Help: Need to replace CPU cooler after 3770k upgrade

[michaelcly]

I upgraded my processor to a core i7 3770k and clock it at 4100. Under load it reaches 78 degrees C. I currently have a Silver Stone low profile cooler.

2 NORMAL QUESTIONS & 2 IDIOT QUESTIONS

1. Would the stock i7 cooler be better?
2. which standard sized cooler would you recommend that's better than stock without blocking PCI-e or ram slots?
3. The standard cooler has a copper slug with three gray strips...are they thermal compound?
4. Is it better to remove and use a top brand compound?

GA Z77N-WIFI, SG05 Silverstone case, core i7 3770K, Low height SilverStone CPU cooler

 

[DrEskimo]

1. Would the stock i7 cooler be better?
2. which standard sized cooler would you recommend that's better than stock without blocking PCI-e or ram slots?
3. The standard cooler has a copper slug with three gray strips...are they thermal compound?
4. Is it better to remove and use a top brand compound?

GA Z77N-WIFI, SG05 Silverstone case, core i7 3770K, Low height SilverStone CPU cooler

1. My guess would be no. The stock cooler is definitely not recommended if you are over clocking.

2. Quite a few to choose from. Budget will largely dictate this. Something from Noctua would be the most 'premium'. The other issue is compatibility with your case, which isn't exactly roomy! Have a look at the amount of clearance you get above the CPU and buy based on that.

Another thing to consider is an AIO liquid cooling system like the H75. The pump and heat sink won't get in the way of any of the RAM, but you need to be able to route the radiator to one of the fan mounts on the case, so will need clearance for that.

3. The thermal compound is the grey strips that come into contact with the CPU heat sink and the heat sink on the cooler. Helps transfer the heat between them.

4. You might get marginally better temps, but not enough to get worked up over IMO. Up to you really!

 

[Shiitaki]

I agree with most of the previous comments. I would point out though that the water cooling kits are nice because they exhaust the hot air directly out of the case if you mount the radiator to and exhaust fan. They are less stress on the motherboard, and allow a lot of room around the cpu. The bad part is they are not silent, the pumps make a rattling noise. Compared to the average pc though this isn't generally noticeable. I was going for genuine Apple quite though, and it is the loudest thing in the case. Though the machine dead silent when I get together with my friends for gaming.

The IVY bridge cpus have a design defect where Intel used thermal past instead of soldering the heatsink on. This results in higher temps than the previous Sandy bridge in similar circumstances. So you can use the greatest coolers on the market and your cpu will still run hotter than you might expect since the heat isn't being transferred from the die to the heatsink surface very well.

The monster coolers don't provide as much of an increase in cooling as they provide the ability to cool the processor with less noise.

My closed loop cooler from Zalman, the second smallest closed loop cooler keeps my CPU in the low 60's C under Prime 95 @4GHz with stock voltage. When I turn the voltage up a tick to reach 4.2, the temps rise to the low 80's C, and 4.4 runs in to the 100C ceiling. I'm using a 3770K processor.

 

[michaelcly]

Thanks guys. Good info.

IDK about the water cooler. the only fan is a 120mm in the front and the power supply fan. And low noise is more important to me than OC. I discovered a switch on my CPU cooler and I had it switched to not go above 1100rpm. I'll try it again. I'm also going to try 4000 instead of 4100 and see if I get the temp down a little. Too bad, cause at 4300 it gave me a 1850 Nova Bench.

So, unless I can find a better air-cooled, standard size cooler, I'll leave as is. Besides, disassembling this little case is a PITA.

Good link I just found: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ivy-bridge-overclocking-core-i7-3770k,3198.html