[SOLVED] Best budget cooler for OC the FX 8350

[ManOfArc]

It has to be under $50. I already have a Cooler Master 212 EVO. Is that about the best I can do for the money?

 

[Darkbreeze]

No, not even close. This is the best cooler under 50 bucks, in my opinion.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU Cooler: Thermalright Macho Rev.B 73.6 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $49.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-16 20:35 EDT-0400

 

[Phaaze88]

What's the motherboard you are going to put this cpu in?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Yes, that is probably the MORE important question.

 

[ManOfArc]

What's the motherboard you are going to put this cpu in?

This one

 

[Gam3r01]

Do you think investing 50 bucks into that setup will be worth your money?
The performance gain from OCing an FX series processor wont be much, and that money would probably be better spent elsewhere, or put towards an upgrade.

 

[Phaaze88]

This one

Do you think investing 50 bucks into that setup will be worth your money?
The performance gain from OCing an FX series processor wont be much, and that money would probably be better spent elsewhere, or put towards an upgrade.

Agreed.

 

[ManOfArc]

OK. I'll scrap the idea.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I think it's worth it, because it's what you have NOW, plus, ANY investment in a CPU cooler is a good one, IF it is IS a good one, because it's never wasted. It can practically always be moved to the next platform. So, there is absolutely not reason NOT to buy it if it's not going to hurt you financially because even if you upgrade the platform, soon, later, whenever, it can be moved to that system. Any cooler currently being sold that is worth having will likely come with adapters for AM3+, LGA 115x and AM4. If it doesn't, you probably don't want it anyhow unless it is specifically for one of the HEDT platforms.

If you want to see if you can stretch your overclock a bit, or keep the overclock at the same level with lower temps, or simply reduce noise levels while not changing anything else, then a better cooler makes sense no matter what anybody says to the contrary. And the 212 EVO, sucks, except as a better than stock replacement unit. It is not for medium to high level overclocking. That Thermalright unit I linked to, will take you as far as your piece of silicon is able to go, assuming keeping it at a configuration that lends itself to continuing to be able to use it as your daily driver until a better platform can be had.

In fact, I have an overclocked FX-8320@4.7Ghz on that exact same cooler, in my garage, running my shop system. I wouldn't use it anymore as my primary gaming rig since I have a much better system right here, but it works well for running my automotive programs and browsing the web and if it was all I had, then it would be all I had. It was all I had before I built my Skylake system so if it was, that is what I'd be using still most likely. Yes, it's old. Yes, by comparison it is very slow compared to most platforms released in the last five years. But it still works. Plenty of people still using them and getting by.

I certainly wouldn't recommend anybody to buy into that platform these days, but if you already have it, and until you can get something better, it is what you have, so unless somebody else is going to replace it FOR you, they can just pfffffffttttt. Suck raspberries.

 

[ManOfArc]

No, not even close. This is the best cooler under 50 bucks, in my opinion.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU Cooler: Thermalright Macho Rev.B 73.6 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $49.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-16 20:35 EDT-0400

As thick as that Thermalright cooler is, it appears that it would benefit from a second fan in push/pull, no? Seems like there are a lot of heat pipes to move air past for a single push fan.

 

[Darkbreeze]

ANY cooler CAN benefit from a push pull configuration, but it's not going to make a huge difference. Maybe 1-3°C and since that cooler already has outstanding cooling performance it's probably not terribly necessary. It certainly won't hurt though. Even my single finstack Noctua NH-U14S has had a pull fan added, and resulted in about a 2°C difference. I wouldn't be against it if you are looking for things to spend money on or tweak the cooling performance, but I wouldn't be recommending it against other upgrades if those are on the menu.