i3 3220 - aftermarket cooler?

N

Nine Iron

Member
I'm about to build a new rig based around an Ivy i3, and I'm a complete silence freak. Case will be cooled by temp-sensitive fans, with balanced pressures, but I'm wondering

a) Is it worth chucking an aftermarket cooler on an Ivy i3? Or is the stock unit quiet and capable as-is?

b) If an a/m cooler would be beneficial, any opinions? I'm looking at the Akasa K25 in particular - low profile, PWM, and Apache-style canted blades.

It's hard to find much on the Ivy i3's at the moment, so any input would be appreciated:).
 
I have one of those and from experience I can tell you that it's more than capable as mine doesn't get warm at all (don't really game on it though, as I have no GPU in that very system.

For an aftermarket cooler you can go with pretty much everything you like but I don't suggest anything with with an 80 or 92 mm fan as they get quite noisy. Pretty much everything is better than the stock cooler :p
 
Feronix said:
I have one of those and from experience I can tell you that it's more than capable as mine doesn't get warm at all (don't really game on it though, as I have no GPU in that very system.

For an aftermarket cooler you can go with pretty much everything you like but I don't suggest anything with with an 80 or 92 mm fan as they get quite noisy. Pretty much everything is better than the stock cooler :p
Click to expand...

Cheers, bud. The Intel 2500 will get no action - dedicated graphics (but I made sure I got a board with onboard DVI in case the card falls over;))

I'll probably give the boxed cooler a whirl with some prime95 and see what's what - a couple of owners have said their heatsinks are actually cold when the thing is under load.

(Good thing you brought up graphics, actually... this 4770 is going to need replacing at some point...)
 
I dont like the fans which are are blowing down towards the motherboard, and am currently using an Arctic Freezer 13 on my old 955BE, and i can't hear it at all.
Something like the 212 Evo would be another option, but i really like the mounting system for Intel on the Arctic.

The stock cooler for the I3 is fully capible of cooling it (not overclocked), but my experience is that they begin to make a lot of noise once it has been used for about half a year.
 
holstix said:
I dont like the fans which are are blowing down towards the motherboard, and am currently using an Arctic Freezer 13 on my old 955BE, and i can't hear it at all.
Something like the 212 Evo would be another option, but i really like the mounting system for Intel on the Arctic.

The stock cooler for the I3 is fully capible of cooling it (not overclocked), but my experience is that they begin to make a lot of noise once it has been used for about half a year.
Click to expand...

I should add that I'm trying for a low-profile cooler - mATX case. The Freezer 7 r2 caught my eye, but it's

a) tall,
b) pushpin fitment, and
c) too expensive

I notice that the Akasa K32 has a copper base but the K25 does not... and the K32 is cheaper:D.
 
You say you're a silence freak, for that reason alone I wouldn't suggest staying stock...
Go for the low-profile noctua cooler, and you won't look back :)
 
You could go for a passive cooling solution.

Nofan CR-95
nofan%20NOFAN%20CR-95C%2001.jpg


Or a usuall cooler without mounted fans.
2b970808_8618e3fe_dsc0097mc.jpeg
 
Ended up going for the Akasa K32 - most reviews say it's significantly quieter than the stock cooler, and I managed to bag one for just over a tenner with postage.

I'm vacillating over whether or not to cut the CPU's heat shield off and replace the Intel TIM, but I'm mostly against it - at 55W, it's probably not worth it.

I'll post a review on the K32 when I get hold of it - I've seen no others, except on revoo:).
 
Nine Iron said:
Ended up going for the Akasa K32 - most reviews say it's significantly quieter than the stock cooler, and I managed to bag one for just over a tenner with postage.

I'm vacillating over whether or not to cut the CPU's heat shield off and replace the Intel TIM, but I'm mostly against it - at 55W, it's probably not worth it.

I'll post a review on the K32 when I get hold of it - I've seen no others, except on revoo:).
Click to expand...

Not worth it imo. The CPU doesn't run hot at all and you'll only void your warranty.
 
Well, my 3220 turned up this morning, and I'm not impressed at all with the stock cooler. Has bearing noise at 7V and bearing and whooshing at 12. Fan seems slightly unbalanced as well.

The heatsink is far too thin, IMO - needed more area and a quieter fan. I'll see how the Akasa compares when it gets here.
 
Nine Iron said:
Well, my 3220 turned up this morning, and I'm not impressed at all with the stock cooler. Has bearing noise at 7V and bearing and whooshing at 12. Fan seems slightly unbalanced as well.

The heatsink is far too thin, IMO - needed more area and a quieter fan. I'll see how the Akasa compares when it gets here.
Click to expand...
Just wondering, but what are the temps? The stock cooler has been designed to also be able to handle units like the 2550k/2700k which have a 95w TDP, so it may not be necessary to turn the fans up so high. Try bringing down the speeds while monitoring the temps, I would assume you could go pretty low without the chip getting too hot.

Getting an aftermarket cooler for a 3220 just seems overkill in my opinion and largely unnecessary.
 
Christoi said:
Just wondering, but what are the temps? The stock cooler has been designed to also be able to handle units like the 2550k/2700k which have a 95w TDP, so it may not be necessary to turn the fans up so high. Try bringing down the speeds while monitoring the temps, I would assume you could go pretty low without the chip getting too hot.

Getting an aftermarket cooler for a 3220 just seems overkill in my opinion and largely unnecessary.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if my board - MSI B75MA-P45 - has PWM configuration options in the BIOS (and I don't fancy having Speedfan load up with Windows or faff with fan controllers). Just in case it doesn't, I wanted something I could leave at 7V all day every day:).
 
Well, turns out my new board did have the PWM fan controls, so the K32 has gone in. I defaulted it to 25% and set the speed to ramp up at 60 C, but I'm not overly familiar with the new Ivy architecture - what's a good "full load after an hour" tempearture?

Currently priming, and I can't seem to get the 3220 over low-mid 60's even with the most savage test on all four threads. The K32 has spun up a tiny bit more, but it's negligible - my front HD intake fan is comparable.
 
I have a feeling that the temps are higher than normal for the i3. You're willing to sacrifice low temps for noise it seems... that's alright.
 
dragoonk said:
I have a feeling that the temps are higher than normal for the i3. You're willing to sacrifice low temps for noise it seems... that's alright.
Click to expand...

I was told to expect a 5-10 C hike over the Sandy CPUs, so I'm not surprised at all. If 60-65 is a safe load temp, I'm happy. After all, people are running top-end Ivy i7's past 75 these days.

Just annoying that I can't find any testing data on temps - probably because the i3's won't overclock:mad:. I doubt Tom will touch them in a review, either:).
 
Yeah.. they are... under full stress test load...
I know it's a safe temp, it's not something I am used to, that's all... and knowing how power efficient the new i3's are... it just seemed that the temps were deliberately left to be high. Ivy's do run very hot though.
Well as you noticed already, Tom reviews only the high-end stuff which is not completly fair... but he is adressing his reviews to the enthusiast.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
I3 haswell cooler replacement?? Itx
Replies
1
Views
2K
cooperman
cooperman
Edge
Case/CPU Fans for Fractal Define Mini
Replies
9
Views
2K
Edge
Edge
R
stock intel or aftermarket (LP) I3 3240
Replies
2
Views
2K
Rob_the_scot
R
Feronix
Silent PC
Replies
6
Views
4K
AlienALX
AlienALX
S
Passively Cooling an i3
Replies
7
Views
5K
jamesriley94
J
Back
Top