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Ragnin
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New CPU cooler question

Sat Nov 24, 2012 7:34 pm

I have noticed that my CPU runs hot (80+C) when playing some games and am looking to get a better one. I know nothing about build computers for the most part and the most I have done is swap out harddrives, graphics cards, and ram before. I was wondering how hard it would be to install a new CPU fan and what would be a good one?

For my specs I have
Motherboard: Intel Desktop DP55WG ATX board for LGA1156
Chassis: CoolerMaster RC-590 ATX Mid-Tower Chassis
Processor: Intel CORE I7 860 boxed 2.8GHZ 8M Socket-1156
Ram: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon HD 5800

From what I have read the COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO or the Hyper 212 Plus Seem like a good deal but I'm worried if they would fit as I've read several warnings about their size. Or if a better cooler might be found. I like the price range for those 2 as I do not have much money. I would appreciate any help on this matter and a good guide on how to install it.
 
morphine
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Re: New CPU cooler question

Sat Nov 24, 2012 7:38 pm

80ºC is outside of normal range, even with the stock cooler. Your problem probably lies elsewhere.

1) Are you overclocking?
2) Is your CPU cooler clean? Dust tends to gather under the fan and then, well, the fan isn't doing anything because no air gets to the heatsink's fins.
2) Do you have sufficient case ventilation? For modern systems, one intake and one exhaust fan is considered "adequate".
3) Have you double-checked that your current heatsink is sitting properly on the CPU and that the thermal paste is well applied?
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Ragnin
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Re: New CPU cooler question

Sat Nov 24, 2012 7:55 pm

I have no clue how to tell if its mounted properly. Currently I have the stock cooler which from what I read was pretty bad. Most of the time my temps are fine if a little on the hotter side. But when I play a game like Skyrim on as high of settings I can manage then my temp shots up, normally it is around the mid 70C but at times it will hit above 80C while I'm playing. So I'm just looking to get the temp down over all.

I have two fans one blowing out the back at the top and another that is in the front on the bot.

I'm not overclocking and I use a compressed air can to blow the dust out of my comp every once and a while.
 
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Re: New CPU cooler question

Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:11 pm

Mid-70s is way too hot for idle temperatures as well; something isn't right. Either the existing HSF is improperly installed, or the sensor is giving incorrect temperature readings.

If you're worried about the size of the Hyper 212, maybe you could go with the Hyper TX3 instead? It is slightly smaller (92mm fan instead of 120mm), and works quite well for a sub-$30 cooler. I routinely replace the stock coolers on my builds with the Hyper TX3. Great cooler for the price, and reasonably quiet (especially when not running at full RPMs).
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Ragnin
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Re: New CPU cooler question

Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:16 pm

Sorry I was not clear. These high temps are only while playing a game with high graphics on. Since I can play a game for 4 hours straight or longer I'm worried about the high temps.
 
morphine
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Re: New CPU cooler question

Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:17 pm

Ragnin wrote:
I have no clue how to tell if its mounted properly.

Usually the "wiggle test" is enough, with the PC turned off, see if there's any play from any angle. However, the only way to be 100% sure is to unmount it, clean the old paste out of both the heatsink and the CPU, drop a bit of paste on the CPU, mount it again.

Another question: is your graphics card really close to the CPU? Because I've had a situation where a graphics card was making both the CPU and the southbridge heat up pretty bad.
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Re: New CPU cooler question

Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:26 pm

Ragnin wrote:
Sorry I was not clear. These high temps are only while playing a game with high graphics on. Since I can play a game for 4 hours straight or longer I'm worried about the high temps.

No, my bad. I just didn't read the post carefully enough. :oops:
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Ragnin
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Re: New CPU cooler question

Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:40 pm

My rig idles at around 35 to 40C. Most games cause it to go up to around 65C, but then I'm not usually pushing it on most games. If I push it then I'll reach the 70-85C zone which is bad. So I'm just looking to upgrade from the stock cooler to a new one.

there is about an inch or so of space between the CPU fan and the Graphics card.

I looked at the TX3 and it looks like it might work though it appears to not be as good as the 212
 
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Re: New CPU cooler question

Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:46 pm

I'm going to reiterate my recommendation for the Hyper TX3. If it can keep a 125W 8-core AMD Bulldozer/Piledriver CPU below 60C even at full load (I personally have two data points that confirm this), your 95W i7 860 should be a piece of cake.

Yeah, it's not as effective as the 212, but it is of more manageable size and unlike the 212 doesn't require pulling the motherboard to replace the backing plate (not sure if this is also necessary for Intel CPUs, it is necessary when using the 212 on AMD CPUs, maybe someone who's used the 212 on an Intel CPU can clarify this).

Coolermaster is making some terrific low-cost heatpipe coolers these past couple of years...
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UltimateImperative
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Re: New CPU cooler question

Sun Nov 25, 2012 5:10 pm

The 212+ does indeed require installing a backplate on 1155/1156.

And +1 for the TX3 on ease of installation and relative quietness.
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bluepiranha
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Re: New CPU cooler question

Sun Nov 25, 2012 7:22 pm

Another vote for the Hyper TX3. Very cheap, and pretty effective. It does use a smaller fan than is usual for HSFs (92mm I believe) - but that's also the reason why it will add only ~130mm to the motherboard height and not the more usual ~160.

If you're so inclined, the kit comes with a secondary set of plastic fan brackets so you can mount another fan for a push-pull configuration, if I recall correctly.

I used mine to replace the stock HSF on our aging stock-clocked Q6600, which was already hamstrung by a cheap no-name chassis starved for air. Idle and load temperatures went down 10-15 degC, which is pretty damn good for something so cheap! I later moved the entire rig into an Antec ONE chassis a week ago and it really shined there.

Only real downside I can think of on the Hyper TX3 is that it's not the quietest cooler around, but it doesn't really call attention to itself either. For Intel applications it also uses the old push-pin installation method, and I know that has its own critics. It's light enough to get away with it, though.
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Re: New CPU cooler question

Sun Nov 25, 2012 7:34 pm

UltimateImperative wrote:
The 212+ does indeed require installing a backplate on 1155/1156.

That probably settles it then -- it sounds like the OP has never installed/removed a motherboard before. Unless he feels like learning how now, the TX3 is the better bet by far.
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Re: New CPU cooler question

Sun Nov 25, 2012 7:44 pm

bluepiranha wrote:
Another vote for the Hyper TX3. Very cheap, and pretty effective. It does use a smaller fan than is usual for HSFs (92mm I believe) - but that's also the reason why it will add only ~130mm to the motherboard height and not the more usual ~160.

Heh, I still consider 92mm to be fairly large for a CPU fan. But then, I've been building PCs since the K6 days when CPU fans were typically 50mm! :lol:
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derFunkenstein
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Re: New CPU cooler question

Mon Nov 26, 2012 12:21 pm

Yeah but back then, normal desktop CPUs were using 30-40W. Now we're talking about 3x that. :lol:
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