CPU cooler fitment advice.

[ItsMeeYourDaddy]

I want to buy a CPU cooler for my first PC build, that has a FX-6300, off of Amazon and was wondering, are all $20-$30 dollar CPU coolers with fans universal, or is there something specific I should watch out for when buying for my CPU/Motherboard specifically? BTW- the motherboard is a Gigabyte 78LMT-USB3 rev.6.0

 

[sttubs]

Most CPU coolers come with adapters now days, it should say in the item description what platforms it covers. The CM212 is a good cheap choice.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I want to buy a CPU cooler for my first PC build, that has a FX-6300, off of Amazon and was wondering, are all $20-$30 dollar CPU coolers with fans universal, or is there something specific I should watch out for when buying for my CPU/Motherboard specifically? BTW- the motherboard is a Gigabyte 78LMT-USB3 rev.6.0

Ditto for what sttubs said. For a serious overclocking project I'd spend more. But the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO (. . .whatever) is a stand-up little cooler, which does a darn good job for $30.

Could be it's even cheaper now.

What to "watch out for?" That drives me to my overclocking enthusiast extreme. I don't care how it looks; I only care if it fits the case. It has to have a solid construction for mounting, but even the worst coolers using the Intel push-pin design are still OK.

What do I look out for? Comparison reviews and verification across comparison reviews. Whether it's an OC load temperature result across several different coolers on the same platform, or somebody's calorimeter measurement of thermal resistance, I always try to pick the cooler that has the lowest thermal resistance or gives a good showing even compared with AiO coolers. These days, you'll not likely find a heatpipe cooler that can outperform an AiO, but high marks are high marks.

 

[lehtv]

With microATX boards you sometimes have to watch out for cooler width. Some coolers using 140mm fans may interfere with the first PCIe slot typically used for a graphics card. In this case, your motherboard is pretty basic - you won't be doing much overclocking anyway, so you don't need a high end cooler. Stick to a cooler using a 120mm fan and you'll be fine.

 

[ItsMeeYourDaddy]

Most CPU coolers come with adapters now days, it should say in the item description what platforms it covers. The CM212 is a good cheap choice.

Ditto for what sttubs said. For a serious overclocking project I'd spend more. But the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO (. . .whatever) is a stand-up little cooler, which does a darn good job for $30.

Could be it's even cheaper now.

What to "watch out for?" That drives me to my overclocking enthusiast extreme. I don't care how it looks; I only care if it fits the case. It has to have a solid construction for mounting, but even the worst coolers using the Intel push-pin design are still OK.

What do I look out for? Comparison reviews and verification across comparison reviews. Whether it's an OC load temperature result across several different coolers on the same platform, or somebody's calorimeter measurement of thermal resistance, I always try to pick the cooler that has the lowest thermal resistance or gives a good showing even compared with AiO coolers. These days, you'll not likely find a heatpipe cooler that can outperform an AiO, but high marks are high marks.

With microATX boards you sometimes have to watch out for cooler width. Some coolers using 140mm fans may interfere with the first PCIe slot typically used for a graphics card. In this case, your motherboard is pretty basic - you won't be doing much overclocking anyway, so you don't need a high end cooler. Stick to a cooler using a 120mm fan and you'll be fine.

Thanks for all the info guys. Now I can make a way better choice than what I was going to make haha.

 

[ItsMeeYourDaddy]

Ditto for what sttubs said. For a serious overclocking project I'd spend more. But the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO (. . .whatever) is a stand-up little cooler, which does a darn good job for $30.

Could be it's even cheaper now.

What to "watch out for?" That drives me to my overclocking enthusiast extreme. I don't care how it looks; I only care if it fits the case. It has to have a solid construction for mounting, but even the worst coolers using the Intel push-pin design are still OK.

What do I look out for? Comparison reviews and verification across comparison reviews. Whether it's an OC load temperature result across several different coolers on the same platform, or somebody's calorimeter measurement of thermal resistance, I always try to pick the cooler that has the lowest thermal resistance or gives a good showing even compared with AiO coolers. These days, you'll not likely find a heatpipe cooler that can outperform an AiO, but high marks are high marks.

went with your advice and got the Hyper 212 Evo. Will see the fitment when it arrives but it should clear. thanks again for the advice.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

went with your advice and got the Hyper 212 Evo. Will see the fitment when it arrives but it should clear. thanks again for the advice.

Well, I've been very selective in my choice of heatpipe coolers. My sig rigs use an NH-D14 and EVGA ACX cooler respectively. The D14 has been superseded by the D15, but the performance difference is a matter of maybe 3C in load temperatures, and my "enhancements" more than close that gap.

But when it came to the other systems in the house, I chose the Hyper 212 coolers for both price and reasonable performance.

Somebody in another thread mentioned the Cryorig M9i as a cooler choice, and it led me to this comparison review:

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/CRYORIG/M9i/8.html

On the performance criterion alone, the M9i is more or less "equal" to the Hyper 212 EVO. So the CM 212 holds its own among several contemporary coolers. Further, it is a perfect fit for ThermalRight's rubber accordion ducts, designed for their own coolers -- an item that might cost maybe $7 to $10. Oh - almost forgot. That is one of my "enhancements."