Need help picking an AM3+ cpu cooler?

[ShadeJedi]

Title says it all. I currently have a Coolermaster HAF-932 (great case by the way, and very roomy) and I will be building a new PC come Bulldozer. I've got my new mobo (Gigabyte 990FXA-0UD3) and I'm looking for a new CPU cooler that will fit.

Will anything labelled as an AM3 cooler work AM3+ board/cpu? Also, I want something that doesn't require me to change the backplate on my mobo. My current H50 requires it, and frankly it just annoys me , so I want to get something that will work with my Thuban (and FX-8150 when they launch) and no more than around 75-ish bucks.

Thanks in advance!

 

[jhansman]

The CM 212+ is very popular here. I put one on my X6, and while the idle temps hover around the high 30s/low 40s, the fan it comes with is too loud for me, even at 80%. Waiting for payday to invest in some quieter fans. AFAIK, if you go with anything but a stock cooler, you're likely going to install a new back plate. No biggie; it took me all of two minutes.

 

[Arg Clin]

I'm quite pleased with my Noctua C12P-SE14. Seems like a quality product, and I'm very pleased with the noise level. (and I'm generally quite sensitive to noise)

Not the cheapest option, but you should be able to find it for around US$ 75.

 

[Coolking23]

All good coolers will require a back plate. If you are upgrading from the H50, get a Thermalright Silver Arrow. It is one of the best coolers around and performs quieter than all coolers I know.

 

[philips32]

if you want a cooler without a back plate, one of the best is the coolermaster hyper tx3. and its cheap

 

[ShadeJedi]

I guess the problem itself isn't the backplate, but rather that my case's hole for it doesn't make mine accessible, so if I need to attach another cooler or what not, I have to remove the entire motherboard. I really hate taking everything apart just to put a backplate on...

I wish my case's mobo tray cutout fit that, and then everything would be peachy . It's about 1.5" too short.

Thanks for the suggestions, I've looked each of them up and they look pretty good. If I go with one of the cheaper ones such at the tx3/cm212, will they work on a BD, and let me overclock a little (if I want to)? Or should I just bite the bullet and get something a bit more heavy duty/expensive? Or should I get a new case that has a better spacing on the backplate and continue using my H50 (which is nice and silent, but temps aren't a lot better than an old Zalman I'd used for years.

 

[mv2devnull]

Could you attach the frontside bracket of some other cooler into the backplate of the H50?

Thermalright Archon fits into your HAF. While Silver Arrow is more efficient, Archon should leave much more room for the memory modules.

 

[busydude]

I am very happy with my Corsair A50.. and I am pretty sure A70 is even better. Bought the A50 for $17.. and for that price it is pretty fantastic.