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Which cooler for my first build?

G

Gambit2008

Weaksauce
Joined
Apr 3, 2008
Messages
68
Firstly since i am new to the forum..i'd like to say Hi to everyone! :D

I am a complete novice to PC building and am building my first ever PC...so joined the forum for some advice as i have been browsing it and there seem to be a lot of knowedgable ppl seem to be on here!

Basically i wanted to ask what air cooler would be best for the following set up....

CPU:Q9450
Case:Coolermaster Cneturion 590 (http://www.coolermaster.com/products/product.php?act=detail&id=3927)
Motherboard: Asus Rampage Formula Motherboard X48

I would like to overclock the CPU as well and since the case has a choice for side fans i do not know if i need a cpu cooler with/without a fan (if fan is needed i'd prefer a quiet one)...and also i am not entirely sure as to whether all the big coolers will fit in the case.

Any ideas guys?

Thanks


Edit: Damn! sorry i just realised this is in the wrong section..should be in cooling forum..sorry guys!
 
This deal here got good reviews:http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTQ3MywxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

If price is an object I really like the ArcticCooling Freezer Pro 7......I have several.:D

Alot of people here use ThermalTake coolers.

If you are going to OC a very good idea is to use a cooler with a fan. Most ATX cases will accept tall coolers. Its more a question of being able to easily install the cooler on the Motherboard.....some MBs have large backplates and some coolers have large brackets that make installation difficult as well.
 
Thanks!

Ahaa the Arctic Cooler..yes i've come across that one :D..seems to be very good for the price....the Noctua is pricey butif it good then it might be OK although the size seems tobe massive.

I was actually looking to get the thermaltake Ultima/Ultimate and Scythe Ninja/Katana coolers but i am confused as to which one since they all look similiar?!

Also if i was to have a cooler with a fan would you also recomnet havea side fan installed on the case?
 
Thermalright Ultima-90
ZEROTherm Nirvana 120
Xigmatek HDT-1283 or Kingwin Revolution (same design)

All excellent bangforthebuck coolers. All perform close to the TRUE 120 and cost less. Oh, and they put the Freezer 7 Pro to shame. ;)
 
I have a tuniq 120 tower (about $50) but my 1.0ghz oc idle temps sit at 31c about 45-50c load on a xeon e3110 (e8400 counterpart) at 4.0ghz (3.0ghz stock)
 
Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme. It's the best air cooler out there. Period. Why buy anything less? To save $10? This ain't the place to save money of you are OCing.
 
I am running a Thermaltake MaxOrb on a Q6600. It works well as I was able to run up to 3.4 Ghz, although I run at 3.2 for day to day use. It also has an adjustable fan so you can balance the cooling power against the noise level you are able to tolerate. I run it a little on the quiet side.

I am running the CM 690, the bigger brother to your case and I really like it. I have 5 low RPM fans in the case. The case has ventilation all over the place, so I have most of the fans blowing in accept for the one that is right behind the CPU cooler. The fans that are blowing in all have filters to help keep the dust buildup down. My case temp never goes above the ambient temp of the room.

Don
 
I just got the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme worth every penny. I got a good deal from axiontech.com Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme CPU Cooler U-120E with Scythe S-FLEX 120mm Case Fan, 1600RPM SFF21F for 70 bucks shipped.
 
I'm very happy with my TRUE 120. It's an amazing cooler provided you have the room in your case.
 
Thanks guys i have decided it shall be the Thermalright Ultra-120 extreme!

However what fan do you recommend to go along with that? I would prefer the quietest one possible with obviously the best cooling possible.

I was thinking of the Noctua NF-P12. It is a bit pricey but what do you guys think?


Update: I have bought the Ultra 120 X....but now i am leaning towards the Cosmos S instead of the Centurion 590 case :confused: However the ultra won't fit Cosmos S without taking the side fan off whichi do not want. So i wanted to ask what is the next best cooler (which will fit the cosmos s) in terms of performance/quietness?

Thanks guys!
 
Depends on the clearance in the Cosmos S (which I'm admittedly not familiar with). Will the 90mm versions posted above work?

If not, you can always try a non-tower heatsink, like the SI-128SE. I have that on one of my quads; it's not as good as the TRUE, but it keeps the proc <50C @ 3.4 (it's in the basement, always much cooler there than the office upstairs)... which is good enough for me :D

 
yeh the 90mm should...but which 90mm cpu cooler is the best out there in performance/quietness?

I have been looking at various reviews today and they fair pretty bad to 120mm's and i don't know which one stands out
 
Just be careful of advice that people give you on clearances as only an exact hardware match will give you a definite answer.

As far as fans, just make sure you pick one up that has the new style PWM 4 pin connector. That will allow you to use the fan speed control built into some of the newer MOBOs. I did not know this when I built my system, so I am not able to run it exactly as I would like. Just a minor annoyance, but something I would have liked to avoided. :rolleyes: The 4 pin fans are compatible with the 3 pin fan headers too.

I bought a Maxorb, and the fan is built in, so I can't just swap the fan out. :mad:

Good luck, and keep us posted.

Don
 
Gambit2008 said:
yeh the 90mm should...but which 90mm cpu cooler is the best out there in performance/quietness?

I have been looking at various reviews today and they fair pretty bad to 120mm's and i don't know which one stands out
Click to expand...

Thermalright Ultima-90 > everything except a few 120mm coolers
 
@Dondon: Thanks mate for the advise! Will definitlt take that into account!

@Antimatter: Sorry i have a question..i really do not know too much about Coolers lol but i have read that you can install a 120mm fan on the ultima 90 but wouldn't the fan be bigger then the cooler, and so pointless compared to a 90mm fan?

Also aren't there any 90mm fans that ARE quiet and perform well out there?
 
Gambit2008 said:
Also aren't there any 90mm fans that ARE quiet and perform well out there?
Click to expand...

There are plenty of good 90mm fans, however a 120mm fan has nearly twice as much area so they can move more air at a given RPM. Or they can move the same ammount of air as a 90mm at a much lower RPM, making them more quiet.
 
I put my vote on the Zerotherm Nirvana.

To put it in perspective. I think the specs go...

Nirvana 85cfm/<39dba ($40AR)
Freezer Pro 45cfm/~31dba ($29)

I'm going to go intel in the next month or so and i'll really be looking into the Nirvana fan.
 
The Ultima-90 will actually take a 120mm fan just fine (has the clips for it), if you wanna experiment with that, though the issue of clearance vs larger 'sinks is then moot... But if you already have the fan it's a pretty good value for $45 regardless. Depending on the specific fans it may or may not perform better w/a 120mm, it's about air pressure thru the fins more than anything. Otherwise the Nirvana is probably the best value out there (seen it for $40 w/a MIR).

As far as those CFM/dba specs, they're almost always just bunk... All manufacturers measure them in different ways, they're pretty worthless as a basis of comparison. If you're really anal about noise, the Ultima-90 gives you the advantage of being able to use whatever fan you like and giving it however many volts you want for just the right fit. Plus if the fan craps out you're not screwed... :p

The Nirvana comes with it's own lil' fanbus thingie for the one fan too though, not sure if it's only got two settings or if it's gradual...

I saw a review of it vs the Ultima-90 the other day and they were pretty close but they didn't really specify what fan was on the Ultima-90 and what was the Nirvana's fan set to, that infuriates me... Anand's latest results seem off to me for some reason. They probably had the Nirvana on high and a low pressure fan on the Ultima-90.
 
I'd recommend the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 $37. [H] had a promo code for free shipping, it's over now though. I just bought this and I'm on step 5 on newegg, should be here tomorrow or by wednesday @ the most. The 1283 performs close to the TRUE , for what, 1/2 the price? :D.
 
that is a very good cooler..but i want it to fit in my case and not have to take the side fan out to make it do so...i will be getting the CM 590 and do not know if it possible. Is it exactly the same size as the ultra 120 extrme?
 
I doubt it'll fit because in the cm690 you have to remove the side fan to put in the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 which you don't want to remove, do you =p
 
no..lol!

Ok..i have decided to get the Thermalright Ultima 90 then...now i want a 92mm fan but don't know which one to get however. I want one that performs good but is as quiet as possible? Any ideas guys?

Thanks!
 
Gambit2008 said:
no..lol!

Ok..i have decided to get the Thermalright Ultima 90 then...now i want a 92mm fan but don't know which one to get however. I want one that performs good but is as quiet as possible? Any ideas guys?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Just put a 120mm fan on it
 
-=Antimatter=- said:
Just put a 120mm fan on it
Click to expand...

But then i mgiht as well get a 120mm cooler?! The only reason i want a 90mm fan and cooler is so that it can fit in my case without having to take the side fan off..and also i do not want any extra nosie generated from the top of the fan that oes not cover the 90mm cooler
 
Gambit2008 said:
But then i mgiht as well get a 120mm cooler?! The only reason i want a 90mm fan and cooler is so that it can fit in my case without having to take the side fan off..and also i do not want any extra nosie generated from the top of the fan that oes not cover the 90mm cooler
Click to expand...
Actually the top of the fan not blowing air through the cooler won't generate "extra" noise as its airflow isn't being interrupted, and it's actually beneficial in that it'll move air through the case. Also, the 120mm fan will overall be quieter and cool better as it'll push more air over a larger cross-sectional area (which is exactly what you want). Now if space is an issue and you can't fit the 120mm fan, then grab a 92mm, but as far as fans go, bigger is better almost always. Another benefit of the 120mm fan is you can get a 120x120x38mm fan (instead of the normal 120x120x25mm fan); the extra thickness allows the fan to generate more pressure and works very well in getting a lot of air through the tightly spaced fins of the Ultima-90. I have a 38mm thick 120mm fan on my Ultra-120 eXtreme and it brought temps down an extra 2-3 degrees over my 25mm thick fan AND it's quieter :D.
 
The Akasa Amber fan I've been using for a couple years now on my XP-90 always worked alright despite the tightly spaced fins on the XP-90, I replaced an ever-so-slightly noisier Panaflo L1A with it... I like how it looks too. :p An 120mm fan will work better (same/better cooling with same/less noise) but unless your office is rather hot or you're running a super-high OC (or you're super anal about noise) I doubt you'd hold yourself back much w/a 92mm.

There's some 92mm x 38mm thick fans as well btw, they're just rarer than the 120mm ones, I think Sidewinder has a JMC and a couple Delta ones, they also carry Akasa/Panaflo fans and the Noctuas which are pretty nice but pricey.
 
Brahmzy said:
Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme. It's the best air cooler out there. Period. Why buy anything less? To save $10? This ain't the place to save money of you are OCing.
Click to expand...

QFT

ThermalRight Ultra 120 Extreme ( = TRUE)

120mm fans are so much quieter, and they move more air!

hopefully it will last you through several builds as some of my coolers have. ex: my old XP-90c was a 478 socket cooler, but I got the Thermal right 478 to 775 adapter bracket & used it a few times before the TRUE became the new BEST thing.

Are you sure you don't have enough room for a TRUE? If you don't you can get something like the Ultra-90 or SI-128
 
OK this is my final decision then....

1) Xigmatek HDT-S1283.....as it is slightly smaller than the TRUE so hopefully might fit wth side fan, and it comes with a fan and is cheap..i'll go for the Red Scorpion version as iits looks better lol and the fan is quieter. :D

If this doesn't fit it'll have to be a 92mm:

2) Noctua NH-U9B.....I want silence and quality and performance to match and good installation. This has top reviews so far and is a improved design over the older 92mm and the 120mm. A good review of it:

http://www.dragonsteelmods.com/inde...k=view&id=6985&Itemid=38&limit=1&limitstart=0

3) OCZ Vendetta or Thermalright Ultima 90

What do you guys think?
 
BIG +1 on that Xigmatek, I bought 1 and it's sitting here without a new PC built yet to put it in, it performs close to the TRUE(depending on that fan of course). 1283=$37, free shipping right now.
 
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