CPU Cooler Recommendations

[Jesus_Phish]

So it is time for a new motherboard and CPU which thanks to Hard Choices has been relatively simple. I do however require a new CPU cooler for a Socket 1155 motherboard specifically the Asus P8Z77-V DELUXE.

I am looking for something in the £25-£35 range that hits a decent balance between cooling and sound but any recommendations and experiences are welcome.

I went with one of these based on decent reviews around the net. I don't overclock much beyond the stock of my processor (why would I need to other than willy waving?) and it runs cool and quiet.

http://www.dabs.ie/products/arctic-c...oler-73WG.html

Pros:
Easy as hell to clean, the bracket holding the fan pops off when you need to.
Cheap as hell,
Not loud, even when going full whack
Cools pretty well.

Cons:
It's a bit bulky and on some MOBOs the fan can protrude over the ram sockets, which forces you to use ram with no or low profile heat sinks.
It can be a bit of a pain to install because of the fins on the radiator, they're kinda sharp enough, I wouldn't hold it sideways anyway.

It's certainly not a "Blow Dryer" and it's great value for money imo.

[mashakos]

I went with one of these based on decent reviews around the net. I don't overclock much beyond the stock of my processor (why would I need to other than willy waving?)

If you aren't overclocking, why replace the stock cooler in the first place? It's great at stock speeds, not loud ata ll - and it comes free with your CPU! Not getting the logic here other than some desire to play tech geek.

1. Oh yes, because that fits real well in most normal cases.

yeah it does actually. If it can fit in a small HTPC case it can damn well fit in a mid tower (if lateral thinking doesn't make your head hurt anyway...)

Not to mention the way it covers the top PCIe slot...

Oh, the radiator covered a PCIe slot? lol, those ridiculous tower cpu coolers you like so much won't even fit in most PC cases.

2. Overclocking? That's not the TDP for chrissakes. Thermal Design Power.

You don't know what I'm talking about. Oh well, google can help.

So that's where the bloody polar ice caps went :)

I fear we've gone past offering solutions based on the OP's question and are entering the realm of PC porn :)

Bottom line: Spend an additional 50 quid and have a cpu that stays relevant for four years after overclocking, or save 50 quid now and upgrade your entire system in 2 years? Your choice OP.

[Jesus_Phish]

If you aren't overclocking, why replace the stock cooler in the first place? It's great at stock speeds, not loud ata ll - and it comes free with your CPU! Not getting the logic here other than some desire to play tech geek.

I went with one of these based on decent reviews around the net. I don't overclock much beyond the stock of my processor (why would I need to other than willy waving?) and it runs cool and quiet.

Understand? Yes? Good!

Your answer to this lads question was basically the same as me telling someone "lol, buy a porsche" when he asked about buying a ford.

Also, if you think you have to upgrade your entire system every two years just because you don't OC and use water cooling, then you really are joking.

[mashakos]

Understand? Yes? Good!

Not really. Overclocking by anything less than 25% (EDIT: actually, 35% is the number I reached where performance really takes off on mid-range CPUs) is completely useless: any improvement you feel from any overclock lower than is a placebo effect. Believe me, I wish I could get actual results of performance increase with a 500mhz overclock.

So again, you got a new cooler because you read some good reviews?

[Jesus_Phish]

Because I don't like stock coolers, they tend to not last long and are messy IN MY EXPERIENCE. My last stock cooler had no way of removing the fan case from the radiator and as a result massive amounts of dust got caught under the blades.

At the moment I run my CPU at about 25% more than stock, perhaps I want to run it at more than that in the future? I've never really pushed it because I never saw the need, but with this non-stock cooler I could push it.

Additionally, even without over clocking it cools better than the stock and as you should know, better cooling of components = longer life span.

Maybe that's why you think you have to replace systems so often?

*EDIT*

It's worth pointing out I guess, that not everyone wants to OC their machine to hell and back. Some of us just want it to run cooler and quieter than the stock would allow.

[mashakos]

Also, if you think you have to upgrade your entire system every two years just because you don't OC and use water cooling, then you really are joking.

Since I always overclock and install watercooling kits, I honestly haven't had a setup that I "needed" to upgrade until it's fifth year. As an example, my old Core 2 Duo E8400 system that was overclocked to 4Ghz was a top performing system right up until I upgraded last year. My upgrade had nothing to do with the performance of the system, I am interested in designing things so wanted to try a different setup to see if some of my designs worked on different hardware levels. That and the novelty of having 16 gigs of cheap high performance RAM.

A lot of people on the other hand, who don't overclock and use watercooling keep calling the E8400 old, crappy and a bottleneck. Those people should have overclocked instead of starting upgrade threads everywhere :)

[mashakos]

Because I don't like stock coolers, they tend to not last long and are messy IN MY EXPERIENCE. My last stock cooler had no way of removing the fan case from the radiator and as a result massive amounts of dust got caught under the blades.

radiator? Oh, you mean heatsink.
Did AMD do something ridiculous with the Phenom cpu coolers? I remember the old Athlon unit to be very easy to dismantle, and you can't say anything about the stock intel cooler's ease of use.