Quiet HS for conservative overclocker: NH-U12P??

[BadOmen]

Just got news that NCIX has the Noctua NH-U12P se2 on sale for Cd$50,00.
I was just looking for a CPU heatsink, and read good reviews about this one. HOWEVER, I once trusted reviews only and ended up with an Arctic Freeze. Found it noisy and it didn't improve temps much.

Now I wanna do the right thing, and that cannot be achieved without a question at this forum.

- Specs at the sig.
- I use the computer mostly for video editing, audio editing, sound recording, games, programming, graphic design.
- I never go too far on my overclocks, when I overclock at all. Pretty conservative overclocker.
- Budget: 80 dollars tops, so a full WC set right now is unfortunately out of question.
- My main priority is silence.

So, I would like to ask:
- Is this thing silent enough for my aforementioned profile?
- Are there other options in the market as silent (or even more) for a better price?
- This thing is big, but I checked and it fits (barely) my P183. But what about the motherboard? Should I, besides using the regular backplate, try to ghetto-rig it to the top of the case, or the backplate should be enough to keep it without damaging the motherboard?

Other HS I checked:
- Mugen: looks really nice too, has one or two cm less, but it's heavier. Mobo stress?
- Gelid and Coolermaster: have Arctic Freezer-similar products, but all with 90mm fans. Aren't those like old Beetles: too much noise for not so much performance?
- H50: wouldn't stress the motherboard, but it's hard to believe that pump+fan can be as silent as a good air cooler.
- Noctua u14 - Too massive and expensive, I don't think I need that much.


Any help is greatly appreciated
Thanks!

 

[wwswimming]

i got one on an Intel 975XBX2 motherboard with the E6850 CPU.

yes, it's quiet - very quiet. even when it's running i can hear the compressor on the fridge in the other room.

of course, if the chip ran hotter, it may not be so quiet.

 

[thedosbox]

SPCR reviewed the NH-U12P and include a mp3 you can listen to. The only difference between it and the SE2 are different mounts for the newer sockets.

 

[Tullphan]

It's quiet.
Depending on how much you overclock, however, you might wish to do what I did & get a Megahalem & use the NF-P12 fan. 🙂

 

[BadOmen]

Thanks for the tips, I listened to the recording on spcr and yes, it makes a funny noise from 7V on, but I think the P183 case can muffle a little bit of that (although right now, its muffling powers sound disappointing to me).

Besides, I have a Scythe GT sitting here. I was actually thinking about using it on the HS, move the Noctua to exhaust. Is that a good idea?

What about the weight of the NH-12? Are your motherboards holding fine? Have you seen any signs of warping or other damage?

PS. Sorry if this concern about warping is too stupid, but Arctic Freezer 7 was the biggest HS I ever used. All those megatuniqs towers still get me scared.

 

[Tullphan]

No problems with warping using my Megahalem.
Before I made the move to my K62, I was using a V1000B, so my motherboard's been mounted both ways with no issues.

 

[BadOmen]

RATS. The Noctuas are already sold out, now they are 80 bucks, same as the nh-u14p.(???)

They still have on sale:
Mugen Rev. B = 45.99
Megahalen Rev B = 54.99

Prices in Canadian dollars. I'm trying to research more about those two, but am afraid they will be sold out soon too. At this price, are those two good options as well? (with silence as first priority) One more recommended than the other? Tullphan, I take it your vote goes easily for the Megahalen, right?

 

[Tullphan]

I'd go with the Megahalem.
I think if you ever decided to do more than a "conservative" overclock, the Megahalem would be up to the task a little better than the Mugen.
Choose your fan wisely, however. 🙂

 

[Dark Shroud]

Just make sure you have room for the Megahalem.

I personally went with the NH-12 SE2 because it came with everything I would need in one kit for a great price. Where as the Megahalem despite being one of the best CPU cooler period does not.

 

[BadOmen]

According to specs, the Megahalen is 1mm taller and 4mm wider than the Noctua. After measuring my case, it's just too close to call, the thing will probably be 1 to 2 mm from the side panel, if that much. That's quite scary. A couple of people around say the Megahalen fits the P183, though. But I couldn't find a picture yet. If you can point me at some, I'd love to see it.

The Noctua package is really lovely, instructions are top notch and it really comes with everything. What's bugging me is the 25 dollar difference to Prolimatech, especially given the fact that I don't need the fans, got a Scythe GT and an S-Flex waiting.

But I sure would love to have that L-shaped screwdriver. 🙂

 

[Dark Shroud]

According to the specs of your case you should have enough room.

Antec P183 Width: 8.1″(W) / 205 mm (W)
Megahalems Height: 158.7 mm

And yes those angle screw drivers are great. I have one that uses bits and can even use sockets.

 

[klocwerk]

According to the specs of your case you should have enough room.

Antec P183 Width: 8.1″(W) / 205 mm (W)
Megahalems Height: 158.7 mm

And yes those angle screw drivers are great. I have one that uses bits and can even use sockets.

Agreed, megahalems totally fit in the P18x series cases, lots of people running that combo.
I love my megahalems with a silent fan on it, dead quiet and was topping out at 70C prime95 loaded when OCed to 4ghz.
Great cooler, very quiet with the right fan.

 

[BadOmen]

The internal space of the case (from motherboard to side panel) actually doesn't go beyond 7 inches, due to the cable management area plus mobo standoffs. But it's true that nobody ever said that it wouldn't fit, much on the contrary, so it probably fits somehow.
I'm not used to big towers, but I think I'll give the Megahalen a try. It's true, maybe at some point I will need a better overclock. Happened before, and by the time the AC7 didn't hold it.
thanks a lot for your kind tips, and please let me know if you have additional considerations/tips.