New HSF wanted

[deltatux]

Hey guys,

I'm thinking of replacing my aging HSF as it seems to not play nice with the Core i5 3570K once I actually push the clocks.

Right now I overclocked it to 4.0 GHz with boost up to 4.5 GHz (4 cores = 4.2 GHz, 3 cores = 4.3 GHz, 2 cores = 4.4 GHz, 1 core = 4.5 GHz) and when I run IBT or anything really stressful, the CPU can reach over 86C and that's well, rather dangerous.

Looks like my trusty Zalman CNPS-8700LED I got in 2008 isn't gonna cut it no more. Surprised it still fits in the LGA1155 socket. So, question is, what's the best bang for the buck HSF I could get around $50-75 (max, preferably tax included). Sales tax is 13% here in Ontario.

Preferably not gigantic as well because I have the Cooler Master 690 II Advanced, no need something as big as the Cooler Master V8 cooler and I'd prefer it if it can fit in many different types of sockets including both AMD and Intel sockets.

I'm thinking something like this:
Newegg.ca - XIGMATEK Dark Knight II SD1283 Night Hawk Edition CPU Cooler with Stealth Aerospace Industry Thermal conductive ceramic coating ALL intel AMD IVY BRIDGE compatible
(and change the fans to something more effective, I was thinking 2 fans, doing push-pull configuration, any recommendation on fans?)

or this: Newegg.ca - Thermaltake CLP0596 130mm Frio Advanced CPU Cooler

Thoughts?

Cheers,
deltatux

[Soultribunal]

Originally Posted by deltatux

Hey guys,

I'm thinking of replacing my aging HSF as it seems to not play nice with the Core i5 3570K once I actually push the clocks.

Right now I overclocked it to 4.0 GHz with boost up to 4.5 GHz (4 cores = 4.2 GHz, 3 cores = 4.3 GHz, 2 cores = 4.4 GHz, 1 core = 4.5 GHz) and when I run IBT or anything really stressful, the CPU can reach over 86C and that's well, rather dangerous.

Looks like my trusty Zalman CNPS-8700LED I got in 2008 isn't gonna cut it no more. Surprised it still fits in the LGA1155 socket. So, question is, what's the best bang for the buck HSF I could get around $50-75 (max, preferably tax included). Sales tax is 13% here in Ontario.

Preferably not gigantic as well because I have the Cooler Master 690 II Advanced, no need something as big as the Cooler Master V8 cooler and I'd prefer it if it can fit in many different types of sockets including both AMD and Intel sockets.

I'm thinking something like this:
Newegg.ca - XIGMATEK Dark Knight II SD1283 Night Hawk Edition CPU Cooler with Stealth Aerospace Industry Thermal conductive ceramic coating ALL intel AMD IVY BRIDGE compatible
(and change the fans to something more effective, I was thinking 2 fans, doing push-pull configuration, any recommendation on fans?)

or this: Newegg.ca - Thermaltake CLP0596 130mm Frio Advanced CPU Cooler

Thoughts?

Cheers,
deltatux

Personally speaking, if you have the room I'd opt for a AIO (think H80i) vs one of these tower coolers.
That being said if Air cooling is your thing , then the Thermaltake Frio would probably give you better overall cooling potential. They really did make a good cooler when they designed that.

-ST

[kirik]

If you want to go cheap, IMO it's hard to beat a hyper 212 evo. If you are willing to put in a lot of elbow grease AND take a bit of a risk, it might be worth trying to delid and get rid of the cpu die and IHS gap as documented here: Delidded my i7-3770K, loaded temperatures drop by 20°C at 4.7GHz - AnandTech Forums while reusing your old cooler. Mind you, it was stated in the thread by the OP that the gap may exist for a mechanical reason that we don't know / understand and getting rid of it may cause mechanical problems down the road.

The only other thing I would suggest (since your stated location is Toronto) is to see if CC or NCIX has what you want. That way you can pick up locally and save on shipping. Meaning you can spend a little more on the cooler itself.

[deltatux]

Originally Posted by Soultribunal

Personally speaking, if you have the room I'd opt for a AIO (think H80i) vs one of these tower coolers.
That being said if Air cooling is your thing , then the Thermaltake Frio would probably give you better overall cooling potential. They really did make a good cooler when they designed that.

-ST

Is the Frio the best choice for this price range or do you have any other suggestions? I've limited my budget and don't really need water cooling since I'm not doing any crazy overclocks.

Originally Posted by kirik

If you want to go cheap, IMO it's hard to beat a hyper 212 evo. If you are willing to put in a lot of elbow grease AND take a bit of a risk, it might be worth trying to delid and get rid of the cpu die and IHS gap as documented here: Delidded my i7-3770K, loaded temperatures drop by 20°C at 4.7GHz - AnandTech Forums while reusing your old cooler. Mind you, it was stated in the thread by the OP that the gap may exist for a mechanical reason that we don't know / understand and getting rid of it may cause mechanical problems down the road.

The only other thing I would suggest (since your stated location is Toronto) is to see if CC or NCIX has what you want. That way you can pick up locally and save on shipping. Meaning you can spend a little more on the cooler itself.

I don't want to delid my CPU since I don't want to accidentally kill a $200 CPU. Is there a way to do push/pull configuration with the Hyper 212 EVO? If so, what second fan should I get?

As for CC and NCIX, not a lot of HSF people have been recommending me, NCIX and CC don't have them. I think they might have the Frio and the Cooler Master 212, I'll check. Thanks.

Cheers,
deltatux

[kirik]

The 212 box includes hardware to mount a second fan. As for which fan... I find that it depends on your preferences since the sound of a fan that may be ok for me may not be ok for you. If you want to stay with the cheap theme, NCIX has this. Only thing is that it's not PWM and they won't come with any accessories. They're decent but not great fans so as long as you are not expecting top of the line performance you'll be ok.

[Bond007]

If you are after a high end air cooler these have been getting great reviews:
Phanteks PH-TC14CS_BK 5 Heatpipe Heatsink Black LGA2011/1155/1156 FM1/AM3+/AM3/AM2+ 2x 140mm Fans

Multiple colours to pick from. $60 plus tax and shipping will be close to your max budget (its regular price $90).

EDIT: not the cooler I thought it was. Not sure on reviews for this model.

[deltatux]

So I found out that Canada Computers had the Corsair H70 liquid cooler on sale for $50, added 2 fans and costed me $80 after tax so it's good.

Thanks for all your input.

deltatux

[Soultribunal]

Originally Posted by deltatux

So I found out that Canada Computers had the Corsair H70 liquid cooler on sale for $50, added 2 fans and costed me $80 after tax so it's good.

Thanks for all your input.

deltatux

I think you made the best decision in this regards,

-ST