[SOLVED] Overclocking a i5 9600k to around 5,0 ghz - which cooler should I pick?

tobidreng

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Hey community,

I'd like to buy a cooler which stably can overclock my cpu to 5,0 ghz. My choice is between these two coolers, as they are the best ones that fit my PC case:
1. Corsair Hydro H100i PRO RGB (240mm radiator)
2.NZXT Kraken X62 (280mm radiator)


I've read countless reviews that state that the software (CAM) used with the Kraken is really bad and unreliable, so that makes me lean a little bit more towards the corsair cooler. Furthermore, the corsair one is slightly cheaper and has a 13% discount so now it costs (120 dollars), whereas the Kraken one costs 160 dollars. However, the Kraken one looks really beautiful and has a very nice design. I can afford both of them, but I don't know which one to choose.

Here are my pc's specs:
Phanteks Eclipse P350X Mid Tower
Intel core i5-9600K, 3,7 ghz

ASUS ROG Strix Z390-F Gaming, S-1151
2x8GB Ram, 2666 mhz
Asus Geforce RTX 2060 Super Dual EVO
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 500GB SSD

Corsair TX 550M, 550W PSU
Windows 10


Thanks in advance!
 
Solution
If you want this for strictly cooling performance, I wouldn't go with either of those, but would look at an air cooler instead. AIO coolers are ok, good enough in most situations, but they come with a lot of shortcomings, and they are not actually an upgrade in performance for most models until you get up to the better examples of some of the 280 and 360mm models.

If it's for aesthetics, that's one thing, but if you are after strictly good cooling performance AND would prefer to keep noise levels to a minimum, I'd look at air coolers instead unless your case can't support an air cooler between 155-160mm.

What is your primary reasoning for selecting an AIO and what is your case model?

tobidreng

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I'd go with the Kraken. Also get higher rams for the build, more like DDR4-3200MHz. I'd also keep a higher wattage PSU, like 650W for headroom.

All right, but what about the software? Isn't it a big problem? Or are the problems with the software exaggerated? Lastly, do you think it's still worth it to buy the Kraken cooler despite that the corsair one is at a discount? :)

Edit: is my PSU powerful enough for me to able to overclock my CPU stably to around 5,0 ghz?
 
If you want this for strictly cooling performance, I wouldn't go with either of those, but would look at an air cooler instead. AIO coolers are ok, good enough in most situations, but they come with a lot of shortcomings, and they are not actually an upgrade in performance for most models until you get up to the better examples of some of the 280 and 360mm models.

If it's for aesthetics, that's one thing, but if you are after strictly good cooling performance AND would prefer to keep noise levels to a minimum, I'd look at air coolers instead unless your case can't support an air cooler between 155-160mm.

What is your primary reasoning for selecting an AIO and what is your case model?
 
Solution

tobidreng

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What is your primary reasoning for selecting an AIO and what is your case model?

My primary reason for choosing water cooling is that I'd like to take advantage of the fact that the i5 9600k can be overclocked to around 5,0 ghz. And i'd like better FPS in games such as Battlefield V :)

This is my case model: Phanteks Eclipse P350X Mid Tower

EDIT: This is my current air cooler CM Hyper H411R RGB Black Edition.
 
And yes, the CAM software is crappy, but more importantly, there are serious privacy issues with CAM. I have stopped using it with all my NZXT devices that will allow me to use something else, as in the 3rd party lighting program I am using with my Hue+ and have completely stopped using my Grid+ v2 altogether since there is no other way to control the fan operation using that unit.

https://support.camwebapp.com/forum...s/19538782-fully-offline-mode-for-cam-privacy
 

tobidreng

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And yes, the CAM software is crappy, but more importantly, there are serious privacy issues with CAM. I have stopped using it with all my NZXT devices that will allow me to use something else, as in the 3rd party lighting program I am using with my Hue+ and have completely stopped using my Grid+ v2 altogether since there is no other way to control the fan operation using that unit.

https://support.camwebapp.com/forum...s/19538782-fully-offline-mode-for-cam-privacy

Damn, I had no idea about that. But if you had to choose one of the two coolers for overclocking purposes (around 5,0 ghz), would you still go for the Kraken? I could also get the Noctua NH-U9s, but that is probably not a big enough upgrade from my current cooler in my new prebuilt PC to make it worth it.
 
That cooler you have is not much good for anything other than being a better than stock cooler option, to be honest.

With 160mm CPU height clearance limitation, you can't use many of the best coolers, such as the Noctua D15, but there are still very good options. These, would be among them and if you can achieve an overclock of 5Ghz using either of those coolers you listed above, then you can almost certainly do so using one of these. For less money, and with less overall noise.

For under 160mm tall coolers, not including the Noctua D14, which is still available but is not officially sold by Noctua anymore so you won't get official support for those coolers if you need it. The D15, is too tall.

Best:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU Cooler: Thermalright Le Grand Macho RT 73.6 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $79.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-21 17:07 EDT-0400



Really good:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU Cooler: Scythe Ninja 5 43.03 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $59.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-21 17:09 EDT-0400



Also, really really good:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU Cooler: Thermalright MACHO Rev.C 84.97 CFM CPU Cooler ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $54.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-21 17:10 EDT-0400



Having a VERY good motherboard, ONLY TWO memory modules and plenty of case airflow (Meaning usually two front intake fans, a rear exhaust fan and a top rear exhaust fan) are also pretty much mandatory considerations for that kind of overclock. Certainly the Z390-F is a very good board, and you have only two DIMMs, but your case cooling is an unknown quantity at this point and while the Z390-F is a good board, I'm not positive it's a 5Ghz daily driver type overclocking board. Certainly worth trying though. Maybe 4.7Ghz full time might be more realistic, regardless of cooler model. But I'll leave determining that up to you.
 

tobidreng

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Thanks for your elaboration and recommendations on CPU coolers. Unfortunately, I am a lot more restricted as my new PC is prebuilt and I'd like to keep my warranty by buying a cpu cooler through the site which I purchased it on. When I select "edit PC" (the prebuilt PC I bought), I can choose from these CPU coolers ( the prices are in danish "krones"):

Cooler Master Hyper TX3 Evo CPU Køler 1150/1151/1155/1156/1366, AM2(+)/AM3(+)/AM4/FM1/2, 800~2800RPM, 15~43 CFM, 17~30 [info]
-8.52​
CM Hyper H411R RGB Black Edition LGA115x, 92mm fan with RGB, Aura Sync/Mystic Light, PWM, Komplett Logo [info]
CM Masterliquid ML120L Komplett Edition 120mm Radiator, 120mm RGB Fan 650-2000 RPM, RGB pump, Komplett Edition [info]
+202.13​
Cooler Master ML120L RGB Køler 157 x 119.6 x 27mm Radiator, 650-2000 RPM, 2066/2011-v3,AM4/ AM3+,TR4, RGB pump [info]
+239.33​
CM Masterliquid ML240L Komplett Edition 240mm Radiator, 2x120mm RGB Fan 650-2000 RPM, RGB pump, Komplett Edition [info]
+293.58​
Cooler Master ML240L RGB Køler 277 x 119.6 x 27mm Radiator, 650-2000 RPM, 2066/2011-v3,AM4/ AM3+,TR4, RGB pump [info]
+366.59​
Corsair Hydro Series H55 CPU Køler 120mm Radiator, 115x/2011/2011-3/2066, AM2/AM3/AM4, 1700 RPM, 57 CFM [info]
+498.10​
Corsair H100x Liquid CPU Køler 240mm radiator, Dual 120 mm PWM fans [info]
+532.75​
Corsair Hydro Series H60 CPU Køler 120mm Radiator, 115x/2011/2011-3, AM2/AM3/AM4, 1700 RPM, 57,2 CFM [info]
+592.11​
Corsair Hydro H100i PRO RGB CPU Køler 240mm Radiator, 115x/2011-3/2066, AM2/AM3/AM4, 2400RPM, 75 CFM [info]
+1013.78​
Corsair Hydro H100i RGB Platinum SE 240mm Radiator, 115x/2011/2011-3/2066, AM2/AM3/AM4, 2200RPM, 63 CFM [info]
+1236.52​
Intel TS15A CPU Air Cooler High performance air cooler for Skylake, 130w, works with all LGA115x [info]
+102.98​
Intel TS13X Liquid Cooling Solution Processor køler for socket-LGA1150/1151/1155/1156/1366/2011 [info]
+666.14​
Noctua NH-U9S CPU Køler 115x/2011/2011-3/2066, AM2/AM3, 400~2000 RPM, 78,9 m³/h, ~22 dBA [info]
+295.81​
NZXT Kraken X62 CPU Køler 280mm Radiator, 115x/1366/2066, AM2/AM3/AM4, TR4 [info]
+1107.96​
NZXT Kraken X52 CPU Køler 240mm Radiator, 115x/2066, AM2/AM3/AM4, TR4 [info]
 

tobidreng

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I forgot to mention that noise level actually is a pretty significant factor for me, which is one of the disadvantages of water coolers. So which one of the two water coolers I mentioned is quietest?
 
What a strange set of options; not very good at that either.

Noise comes from fans running at high rpm.
liquid coolers are often particularly noisy.
From your list, I think I would pick the noctua NH-U9s.
It will be the quietest of the bunch and cool a 9600K reasonably well.

Given other options, I would pick the Noctua NH-D15s which fits in your case.
It will cool as well as any of the aio coolers and be quiet about it.
And... it will not leak
 

tobidreng

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What a strange set of options; not very good at that either.

Noise comes from fans running at high rpm.
liquid coolers are often particularly noisy.
From your list, I think I would pick the noctua NH-U9s.
It will be the quietest of the bunch and cool a 9600K reasonably well.

Given other options, I would pick the Noctua NH-D15s which fits in your case.
It will cool as well as any of the aio coolers and be quiet about it.
And... it will not leak

Damn, this kind of makes me not want to buy a water cooler lol. But I'd like to take full advantage of my cpu's overclocking capabilities :/

But would it be worth it to upgrade my current cooler (CM Hyper H411R RGB Black Edition) to that one if I want to overclock it? Could the NH-D15s make me able to overclock the CPU to around 4,5 ghz?
Edit: And is there an even better air cooler (perhaps also a Noctau cooler) that fits my case? :p
 
Last edited:
Worth is something only YOU can determine.
92mm fans need to run fast to do the job.
They are consequently noisy.
The noctua fans are the best, but they still run fast.
The fan on the NH-D15s is 140mm and is very efficient.
You will not hear it. I would consider buying it separately if you need to.
The similar NH-D15 is a bit taller at 165mm and would not fit in your case.
 

tobidreng

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Worth is something only YOU can determine.
92mm fans need to run fast to do the job.
They are consequently noisy.
The noctua fans are the best, but they still run fast.
The fan on the NH-D15s is 140mm and is very efficient.
You will not hear it. I would consider buying it separately if you need to.
The similar NH-D15 is a bit taller at 165mm and would not fit in your case.

Ok, thanks for the elaboration and answer
 
Installing a new cooler, whether FROM or NOT FROM their website, has ZERO to do with warranty requirements. No site or company can tell you that the warranty is void just because you install a different CPU cooler. That would be in violation of the Magnusson Moss warranty act, as well as some other laws recently passed as well. Besides which, any condition they might try to enforce regarding exclusion of warranty would be contingent on you installing ANYTHING, not WHERE you bought it from.

I would not limit myself to a CPU cooler that in NO WAY is going to enable you to do what you want to do, like the U9s. It's a good option for small form factor builds. It is not a good option for overclockers of high TDP processors.