Corsair H50 Questions

SoildSnake

SoildSnake

SoildSnake

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Hi guys, i am strongly considering getting this cooler for my PC;

antec p182 super midi tower case
BGF 8800GT graphics card
4GB OCZ 1066 Reaper HPC, DC RAM (updating to 8GB)
Abit IN932X-Max motherboard
2.4GHz intel quad core pro Q6600 95W processor

1) I am looking for a simple but effective product that require no maintenance, but i hate the noise of CPU fans, since i watch a lot of TV through my PC. However i also intend on over clocking the processor, only to 3.0 or maybe 3.2 in the future; is this product a good go between for minimal over clocking, low noise and easy of use?

2) Secondly would this fit in my case? I am thinking of having it opposite the power unit at the bottom, where the hard drives should be i think / where would you advise to place it?

3) Noob question i know but how should i go about over clocking the CPU, i only ask because someone told me that it will differ based on specs of the PC? Do i need to up the voltage as well as the GHz?

Thanks for all your help
 
1) Yes

3) If you're looking for minimal overclocking only you should keep the voltages at stock. (Make sure to set them yourself to what they are currently, because the BIOS usually overshoots it).

Other than that upping the FSB is what you want to do.
 
Welcome to the forums

1/ There's a distinction between requiring no maintainence, and it not being possible to maintain the item. The H50 is certainly the latter, with luck yours wont be one of the few that leaks, and you can rely on hassle free service for the life of the warranty. It does of course use fans, and can be expected to make every bit as much noise as a good air cooler, since it tends to use the same fans.

2/ Yes, but you'll probably need the radiator closer to the cpu than that. Most people mount it over the 120mm fan right next to the cpu. The tubes on it aren't especially long so I don't think it'll fit in the base.

3/ Ideally by finding a guide online which discusses your processor and your motherboard, and a thread on stability testing. The stickies here are an excellent place to start. Processor speed will go up for a while on voltages set to stock (not auto), but eventually will become unstable and voltages will need to be changed. How many voltages, and how carefully you must choose the settings, depends on how fast you want it to go. Fairly good chance of 3ghz at stock voltages.

Essentially it's not (realistically) possible to describe in detail how to overclock a system to someone who doesn't know what any of the words mean, so if you read some of the guides, have a bit of a play with the bios, then come back with specific questions we can be much more useful. Probably take a few hours of reading for you to find your feet.

Cheers
 
1) Is the h50 prone to leaks or something?

2) I currently use the arctic cooling freezer pro 7, lga775, would you recommend forgetting the h50 and getting a new air cooler; if so which one? Is the noise really going to be the same?

Thanks for the quick replies!
 
1/ No, but if it does leak, you can't fix it. Inevitably some will leak. Be lucky

2/ A better cooler will achieve the same temperatures with less noise, or better temperatures with the same noise, or a bit better temps and a bit quieter. You get the idea. A H50 can be expected to perform almost identically to the big heatsinks. It outperforms them if the airflow over the cpu socket is poor, as it can be used effectively as an intake whereas heatsinks have to rely on fresh air getting to them through the case.

Some people say the H50 is very quiet. Others say it vibrates the case and annoys the hell out of them. It's quite a subjective question. It should do significantly better than your freezer pro, but then so would a better heatsink. H50 vs heatsink is a much argued question on here.

Here is a particularly easy to find discussion on the topic. It's fairly rational so far.
 
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I just found out from this review that you have to have a fan blowing cool air onto it; i.e. you have to turn the fan from the back of the PC around. Is this true / doesn't this cause a big increase in overall system temerature?

http://www.guru3d.com/article/corsair-h50-cpu-cooler-review/

Also i am considering non-water cooling; which would people recommend (LGA775) that are super quite and would allow me to over clock from 2.4 to say 2.8 or 3.0. Note that quitness is more important; so if it is super quite im happy to only over clock to 2.6

Thanks
 
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I thought that at first but then its really not much different than having an air cooler.

The air coming into the case from the radiator is "cooler" (although granted slightly above ambient) than the case air typically being shoved around by a big fat Tuniq Tower air cooler or equivalent. Additionally the cpu water block isn't as hot as a normal HS, so doesn't heat up the case air so much. In all I would say its close to even-stevens. At least I now have positive pressure which will force warm air out of my case anyway.

Having said that, I have been considering the option of modding my case to put a top blow-hole to vent hot air externally if I need to, at the moment at least I don't!

Some people have mounted it with the fans venting through the radiator to the outside, I'm afraid I don't remember the outcomes of that setup. I can't imagine its as good for cpu temps, because you would be passing "warm" case air over the rad fins which won't provide as much thermal gradient to the coolant inside.

I suppose ultimately its down to the airflow in your particular case setup. I have an Antec Sonata II btw.

EDIT: in my case the hottest air inside the case is from my NB HS and Graphics card.
 
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My second thoughts are that i use this pc for work and cannot afford to have water-cooling related issues / plus peace of mind, i am already having nightmares about water spraying everywhere and i haven't even bought the thing!

With this in mind a slightly noisier PC will actually be better for me!

What if i use these two products; would i get a low noise and still be able to oc to 2.6 from 2.4?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-046-ZA

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FG-057-AK

How much quieter would it be than my arctic cooling freezer pro 7?

Also note i have about a 1Cm gap from the arctic and my RAM, would the other two products fit or can i place the fan on the other side next tot he rear of the case to pull air across it rather than push?

May be this could be of use to you? http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SY-000-GE&tool=3

Thanks again for all your help
 
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I think i am getting the ThermoLab Baram CPU Coolerair based heat sink and use the Apache Black Super Silent 120mm Fan, what do people think how quite would it be? Will this fit, it seems like it will hit the heat sink on the mobo, which is the abit IN9 32X, or cover a ram slot? thanks
 
I have a H50 fitted in P182 with no issue fitting it at all. The only problem i found was the overall mb temp went up. I remedied this with a couple of spot fans i had. I also used the fan i took off the back and put it in the front to vent the warm air.

My Q6600 is overclocked to 3.4ghz at the moment on auto voltage and i get idle temps of between 26c and 30c depending on the room temps and have hit 60c when priming for 4hrs.(my room can be v cool at times)

As for sound volume, mine is now a lot quieter than when fitted with the arctic pro7, which is a jet plane taking off in comparison.

Cal.
 
How the H50 performs depends entirely on the airflow. In a normal case having a fan blow out of the case means you are blowing warm case air through the H50 rad.

My own rig is built in the SilverStone RV02, which uses the quirky motherboard design, with rear of the motherboard pointing upwards. My H50 rad is sandwiched between two fans in a push/pull which blows are out of the top of the case. Below are 3 huge fans bringing in cold air from outside the case and straight up to the top. My H50 rad is almost completely in-line with one of the big floor fans and there is only the RAM to heat up the air as it is going by.

My i7 is at 4.2GHz @ 1.375V [ish] and my H50 keeps it at 82-83 degrees while running IntelBurnTest at Maximum setting. So yeah, I think it does a great job and with minimal noise.
 
I have the P183 and am thinking about the H50 as well. I wouldn't fit it in the bottom of the case as its a separate partition from the main chamber where the cpu sits - I'm thinking about taking out the stock fan on the side of the case and fitting the radiator and fan there.
 
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