Getting out of watercooling, what to get for a CPU Heatsink?

[crazyeyesreaper]

If theres space R1 Universal, perfect memory clearance top tier cooling performance.

Limited space the H5 Universal should fit its height is 160 mm so would be close in the Challenger case.

 

[RealNeil]

I need at least 3 front bays (optical drive + 2 bays for my hot-swap cage)

Then disregard my Rosewill Rise recommendation. It has just two bays on the front.

 

[Vya Domus]

If you don't want to shell out the money for Noctua or alike , Scythe makes some cheap hefty heatsinks which I have personally used to cool down heavily overclocked FX 8xxx chips with no problem. Keep in mind with air cooling that 50% of the results you are going to get actually depend on case airflow !

Essentially look for big heatsinks with many heatpipes that fit with your case/RAM , that's the only aspect that matters realistically speaking. I know it sounds basic , but that's all that matters don't bite the marketing for "premium brands" , surface area is surface area.

Cooling has been made far too complicated by fancy crap manufacturers say than it really is.

 

[natr0n]

Deepcool assassin 1 or 2 just as good as noctua and cheaper.

 

[RealNeil]

The Enermax ETS-T40 worked for me for a long time. I always used two fans (push/pull) with it though.

 

[hapkiman]

I am partial to Noctua. I think the Noctua NH-D15 is probably what I would get if I was going back to air. It's worth the money. Even the Noctua NH-D15 can't cool as well as my current cooler though. A Corsair H115i.

But it's all good if you want to go with air and not water. The only downside to the Noctua is that it is HUGE. It takes up a lot of room in your case and can hit RAM modules, or even touch or rest on the backplate of your GPU.

But it is without a doubt an effective and great cooler. Ignore the Hyper 212 EVO (unless you want to go as cheap as you can). Get the Noctua if your case can fit it.

 

[metalslaw]

You could also get the Noctua NH-D15S, which is a high compatibility version of the D15. Helps with ram and graphics card clearances. It tops out at 160mm high though, so if it's a narrow case, then it won't fit.

 

[Caelestis]

Budget:

• Cryorig H7

Mid-Range:

• Scythe Mugen 5
• Thermalright HR-02 Macho Rev. B

Who cares about money:

• Noctua NH-D14
• Noctua NH-D15

 

[Liviu Cojocaru]

I would recommend this one along with the others (Noctua,beQuiet,etc) Phanteks PH-TC14PE, of course if you don't want to go with an AIO like the one that I have (AC Liquid Freezer 240) that is very good

 

[Ramo1203]

I would recommend Noctua, not as cheap as other brands, but the price is worth it!
The build quality is really amazing, performance is amazing, and they are really quiet. Also you get a long 6 year warranty.
For me it's like buying a BMW, not cheap but you get German quality (Austrian with Noctua)

Other brands like BeQuiet, Scythe, Coolermaster (Hyper 212X) make some good stuff too.

 

[GreiverBlade]

Budget:

• Cryorig H7

Mid-Range:

• Scythe Mugen 5
• Thermalright HR-02 Macho Rev. B

Who cares about money:

• Noctua NH-D14
• Noctua NH-D15

that's a good resumé .... thought for me the 1st and 2nd category label are "best buy for price/performance ratio" and the 3rd is "higher price but not performing better anyway"

I would recommend Noctua, not as cheap as other brands, but the price is worth it!

actually .... if they were head and shoulder above other concurrent in term of quality and performances... i would agree ... but nope ...

ok 6yrs warranty ... thought who really need it? on something made of aluminum/copper/nickel where the only moving/electrical piece is a fan ... they offer a long warranty, to justify prices, because they know no one will need it, i still have a IFX-14 from Thermalright (bought 20$ second hand, still hold it high to a ND-D14 even a D15 depending on the fan configuration) a OCZ Vendetta ( 5$ second hand, oh well it's more a concurrent to my Scythe Katana 4, 28$, than to a NH-U12S tho it's not far from it) and a Thermalright HR-02 Macho Rev.B B/W even in single fan perform like a champion while being priced at 45$ (where i live) opposed to a 80$ Noctua NH-D15 (aka 1°c less for 35$ more? okay no problems)

For me it's like buying a BMW, not cheap but you get German quality (Austrian with Noctua)

the comparison is .... off...


edit: Phantek just joined Noctua in the "what the hell" club, okay they look way better than Noctua but ... 99.99$ for the PH-TC14PE who do they think they are ... when there is so many option that do same or slightly better and are priced quite lower ...

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

Like i said if it fits R1 universal more budget ready the H5 Universal.

D15 is good but memory clearance is kinda meh better than say a D14 etc but loses to Cryorig. the D15S is better in this regard but R1 doesnt overhang the slots period.

Scythe Fuma offers amazing performance for its class but again blocks memory slots.

Phanteks same thing blocks ram slots

R1 and H5 do not block slots offer similar performance good build quality and generally speaking are very quiet. I should know I have reviewed pretty much every cooler people are recommending in this thread lol.

 

[GreiverBlade]

Like i said if it fits R1 universal more budget ready the H5 Universal.

D15 is good but memory clearance is kinda meh better than say a D14 etc but loses to Cryorig. the D15S is better in this regard but R1 doesnt overhang the slots period.

Scythe Fuma offers amazing performance for its class but again blocks memory slots.

Phanteks same thing blocks ram slots

R1 and H5 do not block slots offer similar performance good build quality and generally speaking are very quiet. I should know I have reviewed pretty much every cooler people are recommending in this thread lol.

i only recommend cooler that i personally reviewed ... (after reading your review tho ... )

and yep the king is dead long live the new king ... Cryorig is top dog now and priced adequately.

 

[5DVX0130]

Noctua NH-D14

Awesome cooler, by both cooling and design. I've got one sitting on a X4 945 (95W TDP) and it's running passively (no fans).
The temps are about 30C idle, and under 60C load. I can run Prime, If anyone wants exact numbers.
It’s not cheap, but once you also take into account that you also get thermal paste and 2 rather nice fans, it’s actually quite affordable.
Off course if you’re on a budget and not in a hurry you can also buy one used, usually dirt cheap on flebay.

Outside of that. You can also look at Scythe Mugen 5 and Thermalright Macho Rev.B.
Both are quality parts, and about $25 cheaper than the Noctua.
They do come with only 1 fan/no thermal paste though, and you don’t get the benefits of the free mounting kits that Noctua offers.

 

[GreiverBlade]

They do come with only 1 fan/no thermal paste though, and you don’t get the benefits of the free mounting kits that Noctua offers.

tho they don't need 2 fan to reach the same performances, wrong, both my Scythe and Macho came with thermal past, tho if you already have your thermal past, provided it's not AS5 but rather MX-4, GC-Extreme, CM MasterGel Maker Nano, or any Thermal Grizzly above the Aeronaut (to name my favourite and stored in my drawer) you rarely use the little satchel of TIM bundled with, the NT-H1 is not one of my favourite mid range perf but priced a tad above (and a free long PH3 screwdriver for the Macho),but they offer multi mounting bracket out of the box ... never needed to ask for a free kit no matter the socket type...

my X4 955 BE was sitting under my IFX-14 30°c idle 61° load .... single fan in the case (which was the exhaust fan of my HAF-XB) (Thermalright Ty-147 140mm 1300rpm ) and later under a Macho HR-02 Rev.b B/W single fan, idle same +/- load 58-59°c for 25$ less? no-brainer deal more like it (the Thermalright HR-22 is also a passive ... although quite a bit pricier than the HR-02, literally close to a D15 but quality wise and look ... it's another story ... ok i'ts not small by any means. )

ps: could you reduce the size of your picture .... it hinder the readability of the thread

 

[5DVX0130]

tho they don't need 2 fan to reach the same performances, wrong, both my Scythe and Macho came with thermal past (and a free long PH3 screwdriver for the Macho),but they offer multi mounting bracket out of the box ... never needed to ask for a free kit no matter the socket type...

my X4 955 BE was sitting under my IFX-14 30°c idle 61° load .... single fan in the case (which was the exhaust fan of my HAF-XB) (Thermalright Ty-147 140mm 1300rpm ) and later under a Macho HR-02 Rev.b B/W single fan, idle same +/- load 58-59°c for 25$ less? no-brainer deal more like it

ps: could you reduce the size of your pricture .... it hinder the readability of the thread

I just removed it all together.
Never said they need two fans, all I said was that they come with one. All I'm trying to say is that the extra fan adds value.
For all purpose, you can use it somewhere else or just sell it, if you don't need it. Bought plenty of used Noctua coolers over the years, and I usually just sell the fans, and end up with a free cooler.

 

[GreiverBlade]

I just removed it all together.
Never said they need two fans, all I said was that they come with one. All I'm trying to say is that the extra fan adds value.
For all purpose, you can use it somewhere else or just sell it, if you don't need it. Bought plenty of used Noctua coolers over the years, and I usually just sell the fans, and end up with a free cooler.

meh ... for what noctua is ... even their fan are overpriced compared to the concurrent.

anyhow ... now it's the OP decision.

tho my end recommendation would be Cryorig R1 or H5 (still HR-02 Macho ofc but well ... Cryorig is hitting hard.)

 

[Caelestis]

that's a good resumé .... thought for me the 1st and 2nd category label are "best buy for price/performance ratio" and the 3rd is "higher price but not performing better anyway"

True. It is always an act of balance between price and performance (which of course can still be split between cooling performance and level of noise). At a certain point the price/performance ratio will become smaller and smaller.

Noctua has without question great coolers / fans and in addition, they offer plenty of accessories and a long warranty. But is it worth it? For enthusiasts probably.

 

[5DVX0130]

meh ... for what noctua is ... even their fan are overpriced compared to the concurrent.

anyhow ... now it's the OP decision.

tho my end recommendation would be Cryorig R1 or H5 (still HR-02 Macho ofc but well ... Cryorig is hitting hard.)

For a long time, Noctua was the only sensible choice, if you wanted decent fans and didn't want to wear earplugs at the same time. Nowadays they sort of dropped the ball, and there are plenty off good/better and cheaper/same price options in the fans department. The coolers on the other hand are still one off the best performers on the market.

Well in the end, it all depends on what your market has to offer, and your budget.
Cryorig for example is actually quite a bit more expensive here than Noctua.
Plenty of people are more than happy using the Hyper 212, and at the same time plenty of people unhappy with $100+ coolers. To each their own.

 

[GreiverBlade]

True. It is always an act of balance between price and performance (which of course can still be split between cooling performance and level of noise). At a certain point the price/performance ratio will become smaller and smaller.

Noctua has without question great coolers / fans and in addition, they offer plenty of accessories and a long warranty. But is it worth it? For enthusiasts probably.

well i am an enthusiast, but not of that brand

For a long time, Noctua was the only sensible choice, if you wanted decent fans and didn't want to wear earplugs at the same time. Nowadays they sort of dropped the ball, and there are plenty off good/better and cheaper/same price options in the fans department. The coolers on the other hand are still one off the best performers on the market.

Well in the end, it all depends on what your market has to offer, and your budget.
Cryorig for example is actually quite a bit more expensive here than Noctua.
Plenty of people are more than happy using the Hyper 212, and at the same time plenty of people unhappy with $100+ coolers. To each their own.

true that...half ... kinda well Cryorig is cheaper than Noctua where i live .... it's situational i get it

 

[hat]

Mind if I ask... why? Why would you downgrade from full water to a big hulking air cooler?

 

[Aquinus]

I like the Zalman on my machine. It's quiet, does a good job, and is fairly thin so, even on my X79 machine, it doesn't go over any DRAM slots which is a nice perk.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118074

 

[xkm1948]

D15. And put a third fan on there you will get cooling performance close to some of the best AIO.

 

[AntDeek]

The only real answer is the Be Quiet! Dark Rock pro 3

 

[Th3pwn3r]

Noctua and Be-Quiet! would get my votes though I hear prolimatech is still great.

All three are worthy brands who all make great products for the most part. Redux series fans are in fact awful though in my experience.

Running at the clocks he is I don't think the Evo would cut it

Definitely not, I wouldn't recommend a budget cooler that's for sure.

Yea, it's a good low cost cooler but i need a little more ooompff if that's a word, lol

Agreed.

Then Thermalright True Spirit 140 Power/NH- D15/be quiet! Darck Rock Pro 3

Good choices but Dark Rock Pro 3 causes some serious pain.

Deepcool assassin 1 or 2 just as good as noctua and cheaper.

I remember when Deepcool was up and coming, they definitely produce some good stuff.

The only real answer is the Be Quiet! Dark Rock pro 3

Eh, it's an answer but an answer to choose with some concerns. That cooler is MASSIVE, it will likely cause issues when it comes time for ram clearance. How do I know?

To say it was a pain in the butt to install is kind of an understatement. It was by far, the hardest cooler I've ever installed in almost 2 decades of building PCs. At the moment it blocks one of the ram slots and I can get a 3rd fan on the cooler but I have to shift it away from the ram a 1/4 of an inch(about 5mm for you metric guys). This is one reason I want to go with an AIO solution or a big, water cooling build all together but that gets expensive really fast and I don't want my machine to be down at home for any time at all while I am at home(I live in two homes in a way...).