What's the Best Cheap CPU Fan For Overclocking

[No0b_with_pc]

Hi I'm looking to overclock my i7-920 but I'm worried about doing it with the stock fan I do have 7 fans running that are on my case but I really need a better cpu cooler, I had a look at the hyper 212 evo and x but I'm just wondering if there is anything better, also do I have to take my mobo out to install a new fan?
If anyone can reply thank you so much!

 

[No0b_with_pc]

ALso am I better off getting a 980TI or should I just stick with a 1060?

 

[Karadjgne]

1060.
As to the cooler, that's your choice, most are better than stock, so things like budget, aesthetics, size etc count more than exact performance usually.

 

[madmatt30]

With those temps I think the gammaxx 300 will do the job as long as you're not expecting extreme overclocks.
The main benefit is the extreme ease of fitting.

If you're happy enough changing the backplate then I still wouldn't recommend the 212 series simply because the gammaxx 400 both outperforms them slightly & is a LOT cheaper.

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/hJFPxr/deepcool-cpu-cooler-gammaxx400

980ti vs 1060?
980ti is considerably stronger, uses twice as much power though & is surely much more expensive??

If you have the PSU to run one ,600w+, & they're similar priced then the choice is yours.
I'd argue that for1080p 60htz though the 1060 is enough.

After all this talk of overclocking, never thought to ask what your motherboard model is ??

 

[No0b_with_pc]

With those temps I think the gammaxx 300 will do the job as long as you're not expecting extreme overclocks.
The main benefit is the extreme ease of fitting.

If you're happy enough changing the backplate then I still wouldn't recommend the 212 series simply because the gammaxx 400 both outperforms them slightly & is a LOT cheaper.

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/hJFPxr/deepcool-cpu-cooler-gammaxx400

980ti vs 1060?
980ti is considerably stronger, uses twice as much power though & is surely much more expensive??

If you have the PSU to run one ,600w+, & they're similar priced then the choice is yours.
I'd argue that for1080p 60htz though the 1060 is enough.

After all this talk of overclocking, never thought to ask what your motherboard model is ??

My mobo is a gigabyte ga-ex58-ud5 and I was just told by a guy that I've bought a PC off before ( he builds) that a 1060 would bottle neck my i7-920 even if I overclocked so I'm confused, I'm still gonna get a better CPU cooler but will it bottleneck that severely and he also told me that I was better off with a 3gb gtx780???

 

[madmatt30]

With those temps I think the gammaxx 300 will do the job as long as you're not expecting extreme overclocks.
The main benefit is the extreme ease of fitting.

If you're happy enough changing the backplate then I still wouldn't recommend the 212 series simply because the gammaxx 400 both outperforms them slightly & is a LOT cheaper.

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/hJFPxr/deepcool-cpu-cooler-gammaxx400

980ti vs 1060?
980ti is considerably stronger, uses twice as much power though & is surely much more expensive??

If you have the PSU to run one ,600w+, & they're similar priced then the choice is yours.
I'd argue that for1080p 60htz though the 1060 is enough.

After all this talk of overclocking, never thought to ask what your motherboard model is ??

My mobo is a gigabyte ga-ex58-ud5 and I was just told by a guy that I've bought a PC off before ( he builds) that a 1060 would bottle neck my i7-920 even if I overclocked so I'm confused, I'm still gonna get a better CPU cooler but will it bottleneck that severely and he also told me that I was better off with a 3gb gtx780???

Your board is an excellent one,seen reports of people puching 4.4ghz with a 920/930 (albeit d0 stepping cpu's)
Absolutely go with the gammaxx 400 mate,theres nothing that will touch it at that pricepoint.

I have no idea what the fella is on about,I cant think of a singular good reason to buy a 3gb 780 from 2 generations ago apart from if you find one dirt cheap!

The only card Id consider that isnt from a new amd or nvidia range is the gtx 970 & it would have to be a very good price at that.
Id maybe just take a 970 over a rx 470 or a 1060 3gb,you are absolutel viable pairing that old 920 (even if you can only push 3.3-3/5ghz) with a new gpu upto the 1060 or rx 480.
So long as your expectations are 60fps at very high or maybe ultra settings depending on title.
Ignore talk of bottlenecks unless you are running a 100htz+ screen & are expecting 100fps+ all the time.

 

[madmatt30]

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAfQQPLOoRHBZNq6YlyFt19TpiIJxu_jz

guys done a few benches with a 920@4ghz & a 3gb 1060, same motherboard as you too.

97% gpu usage,60% or so cpu usage - theres no bottlenecking there at all imo ( the low cpu usage is simply because that 920 has 8 threads & usage is split between them) - youll never see 100% usage on an 8 thread i7 while gaming.

at 4ghz youre probably looking at it being the equivalent of a i7 3770 or similar

 

[madmatt30]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW85piahc38

another good one with a 1st gen i7 at both 3.5/4ghz clocks paired with 3 different cards.
a 1060 is going to be similar to a 970 performance wise (maybe slightly stronger)

 

[No0b_with_pc]

With those temps I think the gammaxx 300 will do the job as long as you're not expecting extreme overclocks.
The main benefit is the extreme ease of fitting.

If you're happy enough changing the backplate then I still wouldn't recommend the 212 series simply because the gammaxx 400 both outperforms them slightly & is a LOT cheaper.

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/hJFPxr/deepcool-cpu-cooler-gammaxx400

980ti vs 1060?
980ti is considerably stronger, uses twice as much power though & is surely much more expensive??

If you have the PSU to run one ,600w+, & they're similar priced then the choice is yours.
I'd argue that for1080p 60htz though the 1060 is enough.

After all this talk of overclocking, never thought to ask what your motherboard model is ??

My mobo is a gigabyte ga-ex58-ud5 and I was just told by a guy that I've bought a PC off before ( he builds) that a 1060 would bottle neck my i7-920 even if I overclocked so I'm confused, I'm still gonna get a better CPU cooler but will it bottleneck that severely and he also told me that I was better off with a 3gb gtx780???

Your board is an excellent one,seen reports of people puching 4.4ghz with a 920/930 (albeit d0 stepping cpu's)
Absolutely go with the gammaxx 400 mate,theres nothing that will touch it at that pricepoint.

I have no idea what the fella is on about,I cant think of a singular good reason to buy a 3gb 780 from 2 generations ago apart from if you find one dirt cheap!

The only card Id consider that isnt from a new amd or nvidia range is the gtx 970 & it would have to be a very good price at that.
Id maybe just take a 970 over a rx 470 or a 1060 3gb,you are absolutel viable pairing that old 920 (even if you can only push 3.3-3/5ghz) with a new gpu upto the 1060 or rx 480.
So long as your expectations are 60fps at very high or maybe ultra settings depending on title.
Ignore talk of bottlenecks unless you are running a 100htz+ screen & are expecting 100fps+ all the time.

Yeah see I'm not trying to get 100htz and 100fps, I just want a good solid card to play stuff like Arma 3 and dayz with, I'm probably gonna go with a 970 now that you mention it, would a 780ti be worth, I could get one for 175-200$ aud!

 

[No0b_with_pc]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW85piahc38

another good one with a 1st gen i7 at both 3.5/4ghz clocks paired with 3 different cards.
a 1060 is going to be similar to a 970 performance wise (maybe slightly stronger)

Would it be wise to get an i7 950/960

 

[No0b_with_pc]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW85piahc38

another good one with a 1st gen i7 at both 3.5/4ghz clocks paired with 3 different cards.
a 1060 is going to be similar to a 970 performance wise (maybe slightly stronger)

Would it be wise to get an i7 950/960

 

[madmatt30]

With those temps I think the gammaxx 300 will do the job as long as you're not expecting extreme overclocks.
The main benefit is the extreme ease of fitting.

If you're happy enough changing the backplate then I still wouldn't recommend the 212 series simply because the gammaxx 400 both outperforms them slightly & is a LOT cheaper.

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/hJFPxr/deepcool-cpu-cooler-gammaxx400

980ti vs 1060?
980ti is considerably stronger, uses twice as much power though & is surely much more expensive??

If you have the PSU to run one ,600w+, & they're similar priced then the choice is yours.
I'd argue that for1080p 60htz though the 1060 is enough.

After all this talk of overclocking, never thought to ask what your motherboard model is ??

My mobo is a gigabyte ga-ex58-ud5 and I was just told by a guy that I've bought a PC off before ( he builds) that a 1060 would bottle neck my i7-920 even if I overclocked so I'm confused, I'm still gonna get a better CPU cooler but will it bottleneck that severely and he also told me that I was better off with a 3gb gtx780???

Your board is an excellent one,seen reports of people puching 4.4ghz with a 920/930 (albeit d0 stepping cpu's)
Absolutely go with the gammaxx 400 mate,theres nothing that will touch it at that pricepoint.

I have no idea what the fella is on about,I cant think of a singular good reason to buy a 3gb 780 from 2 generations ago apart from if you find one dirt cheap!

The only card Id consider that isnt from a new amd or nvidia range is the gtx 970 & it would have to be a very good price at that.
Id maybe just take a 970 over a rx 470 or a 1060 3gb,you are absolutel viable pairing that old 920 (even if you can only push 3.3-3/5ghz) with a new gpu upto the 1060 or rx 480.
So long as your expectations are 60fps at very high or maybe ultra settings depending on title.
Ignore talk of bottlenecks unless you are running a 100htz+ screen & are expecting 100fps+ all the time.

Yeah see I'm not trying to get 100htz and 100fps, I just want a good solid card to play stuff like Arma 3 and dayz with, I'm probably gonna go with a 970 now that you mention it, would a 780ti be worth, I could get one for 175-200$ aud!

that has to be second hand ??
If your happy buying an older gen second hand & youre aware of the pitfalls - which are mainly power consumption & temps ( & also than nvidia have a nasty habit of not including older gen cards in newer driver releases) then the 780ti is still going to perform well.
Youre essentially talking 780ti = gtx 970 = gtx 1060 3gb performance wise but the newer gens are cooler running & draw far far less power.

 

[No0b_with_pc]

With those temps I think the gammaxx 300 will do the job as long as you're not expecting extreme overclocks.
The main benefit is the extreme ease of fitting.

If you're happy enough changing the backplate then I still wouldn't recommend the 212 series simply because the gammaxx 400 both outperforms them slightly & is a LOT cheaper.

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/hJFPxr/deepcool-cpu-cooler-gammaxx400

980ti vs 1060?
980ti is considerably stronger, uses twice as much power though & is surely much more expensive??

If you have the PSU to run one ,600w+, & they're similar priced then the choice is yours.
I'd argue that for1080p 60htz though the 1060 is enough.

After all this talk of overclocking, never thought to ask what your motherboard model is ??

My mobo is a gigabyte ga-ex58-ud5 and I was just told by a guy that I've bought a PC off before ( he builds) that a 1060 would bottle neck my i7-920 even if I overclocked so I'm confused, I'm still gonna get a better CPU cooler but will it bottleneck that severely and he also told me that I was better off with a 3gb gtx780???

Your board is an excellent one,seen reports of people puching 4.4ghz with a 920/930 (albeit d0 stepping cpu's)
Absolutely go with the gammaxx 400 mate,theres nothing that will touch it at that pricepoint.

I have no idea what the fella is on about,I cant think of a singular good reason to buy a 3gb 780 from 2 generations ago apart from if you find one dirt cheap!

The only card Id consider that isnt from a new amd or nvidia range is the gtx 970 & it would have to be a very good price at that.
Id maybe just take a 970 over a rx 470 or a 1060 3gb,you are absolutel viable pairing that old 920 (even if you can only push 3.3-3/5ghz) with a new gpu upto the 1060 or rx 480.
So long as your expectations are 60fps at very high or maybe ultra settings depending on title.
Ignore talk of bottlenecks unless you are running a 100htz+ screen & are expecting 100fps+ all the time.

Yeah see I'm not trying to get 100htz and 100fps, I just want a good solid card to play stuff like Arma 3 and dayz with, I'm probably gonna go with a 970 now that you mention it, would a 780ti be worth, I could get one for 175-200$ aud!

that has to be second hand ??
If your happy buying an older gen second hand & youre aware of the pitfalls - which are mainly power consumption & temps ( & also than nvidia have a nasty habit of not including older gen cards in newer driver releases) then the 780ti is still going to perform well.
Youre essentially talking 780ti = gtx 970 = gtx 1060 3gb performance wise but the newer gens are cooler running & draw far far less power.

It is second hand it's a gigabyte wind force 780ti oc and I'm pretty sure I'm better off with going with a 970 and the gammaxx 400, what would you think would be the smartest for me?

 

[madmatt30]

I think you'd be very happy with either mate,& no not worth buying a i7 950/960 at all - your 920 will hit 3.2ghz without even blinking.

That 780ti is an hard privce to ignore if its guarantedd good condition,how much would a 970 cost you over that??

 

[No0b_with_pc]

I think you'd be very happy with either mate,& no not worth buying a i7 950/960 at all - your 920 will hit 3.2ghz without even blinking.

That 780ti is an hard privce to ignore if its guarantedd good condition,how much would a 970 cost you over that??

The 970 is like 60 bucks more

 

[Karadjgne]

970 and 780ti battle it out head to head, the 970 with 4Gb ram has it easier in some games over the 780ti 3Gb but mainly the end up a few fps different depending on the game.

 

[madmatt30]

970 second hand too??
What model is it??

What Karadjgne says is absolutely spot on.

The 970 is ever so slightly stronger & generally uses close to 100w less at full tilt.

Worth $60 more ?? Yes if it's a comparable aftermarket model due to the above & also the fact its going to be at least a year to 18 months newer & likely had less use.

 

[No0b_with_pc]

970 and 780ti battle it out head to head, the 970 with 4Gb ram has it easier in some games over the 780ti 3Gb but mainly the end up a few fps different depending on the game.

Yeah I'm probably gonna go with the 970 thanks for that, I always thought the 780ti was stronger

 

[No0b_with_pc]

970 second hand too??
What model is it??

What Karadjgne says is absolutely spot on.

The 970 is ever so slightly stronger & generally uses close to 100w less at full tilt.

Worth $60 more ?? Yes if it's a comparable aftermarket model due to the above & also the fact its going to be at least a year to 18 months newer & likely had less use.

It's brand new on eBay and the price is about 200$ au to 300$ au

 

[No0b_with_pc]

970 second hand too??
What model is it??

What Karadjgne says is absolutely spot on.

The 970 is ever so slightly stronger & generally uses close to 100w less at full tilt.

Worth $60 more ?? Yes if it's a comparable aftermarket model due to the above & also the fact its going to be at least a year to 18 months newer & likely had less use.

I can get a 4gb evga 970 for 300au

 

[madmatt30]

For a definite $300 a good choice then , comparable 3gb 1060s start at $350 odd so its a good price.

 

[No0b_with_pc]

Or the https://www.ple.com.au/Products/622397/Galax-GeForce-GTX970-Black-EXOC-Sniper-4GB-GDDR5 for 369 au

 

[madmatt30]

^ the issue there is that once you get over the $350 mark you are very very close to 1060 6gb prices (maybe the lower tier single fan evga & palit/gainward models) & the 1060 is to put it simply - a stronger card.

Don't get me wrong , the exoc black is an excellent 970, everything about it is quality, from the steel backplate to the aluminium shroud & ultra quiet fans (its the card I own myself & I do rate it highly - top 5 maybe of all non- enthusiast models) & its sheer over clock ability.

If the looks & all that are important & it appeals to you on that level then it won't disappoint at all but you are paying a premium price IMO.

Be also aware it takes 6+8 pin power cables so you're PSU has to be up to par.

 

[No0b_with_pc]

okay, does water cooling matter, or should I just stick with the heat sink and fan

 

[madmatt30]

For CPU??
That gammaxx 400 will match any 120mm water cooled rad setup at a fraction of the price.

 

[Karadjgne]

Stick with stock. I've run my Asus 970 strix as high as OC will allow and the only time it sees in the 70's is either a stress test or 1 game I have maxed out with 4k render so is pushing 99% usage, even at 1080p