Coolermaster Hyper 212 - Bast "bang for buck" cooler?

Soldato
Joined
31 May 2005
Posts
15,640
Location
Nottingham
Will used for overclocking a 4770k.

Also, I see there is a "Plus" and an "Evo" model, what are the differences please?

Thanks.
 
Last edited:
The 212 was at one time a good value cooler, but now there are many others as good or better for same or less money.

If you plan serious overclocking get something better, and be sure your case can and is flowing the cool air need for CPU and GPU which means it is exhausting their heated air without it heating up the cool air going to them. ;)
 
What would you recommend then?

Case is a Fractal Designs R4.

More interested in "bang for buck" so £100 is fine BUT not just spend £100 on a closed loop system "just because".

Noctua worth a shout?
 
Last edited:
Bang for buck is Scythe, I have a Mugen Max which was £40 and cools better than the Be Quiet TFU and Dark Rock 2 before it

Scythe Kotetsu is even bigger bang for buck and cheaper
 
Matterhorn Pure is definitely a good cooler! I have recommended it often and so many others. Don't know of anyone who complained about their performance.
 
The difference in performance is minimal. Even the actual readings are very close. When we allow for 1.5-2.5c margin of error they are almost identical.
Mugen Max 72.1c & 31dB
Mugen 4 73.3c & 33dB
Brocken 74.5c & 25dB
Matterhorn 75.1 @ 34dB​

By comparison Cryorig R1 Ultimate is 71.3c & 32dB and NH-D15 is 69.4c & 24dB* ??

* I doubt this 24dB working airflow dB. Working airflow dB is always louder than free airflow dB.
R1 Ultimate fans are rated 24dB free airflow
NH-D15 fans are rated 24.5dB free airflow
Mugen 4 fan is rated 28dB free airflow​

Prolimatech Megahalems and Basic 81 are basically the same. Basic 81 is just more 'basic' and more economical model. ;)
 
Thanks guys.

I am considering the Noctua NH-D15, seems a good shout?

Anything better value/performance wise?

The sealed loop AIO coolers seem overpriced to me?
 
Thanks guys.

I am considering the Noctua NH-D15, seems a good shout?

Anything better value/performance wise?

The sealed loop AIO coolers seem overpriced to me?

NH-D15, PH-TC14PE Cryorig R1, Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E & IB-E, Dark Rock Pro III and a few others all have basically the same coolng and sound levels. While I have not been able to get one and test it myself, if reviews are accurate (often they are not) the new Alpenfohn Olymp reviews show it to be 1-3c better. 1c means nothing, 2c MAY be marginally better, but 3c shows a tread of being better.
With Olymp costing £59.99, 10 quid less than other similar coolers it appears the best choice.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/alpe...h-performance-cpu-cooler-140mm-hs-054-al.html

But like I said, I have not used or tested it. It's too bad OcUK do not carry Thermalright and Cryorig. :(

Yes the Noctua NH-D15 is supposed to be a decent improvement on the D14 and one of the top high end air coolers. You might also want to look at the Alpenfohn Olymp as it's in the same price bracket as the Noctua, which I can vouch for being quiet, sturdy, relatively easy to assemble, and provides plenty of cooling ability:

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/alpe...h-performance-cpu-cooler-140mm-hs-054-al.html
I do not agree. The D14 performance is near identical to D15 with same fans, and even stock it is only 2-3c less at most .. hardly a 'decent improvement' in my book. Reviewers were kinda trapped into saying D15 is better than D14 to stay on Noctua's 'free test sample side'. Sad, but that's now it works. :p

And as I posted about Olymp is £10.00 less .. to me that's a £10.00 lower price bracket. :D
 
Last edited:
The D14 and D15 are sold as a combination of a heat-sink plus fans, so given that difference and the fact you're getting two 140mm fans rather than one 120mm and one 140mm fan (which I've read may have limited the D14's cooling ability) I think it is a decent improvement.

Either way, agreed the Olymp is a great option, and a tenner less probably does put it into a slightly lower though still high end price bracket (even more so when it was only £50 the other week!)
 
The fans A15 fans supplied on D15 are higher airflow as well. At 1500rpm they are 300rpm faster than the accessorie A15 fan. Depending on what review you see them compared in (and there are not many) D15 w/ it's A15 fans is 3c at best better than D14. Add the PCIe interference issues, finpack clearing RAM, but often fan will not fit between top of RAM and case .. and to me it was a wasted effort on Noctua's part. At the very least they should have skipped the D15 and gone straight to the D15S. Same finpacks with offset heatpipes.

Indeed, £50 was a real bargain!
 
So, if a budget of £70, what would be the best choice?

I want to push this 4770K as far as it will go.

Thanks.
 
Last edited:
So, if a budget of £70, what would be the best choice?

I want to push this 4770K as far as it will go.

Thanks.
From what I've been able to find out the Olymp is best value. Next would be PH-TC14PE, NH-D15, Silver Arrow IB-E or SB-E, Dark Rock Pro 3, R2 Ultimate or Universal, etc. All have near identical performance except DRP3 which is quieter but a couple degrees warmer to be quieter. They are all so close it's pretty much which one you like the looks of best in your price range. Don't let your money burn a hole in your pocket. Only spend what you need to and save the rest.
 
Thank you for the info.

To be honest, of course I want to spend as little as possible BUT, I want to spend as much as needed to get the job done well, if that makes sense without sounding contradictory?

Most reviews I see of the Olymp are in German but one I read said it was better suited to smaller rigs.

The Noctua NH-D15S seems a nice cooler?
 
Last edited:
It does. If you are not going to do serious / crazy overclocking and are not to sound / noise worried, something in the £27-35 range will do you just fine. Matterhorn, Basic 61, Mugen, Pure Rock are all as good or better than 212 you originally asked about. I think of a cooler as a long term investment to be used for many many years on several different builds. My systems have everything for the very best down to original Thermalright Ultra 120(similar to TRUE 120 & 212) All do a great job and are quiet. That said, the bigger coolers are usually a little quieter. Not because they are designed to be quiet, but because the can get rid of more heat with less airflow / air speed. Less airflow means less fan speed means lower sound level. But that is only the CPU cooler. The caseand GPU are still making sound, .. and when things start to be quiet the hdds sounds can become annoying .. and when their noise is resolved there will be something else to hear .. there is always something making noise. :D .
 
If I can, I want to get 4.4 or more from the 4770K, that would be a heavy overclock I assume?

I thought the 212 Evo would be fine but looking around, I want a better cooler.
 
Back
Top Bottom