What is the best way to cool an overclocked CPU?

sixty01 · 02 Jan 2013

sixty01 said:

No, I am definitely going for the 3570K. Its worth the investment not just for the now but for the long term. I have had my AMD quadcore for almost two years. So I am going to stick with it and get more out of it until I finally get enough disposable funds to spend on the CPU + mobo & fan/heatsink. I have a great video card, decent amount of memory, and an SSD already.

Hopefully my next upgrade(s) in the near future:

i5 3570K: Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K

MSI mobo: Newegg.com - MSI H61M-P31/W8 LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

CM Hyper 212 EVO: Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/FM2/AM3+

What do you think?

Ok so the MSI board does support 3rd gen intel CPU's and can overclock. But like I said I will only go for an overclock range of 3.6 - 3.9Ghz. Also, my video card is an EVGA GTX 560, it should fit right? My case is a Cooler Master Elite 430, its more than enough space already.

bobafetthotmail · 02 Jan 2013

That processor can go easily over 4 GHz even with that mid-range cooler. 3.8 is its friggin Turbo Boost clock. Heck, even the non-k can be overclocked more than that (4.4 I think).

Why a so cheapo mobo? With around double you get something that is future-proof (i.e. if you want to upgrade ANY thing in the future you likely need to buy a new mobo), has USB 3.0, SATA III (in case you want to have a SSD), and a PCIe 3.0 (useful for future graphic cards anyway).

As mobos are standardized, your card will fit fine.

Personally, that CPU is only worth it on a z77 chipset mobo (although will work fine on any mobo that says it supports it, usually you lose only the PCIe 3.0). Look for deals around, that CPU is notorious and is usually sold in a "Gaming Rig" deal with a decent z77 mobo and 8 GB of RAM, on Ebay for sure.