Intel Cooler Sizes

[1405]

Please refresh my memory...
1) All Intel 115x coolers are the same size for mounting, correct?
2) The LGA 775 cooler is different size (hole pattern), correct?
3) Question: how do you tell the wattage of the coolers?

 

[Barty1884]

1. 115x coolers use the same mounting holes, yes
2. Yes, LGA775 is a different mounting.
3. TDP ratings for any Intel CPU here: https://ark.intel.com/ Coolers will be rated for TDP.

Note though, just because stock coolers use the same mounting, doesn't make them a good idea.
You'll see some have a copper core - those are for the higher TDP chips.

 

[1405]

Very good. Thank you.
On question 3; what I meant was how can I tell the coolers apart looking at them? Their TDP. Which ones are 35W, which are 65W, which are 95W...?

 

[k1114]

Most coolers don't have a tdp rating.

 

[1405]

Most coolers don't have a tdp rating.

Yeah, I found that out. So, there's no way of telling?

 

[Karadjgne]

All coolers have either a manufacturer stated TDP or if they are scared to print, guesstimate minus 10w. For OEM coolers it depends on the original cpu it came with. 3rdGen i5's had aluminium core coolers, the i7 had copper core. But looking at the original cpus, being 70-80w, figure the cooler to be @10-15w higher. There wasn't much room at all to play, if any.

The problem is TDP itself. It's thermal design Power, meaning Intel runs a pretty standard suite of apps and the power used is the TDP rating. So if you take the 77w TDP of my i5-3570k, that's the power needed by the cpu to run those apps. Got nothing to do with the heat. Generally the heat energy output is close, usually within @5°C of TDP, but can be as much as 10w or more difference thermally. But thats only during mediocre stock usage at stock voltages. Run something hard like p95, maxing out core usage and temps go nuts. Stock cooler is not designed for extreme usage. I7 is worse. Get to add in the heat generated by hyperthreading. Not uncommon for 200w+ heat energy outputs under OC, although the cpu isn't using near that amount electrically.

So best advice I can give with coolers, bigger is better. You cannot ever over-cool a cpu, anything extra just means lower fan curves. You can most definitely under-cool, as many ppl have found by using stock i5 coolers on an i7 after buying a used cpu from eBay.