I7-920 Best cooler?
I7-920 Best cooler?
I own an i7-920, which is currently overclocked to roughly 3.7-3.8 ghz. I use a Cooler Master 212 and experience temperatures exceeding 70°C during gameplay, typically around the 60s. When idle, it stays between 48 and 54, which suits me well. I’m considering alternatives such as the Corsair H60 or iCorsair H70, wondering if they could boost my CPU performance further. Or should I stick with my CM 212? I’m trying to run The Division and played the beta, achieving around 40-60 FPS on top ultra settings. I also have an Asus Gtx 970 Strix with 12GB DDR3 RAM and the i7-920. My GPU is being overclocked to about 1400 Hz and my RAM at 7800 Hz. My goal is to reach full 60 FPS or at least above 55 at 1080p. Do anyone have advice on increasing CPU overclocks, getting a new GPU, or adjusting minor in-game settings that make little difference in graphics? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as I’m often lost in thought about what I can do given my current setup.
Keep your funds where they belong and choose either the 980 TI or wait. The price tag for the 980 doesn’t match the performance boost over your current 970, even after overclocking it. It just doesn’t make sense to invest another 480 dollars for a likely 10-15% improvement.
Regarding the original concern, any upgrade seems better than the 212 EVO in terms of maximum TDP and sound output, particularly the sound quality. If noise matters, water cooling isn’t worth it—advanced loads will push most liquid coolers past the volume you’d hear from even the best air-cooled HSF models. A modest AIO liquid cooler still offers some advantages.
Really, you won't get much assistance from a cooler. The CM 212 performs almost as well as the Noctua model I own. It's better to try reducing the vcore voltage if you can. I haven't managed to keep it stable above 3.8GHz despite my efforts. The diminishing returns are too expensive right now, and 3.6GHz is sufficient for my GTX 770. Perhaps adjusting in-game settings would be more effective.
The CPU isn't performing well, which explains why game performance doesn't match expectations for a GTX 970. Can you share what frames you're seeing in other triple A titles? I'd prefer to consider upgrading the CPU instead of the GPU; the GTX 970 is sufficient for 1080p at 60 frames.
I had an i-7 920 @ 4GHZ with voltage under 1.4v. Im using a Corsair H100i. My idle temps with that cooler where under 30C idle and 45C gaming. The board is a Asus X58 ROG. Now, since then I bought a Xeon 5650 off Ebay for under $100. On the same X58 board with the H100i cooler I get 24C idle and 40-45C gaming. this is a 6/12 core CPU that is breaking 1000 in Cinebench R15, clocked at 4.4 GHZ Card is a GTX 980 and Im typically getting 80-100+ FPS in all my games with max settings 1080p. I just added a 2nd GTX 980 to this rig 2 weeks ago, Im getting 200+ FPS in Tomb Raider and Shadows of Mordor, 170+ FPS in SW Battlefront, Battlefield 4 (Post Processing at 160 for both of these!), GTA V with all settings on ULTRA and moderate AA (usually 4x MSAA or TXAA)
SPgamer007 has a different opinion – overclocked i7-920/30 remain solid choices for gaming. The main reason for upgrading was the scarcity of fast SATA III ports. The i7-920 with triple channel memory still performs well with today’s titles. Compare the benchmarks for i7-990x and you’ll see it’s even faster than the stock 990x. His clock speed exceeds the original 990x.
The CPU isn't performing well enough for the expected results in games, which is why the GTX 970 doesn't meet expectations. Can you share what frame rates you see in other triple A titles? I'm leaning toward upgrading the CPU rather than the GPU—GTX 970 handles 1080p at 60fps well. Whaaaa....? This CPU feels outdated in a fast-changing world. Sure, it's decent now, but it's not great anymore. It was the best CPU I've ever used for pushing limits. It might get some top-end cooling, but is it really limiting one core? At 3.7-3.8GHz, I'm pretty sure it won't.
I'm not claiming it's terrible, just a bit outdated but with OC to 3.7 and 3.8 there won't be any issues. The latest CPUs, like an i7 4790k with overclocked, perform much better in the same configuration, though they do cost more. For the i7 920, I wouldn't go beyond 3.8, since it's a non-K CPU that already has enough power. Regarding low FPS problems, it might be a beta issue, so checking GTX 970 performance in other triple A games could help.
Nehalem didn't require a "k" to surpass its rivals. This processor was created in 2008 and remains functional for gaming on modern high-end games after being boosted.
I now own an i7-4790K but when I had my i7-930 it was running at 3.79 with no extra voltage until I gave it to my co-worker—it still runs at 3.79GHz using my original Noctua D14. It's still a powerful CPU for memory-heavy tasks too. SPGamer007 mentioned the CPU isn't great, which is why game performance doesn't match expectations from a GTX 970. I suggest lowering your GPU settings to check if the issue is with the CPU or GPU.
Bruce