Socket 1155 Cooler Upgrade

Chris C · 10 Nov 2017 at 14:06

I have a 3770k on a stock cooler, rather than upgrade at the moment (8700k is out of stock anyway) I was just going to overclock what I've got. What would be a good cooler to replace the stock with? It needs to fit in a Corsair 400c case so

- Cooling Layout: Front: 3 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm (1 x 140mm included), Top: 2 x 140/120mm, Rear: 1 x 120mm (included)
- Radiator Compatibility: 360mm: Front only, 280mm: Front only, 240mm: Front or Top, 120mm: Front, Top, or Rear

There seem to be lots of AIO options, but I have no idea which AIO to go for or stick with an air cooler? I doubt i'll be looking for anymore than 4.4 out of it but I don't know how hot they get.

I don't really want to spend more than £80 on a cooler but if there is a really good one I could up the budget.

ExRayTed · 10 Nov 2017 at 15:46

I'd stick with a decent air cooler to be honest. You'll still get a very good overclock, they're just as quiet and there's less to go wrong. I have the white version of this and it's been great. Keeps my 7700K at decent temps with a mild overclock (4.8)

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Alpenfohn Matterhorn Black CPU Cooler - 120mm= £46.99

Total: £55.69
(includes shipping: £8.70)

lee32uk · 10 Nov 2017 at 18:14

I prefer the Brocken 3 over the Matterhorn as it has a 140mm Wing Boost 3 fan instead of a 120mm Wing Boost 2 and is only 19dB at full speed. A few of quid cheaper too.

Corsair 400C has room for a 170mm tall cooler and the Brocken 3 is 165mm so it will fit.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Alpenfohn Brocken 3 CPU Cooler - 140mm= £42.95

Total: £51.65
(includes shipping: £8.70)

southernorth · 10 Nov 2017 at 18:16

Chris C said:
I have a 3770k on a stock cooler, rather than upgrade at the moment (8700k is out of stock anyway) I was just going to overclock what I've got. What would be a good cooler to replace the stock with? It needs to fit in a Corsair 400c case so

- Cooling Layout: Front: 3 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm (1 x 140mm included), Top: 2 x 140/120mm, Rear: 1 x 120mm (included)
- Radiator Compatibility: 360mm: Front only, 280mm: Front only, 240mm: Front or Top, 120mm: Front, Top, or Rear

There seem to be lots of AIO options, but I have no idea which AIO to go for or stick with an air cooler? I doubt i'll be looking for anymore than 4.4 out of it but I don't know how hot they get.

I don't really want to spend more than £80 on a cooler but if there is a really good one I could up the budget.

Not available on OCuk, but you can find the Bequiet Dark Rock Pro 3 for ~£50. That would be your best option for good cooling on a budget, it beats the 2 options below.

If you were sticking to OCuk:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Alpenfohn Brocken 3 CPU Cooler - 140mm= £42.95
1 x Cryorig H5 Universal Single Tower Heatsink with 140mm Fan - White Frame= £44.99

Total: £97.84
(includes shipping: £9.90)

The coolers perform similarly thermally and acoustically.

Chris C · 10 Nov 2017 at 19:22

Thanks guys, I think I'll plump for the Brocken 3 and see how that goes. I was put off the bequiet Rock Pro 3 by some of the comments about it being a pain to install and all of the good comments about the brocken.

Chris C · 13 Nov 2017 at 22:06

All arrived and installed, a quick overclock to 4.2 and it is running at 63c under full load. Does that sound about right? Room temp is 20c.
Only thing I'm concerned about is I think I used too much paste.

southernorth · 13 Nov 2017 at 22:32

Chris C said:
All arrived and installed, a quick overclock to 4.2 and it is running at 63c under full load. Does that sound about right? Room temp is 20c.
Only thing I'm concerned about is I think I used too much paste.

Yeah, 63c is a great temp for an overclock.

It's quite hard to use too much thermal paste, but how much did you use?

Pocah · 15 Nov 2017 at 11:15

The temperature is good. Those CPU's tend to run pretty hot at the best of times.
Don't worry about the paste. There is actually a pretty wide tolerance with the amount you can apply. You really don't have to be accurate at all. And it's better to have too much than too little. If you take a look at pre-applied paste, there is usually enough to cover a tennis court. The only time you should really worry is if you are using a conductive paste, then you really don't want to apply way too much.

Chris C · 15 Nov 2017 at 12:56

Great thanks. I went with the big grain of rice size, then thought that didn't look like enough and probably added the same amount again. It's a non conductive paste so I guess I'm ok!

I'm just slowly increasing the clock at the moment by 0.1 each day and stressing it when I'm not working. It's at 4.3 atm with no voltage increase, hoping to get 4.5 then call it a day