Best LGA1366 Coolers

Ph4lanx

Ph4lanx

Ph4lanx

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474
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Currently I'm running a Noctua NH-D14 cooler, and my idle temps are around the 36 degree mark on idle.

I've reseated the cooler multiple times and I just can't seem to get the temperatures any lower. I want to OC my i7 920 but I just don't feel I can trust this cooler, so I was looking into other coolers and was considering a few such as the Corsair H70 or the Thermaltake Frio which have both come out recently and performed well in tests.

I was wondering what your opinions were on a decent cooler, as I want to get a nice low temp before I start fiddling with those settings ;)
 
You currenty own the best 1366 air cooler, 36c at idle is grand. The H50/H70 are on a par with high end air coolers, main benefit is that they take up less room and arent as apt to block ram slots.
 
Really? I've seen lower temperatures which is why I reseated it so many times. Perhaps the stock fans should be replaced then? Or am I missing something else?
 
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One of the fans on the NH-D14 is 140mm rather than 120mm. Would it be OK to replace that with a 120? Would it fit properly?
 
Ph4lanx said:
Really? I've seen lower temperatures which is why I reseated it so many times. Perhaps the stock fans should be replaced then? Or am I missing something else?
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Please bear in mind that CPU temperatures are affected greatly by ambient temperature. If you are sitting in a cold room with the window open and a big fleece on then your CPU temperatures are likely to be a bit cooler than a guy in a T shirt in a room with the central heating on high.

This could go a long way to explain the difference. As it stands, 36 degrees is very good for an idle i7 - but the real test is the temperature it hits at 100% load in Prime95/OCCT/IBT.
 
As above, case cooling and ambient temperature will effect temps but loads are the ones to keep an eye on, my rig currently at stock idles at, 30-24-30-25, under load it hits 51-47-51-47. When running at 4ghz i can see increases in idles of 11c per core and at load upto 25c.
 
As said, the Noctua is an excellent cooler. Don't worry too much about idle temps as it will reflect more on ambient temperatures and other factors. Load it and see what the temperatures are.
 
Well I'm going to replace the fans I think. I'm looking at Gentle Typhoons or SWIF2-120P's at the moment.

Also, what TIM do you guys recommend? I'm using AS5 at the moment but I see MX-3 and PK-1 are quite popular.
 
MX-3 is my prefereed choice theese days, no cure time unlike AS-5, non conductive and ive seen a drop of 3c from using it, little bit harder to spread out than AS-5 but id highly reccomend it. Thermalrights latest chill factor is supposed to be good as well.
 
The only way u will get lower idle temps is running custom water, even then the idle temps are not massively lower.

As its been said, u have the best air cooler money can buy, and the idle temps are normal.

If u take a read here this person has the same cooler, and his load temps are generally low 70's under load conditions, bare in mind he has to use a high vcore for his chip, so your temps may be better, all depends on vcore needed. Also you are comfortably safe upto 80+c on the cores.

His cooler is using the standard fans that came with it.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=17268242&postcount=47
 
Ah, so you spread your TIM rather than let the pressure from the fitting do the work? How do you do it? Grain of rice and spread with finger?
 
With MX3 I strongly suggest you do the rice grain method and let the heatsink spread it out. MX3 spreads well this way (more than AS5) and prevents any air bubbles. In my experience, spreading MX3 is a pain.
 
Ph4lanx said:
Ah, so you spread your TIM rather than let the pressure from the fitting do the work? How do you do it? Grain of rice and spread with finger?
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I tend to spread it using a piece of cling film over the end of my finger, (rice drop) only do this as it seems to work slightly better with my lapped heatsink.
 
Helios1234 said:
The SWiF2-120Ps won't have a significant impact on temperatures: http://www.vortez.co.uk/contentteller/articles_pages/noctua_nh_d14_cpu_cooler_review,8.html

As for thermal paste, I'm finding Thermalright's ChillFactor II/III to be better than the ones you mentioned so go with that.
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You wrote on the "Update III" bit that they are good. Or was that with a very minor difference? Would the GTs be a better choice perhaps?

Also, thanks for the TIM recommendation. Not even heard of that one :)
 
You don't have to change the fans, the ones that come with it are good enough, get the thing loaded up, and see for yourself. If adding other fans to it ur just gonna be increasing noise. The fans that come with it, do the job, and are quiet.
 
bifday2k said:
You don't have to change the fans, the ones that come with it are good enough, get the thing loaded up, and see for yourself. If adding other fans to it ur just gonna be increasing noise. The fans that come with it, do the job, and are quiet.
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I noticed they're not PWM, which grates with me slightly. Not sure. Hmmm...
 
Ph4lanx said:
You wrote on the "Update III" bit that they are good. Or was that with a very minor difference? Would the GTs be a better choice perhaps?

Also, thanks for the TIM recommendation. Not even heard of that one :)
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The Coolinks are good fans and do provide some gains, but not worth another £20 on top. It was mostly for comparison really, not something I'd suggest doing.

Although the fans do not have PWM functionality, they are bundled with the low noise adapters but the stock fans aren't that loud at normal speed.

Try loading the CPU and see what kind of temps you're getting. :)
 
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