What should I be looking for as far as cooling for an i7 920 to get it to 4GHz?

[ChorniyVolk]

So it seems I'm sticking with air then.

So apart from those 7, any other fans I should be looking at? I guess I should say "apart from those 6" though, that IFX-14 does look pretty damn heavy, and though I don't move my PC around all that often, I think I'd still fear it doing some damage. Unless anyone can counter with a "it's light as a feather, don't sweat it".

So many parts to pick, now even cooling for a single part is a job in itself, but I like all this, it's fun making all the final decisions yourself and knowing exactly why you made them, to fit perfectly for what you need.

Thanks again.

 

[Tullphan]

Originally posted by: ChorniyVolk

So apart from those 7, any other fans I should be looking at? I guess I should say "apart from those 6" though, that IFX-14 does look pretty damn heavy, and though I don't move my PC around all that often, I think I'd still fear it doing some damage. Unless anyone can counter with a "it's light as a feather, don't sweat it".

See RussianSensation's post above for fan choice.
Personally, I have a Noctua on my Megahalem...leftover from a HSF it replaced.
If I were buying one (or 2), i'd go with the Gentle Typhoon.
I'm using the Zalman he mentioned as an exhaust, but I also used the 7v adapter that came with it to quiet it down some.
If I had the money, i'd probably use the Gentle Tyhpoons all the way around.

 

[RussianSensation]

Originally posted by: ChorniyVolk
Where does the Zalman stand in your answer for #2?

As has been mentioned above if you can get a TRUE for $51 with the fan, it will outperform the Zalman.

And for #4, will even the IFX-14 sit alright if I have my stuff vertical, or is it too big for that?

It should fit on most S1366 boards. IFX-14 weighs 790g which is the same as the TRUE. The weight differential will come from having an additional fan.

 

[ChorniyVolk]

Originally posted by: Tullphan

Originally posted by: ChorniyVolk

So apart from those 7, any other fans I should be looking at? I guess I should say "apart from those 6" though, that IFX-14 does look pretty damn heavy, and though I don't move my PC around all that often, I think I'd still fear it doing some damage. Unless anyone can counter with a "it's light as a feather, don't sweat it".

See RussianSensation's post above for fan choice.
Personally, I have a Noctua on my Megahalem...leftover from a HSF it replaced.
If I were buying one (or 2), i'd go with the Gentle Typhoon.
I'm using the Zalman he mentioned as an exhaust, but I also used the 7v adapter that came with it to quiet it down some.
If I had the money, i'd probably use the Gentle Tyhpoons all the way around.

Sorry, meant to say "any other heatsinks", not "any other fans".

 

[ChorniyVolk]

Originally posted by: RussianSensation

Originally posted by: ChorniyVolk
Where does the Zalman stand in your answer for #2?

As has been mentioned above if you can get a TRUE for $51 with the fan, it will outperform the Zalman.

And for #4, will even the IFX-14 sit alright if I have my stuff vertical, or is it too big for that?

It should fit on most S1366 boards. IFX-14 weighs 790g which is the same as the TRUE. The weight differential will come from having an additional fan.

So how do you feel about an IFX-14 on a vertical set up? Everyone else seems to think it's a bad idea...

 

[RussianSensation]

If you can fit the IFX-14, it's a good cooler. But this air cooling setup will cost $60 + $15x2 big typhoons = $90. That's a bit steep.

I would just go for the TRUE for $65.

 

[Ayah]

I'm pretty sure the TRUE Copper isn't worth the amount of weight over the normal one.
The cogage true spirit is a pretty good bang for the buck cooler since you can get one for under 40$ CAD

 

[bloodugly]

Originally posted by: ChorniyVolk
As far as lapping a CPU, I don't think I'd ever do it, even if it did much, I think I'd rather stay away from physically changing anything on the chip. Is lapping even really worth it? I googled around, and this person for instance, is convinced it doesn't do anything, and actually seems pretty angry: http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to...your-CPU-by-lapping-it

As far as coolers, the way I'm seeing it is I have 5 options: that Zalman, the Mugen 2, Megahalem, TRUE, and the IFX-14.

Are there any pros and cons for them to help me choose which one is right for me? I'm guessing the Mugen and Zalman are a bit behind in cooling but make up for it in price, while the IFX-14 is the best but fucking humongous. I mean, how do I choose which to go with? Also, how can I choose based on performance accurately if all of these results keep bouncing up and down, with say, the Mugen winning some and losing others? Are you guys suggesting the other 3/4 because they are consistent in giving great performance compared to the Mugen bouncing up and down? I'd really just like a decent benchmark list with accurate results that I can trust to be true regardless.

I'm okay with spending a bit more, I was just under the impression that the Mugen was beating the others and for a better price.

And why just those 5? no others compare? In one of those benchmarks there was something called the Titan Fenrir that was doing awesomely, and I also saw the Coolermaster V10 do well.

So basically, what I'm asking here is:

1. Considering those 5, any specifics on why I should go with one over the other?

2. Why are benchmarks so inconsistent? Which one should I follow and use as a guide for accuracy so that I know which coolers beat which coolers in a most likely sort of scenario?

3. Why don't you guys consider the other coolers worthy?

Also:

4. I was planning on having my PC standing upright, and then I look at some of these heatsinks and they're humongous! Will they not tear the board off the wall of the case with their weight? Am I just misjudging the weight by basing it solely on size?

5. If I were to go with a heatsink that doesn't come with it's own cooler, what fan (or fans?) should I get to go with it? Does it depend on which heatsink I go with? Can I still trust those results based solely on the heatsinks if the benchmark people happened to use better/worse fans to go with them?

6. How much would a decent water solution run me? Just to know.

Thanks for all the help guys.

I've lapped before, and I got up to 2-3 degrees difference by doing it. However, you'll get variance depending on how uneven the surfaces were before you lapped them. The surfaces I started with weren't the greatest in that regard. It can help, but its not going to be a huge difference.

 

[ChorniyVolk]

Hmm, so I've been considering the options, and the H50 actually sounds pretty appealing. It will perform better than the air coolers right? I mean, everything all in one package ready to install, and not being humongous, not to mention the lack of noise, it just sounds great, and with any of the other options I'd be paying for the heatsink and a fan or two which would add up to nearly the price of the H50, aside from stuff like the Mugen and the Zalman.

Any opinions on the H50?

 

[ChorniyVolk]

Anyone?

 

[aigomorla]

if u dont mind the noise, i would recomend u just getting better fans for whatever sink you decide to go with.

1. Never jump mediums... ie.. air to water... water to sub ambient... air to sub ambient... without doing a firm amount of research.

There is no such thing as a dummy proof waterkit. NEVER.

 

[ChorniyVolk]

The H50 seems pretty straightforward, what worry is there other than maintenance?

 

[ChorniyVolk]

bump

You really think the H50 is too hardcore for me? I don't know...

But that's only if it performs better, does it? I don't mind noise and size if it's going to beat the H50 (for a lesser cost, at that).

 

[ChorniyVolk]

bump again, hope I'm not being too annoying.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: ChorniyVolk
bump

You really think the H50 is too hardcore for me? I don't know...

But that's only if it performs better, does it? I don't mind noise and size if it's going to beat the H50 (for a lesser cost, at that).

i think you'd get better performance on air then a half step waterkit.

Sorry i say that... its a half step kit because, there is no such thing as a maintence free water setup.

Your better off doing the full research on it, and getting a real setup, or staying on air.

 

[ChorniyVolk]

How much would a decent water cooling set up that matches the air cooling stuff mentioned in here cost? Twice you said? Plus there's maintenance, research, etc.

I don't know if avoiding some noise is worth it. I was going to ask how much a water cooling set up that trumped the air coolers would cost, but then I realized that I don't need all that much, just to get to 3.8-4 GHz and stay there at decent temps, which the air coolers will be able to do for me and then some no?

Maybe I'll go water cooling next time.

Would you find my post agreeable?

 

[daw123]

A good budget custom water cooling set up (CPU only, single loop) is going to cost you $300 as Aigo already mentioned. It will beat the air coolers and H50 previously mentioned in terms of cooling - there's a reason why a custom build w. c. loop cost ~4x the price of the H50 and the H50 is slightly better than the similarly priced high-end HSFs.

This is assuming the parts you buy are new. You can reduce this down <$200 if you buy second hand parts.

CPU water block: $60 (e.g. Apogee GTZ)
Radiator: $55 for MCR-220 with 2x fans
Pump and reservoir: $115 (MCP355 and XSPC res/top)
Barbs: $15 (Danger Den)
Tubing: $10 (Masterkleer)
Say $45 for odds and sods (clamps, etc. and shipping)
That makes $300

Price source: http://www.petrastechshop.com/cpuwaterblocks.html

You've then got to work out where to find homes for the various w.c. components within the case (pump/res and rad). You also have to look at maintenance as well.

FYI, here are some reviews comparing the H50 to other water kits and HSFs:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/corsair-h50-fort120,2370-6.html
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cooling/2009/07/29/corsair-hydro-h50-cpu-cooler-review/4
http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticle&number=3&artpage=4176&articID=939

 

[ChorniyVolk]

Well if the H50 is better than the similarly priced HSF's, and it's zero maintenance, why am I being discourage from getting it? No offense to aigomorla, of course.

 

[jjmIII]

http://www.svc.com/u120e-rt-1366-c.html

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

2 things:

1. I've heard the H50 can't handle much - meaning the radiator can't radiate enough heat from the liquid so it just starts heating up more and more. Again, I haven't tested this or anything.

2. The IFX-14 is the only winner by 4 degrees C @ 3.76 / 1.275v in this xbitlabs shootout and it's not very expensive: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/core-i7-coolers-roundup_18.html#sect0 the reason is that it's bigger! You want lots of surface area and good metal in a heatsink. You also want lots of air movement. The Mugen 2 has shitty mounts and that solid mounting pressure helps a lot in the heat transfer. Water has the highest specific heat, but the cost is a serious consideration. I have no interest in hitting 4GHz, but if I did personally I wouldn't even consider air.

 

[DonnieT]

Can someone list the best air cooler on newegg? I really don't trust all these other sites. I am guessing it might not always be the one most expensive.

 

[ChorniyVolk]

I don't know Chai, I've seen some people around here doing just that with air and seemingly doing fine, not to mention no arguments in this thread.

Also, I keep seeing this thing around, is it any good? Quite expensive: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...9&amp;Sku=ULT40417

 

[ChorniyVolk]

So anyone else doubt I can get to 3.8GHz-4GHz on air cooling? I just want to make sure, and then I guess I'll just go with one of the aforementioned heatsinks and fans.

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

I don't know Chai, I've seen some people around here doing just that with air and seemingly doing fine, not to mention no arguments in this thread.

Also, I keep seeing this thing around, is it any good? Quite expensive: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...9&amp;Sku=ULT40417

Huh? I'm not sure what you're saying you see people around here doing with air? Air is better than a cheap water system.

Read the reviews for that Ultra ChillTec. LOL. If you read them and still buy it, you are officially retarded.

 

[yh125d]

The problem with the IFX-14 isn't the weight (its the same as a TRUE which does fine in vertical), it's that its so damn BIG. The TRUE alone even fanless is a quite a pain sometimes to install, and makes it damn near impossible to plug/unplug the CPU power connector without unscrewing the motherboard (unless you're lucky with where its placed on your M/B)