Arg Clin
Senior member
I'm in the process of selecting the parts for my next build. I've pretty much settled on everything but the cpu cooler.
I've been out of the loop for while (still on an ancient XP3200+), so I've been reading up for a while now. So I' have read the stickies, trawled the net etc.
As for CPU/mainboard I'll go with Core i5 760 on Asus P7P55D-E.
The project here is a quiet high-end gaming rig. I am absolutely not interested in o/c, as I'd rather keep thing in spec to increase the chance of succesfully implementing quiet cooling solutions. The case will need to stay inside a confined space, so airflow won't be great.
Budget: up to ~$100 for the HSF. If it's quiet I don't mind spending the dough - but it goes without saying that I don't want to spend a lot of money on something that only gives good value in o/c'ing.
Here are the coolers I'm considering;
Noctua C12P : In the expensive end, but seems to get good reviews. I like the fact that it's top-down cooler, that will also cool the M/B. I'm leaning towards this one right now. A little worried though, that silentpcreview describes the sound as different.
Thermalright MUX-120: Doesn't seem to have gotten much press, and might be hard for me to find. Got a great review for silence at Toms' though. I like the limited size. Opinions around the net seems to differ a lot.
Megahalems: This will be a very expensive solution - more than $ 100 (I'm in europe). Unless I can be convinced that this is the only way to go, the price puts me off.
Scythe Mugen 2: Seems very bulky to me. The C12P seems more attractive at the same price point.
Coolermaster CNPS 10X extreme: At the same pricepoint, C12P seems more attractive, being top down and performs better.
Coolermaster TX3: Very cheap. It is sometimes claimed that this is a very quiet cooler, and plenty sufficient for a non o/c i5 760. I'm sceptial, given the price point.
Any thoughts on these coolers would be greatly appreciated, especially hands-on experience in a quiet build. Also, if I missed some other interesting cooler - I'm very interested.
I've been out of the loop for while (still on an ancient XP3200+), so I've been reading up for a while now. So I' have read the stickies, trawled the net etc.
As for CPU/mainboard I'll go with Core i5 760 on Asus P7P55D-E.
The project here is a quiet high-end gaming rig. I am absolutely not interested in o/c, as I'd rather keep thing in spec to increase the chance of succesfully implementing quiet cooling solutions. The case will need to stay inside a confined space, so airflow won't be great.
Budget: up to ~$100 for the HSF. If it's quiet I don't mind spending the dough - but it goes without saying that I don't want to spend a lot of money on something that only gives good value in o/c'ing.
Here are the coolers I'm considering;
Noctua C12P : In the expensive end, but seems to get good reviews. I like the fact that it's top-down cooler, that will also cool the M/B. I'm leaning towards this one right now. A little worried though, that silentpcreview describes the sound as different.
Thermalright MUX-120: Doesn't seem to have gotten much press, and might be hard for me to find. Got a great review for silence at Toms' though. I like the limited size. Opinions around the net seems to differ a lot.
Megahalems: This will be a very expensive solution - more than $ 100 (I'm in europe). Unless I can be convinced that this is the only way to go, the price puts me off.
Scythe Mugen 2: Seems very bulky to me. The C12P seems more attractive at the same price point.
Coolermaster CNPS 10X extreme: At the same pricepoint, C12P seems more attractive, being top down and performs better.
Coolermaster TX3: Very cheap. It is sometimes claimed that this is a very quiet cooler, and plenty sufficient for a non o/c i5 760. I'm sceptial, given the price point.
Any thoughts on these coolers would be greatly appreciated, especially hands-on experience in a quiet build. Also, if I missed some other interesting cooler - I'm very interested.
