Looking for aftermarket cpu cooler

johnb35

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
Yeah, I know I don't ask for much help around here(I'm always giving it) but need opinions from users who actually use either of these coolers to comment.


I'm wanting to upgrade the stock heatsink/fan of my phenom II x4 965 to a better aftermarket cooler hoping to get the temps down below 35 degrees celcius. I was looking at these 2 so far.

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

and

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

I was leaning toward the hyper 212 but concerned with how much room you need between cpu and side of case. I have the HAF 912 case and assuming I have plenty of room. Does anyone know how tall this cooler stands?

I'm assuming everyone will recommend the hyper 212 though.

I've already got a larger SSD waiting to be installed and gonna also order more ram for a total of 8gb. Just getting everything set for when I redo my system, gonna get rid of my dual boot and only keep windows 7 64 bit and finally do some cable management.

Let me know what everyone thinks. I'll even consider other choices if they are worth it and I really don't want to spend more then say $40.
 
The details tab says the Hyper 212+ is 158.5mm high.

IMO I think you'll get great performance out of either. I know for the longest time a lot of people were recommending the Arctic Freezer heatsinks.

On a side note, I like how the Arctic Freezer has a choking hazard on the page :cool:
 
When I get home, I can quick measure my 212+, including the motherboard, so you get a good idea. Fits ok in my Storm Sniper. (It is wider, but there is also a 200mm fan on the side)

At stock voltages and stock speeds, my 960t was at about 25c with Arctic Silver 5. At 3.7Ghz and no voltage increase, it got to maybe 28c. (All temps at load)

Right now at 4Ghz and 1.41v, highest it got at load was about 39c. Just some stats for you.

The HAF 912 is 9'10 inches wide, while my storm sniper is 10 inches wide. My 200mm fan easily makes up that .9 inch, plus I have plenty of room between the 200mm fan and heatsink. I would not be worried about space at all, unless you got a fan on the side, but looking at the pic on newegg, doesn't seem like it would interfere.
 
Last edited:
Is the fan quiet? I really don't want anything loud. And I don't think there would be anything in the way of the cooler.
 
Noise level is 13 - 32 dBA, according to newegg. I doubt you'll hear any difference. Maybe even quieter, since if you're on the stock cooler, it probably is running at a high RPM.

I had a 555 in my board with the stock copper heatsink and it was way quieter once I switched to my 960t and 212+.
 
One more question before I pull the trigger... Did it come with a thermal pad? Or should I remove it and apply arctic silver?
 
Comes with a tube of coolermaster paste, so if you got extra arctic silver, of course use that. Dot-in-the-middle technique works best, in my experience.

Be prepared for a painful install. I've installed 3 of these and I finally am able to get it on by myself. Once you figure it out, its fine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top