Is it worth investing in an after market CPU cooler?

[Rokzul]

Hello! 

 

I am making some upgrades to my computer in the near future and I had some questions about CPU cooling. I have an ASUS Sabertooth x58 and an Intel® Core i7 CPU 980 @ 3.33GHz and at the moment I have a stock cooling fan on it. I do not know whether I should get a heatsink and fan or stick with the one I have. My first upgrade is going to be Corsair Vengeance DDR3 12GB Ram so it would also have to fit with that there... I don't know how much that might affect it. But yeah... should I invest in something like that or stick with what I have? If I should invest in it any recommendations? 

 

Thanks!

Nick 

[Lolzious]

Yes absolutely. The poor i7 is sweating under that stock cooler

[zlolslavez]

I have no time to research, but if that cpu or motherboard can't overclock, there's no reason to upgrade cooling UNLESS you are currently having heat issues maybe due to location.

[Kyuubixchidori]

pick up a hyper 212 evo. for 30 bucks, it makes a world of diffrence. Id put then even on locked coolers. for the price, its worth it

[Whaler_99]

Something cheap from Coolermaster, like a hyper 212, can help you gain a few degrees and won't cost you much. But if your temps are ok now, than no real need.

[Prastupok]

Hello! 

 

I am making some upgrades to my computer in the near future and I had some questions about CPU cooling. I have an ASUS Sabertooth x58 and an Intel® Core i7 CPU 980 @ 3.33GHz and at the moment I have a stock cooling fan on it. I do not know whether I should get a heatsink and fan or stick with the one I have. My first upgrade is going to be Corsair Vengeance DDR3 12GB Ram so it would also have to fit with that there... I don't know how much that might affect it. But yeah... should I invest in something like that or stick with what I have? If I should invest in it any recommendations? 

 

Thanks!

Nick 

 

Yes it is worth it.

Noctua coolers are about as good as an AIO Liquid Cooler for about the same price, but less to worry about... so I recommend something like the NH-D15

[Liamcal]

I would go for a water cooler. More quiet, and able to overclock in the future. For a cheap one, check out the NZXT Kraken X31- about 50 dollars. If you want to go all out, check out the Corsair H100i. It is about 110 dollars.

[Bonesy]

If you are overclocking, go after market

If you are not overclocking, use the money elsewhere

[Lotus]

With a modern locked CPU, no, stock coolers are fine for stock clock speeds.

 

However your CPU is special. It is overclockable by a lot, it puts out a lot of heat, and the stock cooler is already insufficient (which is why enthusiast grade CPUs no longer come with a stock cooler). So it's definitely in your best interest to get an aftermarket cooler, and then overclock.

[GuruMeditationError]

If you're planning on overclocking (which I don't really recommend unless you just want to for the sake of it) then definitely. Otherwise, you should be okay with the stock cooler.

[CurlyCucumber]

Upgrading a stock CPU cooler to an aftermarket one is, in my opinion, one of the best upgrades you can do.

[weez]

If you want a quieter pc than yes, get a coolermaster hyper 212. They can be had for $20-$30. It's a very noticeable difference in noise compared to the stock cooler.

[stuka06]

Yes it is worth it.

Noctua coolers are about as good as an AIO Liquid Cooler for about the same price, but less to worry about... so I recommend something like the NH-D15

There is another reason why one should go for the NH-D15

Mounting. the Core i7 980 sits on a 1366 socket

And as long as you prove to noctua that you have both the motherboard and the cooler, they will send you free mounting hardware.

[Prastupok]

There is another reason why one should go for the NH-D15

Mounting. the Core i7 980 sits on a 1366 socket

And as long as you prove to noctua that you have both the motherboard and the cooler, they will send you free mounting hardware.

 

Noctua is the exception, not the rule. I'm pretty sure they're the only ones who do this.

 

Air, if done right, can be as effective as liquid, without the hassles. It may run a tad bit warmer than a custom loop, but at a MUCH lower price too.

[stuka06]

Noctua is the exception, not the rule. I'm pretty sure they're the only ones who do this.

 

Air, if done right, can be as effective as liquid, without the hassles. It may run a tad bit warmer than a custom loop, but at a MUCH lower price too.

Absolutely. 

Before upgrading I wanted to get the NH-D15 on my Socket 775 board, that's why I knew, that Noctua sends out old and obsolete mounting hardware

[ErickS89]

That's pretty awesome of Noctua and why I like em! They should start getting into CPU waterblocks!

Temps compared to a custom loop are insane, sure a custom loop will get lower temps but possibly at $1000+ if you include motherboard, ram, gpu, and cpu + all the fittings!

[Prastupok]

That's pretty awesome of Noctua and why I like em! They should start getting into CPU waterblocks!

Temps compared to a custom loop are insane, sure a custom loop will get lower temps but possibly at $1000+ if you include motherboard, ram, gpu, and cpu + all the fittings!

 

On x99 you're talking a lot more than $1,000 lol. My CPU and Mobo alone are over $950 for a 5930k... so them having good radiators is great.

[ErickS89]

On x99 you're talking a lot more than $1,000 lol. My CPU and Mobo alone are over $950 for a 5930k... so them having good radiators is great.

I was just talking about the loop not the mobo + cpu price included, I'm over $2000 as I had to rebuy a mobo since my evil cat is well evil and fluffy!

[Prastupok]

I was just talking about the loop not the mobo + cpu price included, I'm over $2000 as I had to rebuy a mobo since my evil cat is well evil and fluffy!

 

That sounds like a story!

 

Anyway, Rokzul, Air cooling may not be the coldest, but if you want a very reliable, easy setup, a good air setup will do well for you

[DildorTheDecent]

I have no time to research, but if that cpu or motherboard can't overclock, there's no reason to upgrade cooling UNLESS you are currently having heat issues maybe due to location.

Yes they can. Even the non 980X could OC a bit.

 

And suggesting that the X58 Sabertooth not being able to OC a chip is just silly. 

[RazrLeaf]

 I have an ASUS Sabertooth x58 and an Intel® Core i7 CPU 980 @ 3.33GHz and at the moment I have a stock cooling fan on it. I do not know whether I should get a heatsink and fan or stick with the one I have. My first upgrade is going to be Corsair Vengeance DDR3 12GB Ram so it would also have to fit with that there... I don't know how much that might affect it. But yeah... should I invest in something like that or stick with what I have? If I should invest in it any recommendations? 

1. You should definitely invest in a better CPU cooling solution
2. You should probably avoid the Noctua NH-D15 that others are suggesting (sorry everyone) if you want tall RAM (like Corsair Vengeance). You will more be put in a sub-optimal situation where you have to raise one of the 2 fans to the point it doesn't fit your case, have to put it on the rear side pulling air through the heat sink, or ditching it altogether.
3. If you want tall RAM, you'll either need a single tower heat sink, an offset heat sink, or a liquid cooling solution. I suggest the Scythe Kotetsu. It's $40 and performs amazingly well. I'll link SPCR's review of it where the test it on their LGA 1366 test platform here.

[LogicalDrm]

Just to dip in here. I've bought my two previous CPUs tray packed. For some reason paying €15-20 for stock cooler isn't that good deal. So I've gone for 2 Noctuas instead. Bit more expensive but I've been happy with them.

[Norman_the_Owl]

I would go for a water cooler. More quiet, and able to overclock in the future. For a cheap one, check out the NZXT Kraken X31- about 50 dollars. If you want to go all out, check out the Corsair H100i. It is about 110 dollars.

AIOs are louder than something like a noctua offering

[Norman_the_Owl]

I have no time to research, but if that cpu or motherboard can't overclock, there's no reason to upgrade cooling UNLESS you are currently having heat issues maybe due to location.

Anything pre LGA 1155/2011 can overclock by way of boosting the base clock.

That's why LGA 1366 xeons are so nice. They're cheap and you can overclock the balls off them, even though they're locked

[Rokzul]

 

1. You should definitely invest in a better CPU cooling solution
2. You should probably avoid the Noctua NH-D15 that others are suggesting (sorry everyone) if you want tall RAM (like Corsair Vengeance). You will more be put in a sub-optimal situation where you have to raise one of the 2 fans to the point it doesn't fit your case, have to put it on the rear side pulling air through the heat sink, or ditching it altogether.
3. If you want tall RAM, you'll either need a single tower heat sink, an offset heat sink, or a liquid cooling solution. I suggest the Scythe Kotetsu. It's $40 and performs amazingly well. I'll link SPCR's review of it where the test it on their LGA 1366 test platform here.

 

I definitely don't want an sub-optimal situation... I was thinking of going with the vengeance because corsair is a good brand and it fit all the specifications ... DDR3 triple channel 3x4gb, 1600MHz but yeah any suggestions to get the best situation for both RAM and cpu cooling fan.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! I am looking over them all rn

 

- Nick