Is a CPU cooler necessary for an i5/7 at stock speeds?

[Jumpem]

For say an i5-4670 at stock speeds. I care more about silence and simplicity than overclocking these days.

Can I get by with just the stock Intel unit as far as keeping the CPU from throttling down while gaming? What about noise of the Intel cooler? Am I better off with an aftermarket air cooler with large slow fans in that regard?

 

[Charlie98]

The Intel cooler works fine at stock speeds... but under a load it will spin up. If you want a quieter PC, get an aftermarket cooler like a CoolerMaster 212 EVO, et al... They will carry off far more heat than the stock cooler and normally won't require as high a fan RPM to do so (bigger fan.)

 

[Termie]

One of my gaming setups has an i5-4670K@3.8 on the stock cooler. It is definitely quite loud during gaming, but it has no problem keeping the temperatures well under the throttling level. An aftermarket cooler would be much better in regard to noise, but it's not at all a necessity.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

it depends, if you don't mind some noise when you're gaming, the stock cooler is fine and will be very quiet when the CPU isn't being pushed

but if you want as quiet a system as possible regardless of what you're doing with it, then an aftermarket cooler is a wise investment

 

[NTMBK]

If you care about silence, look at aftermarket coolers. But not necessarily the ones aimed at high performance- it seems that a lot of the "tower" coolers still have relatively small fans on them. I'm personally quite interested in the Scythe Big Shuriken, which fits a 120mm fan. It seems to me that a larger-radius fan running at slower speeds would give the same level of cooling at lower noise levels, though I haven't tested the theory myself.

 

[Termie]

If you care about silence, look at aftermarket coolers. But not necessarily the ones aimed at high performance- it seems that a lot of the "tower" coolers still have relatively small fans on them. I'm personally quite interested in the Scythe Big Shuriken, which fits a 120mm fan. It seems to me that a larger-radius fan running at slower speeds would give the same level of cooling at lower noise levels, though I haven't tested the theory myself.

Fan noise is almost always the determining factor in cooler noise - the quietest coolers typically have the best fans (Noctua, for instance). Each of those fans costs $20-25, so you pay for the low noise.

Scythe makes very good fans, so the Big Shuriken is probably very quiet, but no better than a Scythe tower cooler using a 120mm fan. In fact, because it's a low-profile fan, it probably needs to spin a bit faster to reach the same temps (and that's putting aside that a downdraft cooler rarely performs at the same level of a tower cooler in the same price range).

 

[zir_blazer]

Have you considered undervolting to reduce heat generated? That would help a bit.

 

[Jumpem]

Have you considered undervolting to reduce heat generated? That would help a bit.

No. I think I would run with the default voltage.

 

[ehume]

And if you are willing to spend the money, you can use a big tandem tower heatsink either with no fans or a low-rpm (nearly silent) fan.

 

[Jumpem]

Thanks for the input. I will look at the CM Hyper 212 Evo. I have a Zalman 120mm cooler on my socket 1156 system now. Not sure if the same brackets would work on 1150.

 

[Termie]

Thanks for the input. I will look at the CM Hyper 212 Evo. I have a Zalman 120mm cooler on my socket 1156 system now. Not sure if the same brackets would work on 1150.

They use the same brackets. I moved a cooler from an i7-860 to the 4770K with no issues.

 

[Arkaign]

FWIW I have used dozens of 212 and 212 Evos, and they've been dead quiet even on significant OCs. My previous 2700K @ 5Ghz was nearly silent, and current 3770K @ 4.7 is even quieter. I haven't had the greatest luck with 4770s, but had one at 4.4Ghz with about the same noise as the 5Ghz 2700K.

This is in moderately decent cases. It may be more notable with really open cases or thin ones.