Quiet cooling for an i5 2500k

Foois

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Jul 27, 2011
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Hi, I've been planning on putting together a rig with a 2500k and I've been planning on using a Corsair H60 to cool it. However, I've been snooping around the internet and noticed that the Cooler Master 212 seems to be a very popular choice for the 2500k and budget rigs (which I'm building).

I'm going to start college soon and I wanted a water cooling system to keep it quiet, since I'm going to have a roommate. Could anyone tell me the difference in volume between the 212 and the H60? Is it worth around $30 more to get the H60?

I also plan on overclocking it to around the mid 4ghz range, maybe higher. What would you all recommend between the two?

Thanks.
 
Solution
You will have to take into consideration a few things (which you might already have but I just want to emphasize them again):

CPU Height (will the height of the cooler allow your case to close), CPU Width (will the cpu interfere with your ram slots because ram nowadays have tall heat spreaders), how quiet the cpu cooler is, how well it performs, an price per performance.

I know you've taken into account the last three but you should just make sure any cpu cooler you choose will not interfere with you closing your case and your ram. Usually your case manufacturer has specifications on how much room there is for cpu coolers. Also, you should also check each of the cpu's product pages for compatibility issues with the ram slots.

With...

Foois

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Jul 27, 2011
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Thanks chillin, those charts are pretty helpful.

I've been looking through them, and I noticed this Xigmatek Gaia SD1283. Charts say it runs quieter and cooler than both the H60 and 212, and is comparable to the NH-U12P while being less than $30. Could any of you guys give me some feedback on how it stacks up? Thanks again.
 

chillin15

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Jun 30, 2011
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You will have to take into consideration a few things (which you might already have but I just want to emphasize them again):

CPU Height (will the height of the cooler allow your case to close), CPU Width (will the cpu interfere with your ram slots because ram nowadays have tall heat spreaders), how quiet the cpu cooler is, how well it performs, an price per performance.

I know you've taken into account the last three but you should just make sure any cpu cooler you choose will not interfere with you closing your case and your ram. Usually your case manufacturer has specifications on how much room there is for cpu coolers. Also, you should also check each of the cpu's product pages for compatibility issues with the ram slots.

With all of that being said, here are some discussions about the xigamatek:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/263913-29-xigmatek-gaia-sd1283-hyper-plus

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/pc-components/cases-cooling/cooling/xigmatek-gaia-sd1283-926944/review

http://www.pro-clockers.com/cooling/1827-xigmatek-gaia-sd1283-cpu-cooler.html

video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iB-MiaDYJQ

So I have no personal experience with the gaia but looking through the reviews and discussion, I would not hesitate to buy it.
 
Solution