CPU cooler recommendation?

[///AMG]

I bought a H80i last month it didnt come with the new PWM fans that corsair is shipping out and the fans are really fing loud. I mean its by far the loudest thing in my computer, I can hear it in my bedroom with the doors closed at night. I sent an RMA since they were supposedly sending the new fans for free. Fast forward almost a month later and nothing, not a single word since march 8th. So I am returning this, my experience with the H80i havent been pleasant, its not been much better than the H50 it replaced like 2c difference, but its 2-3x louder. Sorry sounds like a rant. ;

Anyways I need a recommendation for a good performing CPU cooler, doesnt have to be a closed loop water cooled like the H series, but it absolutely needs to perform. I am willing to pay up to $90 for it. It doesnt need to be quiet but I cant stand it if its 2-3x louder than my HD7970 at 75% fan. My FT-02 should fit most but I am not sure about the really tall Air coolers.

 

[Tsumi]

Noctua NH-D14. Should fit perfectly fine in your case. Even the H100i has worse noise/performance ratio than the NH-D14.

 

[///AMG]

What about the Phanteks PH-TC14PE? I see they are about the same price and looks like both are the same performance wise.

 

[///AMG]

Also the phanteks has color choice lol. I dont like the color on the Noctua.

 

[Abula]

Thermalright Silver Arrow and Noctua NH-D14, still remain as the best performing air coolers in the market.

If you are persuing best bang for the buck, with great noise ratio, then Thermalright HR02 Macho, check [H]ardOCP review for more info, it will not cool as good as the two above, but it cost half and still its a very good performer. Also check SPCR Thermalright HR-02 Macho Quiet/Fanless Cooler, will give you a good perspective into what to expect from the noise stand point.

 

[///AMG]

Eww, neither the Noctua or Phanteks will clear my ram . I am not sure how much it extends either. I have a evga X58 Sli LE MB and 6x4GB Corsair Vengeance Ram I would prefer not to have to buy all new ram or go back to my 3x2gb set to get a new cooler.

 

[Sarian]

Noctua NH-D14. Should fit perfectly fine in your case. Even the H100i has worse noise/performance ratio than the NH-D14.

The NH-D14 is just so freaking huge...

I ended up getting a H100i. It just looks a ton cleaner. Call me vain but man I couldn't stand looking at the NH-D14 all the time.

I haven't installed the H100i yet but I have high hopes. Worst case is you buy a better/quieter fan.

 

[Abula]

Eww, neither the Noctua or Phanteks will clear my ram . I am not sure how much it extends either. I have a evga X58 Sli LE MB and 6x4GB Corsair Vengeance Ram I would prefer not to have to buy all new ram or go back to my 3x2gb set to get a new cooler.

HR02 macho has an ascimetrical design, that places the fan flush to cpu socket, in most cases it will have not trouble clearing even tall memory (depends on the mobo and how close is the ram), in some mobos you might not install all 6 ram slots, but in most you can. Here is a picture from hardocp review on a 1366 mobo with Corsair dominator (which is 2mm higher than your vengance), btw the link that posted above has black/white fan in case you dont like the green/blue fan).

 

[///AMG]

The NH-D14 is just so freaking huge...

I ended up getting a H100i. It just looks a ton cleaner. Call me vain but man I couldn't stand looking at the NH-D14 all the time.

I haven't installed the H100i yet but I have high hopes. Worst case is you buy a better/quieter fan.

H100i wont fit my case, or it will look stupidly awkward. The FT-02 has one 120mm exhaust and the bottom are all 180mm, so the 2x120 mm would not work for me. Does anyone know if haswell will swap to DDR4 or something? if it doesnt I wouldnt mind buying 3x8GB DDR3 since my 6x4GB setup really sucks for over clocking. Also would need to find a good deal on ram.

Does the HR02 equal the H80i at least in performance?

 

[Abula]

Does the HR02 equal the H80i at least in performance?

Check the HardOCP review in the link, there is no direct comparision, only to the H70, but you can get a rough idea.

Btw another option could be Prolimatech PRO-GNSS Genesis CPU Cooler, check DriverHeaven Prolimatech Genesis CPU Cooler Review, has no trouble clearing Corsair Vengance ram (see pic below), and it suppose to perform very close to Silver Arrow and NH-D14.

 

[notarat]

I bought a H80i last month it didnt come with the new PWM fans that corsair is shipping out and the fans are really fing loud. I mean its by far the loudest thing in my computer, I can hear it in my bedroom with the doors closed at night. I sent an RMA since they were supposedly sending the new fans for free. Fast forward almost a month later and nothing, not a single word since march 8th. So I am returning this, my experience with the H80i havent been pleasant, its not been much better than the H50 it replaced like 2c difference, but its 2-3x louder. Sorry sounds like a rant. ;

Anyways I need a recommendation for a good performing CPU cooler, doesnt have to be a closed loop water cooled like the H series, but it absolutely needs to perform. I am willing to pay up to $90 for it. It doesnt need to be quiet but I cant stand it if its 2-3x louder than my HD7970 at 75% fan. My FT-02 should fit most but I am not sure about the really tall Air coolers.

You should give the H100i a chance with Noctua NF-F12 fans.

I saw one of those Linus Tech Tips videos on youtube where he compared the silver arrow to the H100i, both of which were using the Noctuas and you couldn't hear the fans even when he was pointing the mic at the case...Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8HsjgtMzEg

I installed the H100i with Cougar 120mm PWM fans and it's nice but not quite quiet enough for my tastes so I ordered (4) NF-F12 fans (2 for the Radiator and 2 for the case) + 2 of the 140mm Noctuas for the Obsidian 800 case.

If you do decide to order Noctua fans from Amazon, be careful! Platinum Micro is selling the fans relatively cheap, but evidently they got their name by charging platinum shipping costs...

Standard 3-5 day is free. Since I have Prime, I'm used to just clicking the 1 day button and paying $3 and change for what amounts to overnight shipping. I clicked the 1 day button and just before I clicked the Place Order button I saw the shipping...

 

[Abula]

While searching for comparison for the H80i (btw didnt fine any), i found another interesting review, Xbilt Labs Two Against One, Part 1: Thermalright HR-02 vs. Noctua NH-D14. Btw in some cases like for example i just build a setup with 1155 and HR02 macho and its extremly close to the 4th ram slot, i still think i could use it, but might touch, this is not to say that it will on your 1366 mobo, but it might be very close, so research some before you commit.

I see you have interest on Haswell, so i would invest the least possible on 1366 platform for now, and the HR02 macho is one of the cheapest and good performer. You could even just go for a Coolermaster 212 and swap the fan for a more quiet, and just call it till Haswell arrives.

Either way good luck with your choice,

 

[///AMG]

While searching for comparison for the H80i (btw didnt fine any), i found another interesting review, Xbilt Labs Two Against One, Part 1: Thermalright HR-02 vs. Noctua NH-D14. Btw in some cases like for example i just build a setup with 1155 and HR02 macho and its extremly close to the 4th ram slot, i still think i could use it, but might touch, this is not to say that it will on your 1366 mobo, but it might be very close, so research some before you commit.

I see you have interest on Haswell, so i would invest the least possible on 1366 platform for now, and the HR02 macho is one of the cheapest and good performer. You could even just go for a Coolermaster 212 and swap the fan for a more quiet, and just call it till Haswell arrives.

Either way good luck with your choice,

I actually have an unopened 212 evo lol. I bought it for my dad but never got around to installing it for him so its sitting in my pile of spare parts. Still got my H50 on my desk as well I am in no rush. I actually had an interesting idea to crowd source the design of my next PC since its going to be my last for a while.

 

[atp1916]

Check out the NZXT Kraken X40.

It's a great little 140m rad AIO cooler and it matches the 80i on silent.

I got mine for on a 'egg special for $84.