Which is the better performing heatsink?

M

Momo

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Mar 3, 2005
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I was going to get the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ and slap 2 x Noctua NF-P12-1300 fans on there... they are $20 a pop, plus $30 for the 212+, that's ~$70...

the Noctua cooler itself, with the same two fans, is only ~$10 more.

1. Which cooler (with the same push-pull fans) will do a better job cooling my i7 920 with an OC around 3.4-3.6?

2. Will one cooler be quieter than the other with the same fans?

Hard to find a review of this exact thing, so I figure i'll ask the [H] ;)
 
with the same fans the only thing that will affect noise level is fin density. Looks like the Noctua has a lower fin density(just from observation).

Keep in mind these fans are pretty quiet to begin with and fin density wont really change that.

I would just pick whichever looks best to you.
 
beleive it or not, my decision isnt based on anything to do with computers... lol
I'm going to go with the Noctua, as I'm half Austrian myself ;)
 
when someone asks you which is better, A or B, and you answer C, you think that's relavent? or even valid? LOL
 
Yes, because C is the correct answer. Its not my fault the one asking the question is too ignorant to provide the proper choices.
 
I would go with the Noctua. Even though it's an older design compare to the Coolermaster, the reviews I've seen have showed it be as good as, if not better, than the Xigmatec coolers, which are better than the Hyper 212+. Honestly though, either one should be able to fill your needs.
 
I'm the one asking the question, i get to choose the criteria.

C isnt a valid option. Your vote does not count :p

I think we all know that the megahalems are a better cooler than the ones ive listed.
I'm not looking for the absolute best cooling I can get here. If I was, I'd get a water setup again. Not interested. I want quiet effective cooling, at a reasonable price.

I'm not really interested in the Megahalems due to cost to be honest, it's the same price as the Noctua, but comes without any fan(s).
 
Maverick0817, you seem confident in the Megahalems. Do you know how many degrees cooler one performs compared to the Noctua i'm looking at, with the a single Noctua fan?

I ask this in all seriousness, because really I'm after quiet cooling first, degrees celcius second, and cost third... I should be willing to spend an extra $20 for a fan, in all reality.
 
The Megahalems with two fans is one of the two best air coolers out right now. As far as a specific number as to how much better, I know it out performs a TRUE by about 6C on my set-up.
 
Ive never seen direct comparisons to that heat sink, only to a thermalright true. It was 3-5 degrees better than the true.
 
SicKlown42012 said:
The Megahalems with two fans is one of the two best air coolers out right now. As far as a specific number as to how much better, I know it out performs a TRUE by about 6C on my set-up.
Click to expand...


That TRUE had two fans too? same fans?
 
SicKlown, out of curiousty have you run a windows7 WEI on your system, if so what was your score.
/Thread Jack
 
I went with the Xigmatek dark knight after doing a TON of research, and I am VERY happy. The kit is high quality, right down to the mounting bracket, and it comes with a super quiet 120mm fan. I am running my i7 920 at 4.0 GHz on a P6T vanilla board, and handled prime 95 with flying colors.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029&Tpk=xigmatek dark

I lapped everything too...

voidedwarranty.jpg
 
saw another thread where someone mentioned that the mounting system for the megahalems is worth the extra cost... ive got a large door behind my cpu, so it's all good if I have to put a backplate in... can anyone comment on the megahalem mounting? I like easy to use stuff :)
 
Oh I forgot to mention one thing. You don't need to lap a Megahalem to get top performance. In fact they recommend that you don't do it. Some of the heatsinks like TRUE and Dark Knight above should be lapped if you want best cooling performance. Thanks for reminding me about the lapping issue, e39.
 
It sounds like there will be clearance issues with Megahalems and my Intel DX58S0's Northbridge heatsink.
Ive sent an email to Prolimatech to confirm, but i'm pretty sure there will be issues...
 
Did you get that board as part of the intel retail edge bundle, or did you actually pay full price for it?
 
Momo said:
It sounds like there will be clearance issues with Megahalems and my Intel DX58S0's Northbridge heatsink.
Ive sent an email to Prolimatech to confirm, but i'm pretty sure there will be issues...
Click to expand...

Yup. Better check on that. It clears my Classified, but the architecture differs slightly between different brands of x58 motherboards.
 
maverick0817 said:
Did you get that board as part of the intel retail edge bundle, or did you actually pay full price for it?
Click to expand...

Seriously? I dont know if I should be insulted by that... lol...

retail edge ;) couldnt pass it up at the time.
 
I think i'm gonna have to go with either the Noctua, or a TRUE. ... the TRUE should clear the northbridge, eh?

How is the fan that comes with the latest TRUE anyhow? Seems pretty quiet in the [H] review here
http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article/2009/01/26/prolimatech_megahalems_lga_775_1366_cooler/3

I just dont feel like modding my northbridge heatsink...

my vendor of choice is NCIX, as they are somewhat local to me. I dont see a Xigmatech Dark Knight listed as one that can be used with 1366 sockets.
 
Momo said:
I think i'm gonna have to go with either the Noctua, or a TRUE. ... the TRUE should clear the northbridge, eh?

How is the fan that comes with the latest TRUE anyhow? Seems pretty quiet in the [H] review here
http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article/2009/01/26/prolimatech_megahalems_lga_775_1366_cooler/3

I just dont feel like modding my northbridge heatsink...

my vendor of choice is NCIX, as they are somewhat local to me. I dont see a Xigmatech Dark Knight listed as one that can be used with 1366 sockets.
Click to expand...

I am using the dark knight on a 1366 asus P6T with no issues. The backplate that comes with it can be used on socket 1366 or 755 systems. The non dark-knight version does not have the backplate, but it does fit a 1366 board.
 
The megahalem's mounting system is one to be admired. It is by far the easiest bracket that I have ever installed. It was a shame to cover up the workmanship with the cooler!
As for beating the TRUE it does. Only by 2 or 3 degrees in my rig. Either cooler is a good choice. The same fans were used on both coolers.
 
follows-stickman0107 said:
The megahalem's mounting system is one to be admired. It is by far the easiest bracket that I have ever installed. It was a shame to cover up the workmanship with the cooler!
As for beating the TRUE it does. Only by 2 or 3 degrees in my rig. Either cooler is a good choice. The same fans were used on both coolers.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with this poster. The mounting system on the Megahalems is awesome. With most heatsinks, they tend to slide around even after being tightened down. Not this one.

To Maverick0817: My WEI score is 7.4CPU, 7.7RAM, Both Graphics at 7.3, and Harddrive at 5.9. I haven't actually installed my Patriot Torqx yet. Waiting for my retail copy of Windows 7 to be released.

To Momo: Yes, both coolers were using the same two fans. They are 1600RPM Scythe Slipstreams.
 
Im trying to nail down what it takes to get a 7.9, I think the following would do it: i7 920@ 4ghz, 12 gb's of ram, SSD Raid 0, and Radeon 5870 Crossfire.
 
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