Air Cooler advice/help

miseryguts

miseryguts

miseryguts

Associate
Joined
21 Sep 2011
Posts
119
Location
Workington, Cumbria
I'm planning on buying something soon for my system as it's often rebooting whilst I'm gaming, after asking around on forums/friends it appears that the current cooler i have installed is inadequate (i inherited the rig) for my overclocked i7 920 (average idle temps 44-50c) it doesn't have any markings on it, but is pretty small compared to many i have seen.

I have a budget of £60 and am looking for something that would solve my overheating/rebooting & perhaps let me overclock a little further, it's going in a CoolerMaster CM690 Dominator case & there is a HD 5870 card in there (enough room?) & a 850w power supply.. also, are there any special things to be aware of (is it complicated?) when removing/replacing as I'm pretty new to upgrading etc.

Thanks.

EDIT:

Can anyone tell me if the Noctua NH-D14 would be OK with my motherboard: Gigabyte X58A-UD3R & would i theoretically be able to reach a stable 4/4.2GHz overclock with this coolers help..? I'm currently at 3.45 which is relatively stable, but my system has a tendancy to reboot when running demanding games like Skyrim, Battlefield 3 etc
 
Last edited:
What type of ram are you using, low profile or high heatfin/pipe sticks. If low profile, i can highly reccomend this.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-020-AL&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395

If using high profile ram, this is also very good.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-020-AL&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395

Albeit, those fans supplied with the vx arent the greatest. Removing and replacing the cooler is pretty straight forward, if you run into any issues dont hesitate to ask on here. We'll be glad to offer any help/advice.
 
setter said:
What type of ram are you using, low profile or high heatfin/pipe sticks. If low profile, i can highly reccomend this.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-020-AL&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395

If using high profile ram, this is also very good.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-020-AL&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395

Albeit, those fans supplied with the vx arent the greatest. Removing and replacing the cooler is pretty straight forward, if you run into any issues dont hesitate to ask on here. We'll be glad to offer any help/advice.
Click to expand...

I'm ashamed to admit that I don't know what type of ram I'm using (hey everyone's got to start somewhere) Is there any way i can find out without opening the case & if not what am i looking for..?
Oh & many thanks for the reply

EDIT:

A few people have recommended the: Noctua NH-D14 thoughts..?
 
Last edited:
miseryguts said:
I'm ashamed to admit that I don't know what type of ram I'm using (hey everyone's got to start somewhere) Is there any way i can find out without opening the case & if not what am i looking for..?
Oh & many thanks for the reply

EDIT:

A few people have recommended this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Noctua-NH-D...nium/dp/B002VKVZ1A/ref=tag_dpp_lp_edpp_ttl_in thoughts..?
Click to expand...
Low profile ram looks like this.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-297-CS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1392

High profile ram is like this.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-302-CS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1387

The noctua is a good cooler as well, though youd best edit out the competitor link youve posted.
 
Last edited:
setter said:
Low profile ram looks like this.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-020-AL&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395

High profile ram is like this.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-302-CS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1387

The noctua is a good cooler as well, though youd best edit out the competitor link youve posted.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but the links are the same as in your previous post, apologies didn't occur about the outside link, now fixed.
 
Last edited:
setter said:
Low profile ram looks like this.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-094-KS

High profile ram is like this.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-302-CS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1387

The noctua is a good cooler as well, though youd best edit out the competitor link youve posted.
Click to expand...

Changed the Low profile ram link, was linking to the Alpenföhn K2.

I can vouch for the Noctua N-DH14. Absolute beast of a cooler, although it's huge and can cause some problems with access of parts. But, all in all, it is one of the best air coolers on the market though.
 
The K2 is just as good as the Noctua NH-D14 and the Thermalright Silver Arrow but since the K2 is also priced under £60, that's the one I'd go with.
 
Post edited, thanks for pointing that out Chrisbes.:)

Fans are a lot better looking on the k2 as well, though this is a personal thing i suppose.
 
My decision is most probably going to be based on ease of installation (any advice here would be much appreciated) the thought of removing & replacing components and/or the motherboard fills me with absolute dread and is the reason i haven't done this before now.
 
depends on voltages/oc too,you might be able to reduce voltages and temps a little,plus some good quality thermal paste like mx4 would help
 
They're all fairly similar to fit. You screw a backplate into the motherboard and then attach the heatsink and fan on the pins coming through the board. It's probably the most difficult bit to fit but don't let that scare you. It's just requires care and space.

If you can fit it then you can be safe in the knowledge that you can pretty much build a PC from a box of bits :)
 
The noctua mounting system is a plate on the back of the motherboard which screw over the mounting bracket with two smaller curved peices of metal, then the heatsink screws onto those two metal supports. So you can take the cooler off without having to remove the backplate. Due to this, the screws have a maximum screw in distance to make sure you've secured it tight enough, but not too tight.

I can get some pictures if you want as i'm going to reseat it.
 
Chrisbes said:
The noctua mounting system is a plate on the back of the motherboard which screw over the mounting bracket with two smaller curved peices of metal, then the heatsink screws onto those two metal supports. So you can take the cooler off without having to remove the backplate. Due to this, the screws have a maximum screw in distance to make sure you've secured it tight enough, but not too tight.

I can get some pictures if you want as i'm going to reseat it.
Click to expand...


That may be helpful, thanks.. I'm beginning to realise that I'm probably going to have to remove the Motherboard & that scares the life out of me, If finances weren't so tight at the moment I would be having it installed at a shop, even though I realise you're literally throwing money away.. that's how terrified I am of permanently screwing things up by going the DIY route.
 
^^ Don't be. Just take your time and do lots of reading and watching videos on youtube there are tons and tons of them on there about fitting coolers and stuff.

The best to do is not panic, take your time and if you are not sure stop and ask us lot here :D

Stoner81.
 
I agree with the taking your time part, just plan a good time to do the upgrade, don't get over exited and end up trying to rush the job to see the results.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom