3770K cooler

[Salamander]

I'm looking for suggestions for a cooler for a i7-3770K processor. I plan on some moderate overclocking. I like the reviews of the Noctua NH-D14, but I am concerned about it's size and the ability to switch out ram (after the Noctua is installed) if necessary. Suggestions?

 

[Diogenes2]

I use the Coolermaster 212+ at 4.4g .. ( 3770K, not the rig in my sig )
The fan can easily be moved, but I believe the EVO model has a little more clearance..

 

[Zardnok]

What case, motherboard, and RAM are you using? It might make a difference in clearance. The CM212+ and EVO are highly recommended for budget folks. The D14 is big, bulky, and expensive, but it does work quite well. IMO though if you are willing to spend the money on the D14, look at the all-in-one water cooler systems like the Corsair H80 and H100 systems. They would give you more overclocking headroom than the D14 and you wouldn't have a huge weight hanging off your mobo.

 

[Salamander]

What case, motherboard, and RAM are you using? It might make a difference in clearance. The CM212+ and EVO are highly recommended for budget folks. The D14 is big, bulky, and expensive, but it does work quite well. IMO though if you are willing to spend the money on the D14, look at the all-in-one water cooler systems like the Corsair H80 and H100 systems. They would give you more overclocking headroom than the D14 and you wouldn't have a huge weight hanging off your mobo.

Case is the Corsair 550D, haven't decided on the motherboard yet (looking at several ASUS ones), and Crucial Ballistix Sport ram. I'm sticking with air cooling, not water cooling.

 

[lakedude]

Happy with my CM Hyper 212 Plus on a i7-3770s (overclocked 4 bins) so far. We did end up changing the fan config from stock in order to make for more room over by the memory...

The 212 is plenty to keep my 3770s cool but I'm only pushing an extra 4 bins. Hottest the CPU has been is around 57C with all the cores loaded. The "k" might need a little better cooling if you are really pushing it...

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Happy with my CM Hyper 212 Plus on a i7-3770s (overclocked 4 bins) so far. We did end up changing the fan config from stock in order to make for more room over by the memory...

The 212 is plenty to keep my 3770s cool but I'm only pushing an extra 4 bins. Hottest the CPU has been is around 57C with all the cores loaded. The "k" might need a little better cooling if you are really pushing it...

I picked up a couple of Hyper 212's for fam-damn-ily computer upgrades. It's a viable choice.

I also run a Noctua NH-D14 in my latest PC build -- with an SB "K" processor. Without the two fans, the assembly is fairly light, but bulky. One of the fans overhangs the RAM, and this is a commonly noted problem. However, for a recent upgrade to fill all four RAM slots, I was able to socket a RAM stick in the slot closest to (and under) the heatsink without a lot of trouble. I only found it necessary to unhinge the fan above the RAMs. These were the "bling-bling" G.SKILL RAMs, not as tall as some Corsairs. It would, of course, have been easier with sticks like the recently-touted Samsung kits.

Some of us -- already invested in SB "K" processors with mobos compatible with IB -- are watching closely as others "de-lid" their Ivy caps and replace the TIM. Not difficult to speculate as to whether Intel will improve that situation, but we're watching that aspect as well.

 

[Beavermatic]

Just slapped a Corsair H100 closed liquid cooler on mine. Was $100 bucks. Best investment I've made.

dead simple to install and keeps everything oh-so cool. 25c idle. 35c normal load. 53c extreme load. 60c intelburntest (severe load testing program, not really relevant as nothing would thrash the CPU this hard other than this testing tool)

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

I am have the Corsair H100 on my Intel® Core™ i5-3570K, it is a very solid cooler. The only real problem with it is finding a place to mount the radiator. I have the Corsair Graphite 600t and I don't know how many other cases could mount this 240mm radiator.

 

[Beavermatic]

I've got it mounted in my Cosmos 2 case just fine

 

[Zardnok]

The Corsair cases all come with a top 240 radiator mount point, but if the OP doesn't want to use water-cooling so be it. The 212+ remains as the best budget cooler. For higher end the D14 he is looking at or the Thermalright Silver Arrow or Archon are all quality choices.

In a somewhat overlooked mid-range pricing is the Thermalright HR-02 Macho for $50ish. It is the classic monster HR-02 Cooler from Thermalright with their top end fan mounted for $40 less than they were selling the HR-02 itself. It is only available at one internet e-tailer, which is strange to me, but it is an Amazon affiliate so I would feel safe.

HR-02 Macho

 

[Salamander]

In addition to the Coolermaster noted above, I'm also looking at the Noctua NH-U12P SE2. It's not quite as massive as the NH-D14, but appears to give decent cooling. Have any of you used it?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

In addition to the Coolermaster noted above, I'm also looking at the Noctua NH-U12P SE2. It's not quite as massive as the NH-D14, but appears to give decent cooling. Have any of you used it?

I used an NH-U12P to replace the earliest release of a "TRUE", and it persists in the OC"d Q6600 system I gave to my brother. At that time, I was obsessed with thermal resistance test results on these gadgets. At this point, no matter which cooler has the lowest thermal resistance, the differences are so small in comparison to the "next four or five" best choices that it should hardly matter.

Another model to look at is the latest or beefiest version of the Prolimatech Megahalem. It was similar to the NH-U12P in performance.

Frankly, though, I'm more interested in DIY "de-lidding" projects on the Ivy Bridge and reliable statistical results about the Ivy Bridge temperatures. And since I've already seen a couple such efforts, I'd think that Intel is not only watching this, but I'd hope they'd change their production process with or without a new IB "stepping" -- if there's enough reliable evidence that a better TIM or an equal replacement for the solder they once used will improve IB temperatures under load.