Why spend $100 on a i5-4670k cooler?

[envy14tpe]

I've seen a lot of builds where people buy a i5-4670k and a H100i (some replace fans for extra $25). In my opinion it doesn't make much sense. You could buy a locked i7-4770 and it will be about the same performance but with less noise cuz the H100i has noisy fans.

I'm just curious why people are spending so much on cooling for performance when simply getting a i7 could be cheaper. i5-4670k sells for $225 and i7-4770k (or non k) for $300.

Personally I'd rather spend less on CPU cooler and grab a i7-4770k plus a Cooler Master Evo.

Anyone can help me with the logic on expensive coolers for i5s?

 

[Swordkd]

Because I could overclock the better cooled 4670k higher than an Evo cooled 4770k and beat it's performance in 95% of games?

 

[aznricepuff]

People dropping $100 on coolers usually want them for overclocking. You can overclock the i5 and get more single-threaded performance than from a locked 4770.

With not a lot of games taking advantage of more than 4 cores, it makes sense to just stick to the cheaper i5 and get as much performance from those four cores as possible through overclocking rather than spending an extra $100 for hyperthreading that doesn't really make a difference anyway.

 

[bradsctt]

I've seen a lot of builds where people buy a i5-4670k and a H100i (some replace fans for extra $25). In my opinion it doesn't make much sense. You could buy a locked i7-4770 and it will be about the same performance but with less noise cuz the H100i has noisy fans.

I'm just curious why people are spending so much on cooling for performance when simply getting a i7 could be cheaper. i5-4670k sells for $225 and i7-4770k (or non k) for $300.

Personally I'd rather spend less on CPU cooler and grab a i7-4770k plus a Cooler Master Evo.

Anyone can help me with the logic on expensive coolers for i5s?

basically, its because they want to OC to a level higher than the locked 4770 can perform. The 4770k only gives benefits if you do heavy multithreaded work, so the i5 is suitable for gaming and most other applications. Haswell does not like being overclocked much and gets hot very easily. therefore, they use the h100i to get the best cooling.

 

[envy14tpe]

I agree overclocking is a great way to get more for your money. I just feel like their is a cutoff point when you don't seem to benefit from such expensive cooling. The highest I'd ever spend on a cooler would be the price of the Noctua NH-D14. Any more seems like overkill.

On my build, I was able to reach 4.4GHz on a 2500k with a cheap mobo. If I wanted to reach higher, say 4.6GHz then I'd need to invest at least an additional $20 more than my Evo and probably another $30 more than my mobo to reach 4.6GHz. My meaning is the components would cost round $50 more and I would only move from 4.4-4.6GHz. Doesn't seem like a great value.

I asked this question cuz I'm curious as to what people like to do with their builds, and know why.

 

[Swordkd]

Well, a lot of the times a good cooler is a solid investment since many of the top brands will allow the free upgrade for a new socket, or a cheap upgrade when a new socket debuts. So the cooler you purchased for your 2500k is able to be used for your 4770k, it's a good value. Another thing, is even if you don't OC that high keeping your Cpu as cool as you can is always a good idea.