Need a CPU cooler for a 775 CPU

[airhendrix13]

Hello everyone!

I am looking to OC my C2Q 6600 beyond 2.8ghz. I have been using a Zalman 9500 for about 4 years now, which has done a pretty good job, but the fan is starting to go so I am using that as an excuse to get a new one.

I have been doing research on coolers, but every source seems to recommend different coolers. Here are the ones I am contemplating:

1) Noctua NH-D14
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835608018
A lot more than I was hoping to spend, but can bite the bullet. I really like how you get 2 very good fans as well.
2) Tuniq Tower Extreme
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835154011
I heard it doesn't spread heat throughout the multiple cores very well, is this true?
3) Tuniq Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835154001
Ole reliable. It has been around for a while, but seems to still work very well.
4) Thermaltake Frio
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835106150
Bit-Tech rated this the best in their testing. (Ugly as sin, but oh well.)
5) Prolimatech Megahalems
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835242001
I have seen this recommended in some threads here.
6) Spire Thermax Eclipse II
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556091646.html?productid=840556091646&channelid=FROOG
FrostyTech rated this heatsink #1, but I also heard their testing isn't real world.
7) Titan Fenrir
http://www.heatsinkfactory.com/titan-fenrir-universal-cpu-cooler-ttc-nk85tz.html
Heard good things about it from a few sites.

If you guys have any other recommendations, let me know.

Thanks everyone!

 

[SOSTrooper]

1 vote for Megahalems.

 

[airhendrix13]

1 vote for Megahalems.

Are there clips for 2 fans? Do you use fans with it?

Thanks

EDIT: Answered my own question. It does come with 2 clips.

 

[RussianSensation]

Considering your graphics card, I would budget on the cooler. Get the Cooler Master 212 Plus for < $30:http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=41...e=COOLERMASTER

Performance wise, it is going to beat the original Tuniq Tower with ease. I had the original TT and it easily cooled Q6600 @ 3.4ghz with 1.425v. Q6600 is nothing compared to an overclocked Core i7. Therefore, most of the coolers on that list are completely unnecessary.

Don't let the $30 price fool you. CM212+ kicks some serious ass:

Review 1: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...el-core-i7-lga1366-cpu-cooler-roundup-19.html

http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2525&page=5

Also there is a sweet deal on the TRUE 120 Extreme for $48 with the fan included: http://www.svc.com/u120e-rt-775.html

BTW, as an all out upgrade budget upgrade, consider selling the 8800GTS and grab $100 4870 on Newegg.

 

[airhendrix13]

Considering your graphics card, I would budget on the cooler. Get the Cooler Master 212 Plus for < $30:http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=41...e=COOLERMASTER

Performance wise, it is going to beat the original Tuniq Tower with ease. I had the original TT and it easily cooled Q6600 @ 3.4ghz with 1.425v. Q6600 is nothing compared to an overclocked Core i7. Therefore, most of the coolers on that list are completely unnecessary.

Don't let the $30 price fool you. CM212+ kicks some serious ass:

Review 1: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...el-core-i7-lga1366-cpu-cooler-roundup-19.html

http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2525&page=5

Also there is a sweet deal on the TRUE 120 Extreme for $48 with the fan included: http://www.svc.com/u120e-rt-775.html

BTW, as an all out upgrade budget upgrade, consider selling the 8800GTS and grab $100 4870 on Newegg.

What do you mean by "considering my graphics card"? I'm buying either a GTX 460, or if it goes on sale, a GTX470 if that makes any difference. I want to try to push my Q6600 to 3.6GHZ to decrease any bottleneck between the CPU and GPU. I also am hoping to upgrade my CPU, mobo, and ram to whatever the latest and greatest is in a year.

 

[SilentAssassin]

I only have experience with the Tuniq Tower from back when I built a Core 2 Duo system for my cousin. It cools quite well and should be enough to hit the overclock you are shooting for. It was a little tricky to install but just make sure you evenly tighten all four screws. You definitely don't need to spend the money on the mega or noctua coolers for what you want. Just make sure you have good case cooling.

 

[airhendrix13]

I only have experience with the Tuniq Tower from back when I built a Core 2 Duo system for my cousin. It cools quite well and should be enough to hit the overclock you are shooting for. It was a little tricky to install but just make sure you evenly tighten all four screws. You definitely don't need to spend the money on the mega or noctua coolers for what you want. Just make sure you have good case cooling.

I have a nice Lian-Li case, so it should be fine. Would a Noctua be worth it if I plan on upgrading my system in less than a year?

 

[RockinZ28]

How do all these coolers compare to the enclosed water cooling heatsinks, such as the Corsair H50? I used the Tuniq Tower on my now old pc for almost 3 years, but the main thing I did not like about it, was that it was so damn big for a mid-tower case, anytime I had to do anything like even remove a hdd in the top bays, I had to take off the heatsink, which also meant pulling the mobo first because the 4-pin atx cable was impossible to get to with the size of the tuniq. And I'm sure these newer air coolers are even more massive.

Finally got around to putting my old pc back together this afternoon, has been in pieces since around January when I built my current pc. Now using the H50 I got for $50 shipped for use on the E6600. Ran into a roadblock though, as my pos case is too small to properly orientate and mount the fan+rad+fan on the back fan slot. No biggie though, just going to expand the 80mm slot on top to accommodate 120mm. Love how little space the H50 takes up.

 

[balane]

I got to 3.6 on my Q6600 G0 with a Frio. It's probably not the best choice out there but temps were good and it worked fine for me. Used Shin Etsu compound and had very good case airflow.

PS: Did not think it was ugly in person but I didn't have a window so it doesn't really matter.

 

[airhendrix13]

I have been thinking about the H50. I will have to see if I get good savings using my employee discount at Best Buy.

Balane, like you said, the looks don't really matter, my case doesn't have a window either.

 

[dfuze]

I've got the one in my signature and it's let me get my Q6600 to 3GHz very easily and has kept it cool. I could probably OC it more, but not sure if I would see that much more benefit as it does a good job now.

 

[MentalIlness]

Get the Cooler Master Hyper 212+. I have it on my current rig in sig. Have a E7200 @ 4.0 and load temps are 57c.

 

[Fallen Kell]

Have a Q9450 overclocked to 3.2GHz with an original Tuniq Tower and have had no problems with it. I had it up to 3.4GHz without problems either, but I really didn't need it that fast, so I clocked it down to save a few degrees in temp and a few watts in power.

I own a Noctua NH-D14, but havn't installed it yet on any system. This thing is HUGE! Really I wouldn't recommend it unless it is in a case with the motherboard sitting horizontal, otherwise, I really won't trust something that big to not cause damage from warping the board in a year or two. I had planned on using it in my HTPC, but I am not sure if it will fit (even in the Antec Fusion Remote MAX case which has a 140mm side fan and 120mm rear fan).

 

[airhendrix13]

Thanks to everyone for all of your help! I actually ended up going with a H50. I got it for $40 so I thought it would be worth it.

 

[Rifter]

The H50 is a good deal, from what i understand the Top tier air coolers(NH-D14, megahalems, etc) still beat it but you cant beat the space it opens up inside the case.

 

[airhendrix13]

The H50 is a good deal, from what i understand the Top tier air coolers(NH-D14, megahalems, etc) still beat it but you cant beat the space it opens up inside the case.

I am personally loving the silence of my computer now. My Zalman 9500 made my computer sound like a jet turbine!

 

[balane]

The H50 is a good deal, from what i understand the Top tier air coolers(NH-D14, megahalems, etc) still beat it but you cant beat the space it opens up inside the case.

I think that's a fair assessment. I went from a Mugen 2 to an H50. My idle temps went from 44 to 35, P95 load temps went from 77 to 64. The Mugen is the largest air cooler I've ever used so I can't compare it to the ones mentioned. But the biggest advantages to me were more room in the case to work and modify things and being able to combine a CPU fan and case fan into a single, quiet fan was great.

When treated as, and compared to, air coolers the H50 makes more sense. For me the H70 is in a different market because it really adds a lot of heft to the cooling system.

 

[Rifter]

I think that's a fair assessment. I went from a Mugen 2 to an H50. My idle temps went from 44 to 35, P95 load temps went from 77 to 64. The Mugen is the largest air cooler I've ever used so I can't compare it to the ones mentioned. But the biggest advantages to me were more room in the case to work and modify things and being able to combine a CPU fan and case fan into a single, quiet fan was great.

When treated as, and compared to, air coolers the H50 makes more sense. For me the H70 is in a different market because it really adds a lot of heft to the cooling system.

yeah, if the H70 was available when i bought my system i would have went with it over my NH-D14. Because even though i am happy with my noctura's performance it needs some serious airflow through the case and good fans on it to pull off beating a H50, and i think the H70 with its dual fan rad would hold its own with the top air coolers if not come out ahead.

 

[airhendrix13]

I just wanted to post that I am now running stable at 3.33Ghz on my q6600. I started to fail prime95 tests when I pushed to 3.4Ghz.

 

[RockinZ28]

Cool. Been a long time, but on my E6600 I had to volt the shit out of it, over 1.5v to get past 3.4ghz stable. And I did that on a proper custom water cooling loop, the Tuniq Tower had no chance of keeping it cool, unless adding a ton of case fans maybe.

 

[RussianSensation]

What do you mean by "considering my graphics card"? I'm buying either a GTX 460, or if it goes on sale, a GTX470 if that makes any difference. I want to try to push my Q6600 to 3.6GHZ to decrease any bottleneck between the CPU and GPU. I also am hoping to upgrade my CPU, mobo, and ram to whatever the latest and greatest is in a year.

I mean if you are on a budget, get the $30 CM212+ which is more than enough to cool everything outside of Core i7 beyond 4.0ghz. If you want the best aircoolers, then these 5 are the best (not in order of performance).

1. Cogage Arrow / Thermalright SilverArrow - http://www.svc.com/silverarrow.html
2. Noctua NH-D14
3. Prolimatech Megahalems / Super Mega
4. Thermalright Venomous X
5. Thermalright HR-02

The Corsair H50 for $40 is a great deal.

BTW, Q6600s all bottom out eventually. So for example, if you are stuck at 3.3ghz at a good 1.425-1.45 voltage, that's probably the most optimal point. Going above that would mean 1.45+V which isn't worth the extra 100mhz. My G0 was optimal at 3.4ghz, and although I could get to 3.5-3.6ghz, it needed another 0.1V to get there.

 

[airhendrix13]

I mean if you are on a budget, get the $30 CM212+ which is more than enough to cool everything outside of Core i7 beyond 4.0ghz. If you want the best aircoolers, then these 5 are the best (not in order of performance).

1. Cogage Arrow / Thermalright SilverArrow - http://www.svc.com/silverarrow.html
2. Noctua NH-D14
3. Prolimatech Megahalems / Super Mega
4. Thermalright Venomous X
5. Thermalright HR-02

The Corsair H50 for $40 is a great deal.

BTW, Q6600s all bottom out eventually. So for example, if you are stuck at 3.3ghz at a good 1.425-1.45 voltage, that's probably the most optimal point. Going above that would mean 1.45+V which isn't worth the extra 100mhz. My G0 was optimal at 3.4ghz, and although I could get to 3.5-3.6ghz, it needed another 0.1V to get there.

Right now I am sitting at 3.3Ghz with my VCore voltage at 1.325v. I'm debating if I want to push it further or not. I tried raising my voltage to 1.35v and bumping it to 3.4Ghz, but I kept getting Prime95 errors. Do you think I should try pushing the voltage a bit more? What are safe temps for the Q6600?

Thanks

 

[balane]

At 3.3 what are your temps in P95? You have your H50 already installed?

 

[airhendrix13]

At 3.3 what are your temps in P95? You have your H50 already installed?

After priming for about an hour, my temps reach about 55C, and yes my H50 is installed.

 

[balane]

Well, if it were me I would put my voltage up and see what I can get out of her. Do it gradually. I wish I could remember my exact settings but it's been a while. Sorry.