Worthy Replacement Cooler For Ageing Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme?

[anselhelm]

Hi all,

I'm looking into a suitable replacement cooler for my ageing Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme cooler, which saw me through my Phenom II days well but isn't quite up to the task for my new FX 8320, though it's hardly bad either.

I'm looking for a sub £65 air cooler, with ideally the best performance/cost ratio. Of course, there's no point in me replacing the cooler with a new one if it doesn't do a better job, so I'm looking for something which will perform gorgeously. RAM clearance isn't an issue for me.

As an additional note, I only use very quiet and slow RPM fans, as I'm a quiet PC lover, so I'm not going to be pairing any cooler with anything that's insanely loud or which doesn't have a near silent setting.

My current frame of reference are the reviews on HardOCP, as they have price/performance ratios, which lead me towards something perhaps like the Scythe Mugen 4.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and apologies if this post is a little rambling as my brain is insanely sleepy right now.

[malfunction]

I haven't kept a record of the temperature difference but I went from a TRUE to an Archon (rev A) a while ago, and got better performance at lower fan speeds, but nothing enormous. I don't believe there's much in it with faster fans, but at low fan speed - 800 to 1,000 RPM - it was quite a bit cooler and slightly better for noise than my old TRUE was. The rev B - which has two additional heatpipes over the original (not sure you can buy the original any more, but something to be aware of) - is in your budget at around £50:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...30&subcat=2352

Or you can get the dual fan version for around £60:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...30&subcat=2352

Relevant review here:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1271-page1.html

Generally speaking you're going to have to "go big" to get a decent performance difference. The top end Noctua, Phantek and Prolimatech heatsinks are supposed to give similar performance, though it depends very much on which reviews you read and I'm personally a bit distrusting of the bling options on the Phanteks and Prolimatechs.

If you like to tinker around (AKA don't care about warranties) you might also consider lapping your TRUE (and your CPU if you're feeling brave). I'm assuming you've already done the basics - cleaned out the heatsink and any intake filters, etc.

Bang for buck, I'd be tempted to try this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...pf_rd_i=468294

Though you may need 2 fans on that to get decent airflow through it at low RPMs.

[AETAaAS]

Agree with malfunction, to be a worthwhile upgrade, you are starting to look at really big coolers, such as the Noctua NH-D14 or the Phanteks TC-14. Or if it so pleases you, stretch the budget to a 240mm class AIO.
http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/coolin...h-120x/?page=4

[flearider]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=HS-099-TR or save a bit more and go full water .. triple rad once you get the pump rad and block when you upgrade cpu you really only need to change block and not always ..

[Pob255]

Or how about an All-in-one water cooler one of the refurb H80 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/corsa...1-all-am2-am3-

[anselhelm]

Many thanks for the suggestions all. I'm deliberately avoiding the water route, even all-in-ones, as I've been down that road before and didn't find it particularly good value for money.

You've given me some lovely food for thought with regards to some nice coolers there. I shall continue to do some research on the subject and will probably end up going for a huge air cooler.

[Bonebreaker777]

Thermaltake Water 2.0 Performer in push-pull (personal choice).

I would say it is a pretty good cooler for the buck but will not perform that much better compared to your current cooler.

For a WOW effect 240mm AiO coolers I would suggest.

[Refious]

I would recommend the Phanteks PH-TC14PE. It looks amazing, performs better than the Noctua NH-D14 (though a tiny bit louder), and it comes in 5 different colours.

[Stuen4y]

I would go for TRUE Spirit 140 Power if you can fit it in your case. Otherwise you'll have to go for a big, system suffocating dual tower like TR Silver Arrow IB-E or Noctua NH-D15, or everything else. The Cryorig R1 Ultimate is probably the best looking cooler ever made judged by its quality of manufacture and would probably perform in a similar manner to the other high end dual tower designs. All this said, the TRUE Spirit 140 Power with its 6 8mm heat pipes would probably be more than enough and would leave so much room for airflow optimisation, is so much cheaper and also looks very very nice.