Opinions on a good HSF for a Rampage 3 Extreme

[drharvey12]

Hi Guys,

I've got an Asus Rampage 3 Exteme mobo, an Intel 980X and 6GB of Corsair GT 2000mhz RAM with the Corsair Airflow Controller (set of 2 fans that stick on the top of the RAM) and I'm thinking of building a system round it but I'm struggling with figuring out the best HSF combo to go with it. I'm probably looking to overclock the processor to around 4 - 4.2 ghz if possible but I'll run on stock if that proves too much for the coolers to handle.

I was thinking of getting a case like the Silverstone TJ10S-W as it's really cheap on Scan at the moment: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/silve...-psu-e-atx-atx

I was also thinking of maybe getting the Corsair H100 as it seems to not impede the RAM slots at all but I've read a few people on the Corsai forums and on here saying that they have had issues with them making a lot of noise and even after a couple of replacements still having issues. Something to do with how the PSU or Mobo powers them??? That has sort of put me off them a bit but the large air-cooled fans like the Noctua DH14 look like they might cover up the RAM slots which really isn't ideal.

Is anybody able to give any opinions / suggestions as to what they would go for in my situation. Ideally no more than the £80 or so that the H100 would cost and cheaper is always better

Thanks.

[KeyboardDemon]

I think a good option for a cooler is the NZXT Havik 140mm. This has been performing really well in reviews getting close to Noctua D14 performance levels for around £50. I've just bought one of these, it's a bit fiddly to fit and I need to reseat mine as I've noticed I didn't get the back plate on right and my temps are higher than expect at the moment. But that's my fault and once I have done it I can start using my PC again and testing it's performance.

[deejayburnout]

I can recommed a hyper 212 evo.

For £26, I am running a push pull config and it does me fine.

For that price you cannot get any better, however for more money, there will be better ones.

Posting on the go

[Megabiv]

Im currently using the Thermalrite Silver Arrow and have been for over a year. All i can say is its fantastic and can be had at a good price too (Scan has it for £53 at present). Its more than enough to keep my i7 950 at 4Ghz nice and cool during gaming with it never going above 60c. It does reach higher temps when I'm using my PC for 3d rendering but that's a different story as it brings my whole PC to its knees. Gaming and general purpose though its great. Its deadly quiet but be warned its big...very big but it does look so awesome though

[Bloodbath]

Id probably recommend an H100 with some nice quiet fans in push pull if you got the room, they can be noisy but like I said get some nice quiet fans and you wont regret it. I've got the same CPU and MOBO but built a custom loop which cost around $500 aussie and Ill never look back I'm running my 980X @ 4.5 24/7 and cant break 40 degrees and the pump is nearly inaudible I mean seriously quiet. I've got two Swiftech helix 120mm fans and they perform really well and they were only $10 each.

[Thorbog]

No idea if you got the H100 in the end but I can tell you more about mine that you might have read about in another section of the forum.

Scan tested a number of H100's in my system and whilst they were apparently quieter than my original unit, they all exhibited audible pump noise.

For me that was unacceptable as an irritating quiet sound can be worse than a louder less irritating noise.

So I asked them to switch it over to air cooling.

In real world testing on games and benchmarks the temps appear to be about 2 to 3c higher which for me is no big deal at all.

However the noise both when idling at the desktop and when playing games is significantly lower. Not exaggerating there either, it is significantly quieter.

Furthermore there is no irritating pump noise.

My advice would therefore be to not buy a H100 at all due to the pump noise. If you did choose to buy one then I absolutely would not use the fans that come with it as the noise from those is absolutely shocking. Even you did change the fans I think there would still be a question mark as to whether it would be quieter than an air cooling solution. I find it hard to believe that a change of fans could reduce the noise that much given just how much louder the H100 was compared to what I have now. I am sure it was as much about the speed those fans were running as it was the quality of the fans themselves.