which CPU aftermarket cooler for intel 1150 mobo?

[JimKiler]

I have had enough with the insufficient stock cooler on my Intel 4790K CPU (mounted on asus Z97-AR mobo in a normal desktop tower case) and want something that is quieter. I had never wanted to get an aftermarket one before because i do not want to take the mobo out just to install a cooling fan. But now I am willing to do that. What do you recommend, should i get a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO or something else like:

ZALMAN CNPS8X Optima 100mm Long Life Bearing HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU

or this one:

Reeven BRONTES CPU cooler, 100mm low-profile type, INTEL/AMD

or?

I am a slickdealer so price is definitely going to be an issue, my limit is $40 after rebates and discounts.

so in summary my criteria are

1. quieter than my stock HSF (duh!)
2. on the cheaper side
3. hopefully something that is easy to install

 

[JimKiler]

How about this one, it says no need to remove the mobo,

DEEPCOOL GAMMAXX 400 CPU Cooler 4 Heatpipes 120mm PWM Fan with Blue LED

 

[jsalpha2]

Removing the motherboard is not that hard and the pushpin mounting has let me down before. I always go with the type that uses a backplate. You have a normal desktop tower case, but the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO is very large and heavy, so make sure it will fit. There is a very similar smaller model with a 92mm fan.
I personally like the Reeven BRONTES that you mentioned.

 

[ch33zw1z]

I just picked up the cm hyper 212 evo, it's a great cpu cooler. It's tall, so before you buy it (or any aftermarket cooler really..) make sure you break out a ruler and measure the case a to make sure it will fit.

Things to look for:

1. Distance from the top of cpu to side of the case, will a tall cooler fit?

2. Distance from cpu socket to dimm slots, and height of the dimms (some boards it's all very close together), will the cooler interfere with dimm slots?

Just get the specs from the manual for the cpu coolers and see what fits the best.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of the push in design, I prefer a bolt thru heatsink.

Many cases come with a cutout in the chassis behind the cpu area, this is so you dont need to pull the whole board out to uninstall/install the heatsink..

 

[JimKiler]

Thanks guys, i went with a Be Quiet Pure Rock Slim and love it. I got it because it is very similar to the Deepcool but a little smaller which helps with RAM sometimes. It installed easily and now my CPU temps playing games are cooler than i had idle with the stock cooler. Plus this is so much quieter, I should have not have waited so long to upgrade. Of course if i would have waited one more week i could have gotten that Deepcool for $15 AR which is $10 cheaper than my Be Quiet, but oh well.