Spire TherMax Eclipse TME III

[Powerpuncher]

Hey there,


I tell you, I had some serious trouble finding the right cooler that fits into my criteria, but I think I nailed it.
So let me first show you the inside of my rig:

Intel i5-4670
Gigabyte Z87-D3HP
G.Skill Ares 8GB DDR3-1866
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 WindForce 3X OC
Cooler Master G600 600W
Samsung 840 EVO 120GB


The pic is about 3 months old, but mostly up to date.
I didn't like the stock cooler. It did its job, but it was the loudest part in my rig and the temps weren't that great (around 80°C at 100% load).

So I ventured out to the dense jungle of CPU-Coolers to find the right cooler for me. But the jungle was too dense and I couldn't see the cooler for the fans!

I was looking for a quiet cooler that would fit into my case physically and aesthetically (so basically black) and give me around 60°C at full load.
My case (Aerocool Mechatron Black with side window) allows for a maximum clearance of 176mm minus 20mm for the side fan equals 156mm max. Which basically took all my favourites out of the game. Which where (ranked):

1. be quiet! Dark Rock Advanced C1 (Which looks amazing)
2. Enermax ETS-T40-BK
3. Xigmatek Dark Knight Night Hawk Edition
4. Xigmatek Prime (least favourite, because not black)

With those options gone, I couldn't find a good looking quiet air-cooler and so I looked at some liquid closed loop solutions like H60 and H75. But the internet seems to think they are expensive crap.
So I had to lower my standards and look for air-cooling again. And somehow as by a miracle I found a small enough cooler to fit into my case and also look really great; The Spire TME III. It isn't really black nor is it really the plain aluminum. And I actually like that a lot more than the black coolers.

Now, if you are still reading: Thank you! Long story short, I'm just looking for different opinions on this cooler and maybe the thermal paste I plan on using: Arctic MX-4.


Regards,
Pp

 

[barnsley]

Yeah the H60 etc is too much for what it is.
Look at the:
Hyper 212 evo, seidon 120v and the Phanteks U-type in black

 

[Tripp]

the be quiet dark rock gets my vote

*edit* i had never heard or seen the Spire TME III , looks ok though wilkl have to look up some reviews

 

[tinytomlogan]

I actually really like the Noctua NH-L12 http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=46&lng=en

Just use the 120mm fan (remove the 92mm one) and it performs great.

With your cpu try following our guide to lower your temps too - it really does work if you put the effort in:

http://www.overclock3d.net/articles/cpu_mainboard/how_to_manually_set_and_undervolt_your_cpu_vcore/1


Also if you want your rig quieter just get rid of the side panel fan (I really dont like them)

 

[Powerpuncher]

Yeah the H60 etc is too much for what it is.
Look at the:
Hyper 212 evo, seidon 120v and the Phanteks U-type in black

The Phanteks one looks cool, but is too tall unfortunately

the be quiet dark rock gets my vote

*edit* i had never heard or seen the Spire TME III , looks ok though wilkl have to look up some reviews

Yeah, I would've gone with it, if it wasn't too tall^^

I actually really like the Noctua NH-L12 http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=46&lng=en

Just use the 120mm fan (remove the 92mm one) and it performs great.

With your cpu try following our guide to lower your temps too - it really does work if you put the effort in:

http://www.overclock3d.net/articles/cpu_mainboard/how_to_manually_set_and_undervolt_your_cpu_vcore/1

I presume you could slap a Corsair SP fan on top of the Noctua? The Noctua fan would be quite an eye-sore to me since I want to keep the colors inside all black and blue.

Also if you want your rig quieter just get rid of the side panel fan (I really dont like them)

The rig isn't necessarily loud, but the CPU cooler just screams over everything else and that is just bugging me.

 

[Tripp]

Yeah, I would've gone with it, if it wasn't too tall^^


.

take the side fan off your case an it should fit

 

[Powerpuncher]

take the side fan off your case an it should fit

I'm quite reluctant to removing the side fan since it's the major attraction point of my rig.

 

[Davva2004]

Dude, with a chuffing great cooler staring at you through the window all gleaming and cooler pron, you don't miss your side fan.

 

[barnsley]

side fans above the cpu don't do anything. just get rid of it.

 

[Powerpuncher]

Well, thanks for the tips. I'll consider getting rid of the side fan and getting the Dark Rock after all, but I'm quite torn apart since the side fan really fits the look of the case.

 

[Remmy]

Why don't you post a picture of the PC with it's side panel on so we can see it?

 

[Powerpuncher]

Why don't you post a picture of the PC with it's side panel on so we can see it?

I posted a build-log, you can see it here: http://forum.overclock3d.net/showthread.php?t=58165

 

[Remmy]

I posted a build-log, you can see it here: http://forum.overclock3d.net/showthread.php?t=58165

Cheers To be fair, an empty fan grill would look a bit odd there, so I understand why you have a fan in. If the fan being there is stopping you getting a decent CPU cooler because of the space restrictions, then I'd remove it and prioritise the CPU cooler, but if you can get both in I'd just keep it there to be honest.

 

[Powerpuncher]

Cheers To be fair, an empty fan grill would look a bit odd there, so I understand why you have a fan in. If the fan being there is stopping you getting a decent CPU cooler because of the space restrictions, then I'd remove it and prioritise the CPU cooler, but if you can get both in I'd just keep it there to be honest.

Yep, that's why I thought the Spire TME III would be a perfect compromise. Although it is a bit on the expensive side, but I don't really care for that.

 

[QuietOne]

I have a Dark Rock cooling my 4.5Ghz 2700K, in a 350D. I like it

 

[Powerpuncher]

Alright I decided to go for The Spire TME III. I've read some reviews and they were for the most part positive and it seems to fit my criteria best. If I don't like it I can just return it and get a different cooler.

Thanks for all the suggestions and help

 

[Powerpuncher]

The cooler arrived and I installed it. Temps are around 60°C which is quite cool! Literally. When I find the time I'm going to undervolt my cpu as well.

It basically sits right up against the side fan with only 1mm to spare xD Call that a perfect fit!