CPU Cooler Guide For Sandy / Ivy Bridge Cpus !!

[tkin]

This post has an update long overdue, I will update this over the next week(I need to read up a bit), I urge you to contribute what you can, reviews, prices, links, articles(written by you), pics(800x600).

Recently I'm seeing lots of people asking questions about whether they need an after market cooler for Sandy system, this small report is intended for them.

Q: Do I Need an after market cooler for Sandy CPU?
Ans: Depends on the CPU:

1. 2600k: Yes, even with stock.
2. 2500K and the else: No, needed only for Oc'ing.


Coolers Preferred:
Upto 2k:
Cooler Master Hyper 212+:
Comes with 1 FAN
Cooler Master Hyper 212 plus review
Cooler Master Hyper 212 PLUS CPU Cooler Review | Hardware Canucks
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus Review - Overclockers Club

2-3k: Cooler Master N620
Comes with 2 FANs
Cooler Master Hyper N620 Review - Overclockers Club
Coolermaster Hyper N620 Review - Page 1 - Introduction
Cooler Master Hyper N620 CPU Cooler Review | Hardware Secrets
Cooler Master Hyper TX3 and N620 Review | AlienBabelTech

OR:
Hyper 212+ and 1x Cooler Master Blademaster Xtraflow fan for 600/-

3-4K:
Noctua U12P SE2
Comes with 2 FANs
Noctua NH-U12P SE2 CPU Cooler Review - The Noctua NH-U12P SE2 - Legit Reviews
Noctua NH-U12P SE2 CPU Cooler | Overclockers Online
Noctua NH-U12P SE2 CPU Cooler Review | Reviews - Clunk.org.uk
Noctua NH-U12P SE2 CPU Cooler Reviewed

OR:
Thermalright TRUE Rev. c
(installed fan will block first ram slot, 2nd, 3rd and 4th slot can be populated), does not come with fan, also 1156(sandy bridge) bracket needs to be bought separately.

Pics by digit member(Faun): *www.thinkdigit.com/forum/cpu-motherboards/142397-cpu-cooler-guide-sandy-bridge.html#post1428596

Reviews:
TRUE Rev. C - Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120 Revision B & C Review | [H]ard|OCP

Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme Rev.C Review - Overclockers Club

4-5K: Noctua NH-D14
Comes with 2 FANs

Digit member Review: *www.thinkdigit.com/forum/reviews/142519-noctua-nh-d14-review-re-posted.html
Noctua NH-D14 review
Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler Review
Noctua NH-D14 Review - Overclockers Club
Noctua NH-D14 HSF Review - The Best CPU Cooler Ever? - The Massive Noctua NH-D14 - Legit Reviews

Now, The Horror that is Intel Stock cooler that comes with Sandy Bridge:

Spoiler

The baseplate is anything but mirror:
*i.imgur.com/LVov8.jpg

That's a 2/- coin:
*i.imgur.com/C814w.jpg

*i.imgur.com/kL8qT.jpg

The other side of the cooler, no heatpipe, nothing, its just a hollow metal container:
*i.imgur.com/N7550.jpg

*i.imgur.com/KAmHO.jpg

*i.imgur.com/nBNyA.jpg

Hmm, that's 1.5cm
*i.imgur.com/i48NR.jpg

The fans happens to be a delta though, surprise, surprise:
*i.imgur.com/Rr02T.jpg

Important: Now, the compatibility, most coolers have 42mm+ clearance underside, so Gskill rams will fit, but the likes of corsair vengeance will not, if the cooler heatsink clears the ram slot or have fans that can be raised, it can fit vengeance rams, 212+, U12PSE2, N620 falls in this category, D14 does not, D14 goes over ram slot(the heatsink), so you need to buy Gskill RAMs.
If you want to know the compatibility of any rams with any cooler, post here, I'll get back to you as fast as I can.




Thermal Interface Material Guide:
TIM is a substance that forms a layer between the grooves of the cooler baseplate and CPU HSF, it is needed because air trapped in the grooves acts as insulator and decreases thermal conductivity, thereby increasing the temperature of the CPU.

There are two basic types of TIMs;

1.Electro conductive: These tims have metal particles in them, as you know metal is very good thermal conductor but they are also electro conductive, one drop falling on your mobo or cpu socket will fry it, these tims are best but with better performance comes higher risks, I'd suggest users to not buy these types of TIM, Eg: Arctic Silver 5

2.Non electro conductive: These do not conduct electricity, so it will cause no issues if it falls on your mobo, they have good performance, a balance between performance and risk.
Eg: Arctic Cooling MX2, MX4, Noctua NTH1(free with noctua coolers), Tuniq TX4, Coolermaster thermal fusion.


TIM Properties that are the measure of its bleeding and performance capabilities:

Viscosity: Higher this value is, the more "Sticky" the paste will be, lower viscosity means its easier to spread, higher means you have to spread with finger.
Thermal conductivity(Fourier's Law of conduction, Unit: W/mK): The higher this value, the better the cooling performance of the tim.



Detailed Analysis of Some Popular TIMs
by mukherjee

A. Non Electro-conductive

1. Tuniq TX-3

Specifications:

Appearance|Grey
Viscosity|83500 cP
Thermal conductivity|6.2 W/mK
Operating temperature|-45°C ~ 200°C
Specific Gravity|3.011 @ 25°C
Volume|1ml (3g)

Available @395/- +shipping @ The IT Depot

Reviews: Tuniq TX3 Review

2. Tuniq TX-4

Specifications:

Appearance|Grey
Viscosity| 66200 cP
Thermal conductivity| 6.53 W/mK
Operating temperature|-45°C ~ 160°C
Volume|1ml (3g)

Available @440/- +shipping @ The IT Depot

Currently,the TX-4 is the best TIM available,but its viscous and a bit more difficult to spread than others...it is non electro conductive though...

Reviews: Tuniq TX-4 Thermal Grease Review » Page 3 - Specifications & Features - Overclockers Club

3. Arctic Silver Matrix

Specifications:

Average Particle Size|7.8 microns 0.00031 inch

Temperature Limits|Peak: –50°C to 135°C

Coverage Area|2.5-gram syringe. (About 1cc)

At a layer 0.003" thick, one syringe will cover about 20 square inches.

Available @230/- +shipping @ The IT Depot

4. ARCTIC MX-2

Specifications:

Viscosity (poise)|850
Density (g/cm³)|3.96

Available @ Mediahome.in(390/-+Shipping)

Review: Bay Reviews: ARCTIC MX-2


5. ARCTIC MX-4
Specifications:

Thermal Conductivity| 8.5(W/mk)
Viscosity (poise)|870
Density (g/cm³)|2.5

Presently the best TIM available for money...but as always...unavailable in India....will cost ~900/- to get a 4gm tube shipped to India from Hong Kong presently

Reviews of MX-4:

OverclockersHQ: ARCTIC MX-4

OCC: ARCTIC MX-4

MADSHRIMPS: ARCTIC MX-4

B. Electro-Conductive

1. Arctic Silver 5

Specifications:

Thermal Conductance|>350,000W/m2 °C (0.001 inch layer)

Thermal Resistance|<0.0045°C-in2/Watt (0.001 inch layer)

Average Particle Size|<0.49 microns <0.000020 inch

Extended Temperature Limits|Peak: –50°C to >180°C Long-Term: –50°C to 130°C

Warning: These are electro conductive TIMs. Inadvertent spillage on electrical components WILL harm them

Available @530/- +shipping @ The IT Depot


Comparison of some Thermal Interface Materials
*benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=150&Itemid=62

How to apply TIM for HDT Coolers like Hyper 212+
*benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=38&limit=1&limitstart=5


Contributers: Tkin, mukherjee, Faun, asingh

 

[mukherjee]

A very informative thread and it comes at the nick of time!

 

[manashp9876]

excellent work.

 

[vickybat]

@ tkin

Nice post buddy. Intel stock coolers are really pathetic. Btw have you ever tried fitting your stock cooler? How did you do it?

I think my stock cooler is not fitting properly. Do you have to press all the four pillars simultaneously?

 

[techking_dinesh]

So i m gng with i72600k , cm hyper 212plus .. Enough ??
ll be using cm690ii cabby with 3 fans..
Will corsair and gskill , both fit properly ??
i m gonna use single stick of 4gb for nw

 

[tkin]

@ tkin

Nice post buddy. Intel stock coolers are really pathetic. Btw have you ever tried fitting your stock cooler? How did you do it?

I think my stock cooler is not fitting properly. Do you have to press all the four pillars simultaneously?

Put the cooler on top of CPU, now gently push the pins in so that they go through the hole, but do not tighten it yet, now push down on the cooler and keeping the pressure, use a screw driver to tighten two diagonally opposite screws, be careful or the screw driver will slip and hit the motherboard.

So i m gng with i72600k , cm hyper 212plus .. Enough ??
ll be using cm690ii cabby with 3 fans..
Will corsair and gskill , both fit properly ??
i m gonna use single stick of 4gb for nw

Yes, its good enough, even for moderate oc, make sure to buy one more fan for 212+(it comes with one fan) for push pull.

Yes, both rams will fit, without any issue.

 

[techking_dinesh]

Can u elaborate d detail of extra fan plz ?
i live in a very small city , wnt get it here ,
so how much mm , wat kinda extra fan ??

 

[tkin]

Can u elaborate d detail of extra fan plz ?
i live in a very small city , wnt get it here ,
so how much mm , wat kinda extra fan ??

This fan:
Cooler Master Blade Master Xtraflo 120MM Computer Fan | eBay

This is an exact copy of the fan that comes free with 212+(well not exact as it has leds etc, but speed, air pressure etc are same), so you should try to get it, two fans used as push pull must be very close to each other in specs for optimal performance.

The above listing has ended, wait a few days and it will be relisted in ebay again.

 

[Faun]

Can I use my stock cooler's fan as cabinet fan. Any way ?

 

[tkin]

Can I use my stock cooler's fan as cabinet fan. Any way ?

Well, not in basic form, you can try to hard mod it, but I'm not sure if it will void warranty from intel(manual says you need to return item in exact condition, not sure if it needs the fans for rma as well).

 

[Skud]

Nice and very informative posts. Pics are very good too.

 

[asingh]

Really nice and informative.

Stuck'ed.

 

[tkin]

^^ I'll update this guide with tims and optional coolers, right now researching price of other coolers.

 

[Skud]

That's nice addition, mukherjee.

 

[tkin]

I'm adding this to first post, with credits to mukherjee, other members please help out, those who have after market coolers, please post here, I'll add your post to first post with due credits.

 

[asingh]

Mukherjee, removed your original content. Since Tkin merged it. He gave you credit -- which is honorable.

 

[mukherjee]

Mukherjee, removed your original content. Since Tkin merged it. He gave you credit -- which is honorable.

Yea..he's a nice guy

I'm adding this to first post, with credits to mukherjee, other members please help out, those who have after market coolers, please post here, I'll add your post to first post with due credits.

Thanks

That's nice addition, mukherjee.

Thanks a lot bro

Sheesh...all the review links I put up...went for a walk...

@ tkin...if u can...please add the Tx3 and Tx4 review links...also update the price of Mx2 @390+shipping @ Mediahome.in.....I cant modify those...

 

[tkin]

No worries bro, I'm doing it, you should think about me, I had to put the top post in part by part, it was painfully slow.

 

[The Sorcerer]

D14 should come with a disclaimer as it can be obstacle for certain memory kits with taller heatspreaders. Its a good thing you mentioned it . Good findings.

Truth be told, we should get thermal pastes like X23-7783D. Those MX2 aren't like the older ones when they used to come in older black packs. Some say OCZ freeze is a better option but I'll guess I'll give it a shot.

 

[Faun]

Thermalright TRUE Black didn't pose any hindrance to Vengeance. Though one migh require slim version of fan as the Scythe Ultra Kaze I received are humungous. This fan literally blows the wind out of your system like a jet engine, sound like one too