Looking for an inexpensive CPU cooler 115mm or under

Cooling Processors quietly

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markrb
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Looking for an inexpensive CPU cooler 115mm or under

Post by markrb » Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:16 am

I am building an HTPC unit that I want as silent as possible and my budget is about gone.
I am looking to replace the stock Intel cooler on my i3-3225 CPU that will not be overclocked.
My case has a height limitation of 115mm.
Any suggestions for a decent after market cooler that can run very quiet that is reasonably inexpensive?

Thanks,
Mark

Pappnaas
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Re: Looking for an inexpensive CPU cooler 115mm or under

Post by Pappnaas » Sun Mar 24, 2013 10:24 am

Reasonable silent and cheap:

Arctic Alpine 11 Pro or Plus

Should be a noticeable improvement over stock and doesn't cost too much in Europe.

CA_Steve
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Re: Looking for an inexpensive CPU cooler 115mm or under

Post by CA_Steve » Sun Mar 24, 2013 12:36 pm


markrb
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Re: Looking for an inexpensive CPU cooler 115mm or under

Post by markrb » Sun Mar 24, 2013 12:48 pm

That Scythe looks interesting, but I can't find it under $50 anywhere.
Too bad that would have been perfect.

Mark

Abula
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Re: Looking for an inexpensive CPU cooler 115mm or under

Post by Abula » Sun Mar 24, 2013 2:08 pm

You could try a Cooler Master GeminII S524 - CPU Cooler with Aluminum Fins and 5 Heat Pipes (RR-G524-18PK-R2), its cheap and decent, and swap the fan if you wish for more quiet setup. Edit: Disregard it might not fit with your 115mm restriction.

xan_user
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Re: Looking for an inexpensive CPU cooler 115mm or under

Post by xan_user » Sun Mar 24, 2013 3:14 pm

markrb wrote:That Scythe looks interesting, but I can't find it under $50 anywhere.
Too bad that would have been perfect.

Mark
34.95 on the big A
http://www.amazon.com/Scythe-Shuriken-R ... e+heatsink

markrb
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Re: Looking for an inexpensive CPU cooler 115mm or under

Post by markrb » Mon Mar 25, 2013 3:28 pm

xan_user wrote:
markrb wrote:That Scythe looks interesting, but I can't find it under $50 anywhere.
Too bad that would have been perfect.

Mark
34.95 on the big A
http://www.amazon.com/Scythe-Shuriken-R ... e+heatsink

That is not the "2" that was quoted in the earlier post. The review posted stated the "2" was far superior to this one.

This is the one quoted above. $49.95.
http://www.amazon.com/Scythe-SHURIKEN-5 ... B0070066DI

CA_Steve
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Re: Looking for an inexpensive CPU cooler 115mm or under

Post by CA_Steve » Mon Mar 25, 2013 4:59 pm

A few minutes searching found $40 @ Quietpc. Might be others out there.

xan_user
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Re: Looking for an inexpensive CPU cooler 115mm or under

Post by xan_user » Mon Mar 25, 2013 5:04 pm

markrb wrote:
xan_user wrote:
markrb wrote:That Scythe looks interesting, but I can't find it under $50 anywhere.
Too bad that would have been perfect.

Mark
34.95 on the big A
http://www.amazon.com/Scythe-Shuriken-R ... e+heatsink

That is not the "2" that was quoted in the earlier post. The review posted stated the "2" was far superior to this one.

This is the one quoted above. $49.95.
http://www.amazon.com/Scythe-SHURIKEN-5 ... B0070066DI
whoops! my mistake... :oops:
seems like sycthe stuff is getting hard to find, and also getting a bit more expensive, during their corporate move/restructure. I hope they come back to full speed production/distribution quickly.

markrb
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Re: Looking for an inexpensive CPU cooler 115mm or under

Post by markrb » Tue Mar 26, 2013 12:32 am

CA_Steve wrote:A few minutes searching found $40 @ Quietpc. Might be others out there.
Once you add shipping ($11.94) it's over $50.

$30 is about my max, give or take a couple.


Too bad about the Scythe stuff, because I am running one now and have owned others. Always found them to be a pretty good company.

Thanks anyway.

Pappnaas
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Re: Looking for an inexpensive CPU cooler 115mm or under

Post by Pappnaas » Tue Mar 26, 2013 3:10 am

30$ max?

So why still no Arctic cooler? It seems you won't get anything better under 30$ as we now have learned.

Edit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi ... 905&y=-112

markrb
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Re: Looking for an inexpensive CPU cooler 115mm or under

Post by markrb » Tue Mar 26, 2013 3:01 pm

Newegg is down. This is the first time I have seen this.

The problem with these "Arctic Alpine 11 Pro or Plus" is that the reviews I have read are underwhelming.
It might be my only choice at my budget, but I want to investigate my options further.

Thanks,
Mark

Pappnaas
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Re: Looking for an inexpensive CPU cooler 115mm or under

Post by Pappnaas » Tue Mar 26, 2013 11:40 pm

The arctics are no top coolers. Regardless of whatever review you stumbled upon, they are

-fitting in 115mm
-cost below 30$
-will cool your i3 in every situation without throtteling
-are reasonable quiet if used with drilled down fans
-beat stock cooler by a big margin

So, your system, your money. And if those arctics are not silent enough, you can always chip in a 92mm Noctua pwm fan and your fine.

SebRad
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Re: Looking for an inexpensive CPU cooler 115mm or under

Post by SebRad » Wed Mar 27, 2013 11:52 am

Hi, how about an Arctic Freezer 11 LP? Less $20 on Amazon.com and Arctic's fans are generally good so should be pretty quiet, at idle at least. I would think it would be quiet under load too as you i3-3225 is using something like 30-40w flat out.
Generally good reviews on Newegg but watch out for mobo compatibility it seems.
Regards, Seb

markrb
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Re: Looking for an inexpensive CPU cooler 115mm or under

Post by markrb » Thu Mar 28, 2013 6:32 pm

After remeasuring I think I can do 120mm and potentially a hair more in height.
I might also be able to widen my budget to $35 max.
Just continuing my search.

Pappnaas
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Re: Looking for an inexpensive CPU cooler 115mm or under

Post by Pappnaas » Fri Mar 29, 2013 1:03 am

Don't forget, you'll need up to 25mm breathing room for the cpu fan.

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