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Looking for a quiet CPU cooler, socket 1156 cpu

JulesMaximus

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
I have the stock Intel cooler on my new build but it is constantly grinding away which is really annoying. Everything else in my case is whisper quiet, I've taken the side panel off and the only thing I can really hear is the cpu cooler.

Any recommendations for a quiet, low cost cpu cooler for socket 1156? I am running i7 860 at stock speeds...no plans on overclocking. I would like something that isn't made of 5lbs of copper with a 8" fan on it too. The key point being quiet.

I was kind of thinking of this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835103046

cm_geminii-s_04.jpg
 
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I have a Coolermaster Hyper212+ on my i7 860 and its quiet. I never like to use the term silent because that is obviously impossible.

It's really quiet though. I'm very happy with it. Oh yeah, it's also cheap.

Only cause for concern... It's tall. There is maybe an inch topps between my side panel and the heatsink, in my Silverstone FT01.
 
IMO, Scythe Mugen 2 is the best heatsink for its price range. $35, and you get some pretty damn good temps (installed one onto an AM3 build few weeks back). Only downside is that its a tower heatsink. Quiet, yes. Not small, also yes...
 
MisterDonut said:
IMO, Scythe Mugen 2 is the best heatsink for its price range. $35, and you get some pretty damn good temps (installed one onto an AM3 build few weeks back). Only downside is that its a tower heatsink. Quiet, yes. Not small, also yes...
Click to expand...

Yeah, it looks like they're all pretty large.

This one looks about the same as the Intel cooler. Not sure about sound output though.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835114098

10103349.jpg


Then there's this one as well that looks promising and not too expensive.

image.jpg


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835106139
 
Nah I wouldn't get that. Honestly if I were to get an aftermarket, I'd go for the Mugen2. What it gives is worth the hassle (whatever hassle it may give you). Thermaltake makes some OK stuff, but their heatsinks aren't competitive, imo.
 
I put an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro V.2 on an i5 750, OC'd it to 3.8GHz, and the cooler is still very quiet. Nice sized cooler based on a 92mm AC fan. Not overly large or heavy. But I see Newegg's price has risen....again. Picked mine up at MicroCenter for $24.
 
Jules, you could also check out the Coolermaster TX3.

It's not going to keep the CPU as cool as the higher end ones, but it's even less money, and is very quiet as well.

I can't stress enough though how good a value the 212+ is. I paid $30 Canadian for mine..

They're probably $25 USD.. Something like that.
 
Would it make sense to get a larger HSF and just run the CPU at stock speed and slow down the fan? and/or replace the fan with something quiet?
 
the majority of these fans come with the 4-pin PWM connector. You can lower the noise by setting the fan to run at any speed you wish.

That said a 92mm heat tower is the smallest aftermarket cooler you would want for a silent i7 machine. Simply because the heat tower is almost tall enough to touch the case panel doesn't mean anything other than that you made a good choice for the geometry you're working with. Every single heat tower "almost" touches the side panel. And you're complaining about 1 inch? 1 inch is like a mile in a highly integrated system especially if a big heatsink is packed in there.
 
MisterDonut said:
IMO, Scythe Mugen 2 is the best heatsink for its price range. $35, and you get some pretty damn good temps (installed one onto an AM3 build few weeks back). Only downside is that its a tower heatsink. Quiet, yes. Not small, also yes...
Click to expand...

+1 for this and all points. Price, temps, noise but also size 🙂
 
I have an AC Freezer Pro 7 on a stock speed i7 860. It is not loud, but you will hear the fan because it is not enclosed and it is only 92mm, which means it runs faster than a 120mm fan would.

I think if I were getting a HS for this machine again, I'd go with the Scythe Mugen 2.

One thing I ran into with my Megahalems: it was sagging and messing with the cpu temp sensor. The answer was to suspend it with some picture wire. If the SM2 is big enough that you find it uncomfortable, suspend it. Scythe even makes Ninja Wire for suspending heatsinks.
 
Well, I was at Fry's today and picked up a Thermaltake Silent 1156 for $29. I have it installed and I have to say, it is much better than the Intel cooler. I barely hear any fan noise out of my system now. My cpu is idling at 29c right now.

Thanks for all the suggestions.
 
Uh, how big or heavy it is doesn't impact noise.

Run the biggest HS you can with a slow silent fan or even passively.

Noctua D14
Megahalem
 
MJinZ said:
Uh, how big or heavy it is doesn't impact noise.

Run the biggest HS you can with a slow silent fan or even passively.

Noctua D14
Megahalem
Click to expand...

No, but it does impact whether or not I have to remove the motherboard to install the heatsink and how much extra stress that weight puts on the motherboard. I don't want to have to worry about the heatsink breaking off when I move the case around.
 
JulesMaximus said:
No, but it does impact whether or not I have to remove the motherboard to install the heatsink and how much extra stress that weight puts on the motherboard. I don't want to have to worry about the heatsink breaking off when I move the case around.
Click to expand...

Run an H50 passively or with a silent fan.
 
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