[SOLVED] Which one of these CPU air coolers should I get for an overclocked 8600k?

[onlugassy]

As the title says, I'm looking for an air cooler suitable for an overclocked i5-8600k (to it's maximum capability).

My three options are as follows(in terms of budget and availability):

ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports DUO Edition -

https://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-Freezer-Esports-ONE-Processor/dp/B07MJGNJB3?th=1

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition -

https://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-RR-212S-20PK-R1-Contact-Silencio/dp/B07H25DYM3?th=1

Cooler Master Hyper 212 LED Turbo - https://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Turbo-Equipped/dp/B071D3RQC3

All of them cost about 55$ in my currency including taxes and shipping, my budget is 60$ and the only one I can get locally is the 212 LED Turbo.


If you have a better suggestion I would look into it but as I can't get anything shipped over here I would prefer it if you could recommend the best out of the three specified.

Thanks in advance!

 

[tennis2]

212 black would be the best of those choices. The 212 LED is a 2 generation older design.

 

[onlugassy]

212 black would be the best of those choices. The 212 LED is a 2 generation older design.

Even with the two fans?

 

[Karadjgne]

Second fan only drops temps @ 2-3°C under load. It's not all that impressive. Also, air towers such as the hyper212 have a distinct advantage over AIO's, the air escapes from the sides as well, this is called bleed air, and does a lot to help with cooling of the voltage regulatory circuitry surrounding the socket. This helps with higher OC and stability. The disadvantage of dual fan designs like the 212 LED is that the suction from the rear fan also sucks all that bleed air, so motherboard temps run higher, possibly leading to lower OC or unstable OC that the regular 1 fan version would be fine with. All for the price of 2°C cpu temp.

Having 2 fans doesn't automatically make it a better cooler.

 

[onlugassy]

Second fan only drops temps @ 2-3°C under load. It's not all that impressive. Also, air towers such as the hyper212 have a distinct advantage over AIO's, the air escapes from the sides as well, this is called bleed air, and does a lot to help with cooling of the voltage regulatory circuitry surrounding the socket. This helps with higher OC and stability. The disadvantage of dual fan designs like the 212 LED is that the suction from the rear fan also sucks all that bleed air, so motherboard temps run higher, possibly leading to lower OC or unstable OC that the regular 1 fan version would be fine with. All for the price of 2°C cpu temp.

Having 2 fans doesn't automatically make it a better cooler.

I see, thank you both for the response.

I looked at the hyper 212 black addition link and I saw that I can also get the hyper 212 EVO for 15$ cheaper, since the two are Hyper 212s is one known to be better than the other?
I'm sorry if the answer to this question is obvious but I'm new to pc building

 

[Karadjgne]

No worries.

The Black has an upgraded fan and much easier mounting system. Plus I think it just looks better overall.

There are alternatives to the hyper212 series, they were made popular simply on price, well above the price bracket competition, not necessarily much better than their real competition, such as the Deepcool Gamaxx 400, Scythe Fuma Rev.b, Scythe Mugen 5 Rev.b, Raijintek Ereboss, Thermalright Macho etc.

You can't over-cool a cpu, but it's quite easy to add OC and under-cool one, especially on those 140w budget coolers.

 

[DMAN999]

I would choose the Arctic 34 eSports DUO.
I have the Arctic 33 Esports One (with a second fan added so it's the same as an Esports Edition) on my OC'd Ryzen 5 2600.
With the second fan my temps dropped around 5-6C at idle (from 32-33C with one fan to 27-28C with 2 fans) and about 10C under load (from 66-68C to 55-56C after 3-4 hours of gaming).

My Motherboard temp idles at 38-39C and I have never seen it above 41C.
My PCH temps is 39C at idle and maxes out at 45C.

 

[Karadjgne]

The hyper212 evo and hyper212 black are both better than the Arctic esports one. Just no snazzy color rings and paint job.
https://m.hardocp.com/article/2018/09/10/arctic_freezer_33_esports_one_cpu_air_cooler_review/3

Motherboard temp is somewhat misleading as that particular sensor could be anywhere on the board, like down next to the usb, right behind an intake fan.
PCH is the pci express Bridge, used to be the old Northbridge/Southbridge chipsets, that Intel combined and repurposed when the memory controller was moved to the cpu. If you don't have much going on pcie-wise, it doesn't get that hot, especially when it's in direct draft from intake fans.
Expect VRM's and other mosfets surrounding the socket to hit 90's+ quite easily with OC voltages.

 

[DMAN999]

Surprisingly my VRM stays even cooler than the MB and PCH on my OC'd rig.
I have a temp sensor on the heatsink of my VRM and it idles at 28c and I have never seen it go above 35c.
And this review tells a very different story:
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/arctic-freezer-33-esports-edition-cpu-cooler,5422-2.html
And this one shows the Hyper 212 EVO and Arctic 33 eSports One perform almost exactly the same:

Arctic Freezer 33 eSports ONE CPU cooler – Review | PC Game Haven

If you're looking for a competitive market, look no further than budget CPU coolers. Not only are there well-established kings, but there's always a new cooler entering the fray vying for it

pcgamehaven.com

And a positive review of the single fan vesion:

Arctic Freezer 33 eSports ONE Heatsink Review - Overclockers

Performance of the Arctic Freezer 33 eSports ONE is examined. Low price important.

www.overclockers.com

 

[onlugassy]

No worries.

The Black has an upgraded fan and much easier mounting system. Plus I think it just looks better overall.

There are alternatives to the hyper212 series, they were made popular simply on price, well above the price bracket competition, not necessarily much better than their real competition, such as the Deepcool Gamaxx 400, Scythe Fuma Rev.b, Scythe Mugen 5 Rev.b, Raijintek Ereboss, Thermalright Macho etc.

You can't over-cool a cpu, but it's quite easy to add OC and under-cool one, especially on those 140w budget coolers.

Thanks again, if I understood you correctly, the hyper 212 might be popular but not necessarily perform better than other 140w air coolers that are also cheeper is that right?

And about under-cooling, can investing an extra 10-20$ get me something that is better and worth the additional money?

 

[Karadjgne]

Yes and no. There's plenty of coolers out there that ask for high prices but don't deliver the performance, so if you do decide to invest in a better cooler, just be sure it's a good one, not an over priced wannabe.

CPU Cooler: Phanteks - PH-TC12DX_BK 68.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-U12S 55 CFM CPU Cooler ($57.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-U14S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler ($63.75 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK - THEMIS Evo 65.68 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($37.07 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool - NEPTWIN V2.0 53.65 CFM CPU Cooler ($44.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool - LUCIFER 81.33 CFM CPU Cooler ($48.40 @ Newegg Business)
CPU Cooler: Scythe - Mugen MAX 97.18 CFM CPU Cooler ($56.72 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright - Macho Direct 73.6 CFM CPU Cooler ($42.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright - Macho X2 Limited Edition CPU Cooler ($55.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Scythe - FUMA Rev.B 79 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Scythe - Mugen 5 Rev. B 51.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($51.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Scythe - Ninja 5 43.03 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Amazon)

 

[DMAN999]

^ those are some good choices, they are all a step up from the Hyper 212 Black and Artic 34 eSports Duo.
Spending an extra $20-$30 should definitely make a difference.

Personally if I was choosing from the list above I'd most likely get the Sythe Mugen 5, I have seen a LOT of very good reviews of that cooler.

 

[onlugassy]

^ those are some good choices, they are all a step up from the Hyper 212 Black and Artic 34 eSports Duo.
Spending an extra $20-$30 should definitely make a difference.

Personally if I was choosing from the list above I'd most likely get the Sythe Mugen 5, I have seen a LOT of very good reviews of that cooler.

I looked into it but I can't get the Mugen 5 shipped over here, thank you.

Yes and no. There's plenty of coolers out there that ask for high prices but don't deliver the performance, so if you do decide to invest in a better cooler, just be sure it's a good one, not an over priced wannabe.

CPU Cooler: Phanteks - PH-TC12DX_BK 68.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-U12S 55 CFM CPU Cooler ($57.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-U14S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler ($63.75 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK - THEMIS Evo 65.68 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($37.07 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool - NEPTWIN V2.0 53.65 CFM CPU Cooler ($44.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool - LUCIFER 81.33 CFM CPU Cooler ($48.40 @ Newegg Business)
CPU Cooler: Scythe - Mugen MAX 97.18 CFM CPU Cooler ($56.72 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright - Macho Direct 73.6 CFM CPU Cooler ($42.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright - Macho X2 Limited Edition CPU Cooler ($55.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Scythe - FUMA Rev.B 79 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Scythe - Mugen 5 Rev. B 51.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($51.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Scythe - Ninja 5 43.03 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Amazon)

Sorry for the long time it took me to reply I just got a little bit busy over the last few days.

After looking at all of these and doing some research on each one, I will probably be getting the Noctua NH-U14S even though it takes the largest amount of extra money to get. Since I'm aiming for constant oc on the cpu right from the get-go I decided that it would be in my best interest to get a good cooler that would insure a longer lifetime and stability of performance for it.

Thank you so much for the immense help and the time you've put into it, I honestly appreciate it!