CPU Cooler overkill?

[max23pwnz0r]

I am building a beastly PC in a month or less, still deciding on CPU cooler. No I'm not water cooling my CPU. Will the Noctua NH-D15 be too overkill for an i7 6700k overclocked to anywhere between maybe 4.3 to 4.8 ghz? With this cooler, what is the highest OC I can get? I've seen someone go 4.9 ghz, but on a custom liquid loop. Results/benchmarks also show that this air cooler beats the Corsair H110 which I was planning on buying. Should I go with this cooler or isi t overkill?

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Cryorig R1 Ultimate , look into it.

 

[max23pwnz0r]

I accidentally pressed the green button thinking it was a link...

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

ALL SET.

 

[max23pwnz0r]

Thanks. I'm looking at a few comparisons right now between the Cryorig and Noctua

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

This Cryorig is nice too.

CRYORIG R1 Universal

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: CRYORIG R1 Universal 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $79.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-01 21:02 EST-0500

CRYORIG R1 Universal CPU Cooler[/b]

Unmatched Compatibility
Zero RAM Interference

Focusing on providing the widest range of compatibility, the R1 utilizes an asymmetric slanted heatpipe layout to move the front heatsink fin stack further away from the RAM zone. Also, fitted with a 13mm thin XT140 the CRYORIG R1 offers optimal compatibility for RAM with tall heat spreaders on both Intel (115X/1366/775) and AMD platforms.

http://www.cryorig.com/r1-universal.php
Home page for all the specs and info ^

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/7039/cryorig-r1-universal-cpu-cooler-review/index7.html
Tweaktown Review

 

[synphul]

The nh-d14 or nh-d15 aren't overkill for an overclocked i7. It's a good match and any 'overkill' just means quieter operation since they both cool well enough the fans rarely have to spin to full speed. I haven't personally overclocked skylake but from the looks of it the situation is similar to haswell/devil's canyon. Overclocking limitations aren't purely about heat you also have to watch your vcore voltage. Too much voltage can damage a cpu that's kept cool.

In terms of the devil's canyon cpu's and from what I've seen of the skylake results, heat isn't the biggest factor. You'll probably reach a voltage limitation first so any additional cooling beyond an nh-d15 is diminishing returns unless you live in a climate where your pc is in a room at 30c+. The noctua larger air coolers like you mentioned will likely cool your cpu just as well as an h100i only a bit quieter.

How far you can get your overclock depends on the lottery, what specific processor you end up with and how it handles heat/voltage and stable speeds. Some cpu's require more voltage to get to the next multiplier than others. It depends a bit on your motherboard (recommended not to go with a completely cheap z series board. Instead one with more power phases for heavier overclocking). You may get a chip that does 5ghz you may get one that won't do over 4.4 ghz. More often than not it will be somewhere in the middle.

 

[Tradesman1]

The Skylake CPUs run relatively cool compared to many previous gens, a Cryorig H7 or Hyper 212 EVO will do you well through about 4.7 and the savings could be poured into other components (GPU, DRAM, etc)

 

[max23pwnz0r]

@synphul I will be getting an i7 6700k soon. Motherboard will be ASUS Maximus VIII Hero RoG MoBo

 

[Tradesman1]

Great mobo, I've got the 6600K on mine, have tested with the H7, 212 EVO, GTS V8, Seidon 120, Lepa 240 Aquachanger and their new EXllusion - all have been fine up through 4.7

 

[synphul]

Tradesman1 gave some good alternatives. Most of the larger air coolers perform similarly, the noctua nh-d14/15, cryorig r1, phanteks tc14pe, bequiet dark rock pro 3. It comes down to price and subtle differences, for instance the noctua coolers you can see the tan fans which may bother some people. The phanteks come in different colors, the dark rock pro 3 is all black. Ram height can be an issue depending on the cooler, many overhang the ram. The noctua nh-d14 I don't believe will fit over g.skill ripjaws without adjusting the front fan, the dark rock pro3 will as it uses 2 different sized fans.

Sounds like a nice build you've got going.

This is just one site's review and experiences overclocking the i7 6700k detailing how they tested. It's also a review of a retail cpu rather than an engineering sample many review sites get for their testing so might be a bit closer to what people can potentially expect.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2015/08/05/intel_skylake_core_i76700k_ipc_overclocking_review/7#.Vl5nq3arReg

Their cpu temps didn't look a whole lot better than devil's canyon so personally I think I'd stick with one of the bigger coolers if looking for a higher overclock. They were reaching 82c at 4.7ghz.

 

[Tradesman1]

Yes, those would all be fine also. I offered alternatives that I have used and know that they will work wel, for the time being I'm just playing with mine, have run a number of sets of DRAM through it, as well as a variety of GPUs (including SLI (through 980s) and XFire (through 290Xs). I'm just seeing what all it can/will take and can be pushed, hoping to pick up 980Ti(s) later in the month 😉