Can't decide on a liquid CPU cooler for my i7 6700K

So, my order of new desktop parts got delayed, which gave me some more time to reconsider my PC parts. The only thing I just can't make a decission on is the (liquid) CPU cooler. I will be using an 6700K (which I will be OC'ing) and an NZXT S340 case. Any help is appreciated.

 

If money is not a problem, you can just straight up go for NZXT Kraken X61.

 

i have the Kraken x61 with 2 Noctua Redux fans on the radiator. it's my first AIO CPU cooler, so i don't have anything else to compare it to. with that being said, mine has been in my Snow White for a couple of months now and i have zero complaints.

i'm using NZXT's CAM software to control the x61 and i just have it on the 'performance mode'. don't even feel the need to do any custom pump/fan curves. my 6700k is running at 4.7ghz and it has had no problems keeping it cool. idles in the 20*'s and runs in the 40*'s during hours of gaming. another reason i went with it is because it uses a 280mm radiator compared to other's that are using 240mm one's like Corsair.

i also hear alot of good things about the Swiftech AIO kits. i was actually considering their H240 X2 Prestige kit, but opted for the Kraken at the end because i won't be expanding the watercooling. i will probably go for a full custom water loop once i get bored.

 

Yeah I've been looking at the X61 myself aswel, but it's pretty expensive. The EK predator also looks very solid, but is way over my budget.

 

Kraken x61 / Swiftech H240x/H220X

 

Oh, OK. You didn't give any budget restrictions, so that's why you were recommended X61.
So, how much money do you want to spend.

 

Personally I love my H100i. It's two fans are plugged into my Mobo for auto fan control and it cools my 4790K @ 4.7GHz near dead silent using ASUS AiSuite's silent profile and I made a rookie mistake and installed it in a push config with the stock loud fans. Encoding tops out at 80C, average temps around 45C. Excellent cooler.

 

Yeah that one was on me, my bad. Looking to spend €100 ($112).

Yeah I've been looking at Corsair myself and I realy like the look of them, but I see a lot of people saying they're unreliable and/or loud.

 

Haven't had an issue with mine. The Corsair Link never worked though so I had full blast fans which are indeed loud until I plugged them in the motherboard and used AiSuite to set them to silent. There are some air bubbles in mine that occasionally I'll hear the clicking as they pass through the radiator but it's not a big deal. I've heard the H110 doesn't have the issue nor does the regular H100, just the I variant, but since I was speaking from experience recommending either of the other two wouldn't be technically correct.

 

Might look at Corsair H100i/110i, like Ethrem suggested, if the price in your region is right that is.

 

not sure where u're from, but the Kraken x61 costs $114.99 from Newegg.com.

i did weeks of research before going with mine.

 

Newegg doesn't ship out of the US unfortunately.

 

The new H115i is an excellent cooler. It's on my build list.

 

My final choice landed on the Antec H1200 Pro . Great price, performance, acoustics and complimented my color scheme nicely. Thanks for the help though, I appreciate it.

 

A little update: PC parts came in yesterday, finished it today. Realy loving this cooler so far. 60 min Intel XTU stress test @4.7GHz the avg temp was 53, with a max of 68, while producing a bearable amount of noise. Insane value for the price.

 

I second this, have one in my build. Not loud at all, and no issues to date.

 

On my new desktop, it will have the H115i, I will give an update of how it does once I receive the desktop Great to hear it's quiet, sick of fan noise thanks to the M17x R4 I had and my P771ZM lol..

 

But how does wPrime 1.55 1024M do?

 

Just downloaded it. I'll update you soon.

EDIT Here you go https://imgur.com/a/ULrSf

No idea if it's good or bad.

 

You have to go into settings and put it on 8 cores.

I was just wondering about the temps. Mandelbulber and wPrime push my H100i a little, temps in the mid 70s. I've been thinking about possibly upgrading but it has to be worth the hassle of dismantling my whole machine to do it (I would have to pull the motherboard to get the H100i out of my NZXT Phantom 410)

 

What do you mean?

What are you looking to upgrade to?

 

By default, wPrime only uses one core. When you open the app, you click the settings in the lower left corner and set your threads to 8 then run it.

Another good option is just to let RealBench do its thing. http://rog.asus.com/19932016/news/realbench-v2-43-new-version-available-now/ That should get your CPU nice and toasty.

As for upgrading, I just want to get something that can handle Haswell at 1.4v so I can run 4.9GHz down the line. Right now I run my CPU at 4.6GHz, 4.7 requires another 100mv bump and runs in the 80s but 4.8 and 4.9 are over 1.4v and hit 90s.

 

I see, I will give it another run. Already run RealBench, runs fine .

 

Was just curious about the temps after a RB run lol

 

Benchmark or stresstest? Benchmark I assume?

EDIT Just did one run with a normal fan profile: https://i.imgur.com/4cs1dsG.png For a split second it hit 82c, but only for like 1/10 of a second. Should I be worried?

 

I wouldn't worry about 82C on that test, it's meant to beat the living crap out of the CPU. I installed a 4770k in a build for my roommate the other day and the combined video playback and encoding test pushed it to 96C with the stock Intel cooler and no OC.