CPU cooler

[darkbubble]

Hi all,

I will be buying a 2500k and definitely plan on overclocking it, my question is should I buy the CM Hyper 212 Evo right away, or should I wait on the overclocking and save up for a Noctua NH-D14. Any help is always appreciated. Thanks.
-DarkBubble

 

[McTaco]

Noctua would be well worth it. but if you don't want to wait. i GREAT alternative is what the Thermaltake Frio
Thermaltake Frio
test results as well
Thermal Testing Results


i can tell you that you can hear the air flowing, but you cant hear the fans. i have both installed as the PUSH PULL system both at 2600RPM constant
idle i get about 40C unlocked and overclocked up to 4Ghz under full load it maxes at 47. the highest i ever got was 51
but i can't trust my cpu temps. because its unlocked it shows false values.
So if i don't unlock it. so its still an x3 althon II and i overclock it up to 4Ghz
i show 20C idle and full load at 33C

 

[catatafish]

I've got the 2500k OCed to 4.5 with the hyper 212 and you wouldn't even think it was overclocked from the temps I get (like in the 30s most of the time). It sees right at 60 during Intel Burn Test and Prime. That's only with 1 fan.

My vote is for the $30 Hyper 212, 1 fan, and enjoy the extra space in your case.

 

[McTaco]

I would have to mention that the hyper 212 was my previous option before i discovered the frio. But i have had bad experience with Cooler Master so i stay away


btw hyper 212 gets smoked by the noctua and the frio

 

[darkbubble]

The chart does help a lot, but I noticed it was for a different CPU. Would the temps differ on the 2500k.

 

[catatafish]

It smokes it but one is using 2 fans and if I recall, neither is controlled by PWM? But I can't remember. In any case, you get what you pay for so you just have to buy the one that's right for you. I wanted space in my case, value, silence, and enough to handle a 4.5 overclock, and that's what I got. YMMV depending on your mission.

OP I suggest you read the article McTaco posted and get the one that's right for you and your needs.

 

[darkbubble]

Now I'm just confused...

 

[Plasmid]

Get a corsair H60 cooler it's water cooling for noobs and it will perform much better than a fan.

 

[darkbubble]

Will it perform much better than the Noctua?

 

[Plasmid]

Please, It's water cooling of course it will.

 

[darkbubble]

fair enough, I took a look at it and people say that the 2 fans are quite loud. I was going to get some Cougar vortex fans, is that good?

 

[catatafish]

I think you might be making easy hard. First off, how far do you plan on overclocking? You can do 4.2 to 4.5 with a simple, quiet, small, and cheap air cooler with it's stock fans. Don't overanalyze this. Every product on the market has advantages and disadvantages. Answer the following and the right product will be obvious:

1) Do you live in the boiler room of a steel factory or are you in a climate controlled room?
2) Do you like spending a lot of money on gadgets just to have a cool gadget? (not judging, I think this is a legitimate hobby to have)
3) Do you want quiet?
4) Do you want to struggle with the installation and possibly modify your case or fans for a few extra degrees of cooling? (see questions 1 and 5)
5) How much are you going to overclock? Modestly, or aggressively?

 

[darkbubble]

To answer questions in order. 1 - climate controlled but usually a little on the warm side. 2 - not really but it would be nice. 3 - YES don't want noise while gaming. 4 - not sure probably not. 5 - don't know, want something like 4.7 or someone even suggested 5.0

 

[cbrunnem]

Please, It's water cooling of course it will.

You have obviously never seen noctua vs h80/h100 bench. The noctua sits between them on sandy bridge cpus.

Op get the noctua. You will not be able to get a really high clock and still have great temps with the 212+ i would know cause I've had both. The noctua is about 15*c cooler on my cpu but i do have an i7 which shouldn't change the difference too much.


Sorry about grammar Im on my phone.

 

[catatafish]

If you want 4.7-5.0 you will definitely need a higher end water cooler. With water cooling you will oftentimes have a tougher installation and are probably looking at the close to $100 range. A small percentage of 2500Ks are even capable of 4.7-5.0 and that range is pretty much held for very experienced overclockers. Not every CPU is the same, you have to get lucky to find one that is capable of those higher overclocks. I considered myself pretty lucky to get a 4.5 capable chip that an amateur like myself was able to overclock.

There are a couple of nice things about the watercoolers that I wouldn't mind having. They don't put so much weight on your mobo, and they leave plenty of room in your case unlike the air coolers which are pretty big, even the small ones.

I suggest you do a google on corsair and antec cpu water coolers and you will find a good bit of comparisons, and hopefully one will demonstrate whether or not it fit well in YOUR case. The type of case you have plays a big role in how much of a pain it will be to install.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

No, you don't need water cooling to hit 5.0 Ghz.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=674&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=5

It's almost ironic that coolers like this are becoming available just as processors transition to designs that may ultimately render them unnecessary; even overclocked to 5GHz, an Intel Sandy Bridge 2600K doesn't need anywhere near this level of cooling.

The H series coolers that Corair sells (manufactured by Asetek), other than the H100 are soundly beat by the better air coolers. These "faux" or self contained water coolers simply can not provide the level of cooling that the better air coolers do. They are also quite noisy and can interfere with the installation of GFX cards when ya have 3 or more PCI-E slots (been there, done that). Here's a sampling:

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=797&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=4

Corsair H50 73.1
Coolit Vantage A.L.C. (extreme) 73.0
Thermalright Macho HR-02 71.0
Prolimatech Super Mega 67.2
Antec Kühler H2O 620 65.9
Corsair H70 (high)* 65.3
Thermaltake Frio OCK* 65.2
Thermalright Venomous X 63.0
Cooler Master Hyper 612 PWM 62.3
Thermalright Silver Arrow* 61.8
Cooler Master V6 GT* 61.2

As you can see the H50 and H70 "water coolers" got toasted by the better air coolers. AN the H70 was load as heck (well so was the V6 GT) while the SIlver Arrow and Hyper 612 were quiet.

It's worth noting here that the V6 GT's fans are quite loud at full speed, whereas the Silver Arrow's fans are very quiet.

Essentially it all comes down to budget:

In the$30 range, the Hyper 212 is a great buy and quite suitable or 4.4 - 4.5 Ghz

In the $50 range the Hyper 612 PWM and Scythe Mugen 3 will get ya 4.6 - 4.7 Ghz

In the $80 range the Phanteks PH-TC14PE, Thermalright Silver Arrow and DH-14 top the charts and will get ya 4.8 Ghz and above

http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/phanteks_ph_tc14pe_cpu_cooler_review,14.html

Phanteks PH-TC14PE - 50.75
Thermalright SIlver Arrow - 51.00
Noctua DH-14 - 51.25

Again, your specific CPU may not be able to reach those levels but if it can't, it won't be thermal limits wi th a properly installed heat sink at the above levels

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1578110

Results are representative of 100 D2 CPUs that were binned and tested for stability under load; these results will most likely represent retail CPUs.
1. Approximately 50% of CPUs can go up to 4.4~4.5 GHz
2. Approximately 40% of CPUs can go up to 4.6~4.7 GHz
3. Approximately 10% of CPUs can go up to 4.8~5 GHz (50+ multipliers are about 2% of this group)

 

[catatafish]

Great links, thanks Jack!

 

[darkbubble]

Wow! Thanks so much for ALL of the help. I have made the decision of buying the noctua and start over locking with 4.5 and maybe work up to higher. Thanks again everyone for the inputs!

 

[darkbubble]

Best answer selected by Darkbubble.

 

[catatafish]

Note to self: To be awarded the coveted Best Answer award, just tell the guy that posted the best answer "thanks" ;-)

 

[darkbubble]

-.- dang lo, I'm on an iPad and I must have messed up xD

 

[rpdon]

Noctua would be well worth it. but if you don't want to wait. i GREAT alternative is what the Thermaltake Frio
Thermaltake Frio
test results as well
Thermal Testing Results


i can tell you that you can hear the air flowing, but you cant hear the fans. i have both installed as the PUSH PULL system both at 2600RPM constant
idle i get about 40C unlocked and overclocked up to 4Ghz under full load it maxes at 47. the highest i ever got was 51
but i can't trust my cpu temps. because its unlocked it shows false values.
So if i don't unlock it. so its still an x3 althon II and i overclock it up to 4Ghz
i show 20C idle and full load at 33C

I own a cm212 evo and I read about the frio for the money and performance I would go for the cm212 also the cm 212 comes with push pull acc. included

 

[rpdon]

The chart does help a lot, but I noticed it was for a different CPU. Would the temps differ on the 2500k.

Yes all coolers work differently to different cpu's also the application and kind of paste. the most expensive is not truly the best!

 

[cbrunnem]

I own a cm212 evo and I read about the frio for the money and performance I would go for the cm212 also the cm 212 comes with push pull acc. included

no disrespect meant but you say that probably with the condition that you've never had any other cooler on your cpu. i have had both the noctua and the 212 and i am comfortable saying that the noctua is a 10-15 degree Celsius better cooler hands down and its much quieter.

 

[darkbubble]

Noctua it is! and I already checked for size clearance, it will fit!