best non backplate cpu cooler?

magick

whats the best cpu cooler for an AM2 cpu? (something deathly quiet please)

something that does not require a backplate installation

Genghiz Cohen

Custom PC reviewed a smeg load of coolers, have a look at one the next time your in a newsagents.

Solitaire

Wow. You just asked for a cooler that's effective, light and quiet. Three terms that are all mutually exclusive Most 92mm tower coolers are light enough to avoid needing a backplate, but are typically inferior in overall performance and use smaller and inherently noisier fans. And we all know the relationship between airflow, cooling and noise

That said, Xigmatek's 92mm units (especially the S964 and S983) are decently priced and cool AMD CPUs well, the only issue is that at maximum speed they're noisy as [CENSORED]. But if you have PWM and maybe SpeedFan you could shut them up without losing too much cooling. And with the removable fan you could probably find and sling on a 92mm Noctua or Scythe or something and shut it up for good

Quite a few Scythe units maintain low noise and good performance with 92mm fans, but are unusual designs and are sometimes heavy enough to force backplate usage - and that's if the price doesn't bring tears to the eyes...

CoolerMaster Hyper TX2 is a great 92mm unit but cheap means noisy, and no PWM so you'll have to use a power rheostat or something (like the Zalman FanMate) to shut it up. Arctic and Akasa have great budget units but they're LGA775 only

OCZ Vanquisher can be good but while the base unit is cheap, killer performance is reliant on spending more of teh monies on at least a basic lapping kit (it will need a firm going-over!) and unscrewing that horrible joke on the front and jury-rigging a 100mm Scythe (the unit is meant for 92mm fans but the tower and its heatpipes are wider than the norm) fan to the front. And, as with all the above, removing the supplied gunge, polishing the base and using some decent silver gunk, at least cheap Akasa or AS5, preferably AS7.

magick

i heard the AC freezer pro is deathly quiet, anyone ever used these? the curren fan im using is the coolermaster x dream its ok for cooling but its a bit on the noisy side, hence id like to find something much quieter and easy to replace.

rafared

Xigmatek dark Knight. Just installed on a new build and its a super cooler. Its quiet, brought the temps at idle from 32 to 21 degs and it looks super. Best of all is the price which if memory serves me was 37E from komplett.
I would highly recommend it.

Solitaire

Yeah but the Dark Knight is a rebadged S1284 isn't it? Those 120mm units are too big and heavy for the mobo and need a backplate

Thank god newer cases like the HAF and Storm series have girt great big holes in the motherboard trays so that sticking on a backplate and bolting heavy coolers on in situ is really impractical rather than just plain old impossible

rafared

I have a Storm sniper case as it happens and it has the hole in the motherboard tray you are talking about so I suppose fitting a back plate would be possible if a bit tricky. I'm not sure if the Dark Knight is a rebadged cooler but it does the job superbly.

Solitaire

Sorry, really meant "variant" - its basically a shinier S1283, which is a seriously powerful piece of kit in its own right. And it'd fit right in a Storm Sniper given the black paintjob on both Just not very useful to Magick as I don't think he has a newish CM case so he'd have to pull apart the entire system just to install the backplate

magick

Solitaire wrote: »

Yeah but the Dark Knight is a rebadged S1284 isn't it? Those 120mm units are too big and heavy for the mobo and need a backplate

Thank god newer cases like the HAF and Storm series have girt great big holes in the motherboard trays so that sticking on a backplate and bolting heavy coolers on in situ is really impractical rather than just plain old impossible

this is the prob with my current case no hole for a backplate and i just finished my cable managment so ill be dammed if im taking it out all again

Solitaire

magick wrote:

my current case no hole for a backplate

This is the reason God gave mankind the power of Dremel

magick

lol me with a dremel, will turn my pc into an expensive paper weight!