Whats the best cooler for $35 or less?

[camargo2012]

i was thinking on getting the cooler master hyper 212+

i dont care if the fan sounds like an airplane engine as long as it gives me good temps!

right now im getting with my Rocketfish Universal CPU Cooler RF-UPCUWR:

50c at idle

80c at load

 

[fullofzen]

i was thinking on getting the cooler master hyper 212+

i dont care if the fan sounds like an airplane engine as long as it gives me good temps!

right now im getting with my Rocketfish Universal CPU Cooler RF-UPCUWR:

50c at idle

80c at load

One quick note before I provide some data and a recommendation -- I don't know what processor you're using, but if you're getting 80c at load with a Sandy Bridge, you should consider immediately dialing-back your overclock. Most folks in the overclocking community are recommending max temperatures of under 70C.

I'm assuming that you're using one of the several socket types acceptable to the Hyper 212+, which include:

LGA1366
LGA1156
LGA1155
LGA775
AM3
AM2

Tom's hardware did a review last year of cooling solutions for LGA1156 chips. It concluded that the Hyper 212+ was the best it tested that retails for around $30. A few quotes from the conclusion, which they call "Do We Have A Winner?":

Four coolers that stood out today for superiority in various areas are Noctua’s top-cooling NH-D14, Thermalright’s nearly-silent MUX-120, Cooler Master’s superb-value Hyper 212 Plus, and Scythe’s jack-of-all-trades Mugen-2 Rev. B. Yet the one we’d use and the one we’d recommend might be completely different parts.

While we don’t want to dismiss the excellent value of Cooler Master’s $30 Hyper 212 Plus, we were even more impressed to see Thermalright’s thinner sink and ultra-quiet fan provide even greater cooling performance. Unfortunately, Thermalright’s better performance comes at a significantly higher price of $50, hurting its standing in our value charts.

The combination of pros and cons leave us with several recommendations, depending on intended use. While Noctua’s customers have probably already committed themselves to purchasing the best-performing CPU air cooler, we’d recommend the cheaper Mugen-2 Rev. B as a better value for nearly any configuration that has the necessary mounting space. Thermalright’s MUX-120, on the other hand, is the best performing solution for builds that have limited mounting space, while Cooler Master’s far cheaper Hyper 212 Plus is worth considering by anyone who requires a similar footprint but can’t live with Thermalright’s higher price.

I personally cool a Sandy Bridge clocked at 4.5GHz and running Prime95 as we speak at 51/60/56/49 with a hyper 212+ and AS5 thermal paste. I highly recommend it. Amazon currently has a excellent price, at ~$29 shipped to the US.

 

[henydiah]

Thermaltake's DuOrb and V1 CPU Coolers
see review : http://www.hardocp.com/article/2008/05/14/thermaltakes_duorb_v1_cpu_coolers/6

 

[jsc]

That is a two tear old review.

camargo, for a $30 budget, you will not do better than a 212+.

 

[camargo2012]

i was thinking on getting the cooler master hyper 212+

i dont care if the fan sounds like an airplane engine as long as it gives me good temps!

right now im getting with my Rocketfish Universal CPU Cooler RF-UPCUWR:

50c at idle

80c at load

i got a Q6600 @ 3GHz

 

[camargo2012]

One quick note before I provide some data and a recommendation -- I don't know what processor you're using, but if you're getting 80c at load with a Sandy Bridge, you should consider immediately dialing-back your overclock. Most folks in the overclocking community are recommending max temperatures of under 70C.

I'm assuming that you're using one of the several socket types acceptable to the Hyper 212+, which include:

LGA1366
LGA1156
LGA1155
LGA775
AM3
AM2

Tom's hardware did a review last year of cooling solutions for LGA1156 chips. It concluded that the Hyper 212+ was the best it tested that retails for around $30. A few quotes from the conclusion, which they call "Do We Have A Winner?":

Four coolers that stood out today for superiority in various areas are Noctua’s top-cooling NH-D14, Thermalright’s nearly-silent MUX-120, Cooler Master’s superb-value Hyper 212 Plus, and Scythe’s jack-of-all-trades Mugen-2 Rev. B. Yet the one we’d use and the one we’d recommend might be completely different parts.

While we don’t want to dismiss the excellent value of Cooler Master’s $30 Hyper 212 Plus, we were even more impressed to see Thermalright’s thinner sink and ultra-quiet fan provide even greater cooling performance. Unfortunately, Thermalright’s better performance comes at a significantly higher price of $50, hurting its standing in our value charts.

The combination of pros and cons leave us with several recommendations, depending on intended use. While Noctua’s customers have probably already committed themselves to purchasing the best-performing CPU air cooler, we’d recommend the cheaper Mugen-2 Rev. B as a better value for nearly any configuration that has the necessary mounting space. Thermalright’s MUX-120, on the other hand, is the best performing solution for builds that have limited mounting space, while Cooler Master’s far cheaper Hyper 212 Plus is worth considering by anyone who requires a similar footprint but can’t live with Thermalright’s higher price.

I personally cool a Sandy Bridge clocked at 4.5GHz and running Prime95 as we speak at 51/60/56/49 with a hyper 212+ and AS5 thermal paste. I highly recommend it. Amazon currently has a excellent price, at ~$29 shipped to the US.

im so sorry about the double post, but i got a Q6600 @ 3GHz i think ill take it but can you tell me what computer case you have?

 

[fullofzen]

im so sorry about the double post, but i got a Q6600 @ 3GHz i think ill take it but can you tell me what computer case you have?

I use an Antec six hundred mid-tower case. You need 17cm height clearance between the top of your processor to the wall of the case for the 212.

The 212 does support LGA775, which is what the Q6600 is, so you're set for measurements as long as you can handle the 17cm in height.

 

[camargo2012]

Best answer selected by camargo2012.