Powercolor Radeon HD 7970 + i5 3570K, please help me pick a heatsink?

[Andrex]

Hello guys! This will be my first time building and I am a bit confused/anxious (?) about how to go with the cooling given my choice of components. I've chose to use an i5 3570K and a Powercolor Radeon HD 7970. I would like to OC, but as I've never done it before, I am very nervous about breaking any component if I don't do it correctly, for example, I choose a bad cooler and my system's temp goes to high. So I was wondering if I could get some advice on which would be the most recommended cooler, I was recommended to go with the Evo 212 but I'm still a bit confused on what road to take here, as it seems that the Evo is pretty cheap, although it does get really high ratings.

 

Also, besides the cooler, is there anything else I should keep in mind to OC? For example, should I install more fans in my case (I'm planning on using a NZXT Phantom 410), should I pick a different case, etc.?

 

I would like to try and keep my budget for the case + cooler + power supply around $200, if possible.

 

Anyway, thanks in advance for any help!!

 

EDIT: Also, what if I don't OC? Would I just be wasting my hardware's capabilities?

Edited September 25, 2012 by Andrex

[d6bmg]

case + cooler + power supply around $200

 

If it is like that, then think about getting a mid-tower chassis instead of full tower one.

And using unlocked CPU without any overclocking is lame. Although I've heard that some people don't OC their unlocked CPUs.

And hyper 212 evo is good upto 4.2-4.3GHz at max.

[vandreadstriker]

The 3570K can get very Very hot when you bump the voltages over 1.3-1.4v (depending on the chip. Every chip is different), but you wouldn't need a "super" high-end cooler if you're not thinking of overclocking very much.

If you're just going to try and poke around a bit, you should be fine with the Hyper212 (as long as you follow some guidelines, mainly the amount of voltage you use)

But if you're thinking of serious overclocking (squeezing out the most out of your chip), you'd want to get a top-end cooler like the Noctua NH-D14 or even consider watercooling.

If you want the middle, that is you want to try and overclock but prefer not to squeeze everything out, you can get the NZXT HAVIK 140. It's a superb cooler that can perform almost as well as the NH-D14, but without the Gigantic design and high price of the D14.

 

Also, besides the cooler, is there anything else I should keep in mind to OC? For example, should I install more fans in my case (I'm planning on using a NZXT Phantom 410), should I pick a different case, etc.?

 

Fans will certainly help in taking in fresh air and exhausting hot air out of the case. But it doesn't mean that the more fans you have, the cooler it gets. For the 410, it's not such a bad idea to fill up all the fan slots but it's definitely not worth burning your wallet.

 

I would like to try and keep my budget for the case + cooler + power supply around $200, if possible.

 

You'll want a reliable PSU for your system and they can be very expensive. The fact that you're getting a 7970 would mean that you'd want at least 700W in your system which cost around $100+ itself. You'll likely have difficulties in maintaining it under $200.

My advice is: Ditch the 7970 and get a GTX660Ti or HD7950. This way, a 600W would suffice which means that you're increasing the budget from both 'only needing a lower wattage PSU' and 'getting a less expensive card'. A 660Ti/7950 can handle pretty much anything on 1080p at high-ultimate settings.

 

EDIT: Also, what if I don't OC? Would I just be wasting my hardware's capabilities?

 

Honestly speaking, you wouldn't even need to overclock your system in the first place. Today's CPU have enough horsepower at stock settings to do almost everything. Overclocking is IMO just bragging rights atm, but can be very useful when you want to keep up with newer hardwares without spending money on a new system (which, as things are now, is useless IMO. You'd most likely replace your existing CPU with a newer one before you even "need" to overclock that existing CPU to cope with newer hardware. Confused? Me too )

 

If you're dead sure that you don't want to overclock, yes buying a 3570K would be useless. You're much better off saving $20 on a locked SKU and saving some $20-50 more on a H77 chipset instead of Z77. However, if you want to overclock or intend to in the future, the 3570K is definitely worth that extra $20.

As for your GPU, I've mentioned above that the 7970 is actually an overkill for now. But it can sure help you in the future as Games gets more and more hardware demanding (which is again I see as useless since, with the way things progress today, you'd again most likely replace it with a newer one before you need to overclock it.)

 

[WarWeeny]

got an hyper 212 evo on my i5-760 (stock 2.8ghz) and i can pull 4 ghz easely on max load temps of 70c (wich is decent for most users and the outmost temps intel is giving is 73 so its a good safe temp)

so that is a really good choice for cooling.

 

airflow can shave off 5c or more if done correctly so i can reccomend the coolermaster 690 II it has lots of fan space and you can easely manage your cables in the case

 

as for the power supply i dont go asuming you go crossfire so go with an ocz extreme 650 watt its cheap and performs like a boss.

[d6bmg]

^^ i5-760 architecture is not same as i5-3570K and that's why your example won't work here.

P.S. I'm waiting for the reply from OP.

[WarWeeny]

^^ i5-760 architecture is not same as i5-3570K and that's why your example won't work here.

P.S. I'm waiting for the reply from OP.

 

a hot procesor is a hot processor, it doesnt matter which on it is.

haters gonna hate

that you have wasted alot of money on your heatsick that doesnt mean he has to....

 

 

here are some reviews on it:

 

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/cm_hyper212_evo/4.htm

 

http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2655&page=5

 

 

as you can see it can compete with the best doesnt matter what processor you have...

Edited September 26, 2012 by WarWeeny

[d6bmg]

^^ Sadly you misinterpreted the meaning of my post.