Corsair or Zalman CPU Cooler

[Duskmustache]

I'm at a crossroads with the two coolers being the Corsair h80i and the Zalman LQ-315. I'm just wondering which one would be better because I've heard some problems regarding the h80i...

 

[Novuake]

They are mostly the same, the Zalman does however have better fans(quieter).

Personally I would suggest get air cooling unless you plan on going for dual radiator.

Comparably priced air cooling actually performs BETTER and is quieter.

 

[Duskmustache]

Yeah I would've gone air cooling too but I don't really like the fact that it hangs off of the motherboard (which probably doesn't even matter but still bothers me) and I don't have a very large case unless you could suggest a good small air cooling unit?

 

[Adroid]

Answer = I would buy the Corsair H100i if your case fits it 😉

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Corsair-H100i-CPU-Cooler-Review/1719/6

Zalman makes solid coolers though... I had one for a long time that I was very happy with. Right now if I was building though I would buy either the Cooler Master 212 EVO for a budget job, Noctua NH-15 for air cooler, or the H100i to get the best of the best....

 

[Alex Kelly]

^ I feel you! I don't like that they hang off the mobo either.
The Corsair H75 is great. Pretty cheap too.
Best value in my opinion is the NZXT Kraken X31.

 

[Duskmustache]

So would a noctua dh14 be okay because that damn thing is huge!

 

[Adroid]

The Noctua DH 14/15 is beyond OK, it's hands down the best air cooler available at the moment. But yes, they are huge.

 

[RazerZ]

So would a noctua dh14 be okay because that damn thing is huge!

That's a great cooler. Just make sure your case has the right clearance and that the ram will fit with it.

 

[Kishore Kamal]

Go for Zalman LQ-315 over even LQ-310 (half of the cost).
Corsair H80i has fixed speed of 2700 rpm bit noisy.
In Zalman LQ-315 speed varies from 90 to 2000 rpm

 

[Duskmustache]

The problem for me for the air cooling is that I don't have low profile ram and I just checked that my ram isn't compatible with the dh14 so I think I'll go with some sort of liquid cooling solution.

 

[RazerZ]

The problem for me for the air cooling is that I don't have low profile ram and I just checked that my ram isn't compatible with the dh14 so I think I'll go with some sort of liquid cooling solution.

Can you take off your ram heat spreaders? They're really for show more than anything else.

 

[Karadjgne]

The h80i has Corsair Link which is user programmable software. It can also be adjusted through other software and that includes the bios. It is not locked at a constant 2700 run.

 

[Duskmustache]

I don't really want to ghetto rig any parts of my pc though...

 

[Novuake]

The h80i has Corsair Link which is user programmable software. It can also be adjusted through other software and that includes the bios. It is not locked at a constant 2700 run.

Ever use Corsair link? Its horrible...

 

[Duskmustache]

So I'm guessing that the Zalman is the better one in this case due to the fact that the Corsair's software is junk

 

[Novuake]

So I'm guessing that the Zalman is the better one in this case due to the fact that the Corsair's software is junk

You will not really use software with either cooler ANYWAY.

 

[Karadjgne]

Why not? There is absolutely no reason why a cpu must be under max cool constantly. It's more wear on the fan, motherboard and ears. No reason why software cannot be used to lower fan speeds and still keep respectable limits. Most of the time the cpu is barely running over idle anyways, only under heavy usage does it really need max cooling. Even running bios presets is still software. It's why ppl attach fans to the mobo in the first place. If you are not going to use any software, may as well hook through fans directly to the psu via sata/molex and have done.