krnmastersgt
Platinum Member
So when I built this 3570K build I was going for something nice and cheap and Ivy at MC when there was still one in the Bay Area. Recently picked up a 3770K from the Intel Retailedge program and decided to see just how far I can push the chip, or if it turns out to be sort of a dud, swap in the 3570K and see how far it can go as well. Still researching a nice motherboard for pushing the chip to its limits but as many people are aware Ivy overclocking is mainly thermal limited.
So I've considered a few coolers, all with their pros and cons:
1. Noctua NH-D14: Widely regarded as the best air cooler on the market, and pretty much every test shows this to be true while still being extraordinarily quiet. Problem: This thing is pretty damn big, likely to block off the first RAM DIMM slot or interfere with the first PCI-E 16x slot if mounted to push air out through the top.
2. Noctua DH-U12S: The little brother of the D14 but has the cooling potential to almost match it without the annoying size issues and has the ability to power a push-pull configuration with the dual PWM fans still. Problem: Weakest cooler of the 4 here though it's still got decent numbers.
3. Corsair H110: Of all of Corsair's CLC coolers, this is probably their best by far even with a few faults from the AT review. Problems are it's size, not sure it'll fit in my 400R (Corsair's website already says it won't) and Corsair's nice history of leaky CLC's which makes me hesitant to try them.
4. NZXT Kraken X60: The best performing CLC cooler on the market and from a name that I've come to really enjoy buying products from. Problems are that it's twice the price of the Noctua and even a bit more than the H110, also on top of that it's also got the size issue the H110 has and is noisier than most other coolers out there worth considering.
5. Swiftech H220: Anand's favorite CLC cooler, smaller than the other 2 CLC's on the list so more likely to fit in my case (not sure if the others will) and can be a step towards a full liquid system. Problem: Can't perform as well as the other 2 CLCs despite being more expensive, and apparently the pump can be very noisy because it is so powerful.
6. Other: Please give reason for suggestion.
Also depending on the results of the testing phase of my initial OC (seeing how high I can go before I have to lower clock + up voltage to maintain stability) might even go to the effort of delidding it if it seems I have a winner.
So I've considered a few coolers, all with their pros and cons:
1. Noctua NH-D14: Widely regarded as the best air cooler on the market, and pretty much every test shows this to be true while still being extraordinarily quiet. Problem: This thing is pretty damn big, likely to block off the first RAM DIMM slot or interfere with the first PCI-E 16x slot if mounted to push air out through the top.
2. Noctua DH-U12S: The little brother of the D14 but has the cooling potential to almost match it without the annoying size issues and has the ability to power a push-pull configuration with the dual PWM fans still. Problem: Weakest cooler of the 4 here though it's still got decent numbers.
3. Corsair H110: Of all of Corsair's CLC coolers, this is probably their best by far even with a few faults from the AT review. Problems are it's size, not sure it'll fit in my 400R (Corsair's website already says it won't) and Corsair's nice history of leaky CLC's which makes me hesitant to try them.
4. NZXT Kraken X60: The best performing CLC cooler on the market and from a name that I've come to really enjoy buying products from. Problems are that it's twice the price of the Noctua and even a bit more than the H110, also on top of that it's also got the size issue the H110 has and is noisier than most other coolers out there worth considering.
5. Swiftech H220: Anand's favorite CLC cooler, smaller than the other 2 CLC's on the list so more likely to fit in my case (not sure if the others will) and can be a step towards a full liquid system. Problem: Can't perform as well as the other 2 CLCs despite being more expensive, and apparently the pump can be very noisy because it is so powerful.
6. Other: Please give reason for suggestion.
Also depending on the results of the testing phase of my initial OC (seeing how high I can go before I have to lower clock + up voltage to maintain stability) might even go to the effort of delidding it if it seems I have a winner.
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