Which coolers would be best for my setup? I'm not sure that any of the coolers in the "best of" article would fit.

[ReveurGAM]

My build includes:
Corsair iCUE 5000x case (~175mm clearance from CPU)
Intel i7-12700k CPU
ASUS TUF Gaming H670-Pro w/wifi D4 (min. base clearance ~25mm? to avoid the MB's edge heatsinks, max. width ~100mm? to avoid the heatsinks and slot)
Patriot Viper Steel 2x32GB UDIMMs
M.2 SSD in the slot by the CPU
XFX Speedster Swift 319 16 GB PCIe 4.0 Radeon RX 6800 XT, model RX-68XTAQ (will probably be in the slot by the CPU)

I'm looking for a cooler that is compatible with my setup, but the options are hard to determine. The cooler would need to be able to fit in my MB without interfering with the heatsinks, RAM, 1 x M.2 22110 PCIe 4.0 x4 mode slot and the 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU) - ASUS SafeSlot. It seems that I'd either need a cooler with very tall clearance above the landscape before it gets big, which is fine as long as it doesn't prevent access to whatever is below (removing and replacing the cooler every time I need to go "under the hood" is something I'd like to avoid), or I'd have to be constrained to an area of about L 100mm x W 100 mm x H 175 mm x 25mm base clearance.

I need a cooler that will not prevent the use/access of any slots. I only saw one from Be Quiet! that appeared to match (Pure Rock Slim 2) and the Gammaxx C40 from Deep Cool. I'd have to wade through a lot of pages to figure out which might be good from Noctua, which presented a LONG list without specs. I have no idea which would actually keep my system cool enough. I'm not planning on overclocking.

Thanks for any help!


Note: I emailed the 3 companies today to ask for their recommendations, but I'm willing to consider other brands, so here I am.

 

[Eximo]

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.

 

[ReveurGAM]

Thank you for your input! It's good to know that the two I listed are too weak!

I'm a bit confused, though, Eximo. I looked at the Dark Rock 4 and its specs suggested that it would interfere with my M.2 (If I wanted to put a heatsink on top of the bar) and maybe the PCIe slot behind that would be blocked. If I turn it the other way, it would interfere with the RAM. The same was true of almost every other be quiet! and DeepCool coolers. I looked at the AK/AS500, and that seemed to overhang too much.

Like I said, I haven't built a computer from scratch in a very long time, and they didn't have these monstrously large coolers back then...So, my question is, what am I missing that you know? Clearly, I'm missing knowledge so can you please explain?

 

[Lafong]

I'd have to wade through a lot of pages to figure out which might be good from Noctua, which presented a LONG list without specs.

In my experience..........Noctua customer service is quite responsive to inquiries.

You might contact them with pointed questions about various clearance issues on your specific motherboard.

Noctua does make some coolers that explicitly do not overhang RAM slots at all. I think U12 and U14 are in this category and either should be fine on a 12700k.

Not sure about heatsink clearance issues.

 

[ReveurGAM]

In my experience..........Noctua customer service is quite responsive to inquiries.

You might contact them with pointed questions about various clearance issues on your specific motherboard.

Noctua does make some coolers that explicitly do not overhang RAM slots at all. I think U12 and U14 are in this category and either should be fine on a 12700k.

Not sure about heatsink clearance issues.

Thanks! I forgot to mention that I emailed all 3 companies to ask what they recommended. But, that's only 3 companies, and I know there are other companies with great products, so I came to TH for more info.

 

[ReveurGAM]

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.

FYI, I sent DC a question yesterday about whether the AK500 would fit (which would also apply to the AK500 WH, and I think to the AS500), and got this answer:
"Thank you for contacting DeepCool Support. The AK500 was designed with an off-center heat sink that won't go over DDR on motherboards. That would mean you shouldn't have an issue with the RAM slots on the Asus H670-Pro Wifi D4 with this cooler."

 

[Eximo]

I would think most tower coolers would clear M.2 heatsinks, the fin stacks generally start as tall as low profile memory.

Here are a few examples of the mentioned coolers in use.

https://pcpartpicker.com/builds/#c=...72509,171710,402718,4832,261910,230479,411627

Personally I stick with lower profile memory myself for this very reason. Don't want to worry about it, and RGB when you have a big air cooler doesn't make sense either. Doesn't matter that much since I water cool, but I generally re-use my old memory sticks in future builds that are air cooled.

 

[ReveurGAM]

@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?

 

[Lafong]

What's your ultimate motivation?

The absolute lowest temps, no more and no less?

If yes to that, then buy all of those coolers and test them individually.

That's ridiculous of course.

Therefore....decide what you will accept short of absolute lowest temps..... which you can't know anyway.

You've got a 12700k.

There are lots of coolers that are plenty good enough for that CPU. I don't hear you saying you will attempt to break existing overclocking records or that your ambient temps are in the 40 C or 105 F range 24 hours a day

Your case will accept coolers up to 170mm tall. That means virtually any will fit.

The suitable Noctuas all use the same mounting system. It is excellent.

You can get in as much of a lather about the cooler choice as you care to. Analyze it to death and beyond. I can only assume that you feel that a 5 degree difference among coolers is a big deal.

I'd be more concerned about mounting system, vendor support, and cost.....but that's up to you.

 

[ReveurGAM]

The Arctic Freezer 34 eSports DUO might also be a good option. It certainly has a profile that is compatible with my H670. My IT friend said that anything with "eSports" was made to a higher standard - not sure how true that is.

 

[ReveurGAM]

What's your ultimate motivation?

The absolute lowest temps, no more and no less?

If yes to that, then buy all of those coolers and test them individually.

That's ridiculous of course.

Therefore....decide what you will accept short of absolute lowest temps..... which you can't know anyway.

You've got a 12700k.

There are lots of coolers that are plenty good enough for that CPU. I don't hear you saying you will attempt to break existing overclocking records or that your ambient temps are in the 40 C or 105 F range 24 hours a day

Your case will accept coolers up to 170mm tall. That means virtually any will fit.

The suitable Noctuas all use the same mounting system. It is excellent.

You can get in as much of a lather about the cooler choice as you care to. Analyze it to death and beyond. I can only assume that you feel that a 5 degree difference among coolers is a big deal.

I'd be more concerned about mounting system, vendor support, and cost.....but that's up to you.

I'm building a PC that can be upgraded with relative ease to better serve me in the future. I'm not looking for bleeding edge tech, or even cutting edge, but I want my computer to last a long time, too. I don't know enough anymore to do tech reviews, so I'll stick to other kinds of reviews. Yes, there are lots of coolers that are compatible with my CPU, but it's not just the CPU that has to be considered when building a PC. Clearance at the base and around the sides and at the top of the cooler, as well as all the usual considerations, have to be investigated to avoid buying something that can't be used. Could I have gotten a better board? Probably, but my IT expert friend is more expert at IT related to his job, apparently, and very busy, so I didn't get the best advice, which is why I finally turned to TH. Height, as you know, is only one consideration - and the only one I wasn't concerned about because of my very large mid-tower Corsair 5000x. The other dimensions are the problem, especially when the documentation from some companies is inadequate.

And, yes, I've heard that Noctua is really good. But no company is consistently and unfailingly good.

Summer temps are whatever it is outside minus a few degrees because I don't run AC; it gets close to 100 F sometimes, but mostly just the low-mid 90s. In the winter, which is short in southern Ohio, I keep my thermostat at 60.

I do not feel a 5 degree difference is a big deal - I don't know what range IS a big deal. Since I don't overclock, run CAD, or do major video editing (and definitely not 3d), or do other very intensive work, I don't need the best there is or the coldest temps possible. Would I spend $200 on a cooler if I needed to? Yes. That's why I spent so much on the GC. Do I need a $200 cooler? I'm not sure because I really don't know enough, but I suppose not.

If it wasn't clear, I already looked at mounting systems - at least to the extent that they work for my socket. I eliminated some options because of mounting systems that were faulty.

I have decades of customer service experience, so I always think about that, and I consider cost, too, because I'm far from rich, and not financially secure into retirement.

I look at the data and try to come to an informed decision. My friend gave me some help in that department, and sometimes I can wing it, but the more complex it becomes, the more likely it is that I'll have to analyze. I analyzed for the GC, too, but didn't do much of that for the other components I have already.

It's just down to the PSU and the cooler now. And, later, a different monitor. I hope that I have clarified things sufficiently.

 

[ReveurGAM]

The Arctic Freezer 34 eSports DUO might also be a good option. It certainly has a profile that is compatible with my H670. My IT friend said that anything with "eSports" was made to a higher standard - not sure how true that is.

Noctua finally answered today, and suggested:
"If you are looking for full access to any slots but still like excellent cooling performance, please allow me to recommend the NH-U12A. The NH-U12A is available in 2 versions:

• standard version: https://noctua.at/en/nh-u12a
• chromax.black: https://noctua.at/en/nh-u12a-chromax-black

It supports 100% RAM compatibility and therefore, doesn't overhang the RAM slots and is compatible with your motherboard and chassis."

I'm adding both of these to the tables I made.

 

[ReveurGAM]

Ok, @Eximo, given my setup, do you think one of the coolers listed in the tables is the best choice, or should I get an AIO? At this time, I'm leaning towards the DeepCool AK620, the Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo, or the Noctua NH-U12A (this one is partially because of Noctua's recommendation, and partially because it has 2 fans whereas the S only has 1).

I wish I had more data on the Arctic. Does the fact that the pipes have direct contact with the CPU make a big difference?

 

[ReveurGAM]

I almost forgot. DeepCool also said this:
"As we don't have an Asus TUF Gaming H670-Pro WiFi D4 in our local office, we'd be unable to fully test the clearance with our coolers. Although at this point, we haven't gotten a report that the heatsink of the AK500 has any clearance issue on current motherboards.

From the cooler picker, we would recommend the AK400 as it would both fall under the 100m width and fit within 175mm clearance of your case. As we're unsure by "Non-RBG only" if you meant a cooler that wasn't 12v 4pin RGB or no lighting at all, the AS500 may also qualify as it uses ARGB lighting.


"

 

[Eximo]

You are overthinking this. Just pick the one you like the look of and the cost. See how it goes. They are replaceable, you can swap the fans out if you don't like the noise.

Depends a lot on how you plan to run that CPU. Stock power limits, maximum overclock, power limits removed...If you are going after maximum performance, get the highest performing heatsink, which will generally be Noctua with their superior fans. But many heatsinks are just fine, and replacement fans make a big difference.

 

[ReveurGAM]

You are overthinking this. Just pick the one you like the look of and the cost. See how it goes. They are replaceable, you can swap the fans out if you don't like the noise.

Depends a lot on how you plan to run that CPU. Stock power limits, maximum overclock, power limits removed...If you are going after maximum performance, get the highest performing heatsink, which will generally be Noctua with their superior fans. But many heatsinks are just fine, and replacement fans make a big difference.

LOL! Yes, I know, but I don't know what else to do. I have no desire to test cooler after cooler to find one that will fit and optimally cool my setup. I also feel Noctua is a great choice, but I'm curious about your AIO thoughts? The Corsair H150i ELITE CAPELLIX AIO seems to be a pretty good one, has software control of everything, uses mag-lev bearings, etc. I'm not thrilled that it has RGBs, but there's nothing else, plus I know for sure it'll fit my case, even at the 360mm size (checked with support). Is Noctua also the best for AIO?

 

[Lafong]

I don't think Noctua makes an AIO.

AIOs have a series of issues not found on air coolers. Why volunteer for that?

The 12700k does not require extreme cooling. Period.

Noctua choices boil down to this:

If you are highly worried about temps, beyond what you need to be, get a Noctua with 2 cooling towers. They model numbers begin with D. They are bulkier and weigh more than a single tower. And more expensive.

A single tower Noctua like the U12 or U14 series is more than enough and noticeably cheaper. Temps might be circa 5 degrees warmer than a dual tower. 43 C rather than 39 or something like that. So what.

Don't bother with Noctuas beginning with L. They are "low profile" designed to fit small cases where a tower cooler simply won't fit.

You need to decide if your anxiety level over temps is worth the extra expense of a dual tower. Pay X dollars more to lower temps Y degrees.

Regarding your power supply choice...Titanium and Platinum refer to efficiency levels. NOT build quality or reliability. The advantage to you of Titanium and Platinum is that they might save you a bit on energy expense...your power bill.

How much? Possibly 5 dollars a year. Conceivably 2 dollars; conceivably 8. Depends on your local power rates and how many hours a year you operate. I did the calculation a few years ago and it came about to 3 dollars a year for me, and I operate 14 hours a day.

So you get to decide if the extra money up front for Platinum or Titanium rather than Gold is worth it. It's a simple calculation based on your power cost per KWH.

 

[ReveurGAM]

I don't think Noctua makes an AIO.

AIOs have a series of issues not found on air coolers. Why volunteer for that?

The 12700k does not require extreme cooling. Period.

Noctua choices boil down to this:

If you are highly worried about temps, beyond what you need to be, get a Noctua with 2 cooling towers. They model numbers begin with D. They are bulkier and weigh more than a single tower. And more expensive.

A single tower Noctua like the U12 or U14 series is more than enough and noticeably cheaper. Temps might be circa 5 degrees warmer than a dual tower. 43 C rather than 39 or something like that. So what.

Don't bother with Noctuas beginning with L. They are "low profile" designed to fit small cases where a tower cooler simply won't fit.

You need to decide if your anxiety level over temps is worth the extra expense of a dual tower. Pay X dollars more to lower temps Y degrees.

Regarding your power supply choice...Titanium and Platinum refer to efficiency levels. NOT build quality or reliability. The advantage to you of Titanium and Platinum is that they might save you a bit on energy expense...your power bill.

How much? Possibly 5 dollars a year. Conceivably 2 dollars; conceivably 8. Depends on your local power rates and how many hours a year you operate. I did the calculation a few years ago and it came about to 3 dollars a year for me, and I operate 14 hours a day.

So you get to decide if the extra money up front for Platinum or Titanium rather than Gold is worth it. It's a simple calculation based on your power cost per KWH.

Excellent advice - thanks!

Of course, the CL ratings are about more than just simple efficiency. They go into more detail than 80+, including 5VSB, vampiric drain, etc. I'm really glad to know that these do not represent quality! That makes it easier. Thanks again!

 

[ReveurGAM]

I don't think Noctua makes an AIO.

AIOs have a series of issues not found on air coolers. Why volunteer for that?

The 12700k does not require extreme cooling. Period.

One more question on that. As I said, my home gets into the 90s during the summer, but it sounds like you considered that and are confident that even a single tower will be able to keep the temp within normal range. Correct?

 

[Lafong]

One more question on that. As I said, my home gets into the 90s during the summer, but it sounds like you considered that and are confident that even a single tower will be able to keep the temp within normal range. Correct?

Incorrect.

Sounds like you are anxious.

I would not tolerate living in 90 plus room temps. You would and do.

My room is at 81 about 9 months a year. I would have no qualms about using a single tower in my room. I intend to rebuild with a 12700k or equivalent soon enough and will use a lowly Noctua U9S single tower. I don't care if temps are 48 C rather than 40 C.

You are anxious. Why tolerate that unless forced by budget?

Get a dual tower, probably a D15 variant.

If still worried, your remaining choices would be:

1; Extreme cooling, probably a 360 AIO or custom loop; comes with its own maintenance issues and expense

2; Lower your room temp; air conditioning costs money.

3; Decide you are going to worry less. May be possible?

4; Find an "authority" you are willing to believe and do what they say, secure in the knowledge you've done the best you can.

Probably fifth, sixth, or seventh choices, but I can't think of them right now.

 

[ReveurGAM]

Incorrect.

Sounds like you are anxious.

I would not tolerate living in 90 plus room temps. You would and do.

My room is at 81 about 9 months a year. I would have no qualms about using a single tower in my room. I intend to rebuild with a 12700k or equivalent soon enough and will use a lowly Noctua U9S single tower. I don't care if temps are 48 C rather than 40 C.

You are anxious. Why tolerate that unless forced by budget?

Get a dual tower, probably a D15 variant.

If still worried, your remaining choices would be:

1; Extreme cooling, probably a 360 AIO or custom loop; comes with its own maintenance issues and expense

2; Lower your room temp; air conditioning costs money.

3; Decide you are going to worry less. May be possible?

4; Find an "authority" you are willing to believe and do what they say, secure in the knowledge you've done the best you can.

Probably fifth, sixth, or seventh choices, but I can't think of them right now.

Budget is one reason I don't use AC.

Greater tolerance for temp and humidity variance is another. I have problems with temperature and doing that reduces those problems, especially heat.

So, then, you didn't consider/know about the temp in my home, which is why you suggested a single tower Noctua. And, given that I won't use AC, a dual tower would be best, but you don't recommend an AIO because of the challenges...Which are?

 

[Lafong]

So, then, you didn't consider/know about the temp in my home, which is why you suggested a single tower Noctua. And, given that I won't use AC, a dual tower would be best, but you don't recommend an AIO because of the challenges...Which are?

AIO challenges are related to durability/reliability. Pump failures, possibility of leaks, noise, longer term costs, etc. All kinds of comments all over the net. And on this site.

Maybe none of that bothers you. I don't know. Maybe you like to tinker, like a car hot-rodder might.

A dual tower Noctua is about on a par with a 240 mm AIO,....with fewer possible issues.

If you cannot tolerate the resulting temps of a Noctua D15, then you are forced into extreme measures....360 AIO, custom loop, etc.

What would temps be with a Noctua D15? Unknown.

As far as I know, the 12700k will not throttle until it hits about 100 C....I have no idea how often you might approach that in your particular circumstances. You could certainly run a stress test and see what happens.

You'd have to find out through your own test, but that cooler is about as good as you can get for an air cooler.

In my experience.....a 10 degree change in room temps results in a CPU temp change of roughly 10 degrees. The correlation is not far from 1 to 1.

You can affect temps to some degree with your choice of case fans....but that's another topic that ultimately comes down to personal experimentation and willingness to spend money on different or more case fans.

Take your pick based on the intersection of your budget and anxiety curves. I have no idea where that might be. Probably at the point where you sleep well?

 

[ReveurGAM]

Lafong, I will look more into AIO. Since it's no longer hot, I'm going to get a double tower w/2 fans, probably the Noctua you suggested for now, or something at least that good, and see what happens when it get warmer.

Do the AIO experts here know of any AIOs that are reasonably priced with software management and a water block fan? I'd be especially interested if they have great PSUs that also can be controlled with the same software. Obviously, I'd prefer mag-lev, but any superior bearings would be fine. No LCD/RGB if possible, otherwise that forces up the price.

The tier 2 tech at ASUS had suggested the Arctic Liquid Freezer II AIO 360, which is reasonably priced, has supposedly won awards, and the specs look pretty good. Also, no LCD or RGBs, and there's a fan on the water block. There is no software, though, just hardware self-management. Any thoughts on this product?

 

[Bob.B]

My build includes:
Corsair iCUE 5000x case (~175mm clearance from CPU)
Intel i7-12700k CPU
ASUS TUF Gaming H670-Pro w/wifi D4 (min. base clearance ~25mm? to avoid the MB's edge heatsinks, max. width ~100mm? to avoid the heatsinks and slot)
Patriot Viper Steel 2x32GB UDIMMs
M.2 SSD in the slot by the CPU
XFX Speedster Swift 319 16 GB PCIe 4.0 Radeon RX 6800 XT, model RX-68XTAQ (will probably be in the slot by the CPU)

I'm looking for a cooler that is compatible with my setup, but the options are hard to determine. The cooler would need to be able to fit in my MB without interfering with the heatsinks, RAM, 1 x M.2 22110 PCIe 4.0 x4 mode slot and the 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU) - ASUS SafeSlot. It seems that I'd either need a cooler with very tall clearance above the landscape before it gets big, which is fine as long as it doesn't prevent access to whatever is below (removing and replacing the cooler every time I need to go "under the hood" is something I'd like to avoid), or I'd have to be constrained to an area of about L 100mm x W 100 mm x H 175 mm x 25mm base clearance.

I need a cooler that will not prevent the use/access of any slots. I only saw one from Be Quiet! that appeared to match (Pure Rock Slim 2) and the Gammaxx C40 from Deep Cool. I'd have to wade through a lot of pages to figure out which might be good from Noctua, which presented a LONG list without specs. I have no idea which would actually keep my system cool enough. I'm not planning on overclocking.

Thanks for any help!


Note: I emailed the 3 companies today to ask for their recommendations, but I'm willing to consider other brands, so here I am.

Thought.

If you were to back down one notch to a 12700 it comes with a cooler.

If that cooler does what you need your good to go.

If not then you shop for a cooler.

You save some bucks and don't seem to give up much perf.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McYHE7ntQI0

 

[Phaaze88]

Whoa...

my home gets into the 90s during the summer
Budget is one reason I don't use AC.
I do not feel a 5 degree difference is a big deal

Something I'd like to be sure you're aware of:
If room ambient really gets to 32C, a PC serves to increase it further. A PC is a space heater.

A change in temperature of 5C, won't matter to the hardware, but to flesh and bones, it's different; people notice that, and it may or may not be comfortable.

The PC's contribution to room ambient increase is tied to system power consumption over time, until it reaches some equilibrium.
Liquid coolers are not a fix when they don't change how much power is used by the PC. So in terms of keeping room ambient going up too much, neither air nor liquid coolers win.
Instead, stick to balanced power plans running a 90-95% power limit on the gpu, and frame caps.

There really is no best here; they all have their pros and cons.
As long as you're not trapping heat inside the PC, no one's going to deck you for it.

know of any AIOs that are reasonably priced with software management and a water block fan?

No, they're all up there in price, and not many models have water block fans. Except the Liquid Freezer II, the Ryujin II and MEG Coreliquid are those pricey ones I mentioned.
Corsair iCUE and NZXT CAM are mandatory to use with their coolers. Your personal experience with be either love/neutral/hate.
If I remember correctly, Lian Li, Asus, and Cooler Master have optional software. Probably not as thorough as the other 2, not sure.