[SOLVED] Is it time to replace my 5 year old H110?

[LordofAllClouds]

i7 4820K ... basically running no overclock (3.7ghz) because I have 64GBs of RAM in this system and it was never able to run stable with an OC. I built the machine 5 years ago now... early 2014 and I am very concerned about the now out-of-warranty cooler. There are no issues with cooling and everything runs great (cool).. looks great... loved how easy it was to install and how there is no stress on the motherboard.

However... my friend's h50(55?) that he's had for several years leaked and took out his entire system. This is a HUGE deal for me because I NEVER 'replace' my rigs. Every time I upgrade my previous rig becomes a legacy machine for running games of that era. This particular system is special to me not only as a workstation for music but because it is one of the last/fastest/most compatible hardware that also supports Windows XP -- so I have an offline boot drive for my legacy XP gaming on here.

Should I just install the stock cooler that came with my i7? Should I get a better air cooler? Should I get a new AIO cooler? I can't imagine that any AIO is meant for decades of use and while you could say that some other component is bound to fail well... I have my DOS machines and Windows 98 machines and they still run great, decades later. My only concerns with replacing it with an air cooler is that the big ones stress the motherboard -- are there smaller ones that are very good? -- and that they exhaust the hot air into to case... whereas the H110 is blowing that crap directly out the top of my case.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

[NOT_PROVIDED_16]

If the cooler still works why not keep using it. People are selling those coolers on ebay second hand and they still sell.
Every so often do an inspection of all the pipes to make sure their not loose, cracked or damaged.

 

[LordofAllClouds]

Yes, it still works but if I should just keep using it why is the warranty and damage coverage limited to only 5 years? All parts wear but the wear on something like this could be catastrophic. Is it realistic to expect for this cooler to last another decade from now?

 

[Phaaze88]

Yes, it still works but if I should just keep using it why is the warranty and damage coverage limited to only 5 years? All parts wear but the wear on something like this could be catastrophic. Is it realistic to expect for this cooler to last another decade from now?

No way that is going to last another decade.
Now that you're past the warranty period, save yourself the trouble and start looking for a replacement. IMO, not a good idea to be running an AIO past warranty, because if something goes wrong and the unit causes loss of other hardware, you won't be able to make any claims -
You would be screwed.

Since you've gotten that far with it, expect the pump to be what goes first.

I think it's up to you whether you want to air cool or stay with water. But know that only the large air coolers will be able to match the performance of a 280mm AIO.
NH-D15S - 160mm, 1150g
Dark Rock Pro 4 - 163mm, 1130g
Phanteks PH-TC14PE - 171mm, 1250g
Thermalright Le Grand Macho RT - 159mm, 960g
Now, whether those will fit in your case...
Unless you're clumsy around your case and bump into it a lot, or have a pet roaming, the weight of large coolers isn't a huge concern. Motherboards aren't that flimsy.
If you travel with the PC often, obviously you should remove the air cooler, gpu, and other large add-in cards before you hit the road.

 

[LordofAllClouds]

That's what I figured.

I do move it around, often enough. I am gentle enough that I don't have to remove my GPU. Honestly I would just stick the stock cooler on the i7 since I don't even overclock it. I could even go for a middle ground - something that doesn't match a 280mm AIO performance but is low profile but better than stock. I am a bit concerned about the overall case temperature being higher, though, with air.

 

[Phaaze88]

What IS your case?

With the exception of 360mm+(air cooling can't compete here), air coolers can match and even outperform AIOs while being cheaper. The catch is size.
The stronger the desired cooling performance, the bigger the heatsink is going to be.

Since you don't overclock, a good cooler can be had between $40 - $80.

Also, many coolers are better than the Intel stock one(it's that bad). The stock cooler on AMD's Ryzen models cool pretty well - but people may still replace them, as they can get a little loud(some 30dBA).

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-w5VcWe9p4&t=

 

[LordofAllClouds]

Cooler Master Stormstryker is my case - it's a big one. Socket 2011 motherboard -- so really I'll be looking for the best air cooler that I can get that is very low profile.

 

[Phaaze88]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Slim CPU Cooler ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $64.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-09-04 03:23 EDT-0400

 

[LordofAllClouds]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Slim CPU Cooler ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $64.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-09-04 03:23 EDT-0400

Thanks for all your replies, Phaaze. I looked at some benchmarks at the Dark Rock Slim seems to be equal in size and cooling to the CM Hyper 212 Black which is a good 25$ cheaper. Also, can I get away with a low-profile cooler meant for mini/micro cases if I'm not overclocking -- rather than going a taller 'tower' style cooler. Or is using such a small cooler in a large ATX case no better than using a stock cooler?

I also wonder if I should adjust my fans once I remove the H110. Currently I have...

Intake:
Bottom - Two 120mm
Front - Two 120mm

Exhaust:
Rear - 140mm
Top - The two 140mm fans pulling air out the top through the radiator.

I could just replace the radiator/140mms with the 200mm that the case came with. There should still be enough air passing over the CPU cooler between the front and bottom intakes, I would think.

 

[Phaaze88]

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...4820k-processor-10m-cache-up-to-3-90-ghz.html
I was taking ^the TDP into account when selecting a cooler. 130w is what this cpu is capable of dissipating under heavy load at just it's base clock speed - which it doesn't stay at, due to Intel Turbo Boost.

When the cpu boosts it's own frequencies, it's going to capable of exceeding that thermal rating by some 20 - 30%. Add that, and you get just under 170w.
The Hyper 212 is rated for 150w, the Dark Rock Slim for 180w. I don't know the benchmark you saw, but if it wasn't pushing any serious loads, then they're going to perform quite similarly.
Take the 7700k, a 91w part. Take turbo boost into account, and it's now ~120w, maybe a little higher, even. This still doesn't really push either cooler to show their potential... See here:

be quiet! Dark Rock Slim CPU Cooler Review: The Strong, Silent Type - PC Perspective

be quiet! Dark Rock Slim CPU Cooler Review: The Strong, Silent Type The Dark Rock series from be quiet! had to this point been on the larger side of CPU air

pcper.com

I'm sure you could cool your cpu with the Hyper 212, but I could still see it getting a little toasty(80C) if you were to put a large enough load on it.
The Intel stock coolers are cheap junk. It took those knuckleheads until the 4th gen Haswell line to stop putting those crap coolers with their K-series I5 and higher cpus.

There's a limit to what top-down cooler can do - lower than that of tower coolers. Here's a top-down rated for 220w: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Y27CmG/be-quiet-cpu-cooler-bk020
But notice how big it is. No smaller than a tower model, really. This is one of the trade-offs with air coolers; the greater the thermal performance, the bigger the heatsink(generally speaking).
With the exception of the Dark Rock TF, the Hyper 212 would outperform most other top-down models.