooler, do I need to wipe off the heatsink compound off the i5-2500K CPU?
Or do I just need to do that If I want to put on a different compound? Plus If I'm not mistaken theres some included with the 212+ too isn't there?

 

[wolfram23]

They do come with compound, yes, but you most definitely need to clean the old stuff off. The best way to do it is with a little rubbing alcohol on a non-particulating cloth (for example tissues and paper towels are bad...). An actual cloth works best, my LCD monitor came with a couple so I used one for cleaning thermal paste.

 

[geofelt]

You really don't have to worry about a cooler fitting with most mid size cases.
The cm hyper212 is 160mm tall(6.25") It is a good value cooler.
The Antec 300 case is 8.1" wide so the cm should fit easily. Some cases with side fans may be a problem, but I am not much of a fan of side fans.
The Noctua NH-D14 is also 160mm tall, and is probably the quietest and most efficient air cooler you can buy today.
The Prolimatech megahalems is also the size and is one of the best. It is particularly easy to install.
Actually, the only tricky coolers are the push pin coolers like the stock intel coolers.
If there is any trick to mounting coolers, it is to do the job with the motherboard out of the case.

I use a paper coffee filter and alcohol to clean off the thermal grease. Arctic silver sells a two vial cleaning kit if you want the best material. Their as-5 is very good thermal grease.

The Antec 300 also comes as the illusion model from newegg, but is temporarily out of stock. It comes with two added front fans.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

It is no big deal to mount fans. Download and read the case manual to get an idea of what is involved. The motherboard manual too.
Noctua probably makes the best fans, but they are expensive. Look for yate loon as a good inexpensive fan. http://www.amazon.com/Yate-120mm-Model-D12SL-12-Black/dp/B000CHU9UC

 

[Bigmac80]

if you want something quite go with the noctua heatsink...they come with really good fans already...

 

[bsmooth]

Thanks for all your help guys, I finally went with the Hyper 212+. Very well made I must say, but it just, and I mean just fits in my Rosewell Challenger case, with about a 1/2 inch to spare. No side fans in this case thats for sure !

 

[bsmooth]

Best answer selected by bsmooth.