What can beat the Mugen 2?

[Max1s]

Ok, so the Scythe Mugen 2 keeps coming up as the best bet for overclocking a 2500k@ ~4.5ghz. Right now I can get one for 30 euro. (42 USD)

I took a look at Zalman's 9700 LED cooler, which looks SICK, is the same price, and according to one website, preforms just as good as the Mugen 2. So I was gonna get it hands down (I LOVE the LED look. ) But then I read a review that was dissing it.

Also the Mugen 3, and Titan Fenrir EVO came up in my quest for a good overclock cooler.

Is there any sub-50 dollar cooler than can beat the Mugen 2??

 

[BeCoolBro]

I can get the Mugen 2 for 50 Euros.For 30,it's an amazing deal!

 

[Max1s]

Yeah, I use the German online store "Mindfactory."

http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p632637_Scythe-Mugen-2-REV-B-AMD-und-Intel-S754--939--AM2--AM3--775--1366--1156--1155.html

 

[nitrium]

The Zalman 9700 cooler is really old now - 4+ years. Unless they've massively changed the design (which seems unlikely without a name change), I doubt it is anywhere near as good as a Mugen 2.
Here is a review from 2007: www.anandtech.com/show/2176
"The overclocking performance of both Zalman coolers was disappointing. At $60 to $75 these are the two highest priced air coolers we have tested. You expect great performance if you pay more, but neither Zalman could deliver that kind of overclocking performance. Both the 9500 and 9700 were average in overclocking at best among the coolers we have tested. We can get average overclocking performance form coolers that cost just $25. Neither Zalman could justify their high prices based on overclocking performance, even though we tested both in overclocking at the highest fan speeds they could achieve, which also made them quite noisy."

Frostytech is one of the most complete websites I've come across for air cooler reviews.
This is their current top 10. Not sure if any of those are in your price range.

 

[Max1s]

Yeah, I also read a bad review on the 9700. Such a shame, would look so nice in my Zalman Z9 Plus case.....

WOW, ok so I looked at that frostytech page, going down the list, looking at the availability and price..... and what do you know? While 2-6 where like 50 or 60 euro, the number one cooler, the Spire TherMax Eclipse II, is only 39 euro....

So I guess thats my cooler right there. A tad bit expensive but worth it. Only complaint is that the fans arn't pwm. They ALWAYS spin at 2200rpm. Always. Oh well I guess I'll just be spending alot of time with my new best friend SpeedFan. ;-)

 

[TommyV]

I went with the Mugen 2 because of cost/performance. It costs $40/€28.
I did get help installing it, but am happy that I bought it.

My old heatsink was a Zalman 9500 and I liked it too, but the price vs performance wasn't worth it to me.

 

[bigbang]

i believe the correct and final answer to ur question would be: not at the minute.

 

[nitrium]

WOW, ok so I looked at that frostytech page, going down the list, looking at the availability and price..... and what do you know? While 2-6 where like 50 or 60 euro, the number one cooler, the Spire TherMax Eclipse II, is only 39 euro....

I see to my amazement that FrostyTech has actually not yet reviewed the Mugen 2, so can't be sure it's better. I should have checked that they had even reviewed the Mugen 2 before providing the link.
I found this review site that has reviewed both. As you can see, the Mugen 2 is every bit as good as the Spire Eclipse II - and 10 euros cheaper! And if you add a second fan to the Mugen 2 (that the Spire has standard), it is in fact superior.

 

[Max1s]

Hmmmm.... Good points. Yeah I was thinking to myself "Oh look, the Mugen 2 isn't even on that list!"

Yeah I also didnt look forward to the noisy/non-pwm fans on the Spire.

Well on that list at the linked website, the Titan Fenrir is scoring better than the Mugen 2. And the Titan Fenrir EVO is only 32 euro... (Although its noise rating was VERY loud on that site.)

Also, how realistic is clocking my 2500k to 4.5ghz with nice temps? (With one of these nice coolers, of course.)

 

[nitrium]

Also, how realistic is clocking my 2500k to 4.5ghz with nice temps? (With one of these nice coolers, of course.)

When you go that high, temps really start to depends on your particular chip (i.e. how much you will need to overvolt it to get to that speed varies from chip to chip). CPUs aren't all created equal! But on average a 2500K running Prime95 (which loads all cores to 100%, and therefore represents a true worst case scenario) at 4.5GHz with a good cooler, should stay well below 70°C (my best guess would be the 60-65°C range) - and perfectly safe.

 

[Dontcopy]

What about the Corsair A70?

 

[Max1s]

Overclocking:
Ok, good. Glad to hear I can reach 4.5 ghz. (I'll cross my fingers about the good/bad chip thing)((As a consumer, theres not really anything I can do to ensure I dont get a bad one right?))

The Corsair A70:
Wow, ok, take a look at this:
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3568/corsair_air_series_a70_high_performance_cpu_cooler/index6.html

Occording to that, the A70 (priced at 30 euro for me) Beats the Mugen 2 by alot. The Scythe Ninja 3 is right next to it, which also costs 30 euro.... The Corsair looks nicer though... (Although I read a review just now about its noisy fans. Also it comes with 2 fans, while the Ninja 3 could be upgraded with another.

 

[Max1s]

Also with a PC fan whats the difference between CFM (cubic foot per minute) and Pressure? I get the dubic foot per minute but whats the pressure part mean?

 

[nitrium]

Also with a PC fan whats the difference between CFM (cubic foot per minute) and Pressure? I get the dubic foot per minute but whats the pressure part mean?

In that review they are referring to sound pressure. In layman's terms, that means "loudness".

 

[Max1s]

Really? I wasn't confused by the review but by another page online. I was looking up some good 120mm fans, and they were saying something like "Oh the CFM is good but the pressure isn't so I would use it as a case fan but not on a heatsink...."

Or something like that....

 

[nitrium]

Ok ok. I thought you were referring to that Corsair A70 review, where they measure sound pressure. With fans, the CFM (cubic feet per minute) gives volume of air displaced in an unobstructed space. The pressure rating for a fan has to do with how well it can cope when it is obstrcuted - i.e. if you partially block the fan (e.g. heatsink fins), can it still force the air through the gaps with the same CFM rating - this obviously necessitates an increase in the pressure of the air the fan needs to create. Clearly, to do this the fan would require a more powerful motor that can handle the increased resistance.

 

[Max1s]

Any more suggestions? I actually have a slightly higher budget now, one guy was saying I should go all out and get the Thermaltake Silver Arrow...

 

[nitrium]

Well I'm all about getting best bang for the buck. In that test, I don't think anything beats the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ with two high performance fans in push pull configuration (but that's what I got, so expect some bias ).
I been reading a few reviews, and a Mugen 2, again with two high performance fans (to replace the bundled low rpm fan) is pretty hard to beat. Prolimatech Megahalems, equipped with two fans, is something that consistently scores big points.
As for what aftermarket fans to get, the Scythe fans are excellent, eg. Gentle Typhoon or Slip Stream. Thermalright FDB fans are also good (specifically their 1600 or 2000 rpm fans).

 

[Max1s]

Yeah, also buying the silver arrow requires buying a full tower case that will fit it. And its probably not necessary for my needs. Besides, any money saved will probably eventually help replace my aging graphics card.....

The Prolimatech Megahalems is 58 euro over here, so I dont really think its ideal.

The Zalman CNPS9900 Max looks good. Its 43 euro, has an LED fan and a cool design, and according to frostytech preforms better than the Silver Arrow. only problem is the noise...

The Spire Thermax Eclipse II comes up again..... But I'm liking the Zalman I guess...