I5-2500K - if not stock cooler, than which aftermarket cooler?

ebalong

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Hello,

I recently purchased an i5-2500K processor with an ASUS P8Z68-V Pro motherboard. I would like to experiment with some mild-moderate overclocking, but nothing extreme as I am not a gamer, this is to be used for CAD design work. The case I will probably buy is the Antec P183.

I have already read some comments on OC'ing the 2500K with the stock Intel cooler; they are slightly mixed, with some agreeing that mild overclocking may be feasible; others swear that the factory cooler is junk, and won't even keep the CPU cool at stock frequencies. I would like to hear from more people that have attempted to OC their 2500K - what clocks were you able to attain at what temperature increase?

If I go with an aftermarket cooler, what others besides the Hyper 212 are recommended? I read some reviews that the Hyper 212 almost impedes upon the closest (A1) RAM slot in the ASUS motherboard that I have.....
 
Solution
Just get the CM hyper 212+, you will definitely be able to reach 4.5ghz with it (assuming your cpu is able to do it) and there is no reason to go beyond that simply because there are diminishing returns in performance.

But keep in mind you will have to spend more and tweak more to reach beyond 4.5ghz. So bottom line advice: get the CM 212+ reach 4.5ghz and be happy, spending more on a high-end air cooler may get you 4.7-4.8ghz, but its barely any faster.

For me I have Scythe Mugen II cooler, and I cant overclock past 4.5ghz on my 2500k on a safe voltage regardless of what cooler I have (I hit instability before anything close to high temperatures). So you may spend money on a great cooler but have a bad chip for overclocking.

nna2

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how much are you looking to spend, and yes stock coolers arent great, but ive raised my amd phenom from 3.2 to 3.6 without issues so if your going to overclock with the stock cooler just watch temps
 

ebalong

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Here is the case I have on order:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352007

Of the reviews I read of this case there were some minor quibbles, but I really liked that it comes with 3x 140mm case fans. I have never overclocked before, but I would like to try it with my first true ground-up build; once I start OC'ing I might become addicted, so maybe I want a decent aftermarket cooler. I know that the 212+ is not high-end or anything, but for the low price it seems pretty good. Or, what about this one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118223

More expensive, but it looks pretty with all those copper fins.

 

ebalong

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Okay, I won't worry about clearance issues on the mobo then.
 
I would go with the 212, that zalman is smaller, you'll never see it with that case, costs more, is not as good, and if those fans die, good luck replacing them. http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2419&page=5

Since the summer, I've upgrade to the 212+ currently at 4.6ghz. And now that it's winter I could go higher. (I was stable higher but didn't like the temps when it was summer. 4.7 was hitting 72C in prime.)
 

ebalong

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Thanks for the link, even though that wasn't 1155 socket tested, it still shows a good comparison. That is interesting that the more expensive Zalman is shown to be slightly worse performing for delta T and noise levels than the cheaper ones, at least in that test. As far as fans dying, do you mean the 140mm case fans? If yes, then, yes, I am aware that others have noted that those Fractal fans can be hard to come by individually. If they go out, I have no problem replacing them with 140mm or 120mm fans from a different mfgr.
 

ebalong

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I think I'll keep that one in mind for my future Ivy Bridge-E build. What about thermal compound, go with included CoolerMaster stuff, or get a tube of the Arctic Silver compound everyone raves about? I only intend to do one pass at this (unless something else, like the mobo is defective), so I have to choose wisely the first time.
 
My last post's comments were only about the cooler. The stock cooler master stuff is actually pretty good and that is what I use. AS5 is better but not really necessary. High how OC do you want?

Changing the fractal fans is easy, it's a standard fan size, it doesn't have to be the exact same model fan.

Edit: Ya the frio is the next step up in price and performance, the noctua or silver arrow a step above that.
 

ebalong

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I probably would not take it beyond 4.5-4.7 GHZ on the high end, most likely stay around 3.8 - 4.2. I don't really know though as this would be uncharted territory for me, and I would have to see what effect the overclocking has on the programs I run, so I would probably ratchet it up in increments.
 

amirp

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Just get the CM hyper 212+, you will definitely be able to reach 4.5ghz with it (assuming your cpu is able to do it) and there is no reason to go beyond that simply because there are diminishing returns in performance.

But keep in mind you will have to spend more and tweak more to reach beyond 4.5ghz. So bottom line advice: get the CM 212+ reach 4.5ghz and be happy, spending more on a high-end air cooler may get you 4.7-4.8ghz, but its barely any faster.

For me I have Scythe Mugen II cooler, and I cant overclock past 4.5ghz on my 2500k on a safe voltage regardless of what cooler I have (I hit instability before anything close to high temperatures). So you may spend money on a great cooler but have a bad chip for overclocking.
 
Solution

cbrunnem

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wrong to a degree, yes the 212 will be able to overclock to 4.5 but the temps it will run are not good by far. it will run about 70-75 at 4.5 which arent good. the noctua will run under 60 or right at it.
 


I disagree, your i7 will hit those temps but not the i5. My i5 with 212+ @ 4.7 will hit 70-75C in prime which is actually fine because games and other software will not get as hot as prime. Room temp is 78F. I was a bit lucky on the lottery so I will say 4.5 to others.

But would agree 4.5ish is really all you need to get at. But not because it's minimal returns, it's near linear performance per mhz. But because the increase in heat calls for a better cooler which isn't worth the mhz and most cpus will hit there multiplier wall very soon after. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sandy-bridge-overclocking-efficiency,2850-12.html
 

amirp

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Well maybe the fact that I live in canada and my room in basement is ~20degrees all the time factors in but the comp I built for my friend at 4.5 with CM 212+ had great temps. It also obviously depends on the chip, what voltage you had to use, and the fan profile. But it was definitely under 70.

On my own Scythe Mugen the temperatures are even better, and the best part is you cant hear it. At 4.5 it was at ~62 degrees, but the cooler is huge, heavy, and requires 2 people to install it...
 

addyson

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If you are still deciding... I used to have Sycthe Mugen 2 on my 2500K and have decided to go closed-loop watercooling and eventually to full water cooling. The Mugen 2 served me really well and kept my 2500K at 4.7 GHZ at around 60-65 prime95 in a Rosewill Smart One case.

However, I'm currently transitioning to my H70 (long story) and am using the stock cooler. I thought it'd be bad but in 15-20C ambient temps I am getting 28C - 40C idle and 65C load with a 4.0 GHZ overclock. I didn't want to push it anymore because it's fine for what I am doing. :) Hope this helps! You save anywhere from $5-$30+ but if you want to save that money for a night out or something, the stock cooler will definitely do 4.0 GHZ!
 

ebalong

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Is 65C a safe temp for that CPU to sustain? I am not up to speed on the effects on a processor of moderate-high operating temps. Is 65C something that the 2500K can bubble along all day at (hypothetically), and not shorten its lifespan, or incur any other chronic operating deficiencies? I know that my Pentium 4 single core runs at 35C or so under light load; I have had it up to around 50C I think, the alarm on my twin knobby S-Viking case is set at 60.9C.....so I don't know if the builder of this computer (not me) was just playing it safe because it was a P4 or what.

I hate to pose another noob question, but I have been watching youtubes of "how to apply thermal compound" (snickering is allowed), and it seems there is a surprising variety of techniques, with one party always mocking the other's method. It seems to me that one could just apply a small blob of compound on the processor and then seat the heat sink on top, allowing the weight of the sink and fan to spread the compound out, non? For some reason, this seemingly no-brainer task is something that makes me hesitant....I'd like to have a smooth install on my first build.