@Eximo, scroll down if you want to just see my question especially for you.
I'm going insane between coolers and PSUs. I have about 175 mm (almost 7") available for height, and base clearance is about 4", with less on the side opposite the M.2 port. Obviously, height above all the other stuff is less of an issue, although I'd prefer not to have to remove the cooler to add things like RAM, replace my M.2 SSD with a larger one, or not be able to use the PCIe slot next to that.
I have no interest at all in RGB - it's a waste because I'll be looking at my screen, not the lights in my case. I also don't care about the color or appearance in general. I only care that it'll do a great job and fit the space neatly without blocking access to other components or adversely impacting the heatsinks on the sides of my MB.
DeepCool said the AK500 is ok. Given the 8.74 x 6.85 x 6.54 inches size, I'm not convinced that beast will fit nicely. Their
cooler picker suggests 13 options for the LGA 1700 (irrespective of MB, etc.), plus a bunch of RGB/LED (the filter cannot remove them - if I select no LED all coolers disappear). They didn't respond to my 2nd email asking which others would fit. AFAIK, DeepCool doesn't ship the mounting bracket with their coolers.
be quiet! suggested the Dark Rock Slim, although some sources question whether it has enough cooling power. Their
picker suggests that plus Shadow Rock 3 and Shadow Rock Slim 2, and all 4 of the Pure Rocks, including the
Slim.
Noctua didn't respond. With 27 choices, I'm baffled.
NH-C14S,
NH-D12L,
NH-D15,
NH-D15 SE-AM4,
NH-D15 chromax.black,
NH-D15S,
NH-D15S chromax.black,
NH-D9DX i4 3U,
NH-D9L,
NH-L12 Ghost S1 Edition,
NH-L12S,
NH-L9i-17xx,
NH-L9i-17xx chromax.black,
NH-L9x65,
NH-L9x65 SE-AM4,
NH-P1,
NH-U12A,
NH-U12A chromax.black,
NH-U12DX i4,
NH-U12S,
NH-U12S SE-AM4,
NH-U12S chromax.black,
NH-U12S redux,
NH-U14S,
NH-U9DX i4,
NH-U9S, and
NH-U9S chromax.black. Try saying that 3 times fast - or even once! Thankfully for you all, I ignored the 21 discontinued coolers they listed!
Again, I have no interest in appearances, so non-lit alternatives would be much preferred, but I'm not excluding it if that's the best choice.
I was looking at the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition recommended on
Tech4Gamers, but there seem to be mounting issues that go back years, even for the newer LGA 1700 compatible one, and the same with the EVO edition.
Here are the highlights.
Best Air Cooler for LGA 1700: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4, but claims it's expensive and refers to hearsay about being unsturdy over the RAM. The bq! website didn't even recommend this one for me, so it's a no-go. No RGB.
Best RGB CPU Cooler For LGA 1700: NZXT Kraken Z73 RGB, but claims it's expensive and noisy at >=90% load.
Best Overall LGA 1700 CPU Cooler 2022: DeepCool AS500 Plus. No cons. The plain AS500 is too big, I think, for my system. All 3 have RGB.
Best 240mm AIO LGA 1700 CPU Cooler: ROG RYUJIN II 240 has RGB, and they claim it's expensive and very loud (fan AND pump). Liquid.
Best 360mm AIO LGA 1700 CPU Cooler: Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 A-RGB, and they claim the coldplate is small and some don't like the pump design.
Best Budget LGA 1700 CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition (link goes to the non-1700 edition but you can select it), and they claim "The Hyper 212 Black Edition may underperform in specific tasks when compared to other Cooler Master air coolers, but the price tag more than makes up for it." If it's underperforming on a critical task that could break the CPU, then it's not worth the price, IMO.
They have
a second article from 2 days before that for
i7-12700k, stating:
Thermaltake Frio Extreme: Best Performance CPU Cooler, but says it's extremely noisy at high speeds.
DeepCool Castle 240mm RGB (AIO): Best Overall CPU Cooler, but says it's expensive. I've never used a liquid cooler, so I don't know enough to choose them.
DeepCool Assassin II: Best Silent CPU Cooler, but says "heavier" (1,479g). This didn't get listed by the DC cooler picker, but the Ass. III did. No RGB!
Antec Kuhler H2o K240: Best Compact AIO Cooler. "Over[c]locking performance is not that good" RGB! Not listed on the chart itself (at bottom) for some reason!
Arctic Freezer 34: Best Budget CPU Cooler. No real complaints were made (just about no RGB and limited socket support). The fan is a bit loud at 32 dB. They actually show a different one, the ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports DUO as neither the 34 nor 34 CO comes with 2 fans, and they state the correct model in the full review but not this article.
Noctua NH-L9i: Best Low-Profile CPU Cooler. The only complaint is about the price. No RGB! But...Noctua states that it's "Mechanically incompatible" with my MB.
Corsair Hydro Series H150i Pro: Best RGB Cooler. "Pump performance is not that good" and they go on to explain that you can have quiet or peak performance, but not both, which means this is not worth it.
XIGMATEK Aurora 360: Best 360mm AIO Cooler. They complained about the design and price. Not listed on the chart itself (at bottom) for some reason!
I clearly lack the relevant knowledge to pick through the lists to choose the one(s) that'll actually best fit my system. I don't mind spending a bit more to ensure that my current system and add-ons will be amply cooled.
I'm getting hit with a $900 car repair bill today. :~( They wanted $1600 to fix everything else related to the brakes. I also have to replace my phone because the tech fixed it but broke something else, but that'll be a refund of the purchase. What an unfortunate time to have this repair.
Most heat sinks should be fine, even the large ones won't interfere with any slots. Tall memory can be an issue, but generally you can for go a fan, move the fan to the other side of the heatsink, or raise the fan up a little to sit on top of the ram.
Those coolers you listed are really too small for a 12700K.
DeepCool AK620, Scythe Fuma 2 rev.B, be quiet! Dark Rock 4, Noctua NH-U12S, Noctua NH-U14S, Noctua NH-D15S
Something like a 360mm AIO water cooler would alleviate all your slot and memory issues.
Eximo, of the ones you listed, which would you say would be the best option in terms of fit and quality? It seems of the 3 from Noctua, that the NH-U12S has a bit of an edge because of the
SecuFirm2™ mounting system. I recognize the bq!DR4, but their picker says it's not a good match for my setup, and the DC AK620 I saw in DC's picker. Scythe I've never heard of. The NH-U12S has the smallest profile of the Noctuas, and is the lightest (if that matters), but the largest, the D15S, has the highest NSPR, while the U12 and the U14 might be quieter and more firmly placed. Wouldn't a 2-fan cooler with direct-contact pipes be superior? What about the other coolers above - are any of them worthy?
Model | b* x c# x w x d^ x h | # fans | Noise (dBA)! | Speed (RPM)! | Weight (g) | Warranty (years) |
---|
DeepCool AK620 | 76 x 47 x 138 x 129(25) x 160 | 2 | <=28 | 500-1850 | 1,456 | 6 |
Noctua NH-U12S | ~71.13 x 39 x 125 x 71(30) x 158 | 1 | <=18.6//22.4 | 300-1200//1500 | 755 | 6 |
Noctua D15S | 95 x 66 x 150 x 135(26) x 160 | 1 | <=19.2//24.6 | 300-1200//1500 | 1,150 | 6 |
Noctua U14S | ~86.1 x 25&46 x 150(26) x 78 x 165 | 1 | <=19.2//24.6 | 300-1200//1500 | 935 | 6 |
Scythe Fuma 2 rev. B | ~102 x 55&36.6 x 137 x 129 (15/26) x 154.5 | 2 | 4-28.6 | 300-1500 | 1,000 | 6? |
Noctua NH-U12A | ? x ? x 125 x 112 x 158 | 2 | 18.8//22.6 | 450-1700//2000 | 1220 | 6 |
Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo$ | ~62 x ~58.5 x 124 x 103 x 157 | 2 | .5 Sones (=~24.4) | 200-2100 | 764 | 6 |
(The Fuma noise level is unknown since there are two fans and it doesn't show the combined noise.)
! Noctua uses LNA to reduce noise, which is why there are two numbers: w/LNA//w/o LNA.
* b=horizontal base use
# c=base vertical clearance
^ Additional depth if you add a fan (faded on Noctua blueprints, assumed to be same as existing fan on DC & S) - unclear if it's possible on DC & S coolers
@ The two fans rotate in opposite directions but the airflow is the same direction.
~ estimated base size from blueprints
$ There are 5 revisions of this cooler: I'm using rev. 5 stats.
It looks possible that the low base profile of the D15S MIGHT get too close to the RAM slot and capacitors on the opposite side; the U14S MIGHT get too close to the same capacitors and might have an upper width that is be a problem; & the Fuma 2b MIGHT conflict with the RAM OR capacitors between the socket and the heatsink depending on orientation.
Model | Heatpipes | Heatpipe Contact | Fans | Airflow (CFM) | Air Pressure (mmAq) | Fan Bearings | Fan Amps | Fan Watts |
---|
AK620 | 6 | Indirect | 2 | 68.99 | 2.19 | Fluid Dynamic | .12 | 1.44 |
U12S | 6 | Indirect | 1 | 74.3//93.4 | ? | SS02 | ? | ? |
D15S | 12 | Indirect | 1 | 115.5//140.2 | ? | SS02 | ? | 1.56 |
U14S | 6 | Indirect | 1 | 115.5//140.2 | ? | SS02 | ? | ? |
Fuma 2 rev. B | 12 | Indirect | 2@ | 39.44 & 67.62 = ? | .96 & 1.5 = ? | ?? | .08 & .16 | ? |
U12A | 14 | Indirect | 2 | 84.5//102.1 | ? | SSO2 | ? | ? |
Freezer 34 | 4 | Direct | 2 | ? | ? | Fluid Dynamic | .26 | ? |
I feel that 2 fans is a better option if there's space, and direct contact of the heatpipes and CPU is best. Am I correct?
It seems as though the best option from this list is the NH-U12S. Does that make sense?
Did I miss anything? Are there other options?