What's the best cooler for your i7-4770K LGA1550 that has a red LED or is just black without any LEDs?
What's the best cooler for your i7-4770K LGA1550 that has a red LED or is just black without any LEDs?
Finally aiming to boost the performance of the i7-4770K on an Asus ROG Maximus Hero VII. Currently using the CoolerMaster GTS V8, but running Prime95 at stock settings causes the CPU to reach 90°C according to CoreTemp. I’m searching for suitable coolers—either air or liquid—that feature LEDs and allow me to set them to red, matching my motherboard and color theme of black and red.
I’ve checked several options so far, but each review seems to contradict the others. Some recommend the MA410M, while others dismiss it as ineffective. Other models include Hyper 212 LED, ML240L, ML240R, ML240P mirage, and Deepcool Castle 240EX with RGB. The new Nocua D15 Chroma.max works well but lacks LED lighting and is considered overpriced by some.
Any suggestions on these choices? I’ve noticed conflicting opinions everywhere—I’m really struggling to decide.
What prime 95 did you run a highly unrealistic load on the CPU so that 90C wouldn't be that bad?
I use OCCT.
Back in the day they developed two versions of the cooler—you had one with about 8 more cooling. I won’t waste time searching for it, sorry.
Occt performs worse than Prime95, employing AVX and linpack across different intensities, causing load percentages to fluctuate between 80-130%. Not ideal for low temperatures. Any Prime95 version should suffice, though versions beyond v26.6 may activate AVX features you don't want. All three options were tested with the same instruction sets, matching game loading patterns at full capacity—resulting in a worst-case gaming simulation.
Initially, a prime95 stress test is merely a test of endurance. In everyday situations, gaming or similar tasks won’t be overly taxing. The processor keeps an eye on temperature and will slow down or shut off if it detects a critical rise, typically around 100°C. If your motherboard allows, consider using an avx offset of 2 to reduce the multiplier when AVX instructions are active. What is the model of your case? Does it provide enough fresh air for your current cooler to function effectively? For testing purposes, remove the case covers and blow directly on the interior with a fan. This can help assess cooling performance. If you plan to replace coolers, opt for one with twin cooling radiators and a 140mm fan. Dark rock pro 4 and Phanteks TC-14 are available in black.
That is why I suggested OCCT. Running just the standard test without using the Linpack tab puts more strain on the CPU than most users encounter regularly. It also eliminates much of the uncertainty when choosing what to use in Prime 95, as most people lack the expertise.
My OCCT performance: 79C i7 4790K @4.6@ 1.26 volts. Cryorig R1 cooler.
When switching to the Linpack tab.
OCCT Linpack 64 bits 70C
OCCT Linpack 64 bit with AVX support, using all cores. Test stopped at core 2 reaching 85°C.
I consistently perform stress tests on every PC I've assembled for myself, friends, or clients. My preferred software is OCCT (excluding the Linpack tab), which also consumes about 90% memory and uses MSI Kombuster for video playback simultaneously for roughly an hour. If a blue screen appears, I run memtest. This only happened after adjusting memory voltage during overclocking and then running memtest.
I believe no one who actually builds or overclocks PCs skips a stress test.
Prime95 v29.8 Build 6
I verified that i7-4770K supports both AVX and AVX2, so I assumed testing it would be appropriate. However, some reviews indicate AVX OFF is possible. My recent tests show:
Small FFTs:
AVX off, AVX2 off: 64c
AVX on, AVX2 off: 83c
AVX on AVX2 on: 93c
The manual mentions the Maximus Hero VII BIOS lacks AVX offset support.
Corsair Obsidian 650D – lots of flow, only two drives front, exhaust out back and top.