PhenomII 965 BE Aftermarker Cooler

[Cash091]

I am looking to OC my CPU, PhenomIIx4 965. Right now I have the stock cooler on it. Looking for something to buy that looks nice but still keeps temps nice and chilly. Wondering if anyone out there has personal experience with OC'ing this CPU. I am fairly seasoned with builds, I am just sick of pouring through reviews on so many different coolers... I have never purchased an aftermarket cooler or OCed anything to this extent. Don't really want to spend more than 75 dollars on this either. For my case, I just got an NZXT Phantom with blue LED. Not going to be installing a side 200mm so room for a new cooler is there, and my RAM heatsinks are small. I was looking at some Zalman coolers and the Thermaltake Spin Q but I have seen mixed reviews and none of the reviews seemed to mention OCing at all with my CPU. Anyways, if anyone has any ideas, I'd love the help!

Thanks!

 

[rolli59]

Cooler master Hyper 212+ or 212 Evo!

 

[Cash091]

Do you think this will pump me up to 4.0? It's SO inexpensive!!

 

[Cash091]

and small!!!

 

[rolli59]

It is not small with a 120mm fan and is great for the price http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-EVO-CPU-Cooler-Review/1407/6

 

[beenthere]

The Hyper 212+ or EVO are a good mid-range HSF at a great price. If you want the best of the best then the Xigmatek Aegir 128264 for $70. is a top choice. It's hard to say if you can get to 4 GHz. stable as each CPU/mobo/RAM is different but the cooler the CPU runs the better the chances are. Read the full HSF reviews to be sure these quality HSFs will fit your case.

http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2572

 

[cuecuemore]

You should be able to hit 4 GHz and maintain good temps with the 212 unless you got stuck with a miserable chip.

 

[Cash091]

Alright... I guess it's not as small as I thought! 120mm is decent sized and from what I gather you can add a SECOND one onto it for even more cooling. Although from the look of that chart, you shouldn't have to. I am going to work my CPU up slowly. Start at 3.6, move to 3.7-.8 and if temps are stable I'll move to 3.9-4.0.

 

[Cash091]

Pros: Running well now that the thermal paste is better cured. The new heatpipe design seems better for thermal contact over the 212+ model. My Phenom II X4 965 BE on an ASUS Sabertooth 990FX mildly over clocked to 3.9GHz stays around 48C running Prime95. Idles at 32C.

Cons: The only downside it is big. Be sure to check your case width. Fits great in my Cooler Master HAF 912 Case.

Other Thoughts: As someone else mentioned the new fan bracket allows you to adjust the fan up a bit so it clears your memory. On my motherboard I noticed the you still couldn't fit a set of the Corsair Vengeance in the first slot, but they have tall heat spreaders. However my set of GSkill Ripjaws fit no problem.

BEAUTIFUL!!!! Decision MADE! Thanks guys!

 

[Cash091]

Best answer selected by Cash091.