[SOLVED] What CPU cooler to get for this case

yourilevoye

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Hello!

I have posted a topic a while ago about getting a new CPU. The topic leaded to me switching to ADM Ryzen CPU's instead of Intel. At first I was going for the 3600, but I decided to save up a little more and I will be getting the 3700x paired with a B450 motherboard.
Now I know the coolers included with these Ryzen CPu's are pretty good and not ugly at all. The thing is that I would love something more beefy and silent. However, I am limited to a case that I love, but it's just not the biggest.

The case I have is the NZXT S340. NZXT mentions on their specifications that the max CPU cooler hight should be 161mm, I have looked around a lot and found a ton of decent coolers, but I really want a black or atleast mostly black cooler. I am slightly done with the silver and Noctua is great... but the colors are too horrible in my opinion to consider it.

So I am hoping someone can recommand a great cooler that fits and that is also asteticly pleasing. Please let me know if you got some idea's!

PS. I already decided I do not want to get an AIO cooler
 
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yourilevoye

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I have an Arctic Freezer 34 esports one. It looks good and performs well.

It fits fine inside my S340.
hmmm, the Arctic Freezer 34 eSports DUO in white looks good! I also saw Tom's hardware recommended this one... I think this one is first on my list now. Its really cheap aswell compared to others, but should it be an upgrade compared to the stock cooler that comes with the 3700x?
 

yourilevoye

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https://www.arctic.ac/us_en/freezer-34-esports-duo.html
There are some comparisons here. Keep in mind this is likely best case scenario since this data comes from Arctic.
Ah yes... I mean, those graphs with temps are nice, but it's not the only factor as cooling can be good but if its hella loud...

I have given it some thought and I actually think I will go to AIO cooling actually and here is why:
- I watched a video about why I should not go for liquid cooling. Really big air coolers slightly performed better temp wise, but only now I realised that I can't even fit those in my case, meaning I have to get smaller air coolers that might not even perform the same as in that video.

- I think we came to a part where pretty much everything you can buy from trusted brands is just good... Maybe there is something better, but overall its good.

- I am ready to give a slightly bit performance up for astetics as the NZXT Kraken coolers will absolutely go very well with my setup since I also bought the original Hue+ kit years ago.

- From the other side, people mention that AIO coolers can be louder than air, but I pretty much never have my PC on (especially when loading the CPU) without wearing headphones.

TL;DR its good cooling aswell, maybe not the best, but it will look really clean.

PS. many thanks again NightHawkRMX. You already helped me going for Ryzen and now you also help me with this. Much love!
 

yourilevoye

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My single fan variant is near silent. Way, Way quieter than stock cooler, though im using a weak 65w CPU.

Aios do look cool and good ones are quiet. Just dont go for a 120mm aio.
YW.
ah yes for sure. I will go for 280mm, so NZXT Kraken x62. Seems to be performing very well overall and one of the few who did a lot extra on the manufacturers design in terms of LED's. I just love how sleak it is and the customization. Also, there is quite a big difference between 240-280 mm I noticed, but going for an 120mm is not worth it in my opinion.
I will also add an extra fan that I have spare (Be Quiet! Pure Wings 2) to blow over the VRM, out of the case since I have the fan anyway.
 
I will go for 280mm, so NZXT Kraken x62. Seems to be performing very well overall and one of the few who did a lot extra on the manufacturers design in terms of LED's.
Definitely a 280mm would look nice in the front of an S340. I do like a bit of RGB here and then...
but going for an 120mm is not worth it in my opinion.
Definitely not worth it. Even an ultra-cheap tower cooler like a $19 Deepcool Gammaxx 400 would perform similar to a name brand 120mm AIO which normally sells for around $60-65.
I will also add an extra fan that I have spare (Be Quiet! Pure Wings 2) to blow over the VRM, out of the case since I have the fan anyway.
That is the 1 thing stock coolers do well. They usually are a downdraft design and cool the VRM as a side effect.
I have found swapping the stock NZXT case fans out for better ones did help with my GPU temps a bit. The stock NZXT fans are not very good.