Shneiky :
I have a 212 Evo I keep in the closet for when I need it.
I had it on my 2700k for quite a while. And at a mild OC of 4 GHz the Evo was not breaking a sweat. 62 C at lowest RPM.
The Evo is very quiet at low RPM. But as the cooler is not very large and it does not have that much of a TDP, the fan revs up quite fast.
Is the 212 Evo good? It is - in certain situations. Depends on your configuration and your usage.
Can you please specify your CPU, case, case fans and video card brand and model, so I can really give you a definitive answer.
Okay, here are my PC specs:
CPU: i5-core 2500k @ 3.3 Ghz
Video Card: MSI Twin Frozer Nvidia Geforce GTX 560 Ti @ 1GB
MOBO: Pegatron 2AB6 (plan on upgrading to the ASRock Z77 Extreme4)
HDD: Western Digital @ 298GB
Case: Enermax Ostrog GT
Fan positions:
-front: 2x140mm blue LED
-bottom (exhaust; can't be used to blow air in cause then the fan itself is bushing up against the bottom of the case): 1X120mm
-back exhaust: 1x120mm
-top (exhaust): 2x120mm
Question: should my top fans be blowing cool air in? Or out? I heard top fans are usually placed so they can take all the hot air out. I don't know. Do you think my fan setup is okay?
I checked the prices of the performance coolers listed above, and here is how much it'd cost:
Cryorig R1 Ultimate - over $150
Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 - $199 (including shipping)
Phanteks PH-TC14PE - $111
Noctua NH-D15 - $109
Thermalright Silver Arrow IB-E Extreme - $139
My favs are the Dark Rock Pro 3, Phanteks PH-TC14PE, Noctua NH-D15 & Thermalright Silver Arrow IB-E Extreme. The Cryorig R1 is a little out of my budget and the Dark Rock Pro 3 is WAY too expensive. So what's the best choice out of the 4 coolers I've mentioned? I want something that is very quiet, but can also cool the best.