Cooling Suggestions for i7 3930

Plopper

Plopper

Plopper

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18 Dec 2012
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Hi guys, my first post here on this great site.

Me and my nephew are about to build me a new PC, we have the case and the memory so far, and I know what I'm going to fill it with except i can't make my mind up on what cooling to go for.

To start with I will NOT be overclocking anything until I get used to the new rid and then see how I feel with the speed I have.

Here is what I have got and hope to get in the next month or two.

Case: Cooler Master CM-690 II Advanced
PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 2 720w '80 Plus Bronze'
Mobo: Asus X79 Sabertooth Intel X79
CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 680 WindForce 3 or 5x SOC
Mem: Samsung green 2x4 GB


So this is my question, what would be the best AIR cooling system for my setup to keep it as cool as possible on stock. I'm not too bothered how much it costs as long as it doesn't go much over £100.
 
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These lot are particularly suited as they have large contact plates with SB-E chips in mind.
Before you buy anything though, we need to know what exact ram you're using as it could affect clearance.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E SE CPU Cooler TY-143 Fans (Socket 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £69.98
1 x Phanteks PH-TC14PE CPU Cooler - Silver (Socket 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £66.98
1 x Thermalright Silver Arrow SB E Extreme CPU Cooler TY-143 Fans (Socket 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £64.99
1 x Alpenföhn K2 Mount Doom CPU Cooler (Socket 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £59.99
1 x Noctua NH-D14-2011 Dual Radiator CPU Cooler with PWM Fans (Socket LGA2011) £59.99
1 x Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E CPU Cooler (Socket 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £58.79
Total : £380.72 (includes shipping : FREE).



Edit: On a side note, £5.99 for these!? Awesome!

YOUR BASKET
1 x Thermalright TY-147 140mm Case Fan - 120mm Mount - Silent £5.99
Total : £5.99 (includes shipping : FREE).

 
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Need to know how tall your RAM is to be sure cooler and/or fans will fit in your case.

There are a few more twin towers Petey didn't include:
BeQuiete Dark Knight Pro 2 £61.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-005-BQ&groupid=701&catid=2330&subcat=2340

Silverstone Heligon SST-HE01 £62.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-005-SV&groupid=701&catid=2330&subcat=2351


And the deal of the day is:
BeQuiet Dark Knight Pro 2 B-Grade £28.00
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BG-027-BQ&groupid=595&catid=678&subcat=


There are also many extremely good single tower coolers.
 
doyll said:
Need to know how tall your RAM is to be sure cooler and/or fans will fit in your case.

There are a few more twin towers Petey didn't include:
BeQuiete Dark Knight Pro 2 £61.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-005-BQ&groupid=701&catid=2330&subcat=2340

Silverstone Heligon SST-HE01 £62.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-005-SV&groupid=701&catid=2330&subcat=2351


And the deal of the day is:
BeQuiet Dark Knight Pro 2 B-Grade £28.00
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BG-027-BQ&groupid=595&catid=678&subcat=


There are also many extremely good single tower coolers.
Click to expand...

advise against the bequiet cooler, alltho it looks the nads and performs pretty well the mounting system consisting of a few bits of mecano and some screws is possibly the worst thing ive ever had the misfortune to use.

you need an enginerring degree and blind luck to assemble the thing
 
NoobCannon said:
advise against the bequiet cooler, alltho it looks the nads and performs pretty well the mounting system consisting of a few bits of mecano and some screws is possibly the worst thing ive ever had the misfortune to use.

you need an enginerring degree and blind luck to assemble the thing
Click to expand...

What other coolers have you installed?

It does require motherboard being out of case to install, and I haven't installed one. I downloaded and read the instructions, looked at the pictures, read a couple of reviews and it looks similar to others I have installed.
 
ive installed everything from custom water [now] thru aio water to air coolers and that was the hardest one ive had to install, the bracket comes in peices and you need 10 hands and luck to hold the cooler, the bracket the screwdriver and the screw in place while you attach it all [upside down]
 
WOW guys, thanx for all the cool ideas and pointers.

My Nephew has got back to me and said it's Samsung Green 2x4 GB memory, and I have updated the first post to reflect!
 
If you want the best, then it's Phanteks or Silver arrow (SBE-Extreme if you think you'll need silly fast fans). Closely followed by the K2/D14.

Either way, they're all very good. You may as well pick the one that looks nicest to you if you don't care about the potential +/-1-3°C :)
 
Uncle Petey said:
If you want the best, then it's Phanteks or Silver arrow (SBE-Extreme if you think you'll need silly fast fans). Closely followed by the K2/D14.

Either way, they're all very good. You may as well pick the one that looks nicest to you if you don't care about the potential +/-1-3°C :)
Click to expand...

Well that was going to be my next question if I may, which would you guys say would be the quietest for the best cooling effect?
 
OK one last question for now, if I did want to go liquid cooled, firstly would something like the Corsair Hydro H100i actually fit in the case we have with all the other bits we plan, and secondly if it does, would it be any quieter or drastically cooler?
 
You will want 4 sticks of RAM not 2.
X79 is quad channel.

It can run with 2 but you don't buy X79 to run dual channel.
 
For a budget of around the £100 mark, it's probably best to go with watercooling.

I opted for watercooling due to getting a 3930K. Decent air coolers are so expensive compared to watercooling loops.

Overclockers sell watercooling kits that would be more than enough for your 3930K for around the £130 mark which would make much more sense than spending out on a high end air cooler and fans to go with it.

It then gives you a large amount of room to account for good overclocks when you get around to it, because running a 3930K at stock is a waste. I've got mine running at 4.6Ghz.
 
Uncle Petey said:
Silver Arrow. Not much in it though.
Click to expand...

OK Uncle P, another quick question if I may. Of the three Silver Arrows you list, what is the relative differences?

I know that the original one is quietest and that the extreme can be noisy under heavy load/high speed, but do they for the most part perform the same at low to medium use. Also will the newest TY 143 fan version be more or less noisy than the Extreme?
 
I'll do me best. I'm sure doyll can fill in any gaps :D

SB-E has 140 + 150mm fans
SB-E SE Has two 140mm fans in nicer colours :D
SB-E Extreme has two very fast 140mm fans

They'll all do the same thing up to 1300rpm.
The Extreme will go up to 2500rpm if you really need to (and you probably won't, unless it's for fun/curiosity). It'll be loud at that speed, but whether it gets to that speed is down to your settings or temps.
At up to 1300rpm it won't be any noisier than the others.

Me? I'd go the SB-E SE as it's the best all-rounder in terms of clearance, noise and looks imo. Unless you have a red or beige theme of course.
 
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