Looking for cooler for i7-2600K overclock

[dicky96]

Hi guys
The Arctic Freezer 13 Pro cooler on my i7-2600K is broken, the plastic on the mounting plate split so the heatsink will not firmly screw down on one side. I never overclocked this PC when using that cooler, but I want to overclock now

I did a quick google search for a suitable replacement and I found a couple of heatsinks in the £30-£40 range on ebay. These are the Cryorig H7 and the Cooler Master Hyper LED Turbo - with the Cryorig being about £10 cheaper. From a quick read the Cryorig even with the single fan is better than the Hyper LED Turbo with two fans. Though this seems to be a bit subjective/open to opinion. Both these were recommended in various places for i7-2600K overclocking.

I also looked at some cheap AIO coolers like this one https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/240mm-Ai...5&algv=default&_trksid=p2047675.c100008.m2219 This is in the same price range and I found some good reviews but I don't think that would fit in my Cooler Master ATX case as I can't fit two 120mm fans in the top as it is - the rear would be obstructed by the USB connectors on the motherboard. With the exra thickness of an AIO radiator and front fan would be obstructed by the RAM.

So I'm thinking of getting the Cryorig - but if anyone has any better suggestions under £50, or there are very good reasons to pay a bit more, then I would be happy to hear them. I'll consider new or used.

One problem I had with the Arctic Freezer, the Ripjaws Z DIMMS on my P8Z68-V mobo obstruct the cooler fan so I had to mount it backwards. I would like to replace it with something that actually fits this time.

TIA
Rich

 

[Blaylock]

You'll need to check pricing and availability in your area, but for the price, these would be my choices in that scenario. (Also check fitment)

Thermalright True Spirit 140 Power Onlt $52 US right now but 172 mm tall.

Thermalright Macho Rev. C $55 US with a 158mm height. Watch ram clearance though.

Phanteks PH-TC14PE It's slightly over your budget but a solid cooler if it fits your build. $69 US after MIR 171 mm tall)

 

[Dr. McCoy]

Found this from Zalman and it's all copper, I've got one of these coolers and it works great.
https://www.newegg.com/zalman-cnps9...r&cm_re=cpu_cooler-_-9SIABW97E36952-_-Product

However do be aware the allen head screws/studs it has are practically pot metal, the heads will strip out on a dime.
I had to visit the hardware store to get others of a better quality with nylon spacers but once I did the cooler was a snap to install and works fine. I even did a review about it and hope that helps someone.
I would also get a set of screws that's phillips head, allen screws are a PITA to torque down with it because the wrench gets into everything but a regular phillips screwdriver goes right to it.

Took a screenie of the review I did for reference titled "Good cooler - Horrid mounting system".
View attachment 212805

 

[EarthDog]

Man, is that Zalman CPU cooler a blast from the past... wow!

 

[Dr. McCoy]

Yes it is but it's still a good cooler.
Once I got things resolved with the mounting hardware the cooler has been all aces, no regrets at all over getting it.

 

[wagex]

the 2600k doesnt take much to cool even at over 5ghz a hyper 212 is plenty if i recall correctly. Sure there are better coolers but if the cheaper ones will get the job done that you need i personally wouldnt spend the extra for a few c cooler temps when the latter would keep it well below the 90c target.

edit: it's been quite a while, but if i recall correctly... people were getting 4.2-4.5ghz on the STOCK coolers.

 

[EarthDog]

Yeah, a Hyper 212+ or 212 Evo will allow for significant overclocking on that CPU and is cheap (~$30).

 

[dicky96]

Thanks guys. I am going to see if I can fit the Hyper 212 LED from my i7-5820K onto the i7-2600K. It isn't good enough to cool the i7-5820K, so I have a used Noctua U14S coming for that rig, but it sounds like may work well enough on the 2600K.

I don't have all the mounting kit for the Hyper 212 (only the LGA2011 mount) but I may be able to improvise something.

 

[Voodoo Rufus]

Agree with all of the above comments. A basic 120mm tower will cool it plenty past 4.2GHz or more. I have my Dark Rock Pro 4 on mine at that speed and it never speeds up to any audible level.

 

[freeagent]

I am impressed man! Almost no one recommends Thermalright anymore, I feel like a broken record doing it all the time lol.

With my 3770K and 212 Evo I was able to max the CPU out at 4300 with stock volts IBT/Linpack stable. That was with a butt load of case flow too.

2600 runs a bit cooler they say.. so 4500 could be doable. But if you move on to a modern CPU, that 212 wont get you very far.. its a little better than a stock cooler I would think.

With Le Grand Macho RT on my 3770K I can run Linpack Extreme at 4500MHz with no CPU fan attached. Adding a TY-143 gets me an additional 200MHz that I can run Linpack on.

 

[Blaylock]

There just good coolers for the money.

 

[Voodoo Rufus]

Just for some extra numbers: My 2600K at 1.375V on a P95 AVX load, pulls only 115W. Peanuts compared to the 14nm chips on AVX or AVX2 loads today, and pretty chill at 70C. My 9900KS will suck 250W doing the same load.

 

[freeagent]

I tried the 212 on an X5690 and it ran it at stock just fine. I was also able to run it at 4GHz as well. My X5690 is capable of 250W too, but not at 4GHz

At the wall my new AM4 system pulls roughly the same power overclocked as an overclocked Z77 with 3770K. Pretty good. My 3770K showed a max usage of 84w where my XT the most I've seen was 120w. I have not tried the 212 on my AM4, and probably never will since it is ancient and I don't have a mount.

I'm sure it would be fine.. I just have a deep disdain for the cooler because I don't think it lived up to the hype that has been generated around it. That's just been my experience.. 52 bucks gets you a True Spirit 140 Power which kicks the snot out of the 212

 

[Blaylock]

In all fairness, you are not comparing apples to apples.

The Cooler master Hyper 212 (any) is a good cooler. It does exactly what it's meant to do. It's only rated for 150W so anyone who expects better performance out of it is just setting themselves up for disappointment.

The TS140 is a 360W cooler. It's more in the class of the Noctua NH-U14S or maybe a Phanteks TC-14S.


Edit: correction the 360W TDP is for the TS140 Power not the TS140 Direct. The direct is a 200W cooler.

 

[freeagent]

That is true, but no one believes in TDP anymore.. and they are similar in cost. I know its better than a stock AMD cooler. But that doesn't stop Joe Blow from buying one to stick on his 10850K or whatever insert high cost cpu here because people on the internet said it was a good cooler. I see it every day.

TS140P is up there with D14/D15 LGMRT and other monstrosities. Those pipes are phat

But to be fair, I wasn't comparing 212 to any of those Thermalright coolers, that would be silly. I was just tossing numbers around with the man in Green.

 

[Blaylock]

Agreed. Processor TDP has evolved to a point we can no longer simply use a number to tell people which cooler to get. By that I mean a TS140D will still be good for a 200W CPU. The issue is defining what a 200W CPU is these days. With intels turbo and Ryzen's all core boost, both utilize cooler capabilities to determine the(near) max speed.

I guess the bottom line here is in today's market always buy the best cooler you can fit within your budget, and within your case.

 

[Voodoo Rufus]

Yes. If you have anything resembling a high end CPU, you can never have enough heatsink. Especially if you value quiet.

 

[freeagent]

Heck yeah the bigger the better! CFM are like your friends, the more the merrier!