Hyper 212 Plus/Evo vs. Antec Kuhler H2O 620 vs Corsair Hydro series

[RevOne]

Greetings folks

I've read through quite a bit of posts around the interwebs, as well as looked through a couple of reviews for these products.

I've picked up an Asus M5A97 for cheap to replace my current mATX, up-to-95W-only M5A78L-M LX motherboard. If I understand correctly from what I've read, the M5A97 is not really a known "beast" for OC'ing, but I'm thinking I will fare a great deal better in the overclocking department than I ever would/could have with the M5A78L-M LX.

The point being, I'm looking to drop either a Phenom II X4 955 BE or 965 BE in there and try my hand at getting the best OC possible out of this board.

I really like the looks of the Antec Kuhler H2O 620; and from what I've read in reviews, it performs about on par with the Corsair H70. So for the Corsair Hydro series, I would likely go to the H70 if I end up with that company's product. However, it seems that I could get the Antec 620 for cheaper than some places sell the H50's and even H40's for, so it really doesn't seem worth it to go with the Corsair unless I go with an H70 or higher, which is more expensive than the Antec 620. For what I'd pay for an H70, I could buy the Antec 620 plus an extra good quality second fan for push/pull on the radiator (which is what I ultimately want to do).

I currently have a Hyper TX3 with a push/pull fan configuration (which really doesn't do much on this cooler), but I wouldn't mind going with a Hyper 212 Plus or Evo in push/pull if I ultimately decide to stick with air cooling. I could save a bit of money if I went with the 212+/Evo w/ a second fan over the Antec 620 or any Corsair Hydro cooler.... but I really like the sound of having a liquid cooler. The thing is, I don't know if the Hyper 212 series in push/pull would perform about the same, worse, or better than either of the liquid coolers with the same fan configuration.

My question is: For what I'm looking to do, which would be the recommended buy?

Like I said, I've read various posts and reviews already, but nothing really seems conclusive to me and I'd like to hear from people who have experience with these products to see what they have to say about them.

 

[gopal]

Hey thanks for opening this thread i was just about to ask the same question!

 

[gopal]

Well i was looking for Antec Kuhler H2O 620
But let's see what others say!

 

[RevOne]

Haha Well, hopefully we can knock out two birds with one stone lol

Yep - the Antec Kuhler H20 620 is the one I'm leaning most towards as well

 

[Jstn7477]

Do you already have the 955/965BE? If not, I would suggest getting a 960T, X6 or even possibly a 2/3 module Bulldozer (although it's debatable whether those are faster than Thubans or not). The reason I say this is because the 960T and other Thuban core CPUs have much better memory controllers than Deneb core CPUs do, which could make a difference in newer games. Plus, they use less power as well!

Couldn't tell you much about the coolers, but I have a 212 EVO on my 4.5GHz 2600K with push/pull Cougar VortexHDB fans, and it keeps my CPU in the 70-80c range under full load.

 

[lindy]

Keep an eye out on NewEgg.com. I picked up a Kuhler 620 on a "Shell Shocker" deal for $48 with a $8 MIR. The 620 keeps my FX 8150 hotplate reasonably cool. I had a Cooler Master Hyper 212 evo on it at one point, but it just couldn't handle the watts of the hotplate.

 

[RevOne]

Thanks for the reply

Nah - I don't have the 955BE/965BE yet. It was an idea I'm playing around with, but in all honesty, I may not pick up either since I already have a Phenom II X4 820 (instead of like I was coming from an Athlon II X2 or something). Not the best Phenom II in the world... but it's served me well so far. The L3 cache unlocks to the full 6mb on this particular chip and I've got it as high as 3.5GHz stable just testing it out on my current, cheap mATX board that isn't really even an overclocker at all (have yet to try it on the M5A97, which is better for OC'ing). At these settings and frequencies (Deneb CPU running @ 3.5 GHz w/ 6 MB of L3 cache), it's theoretically on par with the base specs of a stock X4 970 (minus the C3 stepping, unlocked multiplier, and ability to go any further). Just about any Phenom II X4 shy of a C3 Black Edition 970 or 980 may not be worth the hassle; even if I sell my 820 to put towards the purchase. It might be worth it, however, if I get a 955BE/965BE (or better), and factor in overclocking capability. I'll probably hit a wall at 3.8GHz at the most though because of cooling and/or my mothermoard.

Since I was disappointed with how Bulldozer (reportedly) turned out... I've been in CPU "limbo" ever since -=laughing=-

I could go all out and get an 1100T, but for the amount of cash I'd spend on one, I'd rather just ditch the AMD platform altogether and get a decent z68 or inexpensive z77 motherboard and a used 2500k and overclock the heck out of it. The 2500k OC'ed would yield me much better performance than an 1100T would for what I'd use it primarily for (gaming). The 960T seems like my best option if I stick with the M5A97 motherboard I just picked up and AMD, but only if it's cheap (when counting in selling my 820) and it unlocks to a full X6. Don't know how high people have OC'ed that one to as a full X6 though. It's a 95W CPU at stock (less than the X6's with around the same stock clock frequencies), so it might be a good base to start at when factoring in OC potential. Good suggestion, nonetheless and probably what I'll try to do if it's feasible.

Not really sure what to do though, to be honest :/

May just stick with my current CPU and Hyper TX3 cooler and wait to see what Piledriver does. If it doesn't impress... then to Intel I may go lol

 

[RevOne]

Keep an eye out on NewEgg.com. I picked up a Kuhler 620 on a "Shell Shocker" deal for $48 with a $8 MIR. The 620 keeps my FX 8150 hotplate reasonably cool. I had a Cooler Master Hyper 212 evo on it at one point, but it just couldn't handle the watts of the hotplate.

Awesome Nice find! Was that $48 after the MIR or before? Either way, still the best price I've seen for it anywhere (brand new).

Nice to hear of a head-to-head comparison of how the 620 and 212 Evo faired on the same chip in the same setup. Thanks for sharing your first-hand experience with both.

 

[gopal]

Keep an eye out on NewEgg.com. I picked up a Kuhler 620 on a "Shell Shocker" deal for $48 with a $8 MIR. The 620 keeps my FX 8150 hotplate reasonably cool. I had a Cooler Master Hyper 212 evo on it at one point, but it just couldn't handle the watts of the hotplate.

Link Please!

 

[lindy]

Was that $48 after the MIR or before?

It was $48before the MIR

 

[lindy]

Link Please!

NewEgg.com- Antec Kuhler 620 As of right now it's at $58, but they do seem to have it on special quite often.

 

[RevOne]

It was $48before the MIR

Very nice

Wish I would've caught that deal. Do you remember about when you picked it up? Not sure how/if the 'Egg rotates their Daily Deals/Promo's and whatnot. Would be nice to see that one back up again (if ever). I'd take the plunge

I believe I saw an "Open Box" H50 or H60 not too long ago up there. But Newegg doesn't guarantee all the parts will be in said open box, so I didn't want to chance it (with my luck, it'd be missing a bracket I need or something).

 

[lindy]

Very nice
Do you remember about when you picked it up?

I picked it up on 6/19/12. The 'Egg rotates some of their deals daily.

 

[RevOne]

I picked it up on 6/19/12. The 'Egg rotates some of their deals daily.

Awesome. Thanks for the heads up. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on them to see if it pops up again.

Well, I guess it comes down to Hyper 212 Plus/Evo vs. the Antec 620 for me. The things that concern me about the 620 are: 1) Leaks (which are rare and highly unlikely from what I've read); and 2) Quality/Longevity - if it's something that will last me awhile; perhaps even into the next build.

Performance - of course - is top priority, however.

I've heard (read) people stating that for what you pay for these closed loop liquid coolers, you might as well go for high-end air. I'm transitioning from a generic mATX case to a Cooler Master Elite 430 (not great for cable management I hear, but I'll make it work). I'm planning to occupy each open spot with a 120mm case fan (so 6 altogether).

1 x Front & 1 x Bottom - Intake
2 x Top - Exhaust
1 x Rear - Depends. The 620 would occupy that spot in Push/Pull acting as an intake fan. With an air cooler, it'd simply be another 120mm case fan back there, as exhaust.
1 x Side - Intake (Debating this. I've heard it can obstruct air flow to have a side panel fan in the mix)


EDIT: I guess it would look something like this (but with more fans and more blue lol):
With the 620 Push/Pull: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDKDJt4SSBk
With the 212+ Push/Pull: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EZPeOVLk1U&feature=BFa&list=UL_EZPeOVLk1U

Guy in the video says he had a 212 before picking up the 620 and while he thought the 212 cooled better, he liked the 620 overall because he could see everything. That's not really a great tradeoff in my book... but I get where he's coming from.

 

[lindy]

The things that concern me about the 620 are: 1) Leaks (which are rare and highly unlikely from what I've read); and 2) Longevity - if it's something that will last me awhile

Yea,leaks are a concern with any kind of liquid cooling, but the 620 seems to have a very low failure rate in that regard. The MTBF for the pump is 50,000 hrs. so it ought to last a while.

 

[RevOne]

Yea,leaks are a concern with any kind of liquid cooling, but the 620 seems to have a very low failure rate in that regard. The MTBF for the pump is 50,000 hrs. so it ought to last a while.

Not bad at all (about the MTBF). Better than I expected. Thanks for sharing your insights with this particular hardware, lindy

Now the thing I'm looking at is whether something like the Hyper 212 EVO will clear my RAM. I only have two sticks and there's four slots on the M5A97, so I don't think it should be too much of an issue unless I upgrade to 16GB of RAM, which would be overkill for this system. The heatsinks are tall, but I doubt they're tallest around.

For arguments sake, can anyone confirm if this would be an issue using the RAM in my system specs (should I ultimately decide on an air cooler)? The Dominators don't look as crazy tall as some of the more wild-looking Vengeance kits; from what I gather just seeing pics of them online, anyway.

Also, I was wondering (lindy, you might be able to help me with this) - Does the tubing from the 620 droop down low enough to touch the top a mounted graphics card (really the bottom of the PCB when it's upside down)? I was wondering if once the GPU gets good and warm if it will come into contact with the tubing in any way and possibly degrade it over time (or cause other issues).

 

[cadaveca]

Tubing won't be an issue. You can always adjust the angle the pump head/block is mounted at if it was an issue, with many angles to choose from.

 

[lindy]

Also, I was wondering (lindy, you might be able to help me with this) - Does the tubing from the 620 droop down low enough to touch the top a mounted graphics card

Here's a peek inside my machine:

You can see that the tubes do rest on my video card's pcb. I don't think chafing will be much of a problem, but if it ever is I can always put a bit of fabric tape on the tubes at the chafing points. The 620 is a good unit, but not perfect. The instruction sheet is useless, but if you've installed a aftermarket heatsink before that's no problem, also I'm a little iffy about the plastic backplate(s), but probably thats me just being a bit anal as it works just fine.

 

[RevOne]

Here's a peek inside my machine:

You can see that the tubes do rest on my video card's pcb. I don't think chafing will be much of a problem, but if it ever is I can always put a bit of fabric tape on the tubes at the chafing points. The 620 is a good unit, but not perfect. The instruction sheet is useless, but if you've installed a aftermarket heatsink before that's no problem, also I'm a little iffy about the plastic backplate(s), but probably thats me just being a bit anal as it works just fine.

Awesome Thanks for the visual reference. Nice case too; and setup. Everything looks nice and tidy in there . I have a question, though: Are you using the push/pull fans on the rad to intake or exhaust air from the case? I've noticed from reading around that the Corsair models in particular recommend using it as an intake fan to blow cool air from the outside of the case over the radiator (not sure about the 620, but I assumed it would be the same). In the event that you're using them as intakes, what do you do for exhaust on the Lian Li case you have? Also, are you overclocking any with that cooler and the FX-8150 "hotplate" and getting acceptable cooling performance ?

Sorry about all the questions, just really new to this and trying to learn all I can about the product in the process before making a final decision/purchase.

Tubing won't be an issue. You can always adjust the angle the pump head/block is mounted at if it was an issue, with many angles to choose from.

Thanks, cadaveca That's not a bad solution at all. I've seen people recommending to have the tubes facing a downward orientation when mounting the radiator to get the most out of it (something about hot water - being lighter - rising "easier" through the tube than the denser/heavier cool water does say if you have the tubes feeding from the top).

But if I see it's an issue with the tubes resting on the video card, I can maybe turn it on its side with tubes facing the window/side panel of the case and kinda have them running horizontally. Don't think it should make too much of a difference because gravity should basically be working the same way, but the tubes won't be drooping as far down. Also, lindy's idea about using the fabric tape isn't bad at all either. By the way - How're you liking the H100?

 

[lindy]

Awesome Thanks for the visual reference. Nice case too; and setup. Everything looks nice and tidy in there . I have a question, though: Are you using the push/pull fans on the rad to intake or exhaust air from the case? I've noticed from reading around that the Corsair models in particular recommend using it as an intake fan to blow cool air from the outside of the case over the radiator (not sure about the 620, but I assumed it would be the same). In the event that you're using them as intakes, what do you do for exhaust on the Lian Li case you have? Also, are you overclocking any with that cooler and the FX-8150 "hotplate" and getting acceptable cooling performance ?

Sorry about all the questions, just really new to this and trying to learn all I can about the product in the process before making a final decision/purchase.

Thanks RevOne... Currently I have the fans setup as exhaust, but I may do a bit more testing and change my mind about that. As far as intake or exhaust is concerned I think there are as many opinions on that as there are people who have radiators in their computers. I also have an accessory top for my case that has 2x140mm fans, so getting air in or out isn't a problem. Yea I'm OC'ing da hotplate. Currently I have it at 4.2GHz, and load temps under Prime95 or IntelBurnTest are in the low to mid 50's (C) depending on the ambient room temp.

Don't worry about all the questions. How else can you make an informed decision?

 

[RevOne]

Thanks RevOne... Currently I have the fans setup as exhaust, but I may do a bit more testing and change my mind about that. As far as intake or exhaust is concerned I think there are as many opinions on that as there are people who have radiators in their computers. I also have an accessory top for my case that has 2x140mm fans, so getting air in or out isn't a problem. Yea I'm OC'ing da hotplate. Currently I have it at 4.2GHz, and load temps under Prime95 or IntelBurnTest are in the low to mid 50's (C) depending on the ambient room temp.

Don't worry about all the questions. How else can you make an informed decision?

Not bad at all I'm willing to bet the Hyper 212 Plus or EVO wouldn't fair much better under such an OC (and in your case, it didn't seem to be doing the job)... so I'm gaining more confdence in the Antec 620 the more I hear about it. I'm not looking for stellar "sub-zero, bragging rights"-like performance - especially with the lower-end stuff I'm running. Just something that will do the job, but do it reliably, consistently, and well enough that I don't have to fret over it and obsess over monitoring my temps under modest (not extreme) OC'ing conditions constantly.

A little OT, but with roughly 37 dBa @ 85+ CFM, would this fan as a secondary for push/pull on the Antec 620 be a bad buy?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/270969867036?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649

Don't know too much about buying good fans, but if anyone could suggest a better one (i.e. pushes a good amount of air, quieter, reasonably priced ... but also has blue LED or UV), that'd be great and I'm certainly all ears If I could slap two 130-ish CFM fans on there, but keep the noise down (and most likely have to sacrifice the blue lighting), I wouldn't mind going that route either.

 

[RevOne]

Well, I saw the Thermaltake Water 2.0 Pro and the Zalman CNPS20LQ both either went on sale or have a mail in rebate today in the newsletter and Daily Deals section:

ZALMAN CNPS20LQ Ultimate Liquid CPU Cooler

Thermaltake WATER2.0 Pro Closed-Loop All In One Li...

... Just waiting for that Antec 620 to pop back up on sale Newegg - I got my eyes on you

 

[brandonwh64]

Well, I saw the Thermaltake Water 2.0 Pro and the Zalman CNPS20LQ both went on sale today in the newsletter and Daily Deals section:

ZALMAN CNPS20LQ Ultimate Liquid CPU Cooler

Thermaltake WATER2.0 Pro Closed-Loop All In One Li...

... Just waiting for that Antec 620 to pop back up on sale

I would go with the thermaltake due to reviews showing it cools better than Corsair H100. I have the performer version and I love it.

 

[RevOne]

I would go with the thermaltake due to reviews showing it cools better than Corsair H100. I have the performer version and I love it.

Wow... that's even with the H100 having that massive radiator and priced $10 higher than the Thermaltake Pro (and that's before the rebate)

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...cm_mmc=Email-_-Behavior-_-WEBVIEW001-_-viewed

That Thermaltake really does look like a winner. I'd like to see what the Water 2.0 Extreme is capable of.

I don't know... in the beginning, I was strongly considering one of the Corsairs, but the more I see of the competition, they seem a tad overpriced for the relative performance they offer compared to others in the same price ranges.

 

[lindy]

I think that any of them, Antec, Thermaltake, or Zalman would be good choices. The one thing that they all have in common is the OEM manufacturer...Asetec. As for fans I think you can do better than the one you posted. Prolimatec makes a blue led fan with a higher cmf, lower dBA, and since they tout it for use on their cpu coolers I think it would have better static pressure, and it doesn't cost that much more. For use on a heatsink or radiator it's static pressure you want over cmf. Search Newegg for 120mm led fans you'll find a lot of choices.