NH-D14 worth it?

[velomaxx]

hey guys, I want to overclock my i5 2500k to 4.0 Ghz and I need to buy an aftermarket cooler. At first I was looking at the hyper 212 plus, but I was wondering if going with the Noctua NH-D14 would make any difference? thanks

oh and first time overclocker so also wondering if this is a realistic expectation

 

[LennyRhys]

An NH-D14 would be major overkill for a 2500K at 4GHz - you could get 4GHz on the stock cooler easily.

4.5GHz would be a much more realistic target for aftermarket cooling, and you could get that with a much less expensive cooler than the D14.

 

[velomaxx]

An NH-D14 would be major overkill for a 2500K at 4GHz - you could get 4GHz on the stock cooler easily.

4.5GHz would be a much more realistic target for aftermarket cooling, and you could get that with a much less expensive cooler than the D14.

Oh well I can get it for $50 at my local store. Would 4.5GHz be stable for gaming? Would it significantly shorten the life span of my processor?

 

['Cuda340]

With abit of effort 4.5 should be no problem.......regardless what your using the system for.

Your processor will be just fine.......

NCIX has the Corsair A50 on for $25.00 and the Hyper 212 Evo for $30.00 currently. If you "want" the NH-D14 (As it's not really needed) and don't mind spending the extra $$.....Knock yourself out.

It's a kick *** cooler.

 

[Nebulous]

With abit of effort 4.5 should be no problem.......regardless what your using the system for.

Your processor will be just fine.......

NCIX has the Corsair A50 on for $25.00 and the Hyper 212 Evo for $30.00 currently. If you "want" the NH-D14 (As it's not really needed) and don't mind spending the extra $$.....Knock yourself out.

It's a kick *** cooler.

and it's BIG! Be sure you have the space for it in your case

 

['Cuda340]

and it's BIG! Be sure you have the space for it in your case

Also look at possible height issues in regards to memory heat spreaders.....

 

[ehume]

The D14 can handle most memory heatspreaders: it's adjustable.

$50 for a D14 is a steal. Get it now and never have any worries. At that price you can put PWM fans in it. For that price I might even get a second D14. Don't wait.

Over all $50 coolers, none could match a D14.

 

[velomaxx]

yeah I have a corsair 400r case, I'm pretty sure it can fit. It looks like a really BA cooler and I don't mind spending the bit of extra money

thanks for the awesome advice as always guys

 

[Mjolnir]

50 bucks? Go for it lol. Otherwise; the Hyper 212+ or Hyper Evo are fine. But you better take that 2500K to 4.7ghz+ with a Noctua NH-D14 .

 

[txus.palacios]

50 bucks?!?!?!?!?

World's worst deal. Don't buy it. Never. Never. Now if you'd tell me what the store was... you know... just... to... *starts counting dollars*... to visit him.

Jokes aside, go for it. You won't regret it. It's arguably best air cooler right now.

 

[Lucky23]

Sounds like a really good deal for a D14. I'd get it

 

[velomaxx]

went out and bought it yesterday and I'm going to install it this afternoon. 4.7 Ghz just sounds ridiculous though, is it actually worth it or is going that extreme just a status symbol?

 

[Janus67]

I think you just have to define worth it. It doesn't hurt anything as long as you keep your voltages and temps down (below 1.4-1.45 and under 75-80C under 100% load) which the D14 shouldn't have any trouble with), and it will make things just that little bit faster. 4.5 is a perfectly solid number to hit for 24/7 use as well

 

[ehume]

Do post a few pics if you can/ Or set up a gallery at picasaweb and post a link. I'd like to see the current packaging, and how the heatsink looks.

 

[JigPu]

I'd say its well worth it, especially since you were in the market for a heatsink anyway. 4.5GHz is more than 10% faster than your 4.0GHz target, which is a very solid speed boost for $50.

Or, if you don't think the increase in speed is worth it, you can go the opposite route and try for a decrease in noise. The D14 can get very quiet while maintaining some good temps. To get 75C full load temps on my system, I have to run the D14's fans at 5V and my case fans at 7V. A lot of that temperature is due to my case fans not pushing much air at 7V; my 2x 560 TIs raise the ambient temps appreciably in that circumstance. If I improve ventilation or only load the CPU, temps drop to ~60C.

JigPu

 

[LennyRhys]

Massive overclocks = different strokes for different folks. Most modern games don't need an overclocked CPU as there isn't a bottleneck like there used to be back in C2D days - the games are very highly optimized to use GPU powa and they do it very well indeed.

I've had my 990X up to 4.7GHz and it's really not noticeable in Windows or games, but it would look very nice in my sig.

 

[GoD_tattoo]

Thats a great price for a D14. I have one as well, but haven't even mounted it yet. I dont have anything worth its prestige.

 

[velomaxx]

alright, I got this badass cooler mounted last night and it was surprisingly easy to do. Even for me considering I've never mounted an aftermarket cooler in my life. After booting up my machine, my CPU temps were around the 19-20C range. Just today when I looked at my temperatures, they're now hovering around 30C (idle temps btw) read from OCCT. I don't even know what to make of this increase. I'm thinking maybe it was the thermal paste? I just put a grain of rice sized dab in the center.

 

[MIAHALLEN]

There are a ton of reasonible explainations for the increase.....ie ambient (room) temp, things the machine is working one while measuring the temp, etc...

A better metric is testing the max temp with a heavy load using a program like Prime95, LinX, or OCCT....then we'll be able to better qualify your results