Please recommend a silent cooler for i5

[fantazio]

Hi guys,

I recently built a system with i5 3470 in a Tempest 210 case. I noticed that the stock intel cooler is louder than I would like, though I do find it to be more than adequate for cooling purposes. I am looking around for quiet coolers but not sure which to get. Do I need to spend a lot of money to get a Noctua, or is there a cheaper option? I know that the 212+ is a popular choice, but I am not sure how quiet it is. I will not be overclocking since I am using an H77 board and am quite satisfied with stock performance. My price range is $20-$40

Thanks!

 

[fightingfi]

if you look the {H}4dr0cp w3bsit3 you'll see they review lotsa coolers 212 is near damn silent, h4ppy g4ming

 

[Stupid_Newbie]

212+ is good, especially stock. I love my nh-d14, but it's out of your price listed, and overkill for your needs.

 

[fantazio]

Thanks for your replies guys -- I was looking through reviews for 212+ and some people said it can be not so quiet under load. Do you have any other suggestions?

 

[fantazio]

I just ended up getting Noctua NH-U9B SE2 for $50 on Amazon. Seems like best bang for my buck since I actually know it will be silent and high quality. Thanks guys

 

[vicsrealms]

I have a Noctua NH-L12 for my HTPC and I am looking at a NH-U12P for my Gaming system (my Zalman 9700 NT is running at 3000RPM and sounds like a jet plane for some reason).

 

[DejaWiz]

Another vote for the 212+ since it's still quieter than the oem hsf at load.