Is the Wraith Max worth it?

[IAmAndre]

Hi,

 

I'm having a hard time installing the cooler that came included with my 2600X. I suspect that there's an issue with my unit or maybe I'm just too stupid to install it ... Therefore I can't make it tight enough and I'm getting temperatures over 90° at idle.

I'm looking for a better CPU cooler that's easy to install and AMD's Wrath Max seems to be a decent option considering that the regular version has received positive reviews. Now it retails for $60 ad and I'm not sure if it's worth the price, especially considering that there aio's available for less.

So what would you recommend that's super easy to install at this price range or less?

[narrdarr]

What case are you using?

[it_dont_work]

First I'd say check you've mounted it correctly might need some new tim to do that, and plugged the cpu fan into the cpu fan header (no offence or anything). Then check temps with hwinfo or similar, as 90c is not right for idle.

 

For ease of install the amd stock mount the wraith max uses can't really be beaten, there is other options slightly cheaper that are better coolers, or on par. 212 is slightly better and about the same price, CM MA620P is a twin tower and ten bucks more and a much better performer.  

[IAmAndre]

16 minutes ago, narrdarr said:

What case are you using?

Aerocool Shard.

[IAmAndre]

25 minutes ago, it_dont_work said:

Then check temps with hwinfo or similar, as 90c is not right for idle.

Of course it's not. The temperatures drop to the 60's when I push on the cooler so it's definitely not tight enough and I just can't mount it properly. Maybe an issue with the screws or something.

25 minutes ago, it_dont_work said:

For ease of install the amd stock mount the wraith max uses can't really be beaten, there is other options slightly cheaper that are better coolers, or on par. 212 is slightly better and about the same price, CM MA620P is a twin tower and ten bucks more and a much better performer.  

Thanks for the recommendations. I think I'll go with the AMD cooler then for the ease of install and RGB. I was just a little concerned about the relative performance at the same price range, which looks decent now, especially if it comes with pre-applied thermal paste.

[WoodenMarker]

8 hours ago, IAmAndre said:

I was just a little concerned about the relative performance at the same price range, which looks decent now, especially if it comes with pre-applied thermal paste.

Most coolers come with decent thermal paste and there are generally plenty of coolers that are better for the price. 

 

Have you tried reseating the cooler? Make sure that it's tightened evenly in an X-pattern instead of one side before the other and fully tightened. 

 

[IAmAndre]

4 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

Most coolers come with decent thermal paste and there are generally plenty of coolers that are better for the price. 

 

Have you tried reseating the cooler? Make sure that it's tightened evenly in an X-pattern instead of one side before the other and fully tightened. 

 

I've been trying to install this CPU cooler for literally 24 hours. I was able to install it on my previous rig so maybe something has changed but I'm so frustrated now that I don't want to see this cooler (or any screw) anymore.

[IAmAndre]

1 hour ago, WoodenMarker said:

Most coolers come with decent thermal paste and there are generally plenty of coolers that are better for the price. 

Any recommendation? Preferably easy to install.

Also, why it was announced at $60 the Wraith Max is currently available at around $40 in many places.

[WoodenMarker]

2 hours ago, IAmAndre said:

Any recommendation? Preferably easy to install.

Also, why it was announced at $60 the Wraith Max is currently available at around $40 in many places.

Most things end up cheaper than MSRP. MSRP is just a guideline for retailers but they can afford lower prices if units are selling well enough. 

Where are you shopping / located? Budget?

[IAmAndre]

38 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

Most things end up cheaper than MSRP. MSRP is just a guideline for retailers but they can afford lower prices if units are selling well enough. 

Where are you shopping / located? Budget?

I don't have a budget in mind since I wasn't planning on buying an aftermarket cooler. However anything better at around the same price ($40-60) would be fine. I'm in West Africa so I can only buy from a few places like B&H, Conrad or eBay sellers offering worldwide shipping. I sometimes buy from Chinese websites like Gearbest or AlliExpress.

 

[WoodenMarker]

4 hours ago, IAmAndre said:

I don't have a budget in mind since I wasn't planning on buying an aftermarket cooler. However anything better at around the same price ($40-60) would be fine. I'm in West Africa so I can only buy from a few places like B&H, Conrad or eBay sellers offering worldwide shipping. I sometimes buy from Chinese websites like Gearbest or AlliExpress.

Gammaxx 400 is good: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1209868-REG/deepcool_gammaxx_400_cpu_air.html

[IAmAndre]

4 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

Gammaxx 400 is good: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1209868-REG/deepcool_gammaxx_400_cpu_air.html

It doesn't seem to be compatible with AM4 chipsets.

[WoodenMarker]

19 minutes ago, IAmAndre said:

It doesn't seem to be compatible with AM4 chipsets.

For the Gammaxx 400 and many other coolers that use mounts that hook onto the stock AMD bracket, mounting is the same and there isn't a need for dedicated AM4 mounting hardware. 

In short, it's compatible but some listings haven't updated to reflect that.

[IAmAndre]

6 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

For the Gammaxx 400 and many other coolers that use mounts that hook onto the stock AMD bracket, mounting is the same and there isn't a need for dedicated AM4 mounting hardware. 

In short, it's compatible but some listings haven't updated to reflect that.

After reviewing all my options I've decided to pick this one: https://www.arctic.ac/worldwide_en/freezer-34-esports.html

It's received a lot of good reviews and it fits my black and white theme. It's also the most affordable at $50 shipping included. What do you think? Here are a couple reviews.

Now the version I'm buying has only one fan instead of two but the first review shows that with two fans instead of one, the temperature difference is only about 3°C. I'll probably still mount an extra fan for it to blow on the VRM's.

[Vejnemojnen]

good choice IMHO. The Duo version, with dual fans costs 10800 HUF, which is pretty good price, roughly 37.5 USD. The single fan versions actually come slightly below 10k HUF in a local-shop-intown (in various colours, green, red, yellow, white..), so, not even 35 USD! For this price, there is nothing not to like about them.

 

A buddy of mine uses the single fan version on a 8700 intel cpu (locked multiplier though) and 100% satisfied with the ability of the cooler. Recommended stuff for great price. And you have a fair number of options for colours! 

[WoodenMarker]

2 hours ago, IAmAndre said:

After reviewing all my options I've decided to pick this one: https://www.arctic.ac/worldwide_en/freezer-34-esports.html

It's received a lot of good reviews and it fits my black and white theme. It's also the most affordable at $50 shipping included. What do you think? Here are a couple reviews.

Now the version I'm buying has only one fan instead of two but the first review shows that with two fans instead of one, the temperature difference is only about 3°C. I'll probably still mount an extra fan for it to blow on the VRM's.

The single fan version is similar to the Gammaxx 400 whereas the Duo is a bit better. It's a decent cooler and a good option depending on how it's priced relative to any alternatives.

You can lower the fans on the heatsink for a bit more vrm cooling. 

Which shop are you looking at where it's the most affordable?

[IAmAndre]

1 hour ago, WoodenMarker said:

You can lower the fans on the heatsink for a bit more vrm cooling. 

What do you mean? Less fans for more VRM cooling?

 

1 hour ago, WoodenMarker said:

Which shop are you looking at where it's the most affordable?

I'm buying from an eBay seller. Those links aren't allowed here. I can DM you the links if you want.

[WoodenMarker]

1 hour ago, IAmAndre said:

What do you mean? Less fans for more VRM cooling?

I'm buying from an eBay seller. Those links aren't allowed here. I can DM you the links if you want.

Lowered fans, not less. The fans can be mounted higher or lower on the heatsink for ram compatibility or cooling motherboard components. 

Spoiler

eBay links are not allowed for advertising reasons. They're fine where appropriate like here when asking for help / recommendations. 

I can't find the Freezer 34 eSports from the links you sent. 

In either case, it's not a bad option to go with especially if you like the way it looks.

[IAmAndre]

22 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

Lowered fans, not less. The fans can be mounted higher or lower on the heatsink for ram compatibility or cooling motherboard components. 

  Reveal hidden contents

eBay links are not allowed for advertising reasons. They're fine where appropriate like here when asking for help / recommendations. 

I can't find the Freezer 34 eSports from the links you sent. 

In either case, it's not a bad option to go with especially if you like the way it looks.

I can see that the Freezer 33 TR, which is officially intented for ThreadRipper, is also compatible with AM4 CPU's. It would be $20 more expensive but should I expect more performance since it's meant to handle a 180W TDP?

[WoodenMarker]

1 minute ago, IAmAndre said:

I can see that the Freezer 33 TR, which is officially intented for ThreadRipper, is also compatible with AM4 CPU's. It would be $20 more expensive but should I expect more performance since it's meant to handle a 180W TDP?

Nope, they're basically the same. 

The way TDP is measured varies between different sockets.

[IAmAndre]

28 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

Nope, they're basically the same. 

The way TDP is measured varies between different sockets.

Ok so what you're saying is the only difference is the wider contact area on the TR version and it would only make sense if I plan on upgrading to a TR at some point?

[WoodenMarker]

2 hours ago, IAmAndre said:

Ok so what you're saying is the only difference is the wider contact area on the TR version and it would only make sense if I plan on upgrading to a TR at some point?

Yep.