CPU Air Coolers

Any recommendations for a good air cooler for a slightly overclocked 4790k? I need to ditch the h100i so I can put the top metal panel on my new Define R6.

I'm considering a BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 or a Noctua NH-D15 but I would like suggestions from your experience.

 

For only a slight overclock, is there any need to go with such a heavy cooler? I would have thought the slim, single fan noctua would be adequate (works for me on a moderately overclocked Ryzen) at silent fan speeds. U12S iirc.

 

I replaced an H80i v2 with a Dark Rock Pro 4 and I’ve been very happy with the change. Less whine, lower temps. I likewise have a “modest” overclock on a 8700k so it’s probably a bit overkill but I like having some headroom for future adventures.

 

Thanks for the suggestions so far. After some measurements, I'm now considering a Noctua NH-D14 for RAM clearance. The BeQuiet is still in the running.

I'm not worried about weight, my motherboard is an Asus TUF with the full steel backplate. I want a big capacity cooler so I can run the fans slow and quiet. The 4790k runs pretty hot even with a mild OC.

 

The fans on the D15 can be vertically shifted as needed to clear ram. Likewise for the D14.

The Noctua cooler installation hardware is very easy to use and quite secure. I have the U12S and some of their fans and can attest to the quality and performance.

 

Still into computer stuff even though you seem to have left Linustechtips?

Anyway, I use a hyper212 Evo, works great, but I suppose I just have a non oc i3-2100. I only have it because my friend got a huge noctua and gave me the 212 for free. Easy to install though.

 

I used a 212 with an overclocked 920 for years and that thing was 130w TDP without overclocking.

I’m not up to date with the very latest models but this stuff doesn’t seem to change much anymore. The hyper 212 is already better than a stock cooler, and performance can be improved by adding another fan. In most cases I’d say save your money and get that, unless you’re working with serious levels of heat that there just isn’t enough heatsink surface area to cope with or you want things to be really quiet. In which case I would go with Noctua, if only for their fans. Even if you find something with a lower decibel rating for similar or better perfomance, because it’s not just about how loud it is but what type of sound it makes. They don’t whine, click, or squeal. It’s a nice sound, just airflow. Customer service is great on this side of the pond also.

 

I swear by Noctua, their quality and warranty is outstanding. Currently own a D15 and some smaller ones for htpc as well, owned others in the past as well. You can't ask for better coolers. They also offer brackets for new sockets free of charge. So if a new socket comes out and you need a new bracket to fit you Noctua cooler... free of charge. At least that is their current policy.

If you're looking for fans I also highly recommend these ones: https://noctua.at/en/products/product-line-redux/nf-p14s-redux-1200-pwm

I've tried a lot of fans and these are among the quietest and best performing I've found.

As a general recommendation don't go for anything with a 120mm fan, there is a big difference in sound and performance between 120mm and 140mm. The NH-U14S is a really nice fan as well and can easily handle a slight to medium OC on a 4790k.

 

I agree with the Noctua recommendation. Been using a D14 for years and it's been great. Fans are quality too not a single unexpected noise from them.

 

I had the original and now v4 of the Scythe Ninja. I ran the original fanless when I was more obsessed with silent computing. Now that I PC game, I run a single fan on it. Fantastic tempts and inaudible about 1m away.
http://www.silentpcreview.com/Scythe_Ninja_4
Only $40.

 

NH-D15,
Dark Rock Pro 4 is also good, doesn't have the poo color scheme.

If I remember right the DRP4 falls a bit behind vs the NH-D15 and the Noctua has better mounting that doesn't promote sag.

 

Allot of good suggestions, thanks guys. I have 2 Noctua NF-F12 IPPC fans on my h100i right now, so I was thinking of re-using those on a new Noctua cooler to avoid the terrible colors of the stock fans.

 

+1 for the Noctuas.

I have a DH15 on my 6900K with a 1GHz overclock. The 15 might be overkill unless you're doing something crazy like that though.

The bearings on their fans last forever too. I have a few that are 9 years old and don't make any more noise than when they were brand new.

 

Warranty on the Noctuas is damn great too. They replaced both fans of my NH-D14 5 years after (yes, I kow, 6 years of warranty) and I got better newer versions and even new socket adapters for the case I'd need to switch to a new motherboard/cpu etc..

 

always a good idea to ditch watercooling ... it is a fraud.

 

I'm enjoying my 35C load on my 1080 at 2150/5500.

Proper watercooling is far from fraud lol.

 

Well AFIK, most of the self contained systems are crap, have next to no reliability, or both.

OTOH proper water cooling with quality pumps and radiators will kick air cooling to the curb. It's just a lot more expensive and requires more maintenance than a can of dust-off every couple months

 

Yes I'll expand on that when i get off work. I would love to see a picture of your system though. I very much enjoy building hiend systems with cuetomb water cooling. Having said that 98% of water cooling systems are being sold via false advertising

 

I have an original h100 and a h100i, both still work perfectly. The original has been used in 6 different computers since purchased in 2011. The h100i has been on my personal rig for 5 years. The reason I'm switching to air is because I want to put the top metal cover on my Define R6, which makes it super quiet.

 

Cool. That's better luck than a lot of horror stories I've heard.