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What is best AIR COOLER for i7-8700K

Go to solution Solved by PopsiclesInMyCellar,

After extensive research, it turns out the Noctua NH-D15 is king (if it will fit!). I observed dozens of tests, videos, and reviews. This is the one I've gone with. It's even quieter than the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3! Can you believe it?!

I also may order some of their Chromax replacements to make it black in the future.
 

 

6 minutes ago, brob said:

@PopsiclesInMyCellar

 

Glad you found the Dark Rock Pro 3 diagrams.

 

If your memory kit was 2x8GB, then the modules could be inserted in the outer two slots and the fan moved up. With 4 modules two will have to fit under the Dark Rock Pro 3's fins.

 

The post that said clearance was 44mm is corrected further down in the thread. That clearance was "from memory" and may have been for the Dark Rock Pro 2.

 

The second post only needs  two memory slots and can therefore use the outer slots. Same with the to additional builds listed.

 

Placement of memory slots on different motherboards supporting the same socket is within a few mm of each other.

 

I don't think there is any escaping the fact that using Trident Z memory with the Dark Rock Pro 3 is less than optimal.

I agree.

So, Noctua NH-D15 or Cryorig R1 Universal? Or are there other options that are just as good?

I'm taking a look at http://www.deepcool.com/product/cpucooler/2017-06/7_6732.shtml and http://www.lepatek.com/eng/product_content/31/1/88/#produkte as they are the only two air CPU coolers I can find that support Aura Sync. Maybe there's more but I don't know. Although since they're only one fan models I doubt they perform as well as the ND-D15 or Cryorig R1 Universal. Just looking into it a bit now. Not gonna lie, they look pretty sick.

Although if the performance increase isn't that much between those fans and the Aura Sync ones I'll probably go with Aura Sync (the deepcool one I think). Although if it is significant I'll go with the non Aura Sync ones.

Any help doing the research is appreciated! :)

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@PopsiclesInMyCellar

 

I believe the Phanteks PH-TC14PE is a pretty good cpu cooler. But it suffers from memory are overhang issues.

 

Do you have this link: https://www.asus.com/campaign/aura/us/Sync.html?

 

If you want high performance and lighting, go with an aio.

 

 

80+ ratings certify electrical efficiency. Not quality.

 

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4 minutes ago, brob said:

@PopsiclesInMyCellar

 

I believe the Phanteks PH-TC14PE is a pretty good cpu cooler. But it suffers from memory are overhang issues.

 

Do you have this link: https://www.asus.com/campaign/aura/us/Sync.html?

 

If you want high performance and lighting, go with an aio.

 

 

2

No AIO. That's the point of this topic!


Apparently the Phanteks PH-TC14PE is in the same boat as the Dark Rock Pro (requires low-profile RAM).

 

It's really funny because if Noctua NH-D15 was black, I would buy it in a heartbeat. It's really strange they decided on going with such an ugly design just to "stand out", in the end, unfortunately, they'll actually probably lose sales because of it.

In the meantime... I'm still lookin.

 

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3 hours ago, cgn said:

The noctua has a 64 mm clearance, so it would fit IMHO without any major drawbacks in performance.

Just check your case dimensions on max cpu cooling height!

 

It should be a minimum of 165+(44-32)= 177mm

FCAE7DB1-29BC-4CEE-BBD9-F30A3FCD7C82.jpeg

The Noctua only has 32mm clearance for dual-fan mode... so it wouldn't work. Correct? I think if I got the Noctua I'd like to use both the fans.

@brob can you help confirm if this is a decent air CPU cooler? The Gammaxx GT, very newly released, single fan and heat sink, so no RAM clearance issues I believe. It is only 2 degrees hotter than the Dark Rock Pro 3, which was the same as the Noctua NH-D15. Does this mean this cooler is good? Has Aura Sync, too.

Tests:
http://www.gamezoom.net/artikel/Deepcool_Gammaxx_GT_Test_Review-39393-3

You'll have to right-click translate the page to English. :)

 

Some of the temps that are reached with the 8700k are discussed here: https://pcpartpicker.com/b/Ckjypg

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I plan on getting the Noctua NH-D15 after some hefty research on the best air coolers. I was tempted by the Gammaxx GT RGB for its Aura Sync capabilities, but obviously, it won't perform as well as the Noctua NH-D15. Also, the Noctua NH-D15 is QUIETER than "be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3"! Look into it. One thing pulling me away from it is its notorious aesthetic, but if they release different coloured fans etc for this version I can swap 'em out in the future (called Chromax).

Is there enough clearance for my RAM?

PCPartPicker part list: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/F8hszM
Price breakdown by merchant: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/F8hszM/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor  (Purchased For $489.99) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($109.95 @ Amazon Canada) 
Motherboard: Asus - ROG MAXIMUS X HERO (WI-FI AC) ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  (Purchased For $328.69) 
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  (Purchased For $479.99) 
Storage: Samsung - 960 Pro 1TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  (Purchased For $599.99) 
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Black 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (Purchased For $219.99) 
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING Video Card  (Purchased For $1004.99) 
Case: Phanteks - Enthoo Luxe Tempered Glass (Black) ATX Full Tower Case 
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA P2 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  (Purchased For $189.69) 
Total: $3423.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-11-30 04:05 EST-0500

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59 minutes ago, PopsiclesInMyCellar said:

Correct me if I'm wrong but they don't make custom fans etc for the Noctua NH-D15?

They do, the NF-A15. 

:)

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9 minutes ago, seon123 said:

They do, the NF-A15. 

Thanks. Can you help me confirm that everything in this build is compatible?

EDIT: Looks like I'll have to move a fan up. Hopefully, the case still works.
http://noctua.at/en/how-big-is-the-nh-d15-and-how-much-clearance-does-it-provide-for-ram-and-chipset-coolers

EDIT 2:

Case specs:
image.png.0218628f7ed704a2b9bc1646f776ef1e.png
 

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4 minutes ago, PopsiclesInMyCellar said:

Thanks. Can you help me confirm that everything in this build is compatible?

Looks like I'll have to move a fan up. Hopefully the case still works.
http://noctua.at/en/how-big-is-the-nh-d15-and-how-much-clearance-does-it-provide-for-ram-and-chipset-coolers

According to Noctua's website, the NH-D15 is compatible with the Maximus X Hero, so there shouldn't be any issues with that. 

The case claims 193mm cooler clearance and ≥338mm GPU clearance, so that shouldn't be an issue either. 

The only possible issue I see, is that the RAM might not run at 3200 MHz, due to all the slots being populated. Should probably run fine, Intel's IMC is decent

:)

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23 minutes ago, seon123 said:

According to Noctua's website, the NH-D15 is compatible with the Maximus X Hero, so there shouldn't be any issues with that. 

The case claims 193mm cooler clearance and ≥338mm GPU clearance, so that shouldn't be an issue either. 

The only possible issue I see, is that the RAM might not run at 3200 MHz, due to all the slots being populated. Should probably run fine, Intel's IMC is decent

Thanks. I'm actually looking into a different case as this one is for sale NOWHERE where I am, apparently. Haha. I'm looking at different Aura Sync Phanteks now.

As for the memory, hell no! You kidding?! This is a topimage.png.aee36a3b9b3ed6f73214e19746516321.png mobo: 

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After extensive research, it turns out the Noctua NH-D15 is king (if it will fit!). I observed dozens of tests, videos, and reviews. This is the one I've gone with. It's even quieter than the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3! Can you believe it?!

I also may order some of their Chromax replacements to make it black in the future.
 

 

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