CPU cooler for overclocking? £20-25

[rasheyz]

I am using Coolermaster Hyper 212 +with 2500K and get 29C avg. i will recommend highly this.

[technodean]

+1 for the arctic pro 13, mine has seen better days (the fan) so today I installed the noctua nhu-12p se2, 2 fans at full pelt after just 2 mins of prime were 2degs higher on one core than my pro 13 with asus ai tuner giving me the cpu temp warning on the screen shortly after. Back in with the arctic pro and ebaying the noctua. With the pro's thick copper pipes and copper contact to the cpu it does a much better job.

The noctuas temps after 2 mins of 95.

The Pro 13's temps after 45mins

[mikeo01]

Sorry to push some live into an old thread, but I have put my Xigmatek Thors Hammer up for sale and have got a generic cooler on for now.

Been posting some questions at overclock.net and there has been many suggestions. My chip maxed out at 55c, I don't intend to reduce its life span.

But which would you think is the best cooler for its money from the list.

Thermalright True Spirit 120
Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO
Coolermaster T4
Coolermaster 412S
Coolermaster A30
Zalman CNPS7X
Zalman CNPS10X Optima
Gelid Tranquillo
Xigmatek Gaia

I know that list is mostly Coolermaster but they seem to have a good name. Want best cooler out of that list really, budget is about £26, don't want to go too mad on a cooler, something that'll just give some way to an OC

Bare in mind I want to choose coolers that have the horizontal orientation so that the airflow is from front to back/top.

Thanks

[CJ.UK]

I'm currently looking at the cooler master Evo 212, seems to have good reviews all round.

Not sure whether to use the stock thermal paste that comes with it though, or grab some artic silver at the same time. Any opinions?

[mikeo01]

I have seen some bad reviews of the 212 EVO, to be honest I think its way over rated.

I would personally use some AC thermal paste, seen as it has better reviews seen here:

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/artic...il-2011/1246/5

Yeah the difference is minimal, any paste will do but from experience I can say the Arctic MX-2 and MX-4 are the most easiest to apply, I have used Zalman ST and its gloopy and difficult to use.

Haven't tried Silver 5 though. I can say MX series are very good.

[mikeo01]

Been looking for some coolers for when someone will take my current one off my hands, these are what I have got it down to.

CNPS10X Optima - Performs about the same but I suspect it'll do much better because of the orientation, all my intake is at the front whereas right now the only direction is bottom up, so my GPU is helping to warm my CPU up.
CNPS 14X- Think this is the newer of the Zalman coolers, it performs bad apparently but I suspect that's down to its very low RPM 14CM fan in the middle. I have a XAF 100CFM cooler at the ready.

The CNPS 14X is going on auction on ebay that's why I mentioned it. The other alternative is the Hyper 612S but that's pricey and it won't support my 14CM fan because CM uses clips.

My Xigmatek cools my chip to about 48c max on load running at 1.279vcore 3.3Ghz, at 4.0Ghz it hits 58c max. This is without thermal paste (I want to wait till I get a new cooler, don't want to get my current cooler too messy before I sell it )

[fewsy]

On my fx6100 chip i could only comfortably reach 4.2 ghz before it started reaching mid 60cs during prime 95.
i can reccomend the hyper 212 evo for a cheap effective cooler.

[fewsy]

I've got mine installed using noctua NT-H1 as it wasn't any more expensive than artic silver and people reviewed it more favorably but as i havn't used the coolermaster paste i cant say for certain it is bad.

[mikeo01]

Could anyone help me with some airflow problems?

So I was going to buy a cooler that brings air in horizontally (front to back) but I have two top fans. How should I set these up? Do I leave it as exhaust or do I put it in as intake?

My top fan will be over my CPU fan and the rear most top fan will be about in the middle of the heatsink, will this be an issue? I am thinking what if those top fans are just pulling the air from the middle of the heatsink?

Take a look at the cooler I mean.

My case pictures near the bottom. The top fans are basically over the heatsink and with a horizontal type tower cooler I am worried the cooler air will be dragged from the middle meaning the left most tower will not be cooled and nor will the VRMs?

Would I benefit from two top intakes so that the air is forced out of the side vent and the case rear fan?

[Vancha]

I'm not quite sure what your concern is...If the top fans are pulling the air from the middle of the heatsink, cool air will replace it. That's typically what you want to happen, no?

Edit: Either way, I wouldn't recommend switching the top fans to intakes.

[mikeo01]

Thanks for the reply. I assumed it would effect the airflow and drag cool air to the top rather than through the heatsink to the rear.

I lost the bid so I will be getting the CNPS10X which doesn't have the middle part.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I would look at the Hyper 412 - it appears to be able to match much more expensive coolers.

[mikeo01]

Hi, thanks for the suggestion, whilst looking at a review for it I have found this. Here

BUT I saw right at the top of the list a heavy weight cooler called the Scythe Mine 2, its extremely heavy but only costs a mere £27 on Amazon.co.uk

Because it apparently performs so well can this cooler break my motherboard? I am worried because it weighs just over 1KG if you include fans (which is heavy and scary) though it performs good? Here it is

Also allows for 140mm fan, is this suitable or can it warp my motherboard, I don't particularly want to see my motherboard act like unset jelly over time

[mikeo01]

Think I am going to go for the 212 EVO, according to hardware secrets here the Hyper 612 is apparently only a tiny bit better, so I assume the 412 will be worse. Sames specifications used for my Xigmatek cooler

[ms94uk]

hyper 412 isnt too bad

[mikeo01]

I have a question which is kind of about cooling but didn't want to start new thread.

I have two fans off one header. Apparently the header can handle 1.0A according to my manual.

The cable splitter is a generic one, both fans are 0.20A each so thats 0.40A.

I have a CPU fan which is exactly the same model, and I have another cable splitter spare, sooo would it be possible to run another fan off that cable splitter? So down one wire of the splitter is 0.40A and down the other is 0.20A. Overall load on the header would be 0.60A. Safe or not safe?

The case fans only spin up full when the CPU hits 55C (prime, so think 0.60A for around 6 hours say).

Is this safe for the header AND the cable splitter? Picci of the splitter

Generic, not even Startech. I don't know the resistance of the cable, I think it was 1A or something. Not sure. Anyway, any input appreciated it's for silence.