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CPU Cooler - Final Decision

Smash.Mac
By Smash.Mac
in Cooling
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Guten Tag,

I have narrowed my decision down to 3 CPU Coolers, out of ten. I know I have been posting/asking a lot about this topic over the past little while, so if these topics are annoying, feel free to leave this topic. If not, feel free to continue reading!

 

Here are the 7 I have killed off, and reasons why:

 

1. DeepCool Gamer Storm Assassin | Too hefty, don't have a whole lot of trust for the company.

2. Thermaltake NiC F4 | Cheap fans, noisy

3. CoolerMaster Hyper 612 | Too large for my case (Scout 2), only 1 fan

4. Silverstone Argon AR03 | More expensive than AR01 but with little extra features

5. Silverstone Argon AR01 | 1 Fan, Hate the color scheme, only 4 Heatpipes

6. Noctua NH-D15 | Gargantuan, Expensive, Overkill for me (not overclocking)

7. NZXT Kraken 140 | 1 Fan (again), Discontinued series

 

AND the three that remain:

 

1. Phanteks TC12DX

2. CoolerMaster Hyper 412 Slim

3. Noctua NH-U9B SE2

 

So here I have a tossup. The Phanteks TC12DX looks great, performs well and has a great 5 year warranty. It's got high build quality and lots of mounting accessories. However, its the most expensive, and I'm not sure if the price difference will be worth it for a few degrees difference in performance. The NH-U9B SE2 is $10 cheaper, and has a larger fin stack compared to the TC12DX. It has a 6 year warranty, and Noctua are renowned for quiet operation, high performance and great quality. However, this cooler is 4 years old now, and I'm not sure if I want something so outdated, compared to the 2013 TC12DX. And finally, the 412 Slim, from CoolerMaster. It's the cheapest, with good compatibility, but i'm not so sure about it's performance compared to the rest, as I haven't been able to find many reviews. I don't like the bronze/orange heatpipes, I much prefer Noctua's or Phanteks' silver 'chrome' pipe color. I couldn't see how long it's warranty is (most likely 3 years) and I overall think it's the cheapest and lowest-quality.

 

So what do I choose? Is it worth the extra $15 for the TC12DX over the 412S for the little things, or should I go with the 412? I'm favouring the Phanteks, but It's just more money, and I'm not a sure if that money will make a major improvement. What do you guys think? I'm interested to see what you guys favour, and why.

 

Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it.

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NZXT X61 best cooling for a good price 

Thanks, but its way out of my price range, and i'm looking for air cooling.

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Thanks, but its way out of my price range, and i'm looking for air cooling.

then the Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 3 is the way to go 

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then the Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 3 is the way to go 

 

Thats like 20 bucks over his highest priced fan choice.

 

I'd say go noctua just because I have never heard a bad thing ever about their coolers.  You are basically guaranteed to get a good product.

Personal Rig v3: AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | Noctua NH-U14S | Gigabyte B450 Aorus Pro ITX | Zotac GTX 2070 8GB | 16GB G-Skill Trident DDR4 3200MHz | EVGA Supernova 750B | Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX 

Peripherals: Sennheiser HD518 & Classic ModMic | Corsair K65 Luxe | Zowie EC2 | ASUS VG259QM  |  ASUS VG278E | Klipsch ProMedia 2.1

 

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then the Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 3 is the way to go 

You do realise that he has narrowed it down to three selective coolers?

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Guten Tag,

I have narrowed my decision down to 3 CPU Coolers, out of ten. I know I have been posting/asking a lot about this topic over the past little while, so if these topics are annoying, feel free to leave this topic. If not, feel free to continue reading!

 

Here are the 7 I have killed off, and reasons why:

 

1. DeepCool Gamer Storm Assassin | Too hefty, don't have a whole lot of trust for the company.

2. Thermaltake NiC F4 | Cheap fans, noisy

3. CoolerMaster Hyper 612 | Too large for my case (Scout 2), only 1 fan

4. Silverstone Argon AR03 | More expensive than AR01 but with little extra features

5. Silverstone Argon AR01 | 1 Fan, Hate the color scheme, only 4 Heatpipes

6. Noctua NH-D15 | Gargantuan, Expensive, Overkill for me (not overclocking)

7. NZXT Kraken 140 | 1 Fan (again), Discontinued series

 

AND the three that remain:

 

1. Phanteks TC12DX

2. CoolerMaster Hyper 412 Slim

3. Noctua NH-U9B SE2

 

So here I have a tossup. The Phanteks TC12DX looks great, performs well and has a great 5 year warranty. It's got high build quality and lots of mounting accessories. However, its the most expensive, and I'm not sure if the price difference will be worth it for a few degrees difference in performance. The NH-U9B SE2 is $10 cheaper, and has a larger fin stack compared to the TC12DX. It has a 6 year warranty, and Noctua are renowned for quiet operation, high performance and great quality. However, this cooler is 4 years old now, and I'm not sure if I want something so outdated, compared to the 2013 TC12DX. And finally, the 412 Slim, from CoolerMaster. It's the cheapest, with good compatibility, but i'm not so sure about it's performance compared to the rest, as I haven't been able to find many reviews. I don't like the bronze/orange heatpipes, I much prefer Noctua's or Phanteks' silver 'chrome' pipe color. I couldn't see how long it's warranty is (most likely 3 years) and I overall think it's the cheapest and lowest-quality.

 

So what do I choose? Is it worth the extra $15 for the TC12DX over the 412S for the little things, or should I go with the 412? I'm favouring the Phanteks, but It's just more money, and I'm not a sure if that money will make a major improvement. What do you guys think? I'm interested to see what you guys favour, and why.

 

Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it.

If you are not doing any OCing i would just go with a Hyper 212 Evo even though i didn't see it as a choice.

 

Your budget seems to be around $50 - $60 and not knowing what case you are using, might i present some others for you to peruse......

 

1. http://www.amazon.com/Scythe-Mugen-Cooler-Socket-SCMG-4000/dp/B00G9YBHEY/ref=sr_1_125?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=1-125&keywords=cpu+coolers

2. http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Sleeve-Direct-Socket-100-FS-C901-KR/dp/B00FS6O20A/ref=sr_1_64?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1408533683&sr=1-64&keywords=cpu+coolers

3. http://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-Freezer-Xtreme-Rev-Cooler/dp/B001X017G2/ref=sr_1_9?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1408533574&sr=1-9&keywords=cpu+coolers

A water-cooled mid-tier gaming PC.

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You have 2 120mm coolers and one 92mm? From those three Phanteks is clear winner. It seems to almost get onto U14S level when both fans are used. With one its about same with all other 120mm coolers. 412S is 612 with slim fans so it is also weaker than Phanteks. Is there reason why you don't just go for 212 evo, best cheap air cooler? Since you aren't overclocking its pretty much same which cooler you pick. But as previous U9B owner I'd say if you want less noise, go for 120mm cooler.

^^^^ That's my post ^^^^
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IDD say the phanteks.

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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OK, thanks everyone for your input, I think I'll choose phanteks.

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