Best Phenom II Cooler
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Best Air Cooling Solutions for Phenom II CPUs
The box cooler bundled with your CPU might be enough for the average user, but if you plan to do any overclocking, core unlocking, or want to make your PC as silent as possible, it is not going to cut it.
There are lots of great heatsinks and fans on the market that can cool even the fastest overclocked CPUs. I'll take a look at four of the best coolers for Phenom II, from the most powerful and expensive, to budget ones that still do a great job of cooling your processor.
Prolimatech Megahalems Rev. B
The best heatsink for Phenom II (and Intel Core i5 & i7 as well).
Prolimatech CPU Cooler for Intel Socket 1156, 1366 and 775 Megahalems Rev. B (Silver)
Amazon Price: $50.00 (as of 02/23/2012)
Prolimatech Megahalems is a massive 790g heatsink with 6 heatpipes that constantly places at the top of most cooler benchmarks. Due to its innovative design and huge size, it dissipates the heat from your CPU very well. While it is probably the best Phenom II heatsink, it doesn't come cheap. Megahalems Rev. B doesn't include a fan, so you will have to purchase one (or two, if you're going for a push/pull) yourself - the silent Noctua NF-P12
Another important thing to note is that Megahalems doesn't come with an AMD AM2/AM3 retention mount. You will need to purchase an adapter kit called ARM-01, or use another compatible backplate when installing this heatsink on a Phenom II processor.
As you can see, the Megahalems is pretty expensive (although still affordable compared to water cooling), so unless you're overclocking a six-core Phenom II X6 1100T or want the best possible air cooler available, one of the cheaper cooling solutions below might be enough for your needs.
Scythe Mugen 2
One of the best coolers for Phenom II CPUs.
Scythe Mugen 3 CPU Cooler for LGA 775/1155/1156/1366 & AMD AM2/2+/3 Model, SCMG-3000
Amazon Price: $41.99 (as of 02/23/2012)
Scythe Mugen 2 is a very popular cooler that offers great performance at an affordable price. It is compatible with all modern CPU sockets (Intel LGA1366 & LGA775, AMD AM2+ & AM3, as well as older ones). It weighs 870g, has five copper heatpipes for optimal heat transfer, and comes with a silent, PWM speed controlled Scythe fan (speed 0 to 1300 RPM, max. noise level 26.50 dBA). The heatsink is very large (130 x 100 x 158 mm) so make sure it can fit in your case before you buy it.
Performance-wise, Mugen 2 is just a little behind Megahalems. Combined with a much lower price, this makes it a great choice for Phenom II cooling.
Xigmatek Dark Knight
Good choice for an AMD CPU cooling fan.
Xigmatek Dark Knight S1283V Black Nickel CPU Cooler with 120mm Rifle Bearing
Amazon Price: $38.50 (as of 02/23/2012)
Dark Knight S1283W is yet another popular choice for cooling modern Intel Core i3 / i5 / i7 and AMD Athlon II / Phenom II CPUs. Compared to Mugen 2, it is somewhat smaller (120 x 50 x 159 mm) and easier to install, while offering similar performance. The heatsink uses H.D.T. (Heat-pipes Direct Touch) technology, meaning the heatpipes will be in direct contant with CPU for better heat transfer. The fan uses PWM speed control and can spin at 1,000 to 2,200 RPM with a maximum noise level of 30.1 dBA. Xigmatek Dark Night cooler is also relatively light weight (600g including the fan).
Cooler Master Hyper 212+
Probably the best cheap CPU cooler with Heatpipe Direct Touch.
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler, RR-B10-212P-G1
Amazon Price: $24.27 (as of 02/23/2012)
Hyper 212 Plus from Cooler Master is a budget cooler that still does a great job of cooling those hot Phenom IIs. It uses an universal back plate that is compatible with all modern CPU sockets. Hyper 212+ is sized at 120 x 79.7 x 158.5 mm and weighs 626g. The fan is PWM-controlled with 600 to 2,000 RPM and noise level of 13 to 32 dBA.
Similarly to Dark Knight, Hyper 212+ uses Heatpipe Direct Touch design. You will notice some gaps between the heatpipes at the base of the heatsink - these should be filled with thermal grease for better contact with the CPU. The surface of the heat sink is pretty rough (I assume that this allows Cooler Master to reduce the cost), so lapping it might be a good idea.
Cooler Master Hyper 212+ is probably the best cheap CPU cooler right now. Its price vs performance ratio is great, but it might not be enough to cool the newest hex-core Phenom II processors. It will do a great job with everything else, though - personally I've used it with a AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition
What is the Best Cooler for Phenom II?
Comments
What do you think is the best Phenom II cooler? Share your experience.
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Reply
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TapIn2U Apr 13, 2011 @ 12:28 pm | delete
- Looks great to me. It's designed so as not to look too bulky in your computer, right? I'm going to have to try one of these. I don't like how my cooler makes a loud whirring sound and accumulates dust particles fast. Great lens! Hey, I just published my fourth lens called the 3 Shortcuts to Happiness and would love to know what you think of it. Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated. Blessings! Sundae ;-)
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by Chadrew
I am a big fan of AMD since they usually offer the best price versus performance ratio. While the first Phenoms weren't all that great, the Phenom II... more »
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