Best 240mm cpu cooler 2015

Td0g

Td0g

Td0g

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Hi I'm getting a 240mm cpu cooler.
I was originally set on getting the kraken x61 280mm cpu cooler, but some people say it will mount ok in the top of my arc midi r2, others say it won't. Anyone have experience with this? I kinda don't wanna front mount as i want to preserve air flow.
So I'm stuck with a 240mm, i was set in the h100i gtx, but some people say it has problems at the moment and is being mass rma'd.
What would be a good 240mm aio i can get to mount in the roof of my case?
Also would it be good or bad air flow to have two front 140mm fans intake and two top 120mm fans intake through the rad with only one 140mm exhaust on the back.

My other option is to front mount an x61 and have it as dual 140mm intake through the rad . And 1 140mm intake on top and 2 140 mm exhausts one back one top.
 
Td0g said:
And 1 140mm intake on top and 2 140 mm exhausts one back one top.
Click to expand...

Exhaust and intake on the same panel and beside each other just becomes an air-direction fight and hinders flow.

I have mine set up to intake (push) through a 240mm H100i on the top, and exhaust through rear 140mm. No problems. However, I also have intake 2 x 200mm (bottom and front), a 140mm on the HDD cage directly feeding the GPU, and exhaust 200mm (on the side). It's fan overkill really. I can turn a few of them off and it makes very little difference to temps. Thing is, it creates a nice positive air pressure that way thanks to more intake than exhaust and I'm finding it really does help prevent so much dust getting inside (I do have to clean the meshes/filters regularly, not a problem). Thanks to the overkill, I can also run them nice and slow and quiet.

Having also tried a H105, I prefer it to my H100i. The Nepton 240 is supposed to be good too.

Have to watch out with the H105 as it's slightly thicker. Isn't compatible in all cases/with all motherboards.
 
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Danny75 said:
Exhaust and intake on the same panel and beside each other just becomes an air-direction fight and hinders flow.

I have mine set up to intake (push) through a 240mm H100i on the top, and exhaust through rear 140mm. No problems. However, I also have intake 2 x 200mm (bottom and front), a 140mm on the HDD cage directly feeding the GPU, and exhaust 200mm (on the side). It's fan overkill really. I can turn a few of them off and it makes very little difference to temps. Thing is, it creates a nice positive air pressure that way thanks to more intake than exhaust and I'm finding it really does help prevent so much dust getting inside (I do have to clean the meshes/filters regularly, not a problem). Thanks to the overkill, I can also run them nice and slow and quiet.

Having also tried a H105, I prefer it to my H100i. The Nepton 240 is supposed to be good too.

Have to watch out with the H105 as it's slightly thicker. Isn't compatible in all cases/with all motherboards.
Click to expand...
What do you think of these two potential fan configs?
Planned config =
Fractal arc midi r2
Intake
2 x 140 front
2 x 120 top pushing through rad
Exhaust
1 x 140 classic back exhaust spot
Total =
520mm intake
140mm exhaust
Although this sounds a bit one sided, 2 intakes will be obstructed by the rad. And 1 front one by the hdd bay.
All the intakes will be obstructed by filters.
Back exhaust won't be obstructed by filters

Alt config =
Exhaust
2 x 120 rad
1 x 140 back exhaust
Intake
2 x 140 front
1 x 120 bottom
total =
Intake 400
Exhaust 380
1 front intake will be obstructed by hdd
2 exhaust will be obstructed by rad
Every fan apart from back exhaust obstructed by filters

My case has lots of holes for airflow in the back and bottom, so im leaning towards the first config. Although it's very heavy on the positive pressure, i think the air will find a way out through all the case vents
 
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Td0g said:
im leaning towards the first config. Although it's very heavy on the positive pressure, i think the air will find a way out through all the case vents
Click to expand...

Same here. Yet there are so many factors involved that it wouldn't hurt to test the other way as well, and see what works out best. But yeah first one is what sounds good for how I normally like things.
 
Danny75 said:
Same here. Yet there are so many factors involved that it wouldn't hurt to test the other way as well, and see what works out best. But yeah first one is what sounds good for how I normally like things.
Click to expand...

cheers for the feedback, I think it is probably the best option, the arc midi has lots of ventilation in it, so i dont think a heavy positive pressure can be an issue,
Thanks again
 
Td0g said:
Hi I'm getting a 240mm cpu cooler.
Click to expand...

Td0g said:
I was originally set on getting the kraken x61 280mm cpu cooler, but some people say it will mount ok in the top of my arc midi r2, others say it won't.
Click to expand...

Td0g said:
i was set in the h100i gtx, but some people say it has problems at the moment and is being mass rma'd.
Click to expand...

I know this isn't really what you were asking, but have you considered the Noctua NH-D15 or Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro air coolers? they perform just as well as a 240mm AIO (better at idle) while costing less and being more reliable.
 
If it really has to be an AIO then I think Fractal's Kelvin range is about the best of the bunch at the minute, I think their 240mm is called the Kelvin S24.
 
ubersonic said:
I know this isn't really what you were asking, but have you considered the Noctua NH-D15 or Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro air coolers? they perform just as well as a 240mm AIO (better at idle) while costing less and being more reliable.
Click to expand...

Hi,
I was initially wanting to get the nh d15.
But i have trident x ram 2666mhz with tall heat spreaders. I don't think the nh d15 will fit in my arc midi r2 as the tall ram will force me to move the fan up, in which case there is no room. I don't want to run it in a pull config, as it will compromise performance.
I could remove the removable top fin of my heat spreader, but im worried about temps. My ram came with a cooler fan im not using and a big heatsink would mean i defo couldn't use my ram cooler or heatspreader fins. Id worry my ram would get too hot as its 1.65v 2666mhz.
Whats your opinion, would the ram be ok without the heatspreader top fin and fan? Im currently not using the fan (not sure if i should be).

Im also tempted by aios as they put less strain on the mobo. The noctua an be quiet you mentioned seem too big and heavy to mount on a pcb with no external support, even my 212 evo worries me.
Also the aios look leave more room in the case. And look a bit better. But I'm for performance and practicality over looks ultimately. But the extra case room is practical.
Supposedly air is quieter. And has no risk of leaking so is a lot better in the respect as i can relax without worrying about leak potential.
Either way im a bit confused as what to do, hopefully you can advise.
Thanks for reading and the input
 
It seems to come down to:
1.
- Performance air cooler
- no top heat fin
- no ram fan
Pros:
- quieter
- less stuff that can go wrong/ break
- less blingy
Cons:
- ram overheating? (not sure if all the cooling is needed on the ram)
- case dominanted by heat sink, limited options with ram

OR

2.
- h100i gtx
- ram top fin fitted
- ram fan cooler fitted
Pros:
- cooler
- blingy
- cleaner less cluttered case not dominanted by huge heatsink. More freedom on ram choice
Cons:
- louder (pump, ram fan potentially whiny)
- more stuff that can break (pump break, hose leak, ram fan falling an shorting components) the ram fan doesnt seem to fit well

As you can see i cant figure out whether i want bling or not lol.
Either way that's how i see it, sorry to ramble, im thinking aloud. Hopefully you guys can help me decide and tip me one way or the other
 
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Option 3: Get the Raijintek Triton Core, I've got one working excellently (with as couple of case fans!).

Quiet (pump is silent @ 3000rpm unless you put your ear right next to it) and really efficient.

Source? I'm running one!
 
I have an AIO and tbh a big concern for me was leaking. The things looks very safe and I'm confident it won't leak. Think it's a h55 or something small.

The pump is the noisiest thing in my case. When everything is running low noise. It's not particularly noisy but it's overheard over everything else at silent.

Also I find it is easier to control dust on an AIO rather than a big heat sink.
 
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