Need advice on on a new CPU cooler

[benjanini61]

Hey, ive recently been thinking about getting a new Cpu cooler so i can further OC my FX 8350 (currently at 4.4ghz)

Im using a CM hyper 212 EVO and have been for 3 processors, its served me well but its not enough for the 8350. It can cool it enough during gaming, only reaching about 56c max but when i do prime95 it goes over its limit and starts to throttle within about 5 minutes.

My aim is to get the 8350 to 4.8-5ghz if possible.

Here is my rig;

Zalman Z11 Plus. 2x120mm intake and 3x120mm outake.
HIS hd 7950 1150/1550
asrock 970 extreme 3
8gb ddr3 1600 avexir ram
1tb hdd
corsair builder series 600w PSU
fx 8350

My budget is around £100 and i just cannot decide which cooler to get, let alone whether to go water or air.

The problem with high end air coolers is the size, and in my case the whole window will basically be covered by the top of the cooler.
The problem with closed loop water coolers is the possible problems and noise. Aswell as the price.

Any advice or experience will be of great help and ill list some coolers ive been looking into below.

Dark rock pro 2
Antec kuhler H20 920
Corsair h90
Noctua nh-d14
spire thermax eclipse III

and alot more!!

Just remember that appearance is a big thing for me and i still want to be able to see into my case window.
Aswell as great performance from the cooler for years to come. Also bare in mind i may be upgrading to a 600T before the end of the year (unless its not that much better than my case?)

So even though for e.g the dark rock pro would look bad in my current case it will look good in a 600T

Thanks!!!

 

[sophiebeth100]

Leaking is very rare so I really wouldn't worry about that too much. I would suggest the H100i, but it won't fit in your case, so I'd go for the H80i instead. It will only fit in your case as a push or pull config, not both. I would certainly go for the NH-D14 however, or the Phanteks PH-TC14PE for the best performance. The latter comes in different colours so won't look as ugly as the Noctua.

 

[c4capricorn]

u can go for a cooler master GT V6 or V8. however phanteks tc14pe is more bang for the buck as it packs quite a punch when comes to air cooling. I hate noctua although it performs better than the CM V series but it is fugly.

 

[benjanini61]

Leaking is very rare so I really wouldn't worry about that too much. I would suggest the H100i, but it won't fit in your case, so I'd go for the H80i instead. It will only fit in your case as a push or pull config, not both. I would certainly go for the NH-D14 however, or the Phanteks PH-TC14PE for the best performance. The latter comes in different colours so won't look as ugly as the Noctua.

Thanks for the response this seems like great advice. Unless i could fit a H90 i think ill leave water loops for now as my budget is a tad lower than i thought.
I did some research and the Phantek PH-TC14PE looks like the one for me, especially in blue or silver. It comes first and second after the H100i in most charts i saw and looks like a real beaut. And at £68 for the 1st/2nd best air cooler i cant go wrong.

But this arrises new questions 😀

Firstly will the Phantek 14 fit in my Zalman Z11? Im confident it will because the window actually grooves out past the panel surrounding it by about an inch. And the window covers the area above the CPU.
Secondly will my avexir ram get in the way?? Im also confident this wont be a problem because the ram case thingy is only about 0.5cm higher than where the actual ram stick ends. But the cases cant be removed so i need to be 100% sure it fits.

I also thought of something else; Are my PSU and Mobo actually good enough to get me to around 4.8ghz???
Corsair builder series 600w
Asrock 970 extreme 3

 

[benjanini61]

u can go for a cooler master GT V6 or V8. however phanteks tc14pe is more bang for the buck as it packs quite a punch when comes to air cooling. I hate noctua although it performs better than the CM V series but it is fugly.

I totally agree on how the Noctua cooler looks bad

 

[sophiebeth100]

Leaking is very rare so I really wouldn't worry about that too much. I would suggest the H100i, but it won't fit in your case, so I'd go for the H80i instead. It will only fit in your case as a push or pull config, not both. I would certainly go for the NH-D14 however, or the Phanteks PH-TC14PE for the best performance. The latter comes in different colours so won't look as ugly as the Noctua.

Thanks for the response this seems like great advice. Unless i could fit a H90 i think ill leave water loops for now as my budget is a tad lower than i thought.
I did some research and the Phantek PH-TC14PE looks like the one for me, especially in blue or silver. It comes first and second after the H100i in most charts i saw and looks like a real beaut. And at £68 for the 1st/2nd best air cooler i cant go wrong.

But this arrises new questions 😀

Firstly will the Phantek 14 fit in my Zalman Z11? Im confident it will because the window actually grooves out past the panel surrounding it by about an inch. And the window covers the area above the CPU.
Secondly will my avexir ram get in the way?? Im also confident this wont be a problem because the ram case thingy is only about 0.5cm higher than where the actual ram stick ends. But the cases cant be removed so i need to be 100% sure it fits.

I also thought of something else; Are my PSU and Mobo actually good enough to get me to around 4.8ghz???
Corsair builder series 600w
Asrock 970 extreme 3

That cooler will fit in your case with plenty of room left over, due to the window being further out than on a normal mid tower case. If it only comes out half a centimetre, you should have no problem with the cooler whatsoever.

Absolutely fine. However, if you haven't already purchased these components I would consider changing you PSU to the evenly priced XFX Core 550w. It has better components inside as it is manufactured by Seasonic, the best PSU manufacturer, and is just sold under the brand of XFX. Don't worry about wattage either, there's plenty for your build.

 

[benjanini61]

Leaking is very rare so I really wouldn't worry about that too much. I would suggest the H100i, but it won't fit in your case, so I'd go for the H80i instead. It will only fit in your case as a push or pull config, not both. I would certainly go for the NH-D14 however, or the Phanteks PH-TC14PE for the best performance. The latter comes in different colours so won't look as ugly as the Noctua.

Thanks for the response this seems like great advice. Unless i could fit a H90 i think ill leave water loops for now as my budget is a tad lower than i thought.
I did some research and the Phantek PH-TC14PE looks like the one for me, especially in blue or silver. It comes first and second after the H100i in most charts i saw and looks like a real beaut. And at £68 for the 1st/2nd best air cooler i cant go wrong.

But this arrises new questions 😀

Firstly will the Phantek 14 fit in my Zalman Z11? Im confident it will because the window actually grooves out past the panel surrounding it by about an inch. And the window covers the area above the CPU.
Secondly will my avexir ram get in the way?? Im also confident this wont be a problem because the ram case thingy is only about 0.5cm higher than where the actual ram stick ends. But the cases cant be removed so i need to be 100% sure it fits.

I also thought of something else; Are my PSU and Mobo actually good enough to get me to around 4.8ghz???
Corsair builder series 600w
Asrock 970 extreme 3

That cooler will fit in your case with plenty of room left over, due to the window being further out than on a normal mid tower case. If it only comes out half a centimetre, you should have no problem with the cooler whatsoever.

Absolutely fine. However, if you haven't already purchased these components I would consider changing you PSU to the evenly priced XFX Core 550w. It has better components inside as it is manufactured by Seasonic, the best PSU manufacturer, and is just sold under the brand of XFX. Don't worry about wattage either, there's plenty for your build.

Yer iv got all those components already, have had em for over a year. I just hope i dont fry the Mobo as its only 4+1 power phase

 

[sophiebeth100]

Leaking is very rare so I really wouldn't worry about that too much. I would suggest the H100i, but it won't fit in your case, so I'd go for the H80i instead. It will only fit in your case as a push or pull config, not both. I would certainly go for the NH-D14 however, or the Phanteks PH-TC14PE for the best performance. The latter comes in different colours so won't look as ugly as the Noctua.

Thanks for the response this seems like great advice. Unless i could fit a H90 i think ill leave water loops for now as my budget is a tad lower than i thought.
I did some research and the Phantek PH-TC14PE looks like the one for me, especially in blue or silver. It comes first and second after the H100i in most charts i saw and looks like a real beaut. And at £68 for the 1st/2nd best air cooler i cant go wrong.

But this arrises new questions 😀

Firstly will the Phantek 14 fit in my Zalman Z11? Im confident it will because the window actually grooves out past the panel surrounding it by about an inch. And the window covers the area above the CPU.
Secondly will my avexir ram get in the way?? Im also confident this wont be a problem because the ram case thingy is only about 0.5cm higher than where the actual ram stick ends. But the cases cant be removed so i need to be 100% sure it fits.

I also thought of something else; Are my PSU and Mobo actually good enough to get me to around 4.8ghz???
Corsair builder series 600w
Asrock 970 extreme 3

That cooler will fit in your case with plenty of room left over, due to the window being further out than on a normal mid tower case. If it only comes out half a centimetre, you should have no problem with the cooler whatsoever.

Absolutely fine. However, if you haven't already purchased these components I would consider changing you PSU to the evenly priced XFX Core 550w. It has better components inside as it is manufactured by Seasonic, the best PSU manufacturer, and is just sold under the brand of XFX. Don't worry about wattage either, there's plenty for your build.

Yer iv got all those components already, have had em for over a year. I just hope i dont fry the Mobo as its only 4+1 power phase

Power phases don't really play a crucial part in overclocking, at least not as much as they used to. I wouldn't worry too much about it

Don't forget to pick a solution so the thread is marked as solved, happy overclocking.

 

[benjanini61]

Ok thanks alot dude! ive ordered it and it arrives tomorrow!

If my mobo fries im blaming you! haha

 

[sophiebeth100]

Aha that's fine, just make sure you're careful then! 😉

 

[benjanini61]

Aha that's fine, just make sure you're careful then! 😉

It still overheats and then lowers the multiplier in a prime 95 test with the new cooler -_-