Best "Silent" CPU Cooler for i7 4790k

[Tyerker]

I am wanting to build a very quiet PC. Going to be using a 4790K as the CPU. Going for a mild overclock. Maybe 4.5 GHz or so.

Does a silent Air Cooler like the Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro or the Noctua NH-U9B SE2 have the capacity for this CPU? Or do I need to go for a water cooler and silent fans?

Open to suggestions.

 

[Witchdoctor]

will have some noise

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master...8&sr=8-1&keywords=cooler+master+212+hyper+evo

Obviously custom water would be less noise, but a lot more expensive

 

[Blaylock]

For silent cooling I think the Cooler Master fans are a bit loud. I'd look into the Noctua NH-D15 or Phanteks PH-TC14PE. Better cooling and much quieter operation, but at a higher cost naturally.

I'm not sure of any AIO's that are quieter than the air coolers I listed. Maybe the Swiftech H220x or CoolerMaster Seidon 240M.

 

[EarthDog]

Tough call... I would look up 'round up' type heatsink reviews and check the db rating in those reviews.

 

[Tyerker]

The Hyper 212 is enough to properly cool the i7? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as the stock coolers on most Intel CPUs are tiny garbage.

Those Phanteks coolers are nice, especially with the color options. And I've sworn by Noctua for years, so any of their coolers are contenders, too.

Thanks for the input, fellas.

 

[EarthDog]

The Hyper 212 is enough to properly cool the i7?

Easily. You can overclock well over 4Ghz with it too.

 

[Tyerker]

By Round Type, do you mean like the Zalman/Silenx flower coolers?

 

[Blaylock]

No he's referring to a comparison review. They "round up" a bunch of coolers and compare them. LOL

 

[Tyerker]

Now I feel possibly as dumb as I have ever felt on a computer forum...

 

[Blaylock]

We need an "unpost" button Fo-SHO

 

[ehume]

I have reviewed the various Noctua heatsinks for this site. They are the best I have yet found, with the NH-D15S at the top and the NH-C14S surprisingly good. I still have to get to the Silver Arrow and the Genesis, but my 5-1/2 year old Megahalems cools very well -- but that may be because I have rubbed most of the nickel plating off. My current test machine is an i7 4790k running at 4.4GHz. The very best heatsinks keep it just under 90 when Linpack+AVX2 is running and my TIM is the Noctua paste. The best TIM is Gelid GC Extreme -- although Grizzly Kryonaut may exceed it. Right now, I will run my testbed at 4.5GHz with GC Extreme.

All of this will give you some notion of what you might consider. If your heatsink can keep your hottest core temp under 90 using Linpack with AVX2, you can use that OC daily, safe in the knowledge that you can't throttle it.

 

[madchemist83]

God hand with like a 230 mm fan going about at 500 rpm