Intel i7 coolers

[kanton]

I just got an Intel i7-860 chip and I was surprised at how small the stock cooler is. The aluminum fins are approximately the same diameter as the cooler on a Core 2 Duo E6300 that I have but only half as thick. Also the contact area of the E6300 is approximately 1.135" diameter copper while the i7 is 1.12" of copper with three panels of some other material on top. The spacing of the mounting holes on the hold downs appears to be the same for both coolers. Would I get better cooling using the E6300 system on the i7?

Better yet, I have a Cooler Master RR-CH-LU91-GP 92mm Cooler that I am now using on the E6300. Could this be used on the i7? This would be a cheap upgrade as Newegg is selling them for $14.99!

 

[RussianSensation]

Hey kanton, welcome to Anandtech!

Unless you have an EVGA board with Socket 775 compatible heatsink mounting holes, I do not believe that you will be able to use either of the coolers you mentioned:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835103041

It appears that the Cooler Master does not have 1156 socket support. The stock E6300 cooler may be very similar but the mounting holes are still slightly off (even fi by a few millimeters).

If you are on a budget and intend to only use the cpu at stock speeds or up to 3.5ghz, just get this TX-3 for $20:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...cooler%20master%201156

Unfortunately right now there are few choices for 1156. For supercoolers you are looking at Noctua and Mega Shadow. Although you won't require those unless you are aiming at 4.0ghz overclock+.

As a tip, please post any cooling related questions under 'Cases & Cooling' category.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

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[kanton]

RussianSensation,

Thanks for your prompt response and suggestion. On the Newegg site the COOLER MASTER RR-CCH-L9U1-GP 92mm Hyper TX2 CPU Cooler is listed as being compatible with only the Intel Socket 775 which is the socket used by the Core 2 Duo E6300 as mentioned here: http://processorfinder.intel.c...tails.aspx?sSpec=SL9SA.

The Cooler Master Intel Core i5 compatible Hyper TX3 Socket 775/1156/AMD 130W 92mm "heatpipe direct contact" CPU Cooler RR-910-HTX3-GP - Retail which you suggested is compatible with both the Intel COOLER MASTER RR-CCH-L9U1-GP 92mm Hyper TX2 CPU Cooler which leads me to believe that the COOLER MASTER RR-CCH-L9U1-GP 92mm Hyper TX2 CPU Cooler would also work with Socket 1156. However, the cooler you suggested is only $5.00 more expensive or at $19.99 is less than 7% of the cost of the i7 860 with higher maximum airflow it is probably the better buy.

Thanks again!

 

[kanton]

Brief update, I am using the stock cooler from my old Core 2 Duo E6300. This is more by accident than design as I installed the i-860 I dropped the cooler that came with it and broke the plastic that surrounds the aluminum cooler and scratched the copper contact area. At Home Depot I got some screws and washers that allowed me to use the Core 2 Duo E6300 cooler with a dab of Thermaltake Ceramique. As I type this Real Temp 3.00 says the GPU is at 37 degrees centigrade with the case open with a room temperature of 22 degrees centigrade.