Rank Them!!!! CPU cooLers

[cReed_eRos]

Hello All,

can someone help me rank these coolers. Which is the MOST affective (as far as temperature is concern), budget wise and installation. Thanks!

1.) NH-D14
2.) Coolermaster TPC-812
3.) Thermaltake Frio
4.) Spire Thermax Eclipse II SP984B1-V2
5.) Xigmatek S128264 Aegir
6.) Zalman CNPS 12X
7.) CM Hyper 212 evo
8.) CM Hyper TX3 evo

also, if you can provide me with your own list then that's great! (top 5 or 10 will do) thanks!

 

[amuffin]

NH-D14
TPC-812
Frio
Aegir
Eclipse
212 EVO
TX3 EVO


My own:
Custom Watercooling Loop
NH-D14
Silver Arrow
Hyper 212 EVO

 

[cReed_eRos]

very nice sir but i'm on a tight budget..is the hyper tx3 evo good enough for UN'OCed system?

 

[amuffin]

For an un'oced system, the stock cooler would be the best option.

 

[cReed_eRos]

yeah! i agree! my temp reads 58-61C full load with prime95. i just want to lower it down though. are these coolers gonna work with UN'OCed system? one more thing sir, is Asus M5A88V-evo capable of being OCed? thanks!

 

[amuffin]

Yes it is.

If you are worried about your temperatures, just don't run any stress tests, as they don't simulate real world performance.

 

[cReed_eRos]

great! thanks for confirming i have Athlon II X3 455 @ 3.3GHz, did you happen to know how far did it go for an OC? by the way, i played 2k11 and my temp after playing is 54C max so i'm concern about although per AMD, my cpu can handle up to 75C but of course i want to lower it down as much as possible...question is, will those coolers be as effective when NOT OCed or it's just a waste of penny?

 

[amuffin]

It's a waste of money because you specify for a NON overclocked system.

 

[cReed_eRos]

so basically upgrading the stock cooler to either 212 evo or tx3 evo won't make a difference as far as temp is concern?

 

[amuffin]

It won't make enough of a difference, because you aren't overclocking THERE is NO NEED for switching.

 

[cReed_eRos]

Best answer selected by cReed_eRos.

 

[InvalidError]

It won't make enough of a difference, because you aren't overclocking THERE is NO NEED for switching.

There is or will be when plastic pins and frame eventually stretch/deform enough to no longer provide sufficient contact force.

 

[amuffin]

There shouldn't be any of that, unless this guy is changing his paste left and right.

 

[InvalidError]

There shouldn't be any of that, unless this guy is changing his paste left and right.

I'm not talking about the pins failing due to wear from re-setting them. I never re-installed my LGA775 HSF and around the 3 years mark my CPU temperatures shot from 65C to 90C. No amount of re-setting the HSF and changing the paste made any difference, the plastic frame just wasn't providing enough contact force anymore. Everyone I know with a stock LGA775 HSF has run into the same problem around the 3-years mark, sooner or later depending on whether they ran their PCs hotter or cooler than I do.