Best 775 air cooler but in 2015 (& upward compatible)?

As per title. It's easy to find tests from 2007–2010 when 775 was the jazz, but what about modern coolers that simply happen to still support 775?

CPU is a e8600 lapped E0 Wolfie. Rated 65W TDP, typically draws ~100W, up to 200W when it hits 4 GHz on 1.4V, according to testers (I'm new to it, a recent $30 upgrade).

Usually 38 idle on this thing, i.e. Zerotherm CF800, probably not much better than Intel box except for dbAs, cost a grand total of eight bucks. It has a low profile, three pipes, aluminium structure, copper base.

Mobo is ASUS P5Q-E, which means it uses a ton of heatpipes for northbridge, mosfets and everything else around the CPU, and those things usually get mighty hot.

System temperature is often reported at 45C with both case wings removed(!!!11), where CPU and GPU run at 38C each and CPU actually sits right between two large exhaust fans, i.e. top and side exhaust provided by aftermarket 12cm sysfan and 13.5CM OCZ PSU fan.

No intake fans due to case structure — essentially there is no real viable spot for an intake fan on the front, whereas there is a dedicated fan tray in the case wing in 3.5 HDD bay, with holes on the opposing side. Any intake fan I would probably need to mount on the 3.5'' HDD rack (I will, if I have to, I've used fans hanging on cords before...).

Actually, VGA cooler is 12cm intake (upward, i.e. GPU-facing) mounted on Accelero S1 rev. 2 (if memory serves; passive Accelero at any rate, fan simply tied with cords to heatsink fins).

Now, the goal is to not hold back much and just buy a fan that will let me keep Wolfie cool and silent for the time being with some nice OC but will also work great on my next CPU (or 2, or 3) — this essentially means buying a fan that will be great on the newest AMD and Intel CPUs (or just Intel) but still supports 775 and isn't bad for my current CPU area situation in general.

I have no preference either way between tower, orb or anything else, and I'm not a sucker for the looks of thing. Whatever works best in my current situation is gold, while 1) being good for a future CPU in a couple of years (when semi-retiring this PC, I'll just give it back its old cooler); 2) not restricting my future mobo choice too much.

My next case is gonna be the fattest cow I can buy, and my current one is probably gonna have to stay with its wings removed anyway, so height isn't really an issue.

Oh, I almost forgot. P5Q-E transports heat to the back of mobo. And I have no hole in the case there, solid iron underneath. Ugh. Just in case this matters.

Pic (or you wouldn't believe it happened):



Please feel free to make any sort of suggestions*, to your heart's content, for my nickname is very aptly chosen (just in case that hasn't been obvious enough by now).

(* Please note, though, that I'm in Europe. Cross-continental shipment fee from the US would probably nullify any good bargain. Newegg's bargain mill is not an option available to me, unfortunately. Further please note that my IQ isn't catastrophically low, I'm just really clueless with physics, airflows, voltages etc., unlike 90% other posters here.)

EDIT: In the typical scenario VGA cooler is only lukewarm, while the other side of the card is sometimes barely touchable at the same time. (But heat transportation works, as the fins do get hot without a fan, and quickly.)

I doubt a Duo will hit 200W! That sounds very Quad-esque. Especially Kentsfield, where 250W for just 3.3 isn't a major surprise.

A Wolfie is real easy to OC! It's not finicky like my Kentsfield!

And I didn't need 1.4 V for 4.1 on my E8600, when I tested it in 2014.

First of all, kudos for using a nice old platform! )

Just as usual, my 2 cents:

I'd go with a Prolimatch Megahalems as Mr.Scott advised, or a Thermalright Ultra. Similar designs and performances. Both have been on the market for ages. They have no clearing issues with your P5Q-E. They are slim, so that your motherboard heatsinks will be able to ventilate, no heat choke is gonna be present. And you can get them for down to 20 bucks sometimes 2nd hand.

About your E8600... I recently binned 20x E8600's. And [email protected] is really the bottom of the line. My best one can do 4GHz LinX stable for hours at 1.113V and [email protected] fully stable. Even my worst one can do [email protected]. So don't depend on reviews, spend some time with it and test that lapped old fella out.
ps.: they can easily stop scaling linearly anywhere near above 4000 and for example do [email protected], but 4100 only at 1.250V, [email protected]. But again, test that SOB out and you'll find it out.

The Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme is a good option. Been around since probably ~2007, but still has support for LGA775, LGA1366, LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1150, and LGA1151 (provided you purchase the right brackets/mounting hardware for whatever socket type you choose to use it on). Some websites still sell the mounting hardware for newer socket types, and as far as I know the hardware is still being produced. It easily beats a Cooler Master Hyper 212+ (at least 6°C cooler under load in my testing), and is generally cheaper to acquire.

The Prolimatech Megahalems is also a solid choice.

And secondly, you seriously need to look into buying a newer case if your current one has no intakes or ability to mount intake fans. The difference between a well designed modern case and a poorly designed older case can be great in terms of cooling your components, as I, myself found out once. http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php/703498-Case-upgrade-System-wide-temperature-drop

I suppose one question is how much are you willing to spend on this old system to correct the cooling issues?

It's a bit unusual to need 1.4v for 4GHz on an E8x00, unless it's a bad one. At 1.4v on my E8500 I'd be at 4.4GHz. On my second E8400 E0 stepping CPU I'd be at 4.3GHz. On both of my E8400 C0 stepping CPU's though, at 1.4v I was maxed out at 4GHz, and flat out couldn't get the CPU speed on either to go any higher. It's worth noting though that the C0 stepping E8400 was never famous for high overclocks at low volts, it was famous for needing a lot of voltage and running really hot (I hit 58°C under load with some really good cooling and plenty of airflow).

Mr.Scott said:

http://www.performance-pcs.com/prolimatech-megahalems-black-series-cpu-heatsink-for-intel-amd.html

Click to expand...

just bought this one. Ill post some before and afters when I make the swap. Definately has mounting for a 775 in the box.... and everything else as well. Got a tube of Prolimatec TIM as well, which has good reviews. Go for it man