best cooler for fx8120 (air)

[polacos]

now guys, what is the best air cooler for AMD fx8120?
I would prefer to keep my overclock, as my H40 runs to hot for it, even on stock and underclock. Only because of my weather.
It has to keep Temps below 55 C, even when room temp is 35C - Australia
When room is 40C or above, I don't even turn the PC on

Budget $150.
Only Air, as my Antec 1100 is too small for double rad water loop.
I was thinking about Noctua Full size 14cm, the MONSTER.
I have Normal size RAM, no extra heatsink, also not low profile. Will it fit?
Anyone got the Noctua to give me the size in cm?

 

[EarthDog]

Noctua site or Newegg has the cooler dimensions...

 

[Ajay57]

Remember this review ED some guy called EarthDog did this case Antec 1100! Bearing that in mind maybe you should have a good idea what fits? AJ.

1, http://www.overclockers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/casecompleted.png


2, http://www.overclockers.com/antec-eleven-hundred-1100

Edit: OP just to double check get tape measure and check the distance from the Mobo to the door glass??? If its more than 160mm or 170mm then most of the coolers will fit, and switch off the PC first and ground the tape if its METAL ONE!!!! AJ.

 

[EarthDog]

No clue, no. But those links should help him figure it out!

 

[Ajay57]

Well this is what i have in mind for the OP as a cooler!!!!

1, http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/NZXT-HAVIK-140-CPU-Cooler-Review/1312/4

2, http://www.techspot.com/products/cooling/

Or this full review list?

 

[Knufire]

Get the dual stack Phantek cooler. Top of the air market right now if I remember correctly. Or a Corsair H80i.

 

[doyll]

Don't get H80i unless you have a backup cooler for when it dies. Now if, but when. These things have been on the market for less than a month and I've see 3 owners with pump failures. How many will last a year, or 2 years, or 3 years? All the top air coolers will be humming along 4 or 5 years from now no problem.

 

[polacos]

@Ajay57, First, I never saw that review before. So thanks for that.
@doyll, I prefer air over water.
@Knufire, I can't find any shop that sells Phanteks in Australia.
@Ajay57, from the hardwaresecret website I saw that Noctua C14 is better than D14. True?

 

[tungureanu]

@Ajay57, First, I never saw that review before. So thanks for that.
@doyll, I prefer air over water.
@Knufire, I can't find any shop that sells Phanteks in Australia.
@Ajay57, from the hardwaresecret website I saw that Noctua C14 is better than D14. True?

here you go. hope it helps

 

[doyll]

C14 may test better than others on open bench but in a case not so much. Even bench testing I've found it much harder to keep the cooler intake air temp the same as room ambient. With tower coolers it's no problem at all.

A cooler is only as good as it's intake air temp... and with downflow coolers it's very hard to keep heated cooler exhaust from mixing with case air resulting in higher temp air going into cooler. The cool exhaust is spread out on mobo and circles back as it deflects off of RAM, GPU, I/O connection boxes, pots, caps, heatsinks, etc. and often ends up being sucked right back into cooler.

With a tower cooler it's easy. Cases usually has an exhaust vent right behind the cooler exhaust to help remove the heated exhaust air.. and there are some simple mods at will improve this too; cut out the grill is first. I usually build a duct from cooler exhaust to rear vent too.

 

[polacos]

from what I can find to buy in Austrlia, the best still is the big Noctua.
from what I can see it will fit.

 

[doyll]

Nothing the matter with NH-D14

In America the DeepCool Assassin (Alpenfohn K2) is a bargain for $39.95. Here in UK Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E series are £45-60.

Others to consider are
Phanteks PH-TC14PE
Silverstone HE01
BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro

There are some very good single tower cooler within a couple degrees of the best too.
Thermalright True Spirit 140 (or 120)
Thermalright Archon
Alpenfohn Himalaya
Alpenfohn Matterhorn

And I won't even try to list mid-range cooler like True Spirit 120, Ultra 120, Vapor 120, U12P,etc. Some of these are very reasonably priced and only 3-4c behind the best.. just not as quiet and of course can't handle super high overclocks/heat.
Prolimatech Megahalems

 

[Mandrake4565]

If the Noctua NH D14 is what you can get your hands on, get it, It's a great cooler. I've seen reviews with better coolers and I've seen them with it being one of the best. I feel it all depends on the application, either way it's a quality unit and I have seen people get good results on these new FX series chips.

 

[polacos]

@doyll, I read the reviews about Phanteks PH-TC14PE and BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro.
None is available in Australia.
From what coolers are available for me, the best in reviews is NH D14. I will just have to check the RAM clearance, as mine does not have the heatsink but it also not low profile.

I am just asking for the best in Australia as I already wasted 300$AUD in buying the wrong parts - Bad cooler for such a powerful cpu, bad first gpu, bad case (tiny), bad psu (not enough power for my new GPU), bad mobo 970 that I will have to buy when I get dual gpu in sli/cf.

 

[doyll]

NH-D14 6x 6mm pipes 140x130x160mm 140x158x160mm w/fans 44mm CPU to bottom fin of cooler.


8mm from CPU top to motherboard. 2-3m motherboard to bottom of RAM

As long as your ram is less than 41-42mm tall it will fit under fins.. and that's pretty tall.

My only complaint of NH-D14 is it does not come with PWM fans. Put a couple of good 140mm PWM fans on it and you will gain. Here's a link to some good fan info for D14
http://www.overclock.net/t/1216515/secrets-of-the-d14-chapter-7-pwm-fans
Ed Hume has done some very interesting fan and airflow work.

 

[polacos]

*a couple*

You mean I will be able to put 2 140mm instead of 1 140mm and 1 120mm?

 

[Mjolnir]

Noctua D14
NZXT Havik 140

Frankly for the price I'd go the Havik 140. Performs very similar to the D14; without being quite as massive. And it's just as quiet (if not quieter). That'd be my choice.

Also did you just state your Antec 1100 to be tiny? Or was that meant for another case you bought...? Cos your Antec 1100 is about twice the size of my Silverstone TJ08-E. And I'm planning to downsize further into a Fractal Node 304 ITX eventually too. :\

 

[polacos]

Also did you just state your Antec 1100 to be tiny?

hahaha, thats a big case. Tiny was Thermaltake Commander 3, and crappy made.

 

[polacos]

I measured my ram, its only 2mm. So noctua will fit. Now I am checking the NZXT

 

[polacos]

NZXT provides 25 CFM more air than D14, but also makes 5 more dBa.
Now is the difference noticable? Do those 5 dBa would make a difference?
NZXT does not say but are they fans PWM? Also is does not say it fits AM3+, but AM3 is the same size, right?

Yes, I will buy aftermarket PWM fans if necessary. I have 2 PWM ports and a fan controller, would like to make it as quiet as possible during low cpu usage