# What Air Cooler to get?



## Raw (Apr 18, 2012)

Any recommendations for a decent air cooler for one of my computers?
Seems most of the coolers I read about have clearence issues with TALL ram (like Corsair Vengence DDR3 and I don't want that. I need a cooler that will clear the ram with no issues.

I need the ram I have to stay in the machine, I am not willing to swap it out for shorter stuff.

The system is:
Cooler Master HAF 912 
i5 2500K
XFX HD-687X-CNFC Radeon HD 6870 2GB
CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 

The machine runs great as it is, that's why I don't want to change the ram.


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## douglatins (Apr 18, 2012)

Havik 140


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## LagunaX (Apr 18, 2012)

Prolimatech Armageddon is designed to not run over the ram but it is tall as far as almost hitting the side of the case.

Someone already did your exact post and got answers here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/266242-29-cooler-obstructed-corsair-vengeance


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## reeltape (Apr 18, 2012)

Noctua heatsink and fan set up that fits your case and socket


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## Raw (Apr 18, 2012)

LagunaX said:


> Prolimatech Armageddon is designed to not run over the ram but it is tall as far as almost hitting the side of the case.
> 
> Someone already did your exact post and got answers here:
> http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/266242-29-cooler-obstructed-corsair-vengeance



Not available or out of stock at Newegg and Amazon...

Any other coolers currently available out there that will clear tall ram?

ps: I don't go to Toms much... too many young kids giving bad advice, imo.


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## BarbaricSoul (Apr 18, 2012)

Corsair H60? 

I know it's water cooling, but setting it up is basically the same as setting up a air cooler. My H60 keeps my 2600k at good temperature while it's under full load for days on end.


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## Raw (Apr 18, 2012)

BarbaricSoul said:


> Corsair H60?
> 
> I know it's water cooling, but setting it up is basically the same as setting up a air cooler. My H60 keeps my 2600k at good temperature while it's under full load for days on end.
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120418/herpderp.jpg



Thanks but no thanks, I'm not interested in getting back into water cooling.
I've done my water time, air is for me now.


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## BarbaricSoul (Apr 18, 2012)

Like I said, it's very simular to air cooling. The H60, as well as Corsair other water cooling set-ups come pre-assembled. No bleeding of air out of the lines, no having to add or change water, totally maintainance free. Running a H60 is the same as running an air cooler, but with the benefits of water cooling.


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## BumbleBee (Apr 18, 2012)

you can't go wrong with the Noctua U12P SE2 or C14.


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## techtard (Apr 18, 2012)

I have a Noctua NH-d14. The thing is HUGE and I can see it blockng tall ram. Fortunately due to the size of the cooler, you can attach the fan off-center and mount taller ram.


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## Ahhzz (Apr 18, 2012)

BarbaricSoul said:


> Corsair H60?
> 
> I know it's water cooling, but setting it up is basically the same as setting up a air cooler. My H60 keeps my 2600k at good temperature while it's under full load for days on end.
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/120418/herpderp.jpg



Acknowledging you requested info on an AIR cooler, I still came in to post a small note to look at the H60... My temps are unreal low idle and full load with mine, running 4.4Ghz.


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## Ahhzz (Apr 18, 2012)

Raw said:


> Thanks but no thanks, I'm not interested in getting back into water cooling.
> I've done my water time, air is for me now.



Noted  

Good luck !


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## BumbleBee (Apr 18, 2012)

not the D14.. the C14


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## Raw (Apr 18, 2012)

BumbleBee said:


> not the D14.. the C14
> 
> http://forum.corsair.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=8167&d=1299548868
> 
> http://www.xbitlabs.com/images/coolers/noctua-nh-c14/33_diagr1_xbt.png



YES...
That looks like it would work.
BumbleBee, I say thanks.
I'm going shopping for one right now!!!


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## Cotton_Cup (Apr 19, 2012)

lol that looks like a Burger


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## BumbleBee (Apr 19, 2012)

a burger.. of awesome


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## Vulpesveritas (Apr 19, 2012)

Phanteks has a better one... again XD  I'm fairly sure.


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## BumbleBee (Apr 19, 2012)

Phanteks and Thermalright have similar coolers but they never get the mounting solution or fans right.


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## Raw (Apr 21, 2012)

I ordered the Noctura C14 from the Egg and it will be here on the 24th.
This seems to be one awesome cooler from the feedback I have read online.
And I'll be able to keep my Corsair Vengence Ram.
Glad the Bee posted a reply to direct my purchase!


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## Aquinus (Apr 21, 2012)

I find that the Zalman CNPS9900 gives more than enough room for tall memory as the cooler doesn't even extend over memory slots. I'm sure there are coolers that perform better, but it does a good job for its size and cools my SB-E 3820 plenty well and 1.45v (1.41v with LLC bump on loaded CPU to 1.45v) doesn't typically exceed 76-77 degrees celsius on the hotest core running Prime95 using small ffts.


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## Cold Storm (Apr 21, 2012)

I've owned the C14 for a few years and I loved it. Placed it on another computer build and just having that person love it is all I need.. You'll enjoy the cooler and enjoy it more when you see the temps and how quiet it is.


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## sneekypeet (Apr 21, 2012)

BumbleBee said:


> Phanteks and Thermalright have similar coolers but they never get the mounting solution or fans right.



Phanteks uses the same exact hardware as the Noctua to mount


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## M.Beier (Apr 21, 2012)

C14 is an excellent choice, but really, I must agree...
H60, H80
Antec 620, 920 (620 being the way cheapest)

Seem like much better options to me.


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## BumbleBee (Apr 21, 2012)

sneekypeet said:


> Phanteks uses the same exact hardware as the Noctua to mount



a single Phantek fan is louder than both Noctua fans. Thermalright does a better job with their fans but the mounting systems are always more difficult than they need to be. both companies try to come after the king but come up a little short.


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## m1dg3t (Apr 21, 2012)

The mount on my VenomousX is great! Easy install and work's good  I did have to pull the MOBO to get the mount installed but I needed to clean my case anyways so ya.

Is the d14 the best air cooler? Since I started clocking I don't like my temp's, I have bad case flow but still think a better cooler would help?

I may try swapping/adding some fan's first but thought I'd ask since this thread is active


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## BumbleBee (Apr 21, 2012)

m1dg3t said:


> The mount on my VenomousX is great! Easy install and work's good  I did have to pull the MOBO to get the mount installed but I needed to clean my case anyways so ya.
> 
> Is the d14 the best air cooler? Since I started clocking I don't like my temp's, I have bad case flow but still think a better cooler would help?
> 
> I may try swapping/adding some fan's first but thought I'd ask since this thread is active



buy a new case?


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## sneekypeet (Apr 21, 2012)

BumbleBee said:


> a single Phantek fan is louder than both Noctua fans. Thermalright does a better job with their fans but the mounting systems are always more difficult than they need to be. both companies try to come after the king but come up a little short.



Phanteks is a direct rip off! Yes it uses different fans, but the mounting is even exact. So essentially only fan noise is different between Noctua and Phanteks. Even though I don't usually promote copycat builders, Phanteks has a much better color assortment.

As far as the fans go, its nominal in the difference. I mean during usage of either of them, inside the case you aren't going to hear either of them. As far as TR falling a little short, well depends on the cooler. I would take a little tougher install for the benefit of the Silver Arrow's cooling abilities 

I'm not trying to be argumentative, its just I have used most coolers on the market, and to me its just like a case, if you don't like the looks, I cant sell it either way I'm coming from the perspective of you really have to nit-pick to find fault with any of the three companies, even though Noctua did it first and Phanteks is riding their wave.


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## BumbleBee (Apr 21, 2012)

the retention plate with the bolt and wrench is stupid


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## sneekypeet (Apr 21, 2012)

on which cooler are we speaking of here, the PHTC14? Or the Thermalright SA?


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## BumbleBee (Apr 21, 2012)

the Silver Arrow has more clearance problems, it's more difficult to install and the fans are even uglier. at least Noctua fans look good with the several white cases on the market.


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## m1dg3t (Apr 21, 2012)

BumbleBee said:


> buy a new case?



Wish I could, running it on my rack beside the TV so option's are/were extremely limited 



BumbleBee said:


> the retention plate with the bolt and wrench is stupid



Work's well for me! The extra mount pressure can be a bitch to apply depnding on setup but worth it IMO. So what is best all out air cooler? D14 or SilverArrow or what? Review info is too scattered/biased, from what I've come across anyways 

TIA


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## Vulpesveritas (Apr 21, 2012)

m1dg3t said:


> Wish I could, running it on my rack beside the TV so option's are/were extremely limited
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The Phanteks low profile coolers do a bit better than the Noctura ones, and you get color options, but the Noctura fans are slightly quieter.  They're the same price, and I don't think you can really go wrong with either.


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## MilkyWay (Apr 22, 2012)

Phanteks PH-TC14 is one of the best performing and looking (comes in different colours) coolers on the market. Noctua literally has a shitty colour scheme. The mounting on the Phanteks takes fucking literally 2 mins, 2 mounts attach to the motherboard easily, then line up and screw the cooler to the mounts with a Philips head scredriver, the fans are attached via metal clip brackets (you could use these clips on any cooler right?). You can position the fan as high as you want to avoid any clearance issues with ram but then the case become a problem if its not wide enough.

Might be a total rip off of 2 other coolers (Silver Arrow and the Noctua) but its a good rip off. I know for a fact it performs as good if not better than its competitors.

I say it would come down to price but negating price the Phanteks is what i would recommend.


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## Raw (Apr 22, 2012)

*Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder*



MilkyWay said:


> Phanteks PH-TC14 is one of the best performing and looking (comes in different colours) coolers on the market. Noctua literally has a shitty colour scheme.



And I say: "Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder" and people have many different opinions.
What may look good to you may look like shit to me!
And as for me in particular, I could really care less about the color scheme. NOT that I think the Noctura C14 looks bad, it doesn't. 
 

To each his own. :shadedshu


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## GC_PaNzerFIN (Apr 22, 2012)

I really like the Prolimatech Megahalems + 2 Noctua P12 fans at 900rpm. Quiet and good performing and IMO looks great. It is also much smaller than the SA or NH-D14 although it is not much worse in terms of cooling performance.  

But I couldn't get hands on LGA2011 mounting kit at reasonable timeframe for it so I ordered Noctua NH-D14 SE2011. Looks a bit worse than Mega but I guess the few degrees lower temps make up for it. Through discount it was only 39€ which is a steal!


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## Capitan Harlock (Apr 22, 2012)

if you have large case go with the thermalright archon rev.a high is 170mm, is the cooler i choose to buy in the next months


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## Raw (Apr 25, 2012)

*Air Cooler Update - Noctura*

Well, I finally got the Noctura C-14 Air Cooler in today and installed it.
It was sweet to install. No issues what-so-ever.
I didn't even have to pull the mobo.

And the temps are unreal cool. The cpu has been no hotter than 128 degrees fahrenheit or 53.33 celcius so far.
And I pushed it with Black Ops on high settings to get that high.
Mind you, the 2500k cpu is stock, no oc yet.
But all in all, I'm very happy with it.

I am running both fans on the unit, I had to pull one 4GB stick out to fit. So I'm down to 12GB ram at the moment, just experimenting. I did run 16GB.
I will probably end up running only 2 x 4GB sticks for 8GB total as I don't really have a great need for that much ram anyways.

From what I see, the Noctura is very well built unit and all the misc. items are first class.
I'm loving it.

Once again, thanks to Bumblebee for the input.


OK, I'm now down to 2 x 4 for 8GB ram in dual channel mode and all is well, system is running great. Nice and cold, too.
Now it's time to push some overclocking on her.
I'll start with the cpu and go for 4.2Ghz right now.
Then I'll push the video card. That's a XFX ATI 6870 2GB card.


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## Cotton_Cup (Apr 27, 2012)

I use a Noctua NH-D14 SE2011(it's for lga2011) and always loved it, our country is hot and all specially in the afternoon, and it keeps my pc cool.


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