Top Air Cpu Cooler

sgtmoody87

sgtmoody87

sgtmoody87

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Ok so in a previous thread I was recommended an Alphenfohn Matterhorn Pure Edition Cooler.
I have 2 things about this cooler.
1) I have never heard of this brand before
2) It just looks like an average nothing special cooler.

In my new build I'm getting an Intel Core I5-3570k 3.4ghz cpu and would like to do some over clocking without the hassle of water-cooling.

After some searching around I found 2 names that kept popping up:
Spire Thermax Eclipse II
Noctua NH-D14

Should I get either of these two coolers?
Should I think of getting the Matterhorn?
What other Coolers should I look at?

Computer's Use: Gaming, Rendering/Recording Video
Budget: Any
 
The Matterhorn pure is an average nothing-special cooler. But it's a great price-performance.

If you want the best without the fuss, the H100 would probably yield the best result, at the expense of noise at least with stock fans. Good fans for it are the new Noctua NF-F12, gentle typhoons, that sort of thing. Can probably even go push pull in the Haf X.

If you want a air cooler, you should really be looking at the SilverArrow SB-E, NH-D14, Phantek PH-TC14PE.

If you do some encoding / rendering, why not a i7?
 
Only part time rendering and when I do only small size files so not really worth it. Thanks for the suggestions will look into it :)
 
It depends how far you want to overclock, knowing the caveats with the 3570K. If it's only up to say, 4.4GHz, the Matterhorn will do. If you want to go higher, phantek / SilverArrow / H100. However you won't be able to push much higher. Little gains really. So you might as well just go with the Matterhorn and go for 4.2, 4.4GHz, or if you are lucky, 4.6GHz. A big air cooler / H100 should give you over 4.6, but not massively (under 5GHz).
 
I was going to ask a similar question do figured I'd post in here, I can't find a direct comparison of a lot of coolers, but the noctua d14 is the one most seem to recommend (with the drawback of space and cost, but
Let's assume I'd be willing to pay it) , is anything very close and significantly cheaper and just as quiet, or is the d14 far and away the best and therefore if money was not an issue value for money?
 
H100 > top end air

it's only 13 quid more than a NH-D14, hassle free, easier to install, allows you to choose your RAM, less influenced by ambient temp changes, can provide slightly better cooling if you add an extra 2 fans.............. i think you get the point.
 
bagaante said:
I was going to ask a similar question do figured I'd post in here, I can't find a direct comparison of a lot of coolers, but the noctua d14 is the one most seem to recommend (with the drawback of space and cost, but
Let's assume I'd be willing to pay it) , is anything very close and significantly cheaper and just as quiet, or is the d14 far and away the best and therefore if money was not an issue value for money?
Click to expand...

Noctua NH-D14 has been on the market for some time now and it still beats most of the coolers. But i think a good choice as well as noctua will be havik 140 from NZXT.

Thermalright has some good cooling as well but not as good as Noctua...

If you need something cheap than this will do 4.5Ghz and will be quite.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Thermalright HR-02 Macho CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775/LGA1156/LGA1155/LGA1366) £39.98
Total : £49.88 (includes shipping : £8.25).

 
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For the best performance, the coolers to look at are the Alpenfohn K2, Phanteks PH-TC14PE, Thermalright Silver Arrow and Noctua NH-D14. All 4 perform very similarly although the Thermalright is the quietest whereas the K2 is the cheapest. The Noctua, whilst good, is far too expensive compared to the other three.

The Corsair H100 is a good cooler BUT it isn't as quiet as the above 4 coolers and there is no performance benefit that warrants its cost and noise level. This is the reason I wouldn't recommened one.

If you're not looking to spend a lot of money, the Matterhorn Pure is decent and there's also the TRUE Spirit 140 which is better and not much more expensive. An alternative is the Cooler Master 612S.

The NZXT Havik 140 mentioned above is far too expensive for what it is. As a high-end cooler, it's mediocre at best. Performance results in sig.
 
The True Spirit 140 is like a no-frills Archon. It's big, it's quiet and it's OK performance.

SilverArrow usually is a good bet price-performance-quietness.

EDIT : Impressed by the CM 612S in that round-up.
 
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olivier renault said:
The True Spirit 140 is like a no-frills Archon. It's big, it's quiet and it's OK performance.

SilverArrow usually is a good bet price-performance-quietness.

EDIT : Impressed by the CM 612S in that round-up.
Click to expand...

The TRUE Spirit is pretty much on par with the Archon for £20 less. It's tall but not big as such. Performance is on par with coolers retailing £10+. But the CM612S is also a great choice, albeit a bigger cooler.
 
To OP, just follow Helios1234's advice, he reviews them and he knows everything there is to know regarding coolers ;)
 
Another Helios supporter here. Definately knows his coolers

H100 has a history of pump problems. Suggest research before considering.
 
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