Choosing the right CPU cooler...

EddyFast · 27 Apr 2012 at 11:56

Hi Guys,

I have a question about CPU coolers, in particular the monster air coolers that are available these days such as the Alpenföhn K2 and the Phanteks PH-TC14CS which have both had rave reviews on Vortez...

I have recently purchased some Crucial Ballistix Elite 8GB 1866MHz memory which is pretty hefty in terms of height. Would these coolers fit on a MSI Z77 GD65 MB with 4 of these sticks?

If not, could you recommend a decent air cooler that would?

Thanks very much!

Helios1234 · 27 Apr 2012 at 12:18

They won't fit. Some good coolers would be the Thermalright VX or the Thermalrigh TRUE Spirit 140.

j.col · 27 Apr 2012 at 20:40

To OP, follow Helios's advice, he knows everything there is to know about air coolers

EddyFast · 27 Apr 2012 at 21:51

Thanks guys. Yes the Thermalright TRUE Spirit 140 looks great and got excellent reviews. Is it worth buying any extra (better?) thermal paste or is the one that comes with it good enough? This is going my my new IB build which I plan on OC a bit but nothing too crazy. Looking at some reviews, I think this cooler can handle that?

Thanks again

Helios1234 · 27 Apr 2012 at 22:32

j.col said:
To OP, follow Helios's advice, he knows everything there is to know about air coolers

EddyFast said:
Thanks guys. Yes the Thermalright TRUE Spirit 140 looks great and got excellent reviews. Is it worth buying any extra (better?) thermal paste or is the one that comes with it good enough? This is going my my new IB build which I plan on OC a bit but nothing too crazy. Looking at some reviews, I think this cooler can handle that?

Thanks again

It comes with a small sachet of thermal paste rather than a tube so it might be worth buying a separate tube of Thermalright Chill Factor III. It's easier to apply it from a tube and to store it as well. One thing to be wary of is that the TRUE Spirit is 170mm tall, a bit like the Thermalright Archon (tall and narrow for memory compatibility) so make sure it fits in your case. Otherwise, the VX is also very good.