Overclocking On Air: 10 LGA 1156-Compatible Performance Coolers

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Crashman

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[citation][nom]deke_15[/nom]"With our recommendations out of the way, it’s worth noting that while several coolers included manual fan speed controllers, only three supported  pulse-width modulation (PWM) fan speed control. Of those, Scythe’s Mugen-2 Rev. B was the only one to make its way into our recommendations. "Doesn't the features slide show the Hyper 212 plus has PWM? Isn't it also reccommended in this article?[/citation]

Great catch. It was supposed to read differently based on performance, since the Cooler Master unit got to the end only because it's cheaper. I'd buy the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus for a price-sensitive system, such as the $700 System Builder Marathon machine Paul Henningsen builds every three months.
 
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Any suggestions on where to buy Thermalright MUX-120? I searched bing, newegg, and tigerdirect and can't find it. Thanks
 

Crashman

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[citation][nom]Snipergod87[/nom]I been using my Freezer 7 Pro (Rev 1) for a few years now, with no complaints, keeps temps low with a 900Mhz OC, on a E6750[/citation]

It's a good cooler, it just wasn't the best choice for this processor and its relatively high voltage settings. Remember that eight-threads of Prime 95 pull more power than 4 even when only four actual cores exist, simply because hyperthreading keeps all four cores active. ie, the i5-750 pulls less power at "full load" because it's not really at full load, yet still pulls more power than a dual-core processor like the E6750 when overclocked higher.
 

ironic77

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Running the 212 myself -- got it before this review was done after I grew nervous seeing 83C regularly with stock cooling. It does interfere with one memory slot on my Intel board and my 1600 memory w/ spreaders, but nothing that can't be worked around. My Intel board varies the speed just fine, and it's pretty quiet under most scenarios (I also replaced the case fan in this process). I've had it OC'd to a conservative 150 from 133 with stock voltages and no heat concerns, though I have had to make a few case adjustments just to be safe for the summer months.
 

Zinosys

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Well, now the NH-D14 is better than the Magahalems cooler with the same fans.

I was about to buy a NH-D14, but I might get a Mugen instead. The value is simply better.
 

uwave101

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I just got my Hyper 212 yesterday based on reviews from Maximum PC. I'm surprised it did not get a better rating, but at least it is cheap. I won;t overclock much anyway. I would post some opinions, but have not yet received my CPU or motherboard....but it looks nice!
 

Crashman

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[citation][nom]uwave101[/nom]I just got my Hyper 212 yesterday based on reviews from Maximum PC. I'm surprised it did not get a better rating, but at least it is cheap. I won;t overclock much anyway. I would post some opinions, but have not yet received my CPU or motherboard....but it looks nice![/citation]

Actually it's good for overclocking, most of the coolers in the review were at least adequate.
 

a4mula

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Ambient controls? TIM controls? How did you gauge heat? Is this open air or enclosed? What "custom" fan was used?

I know it was brought up but it's a shame Megahalems and Venomous-X were not included, would have also liked to have seen Corsair H50, while I realize it's not technically an "Air" cooler it should be tested as one.

Overall nice article and much needed Crashman. I know I'm critical more than I am praising but I'd say your results are running pretty consistently with the general consensus at the moment.

Venomous-X > NH-D14 > Megahalems > Everything Else.
 

Crashman

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[citation][nom]a4mula[/nom]Ambient controls? TIM controls?[/citation]
19.5C ambient and I won't mention the supplier of silver thermal grease for political reasons...but it's a good one.
 

neiroatopelcc

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[citation][nom]Crashman[/nom]
Generally speaking when two sets of memory are tested at 1.65V the ones that overclock best have NO heat spreaders. Not standard heat spreaders. Take a look at the most recent dual-channel DDR3 roundup to see how the Crucial RAM (D9KPT) beat the Patriot RAM (D9KPT) and then look at some of the System Builder Marathons to see how the high end system (bare memory) usually gets higher data rates than the mid-priced system (usually the same memory with heat spreaders).[/citation]

Great post! Possibly the first time you've responded to a reader without trying to insult him - and in the process even posted useful info! Do that more often!

[citation][nom]stuplarosa[/nom]What PWM fan did you add to your Thermalright? I would love to see a review on PWM fans.[/citation]
silentpcreviews has a lot of coverage on those things.
I'm using arctic fan on my thermalright 120 ultra extreme and the chassis itself - work great and have the loop cable to run it all from the cpu socket without extra splitters. And they're even quieter than the silverstone fn121 they replaced.
 

spiraras

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I bought Scythe Mugen 2 after reading the http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/core-i7-coolers-roundup.html and http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=371&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=12 for its price and performancec. I used it on a i7 920 D0 on an Asrock X53 Extreme and I was able to push the CPU all the way up to 4.6 GHz and I stopped not because of the CPU but due to the VRM heating too much. Running on 3.8 GHz stably and silently. Highly recommend it...
 

veroxious

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Yeah it is weird the manufacturers did not send their best coolers. I would have thought that Coolermaster would have sent the V8 at least seeing that it's a quad core that's being overclocked.

Personally I have a Deep Cool Ice Blade Pro which is quite a bit cheaper than the Thermalright and CoolerMaster V8 in my neck of the woods but provides surprisingly good results (was very close to the V8 in frostytechs results although it does a lot better with AMD quads than Intel)

On a side note I must say I was dissapointed by the coolermaster thermal paste I purchased cause I could not find any AS5. Dries out within minutes and very thick. Does anyone have any experience with the Zalman one than comes in what looks like a square nail-polish bottle?
 

veroxious

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Yeah it is weird the manufacturers did not send their best coolers. I would have thought that Coolermaster would have sent the V8 at least seeing that it's a quad core that's being overclocked.

Personally I have a Deep Cool Ice Blade Pro which is quite a bit cheaper than the Thermalright and CoolerMaster V8 in my neck of the woods but provides surprisingly good results (was very close to the V8 in frostytechs results although it does a lot better with AMD quads than Intel)

On a side note I must say I was dissapointed by the coolermaster thermal paste I purchased cause I could not find any AS5. Dries out within minutes and very thick. Does anyone have any experience with the Zalman one than comes in what looks like a square nail-polish bottle?
 

neiroatopelcc

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[citation][nom]veroxious[/nom]Does anyone have any experience with the Zalman one than comes in what looks like a square nail-polish bottle?[/citation]
The zalman paste actually isn't so bad. It's a bit too liquid for some people though so watch where you're taking your parts. But it's quite good and unlike as5 seems to work its best immidiately. If it didn't come bundled with the zalman coolers though I'd take as5 any day as it's easier to apply in a sufficiently thin layer
 

veroxious

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[citation][nom]neiroatopelcc[/nom]The zalman paste actually isn't so bad. It's a bit too liquid for some people though so watch where you're taking your parts. But it's quite good and unlike as5 seems to work its best immidiately. If it didn't come bundled with the zalman coolers though I'd take as5 any day as it's easier to apply in a sufficiently thin layer[/citation]

Thanks for the heads up. I can't seem to find AS5 anywhere so I have to find a suitable alternative. I have been doing a lot of experimenting and benchmarks so my AS5 supplies have dried up pretty quickly. The problem with the Coolermaster one (think it's called nano or something) is everytime I remove the heatsink I have to clean it even if I just had it on for 30 minutes (it dries very similar to the OEM pad) so it's a lot more work when swopping out CPU's for testing.
 

elasticman

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i got a question for u guys:)
if i get the coolermaster 212 plus , and it comes with thermal paste on it,do u recommend taking it off and putting instead the AS5 or MX-3?
 
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@elasticman:
In my case the Freezer 7 instructions specifically say MX2 is the best paste for that particular heatsink, and that's what it comes with. Unfortunately I cannot find any info on what paste comes with the 212, but I would recommend using MX2 or AS5 if the included paste is neither of those. Various reviews and tests indicate that MX2 is better in some cases and AS5 in others. MX2 is cheaper, so I would try that first. If it doesn't adversely react to the material the 212 is made of, and proper cooling is maintained after a long period of time, then stick with it.
 

rambo117

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Great article! My next build will keep this guide handy.

I want to see an article about thermoelectric vs water cooling, might prove interesting...
 

Crashman

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[citation][nom]rambo117[/nom]Great article! My next build will keep this guide handy. I want to see an article about thermoelectric vs water cooling, might prove interesting...[/citation]

Normally if you're going thermoelectric you need water cooling to keep the "hot side" of the TEC from overheating.
 
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