Which processor cooler is superior (if any)?

[Altech]

Hi, this is I realise a relatively minor detail posting, but I am happy with my specified build as a non-gamer who is simply looking to future-proof as much as possible within a restricted budget.

Just with regard to the CPU cooling, I like the idea of the “pretty” PCS FrostFlow 100 RGB V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (AMD) (125W TDP) for £4 less than my currently specified CoolerMaster Hyper 212, but I know that the CoolerMaster is a solid and popular product, whereas I am not aware of the reputation regarding the PCS version.
Is it simply a matter of, “do I really want the RGB effect or not” or is one of these two units superior in what it is primarily designed for? Are they in fact as good as each other?
If anyone has the experience to let me know, I would be most grateful. Thank you.

My build (currently in Pre-Production)

Case
PCS P209 ARGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 Super - DVI, HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W CV SERIES™ CV-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Asus Xonar SE 5.1-Channel Gaming Audio Card
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (1 x TYPE A, 1 x TYPE C) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™

 

[Martinr36]

I hate to say it but there is so much wrong with this build, starting with the case, whichever cooler you go for everything is going to cook in that case especially with a 5800x (one of the hottest running AMD CPU's)

If you let us know your budget, your uses, and your monitor resolution & refresh rate or make and model then I'm sure we can get it sorted.

Also please provide the configuration link for the above

 

[Scott]

I would strongly advice cancelling that build and getting some advice.

 

[DarTon]

If you are not gaming, and the productivity tasks you are aiming to do are not intensive, then it's not clear to me why you will need a 5800X.
A 5800X requires a better case, better cooler and, ideally, a better motherboard and PSU. It's going to be difficult to achieve on a budget of around £1,300. I'm taking that budget based on the build you proposed.

Shift to a 5600X and you can drop the cooler completely or go with a something with a modest cost like a Coolermaster Liquid 120/240. The motherboard is fine, the PSU can be tweaked slightly and you can probably drop the sound card completely. You can get something for say £1,150-£1250. Move to something like a six core 5600G or 8-core 5700G, both with integrated GPU, and you can drop the discrete GPU aswell. Price range from say £850 through to £1,050. You lose PCIe4 but does anything you do need that?

I know you want something future proofed, but a 5800X system is probably £1,400+ and you might well be better off saving the money and putting it aside for the next machine in 5y or so. A 5600X/5700G is still comparable to an i9-10805K and a 5600G to a i7-10700K.

 

[Altech]

I hate to say it but there is so much wrong with this build, starting with the case, whichever cooler you go for everything is going to cook in that case especially with a 5800x (one of the hottest running AMD CPU's)

If you let us know your budget, your uses, and your monitor resolution & refresh rate or make and model then I'm sure we can get it sorted.

Also please provide the configuration link for the above

Hi Martinr36, thank you and the other guys out there who have replied to my post.
I would have included the configuration URL link but discovered that it still shows an original line-up before I made some changes.
I should add that since posting, I have now amended my order to replace the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X with the Ryzen 7 3700X which still gives me plenty of headroom without being quite so "ott". It runs less hot too with a TDP of just 65W and is supplied with its own cooler, so that deals with my "which cooler" query. I have replaced the 1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD with the improved 1TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus M.2 SSD.
Although I currently use a Netgear A6210 USB adapter to speak to my Canon printer, I thought while I am upgrading, I might as well add the
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS WiFi to offer me WiFi 6 standard (if needed) for the future. The PC will be connected to my Virgin Media 200Mbps fibre service (which curiously, always delivers more than 215Mbps and 21Mbps (upload) according to SpeedTest.)
These amendments will credit me with £64 and brings the overall cost to just below £1300 which I am happy with.
I will be using it with my ASUS VG289Q 28" monitor as I will only be streaming video at 4K 60Hz (maximum) for the foreseeable.
I don't believe one set of specifications will ever appease everyone but I do feel that I will have a reliable and efficient system to more than comfortably cater for my needs.
Thanks to all for being there.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hi Martinr36, thank you and the other guys out there who have replied to my post.
I would have included the configuration URL link but discovered that it still shows an original line-up before I made some changes.
I should add that since posting, I have now amended my order to replace the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X with the Ryzen 7 3700X which still gives me plenty of headroom without being quite so "ott". It runs less hot too with a TDP of just 65W and is supplied with its own cooler, so that deals with my "which cooler" query. I have replaced the 1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD with the improved 1TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus M.2 SSD.
Although I currently use a Netgear A6210 USB adapter to speak to my Canon printer, I thought while I am upgrading, I might as well add the
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS WiFi to offer me WiFi 6 standard (if needed) for the future. The PC will be connected to my Virgin Media 200Mbps fibre service (which curiously, always delivers more than 215Mbps and 21Mbps (upload) according to SpeedTest.)
These amendments will credit me with £64 and brings the overall cost to just below £1300 which I am happy with.
I will be using it with my ASUS VG289Q 28" monitor as I will only be streaming video at 4K 60Hz (maximum) for the foreseeable.
I don't believe one set of specifications will ever appease everyone but I do feel that I will have a reliable and efficient system to more than comfortably cater for my needs.
Thanks to all for being there.

The 3700x is the older generation, the 5600x greatly outperforms it.

 

[Altech]

If you are not gaming, and the productivity tasks you are aiming to do are not intensive, then it's not clear to me why you will need a 5800X.
A 5800X requires a better case, better cooler and, ideally, a better motherboard and PSU. It's going to be difficult to achieve on a budget of around £1,300. I'm taking that budget based on the build you proposed.

Shift to a 5600X and you can drop the cooler completely or go with a something with a modest cost like a Coolermaster Liquid 120/240. The motherboard is fine, the PSU can be tweaked slightly and you can probably drop the sound card completely. You can get something for say £1,150-£1250. Move to something like a six core 5600G or 8-core 5700G, both with integrated GPU, and you can drop the discrete GPU aswell. Price range from say £850 through to £1,050. You lose PCIe4 but does anything you do need that?

I know you want something future proofed, but a 5800X system is probably £1,400+ and you might well be better off saving the money and putting it aside for the next machine in 5y or so. A 5600X/5700G is still comparable to an i9-10805K and a 5600G to a i7-10700K.

Hi DarTon, I just wanted to thank you for your thoughts on the above. I didn't want to repeat everything again but you will see my follow-up posting to Martinr36 which explains where I am now with this. I know that it is not everyone's ideal, but I feel confident that it will perform well for my non-gaming requirements, with some to spare. I did not intend to post to a "Check this spec!" forum as I wasn't looking for admiration. I was just fine-tuning at this stage, which I have now completed. Best regards.

 

[Altech]

The 3700x is the older generation, the 5600x greatly outperforms it.

Even better! I notice that the Ryzen 5 5600X is equal first in tomshardware.com pick for the best gaming CPU's for 2021. That is the one I will settle for. Many thanks.

 

[Altech]

Hi DarTon, I just wanted to thank you for your thoughts on the above. I didn't want to repeat everything again but you will see my follow-up posting to Martinr36 which explains where I am now with this. I know that it is not everyone's ideal, but I feel confident that it will perform well for my non-gaming requirements, with some to spare. I did not intend to post to a "Check this spec!" forum as I wasn't looking for admiration. I was just fine-tuning at this stage, which I have now completed. Best regards.

PS I have finally rested on now replacing the Ryzen 7 3700X with the Ryzen 5 5600X so that looks an even better choice.

 

[Steveyg]

I'd be interested in seeing your final build mate just so we can offer some advice on where it can be fine tuned to get the most for the your money

 

[Altech]

I would strongly advice cancelling that build and getting some advice.

I'd be interested in seeing your final build mate just so we can offer some advice on where it can be fine tuned to get the most for the your money

Here's a screenshot of the build as the URL link only displays the original configuration.
As I said previously, I am not expecting everyone to like it but I feel confident that it will be both efficient and reliable for my less demanding requirements whilst giving me some 'headroom' at the same time.

 

[Altech]

Here's a screenshot of the build as the URL link only displays the original configuration.
As I said previously, I am not expecting everyone to like it but I feel confident that it will be both efficient and reliable for my less demanding requirements whilst giving me some 'headroom' at the same time.

PS I do realise that the Asus Xonar sound card is not absolutely necessary but having been used to and appreciated their software and improved signal-to-noise on previous models, for use with my 5.1 THX sound system, I prefer to stick with it.

 

[Altech]

PS I have finally rested on now replacing the Ryzen 7 3700X with the Ryzen 5 5600X so that looks an even better choice.

PS I do realise that the Asus Xonar sound card is not absolutely necessary, but having been used to and appreciated their software and improved signal-to-noise on my current PC, for use with my 5.1 THX sound system, I prefer to stick with it.

 

[Steveyg]

Yeah there are issues here mate, the case you've selected is just bad. Practically no air flow with the solid front panel.

Your storage set up isn't ideal

Your PSU is extremely light and the CV models are basically for office computers and not all that reliable.#

Sound cards on motherboards these days are really really good especially on the B550. The ASUS Xonar will not offer you anything the B550 cant

This build can really be optimised mate

You can also post a link to your build that we can make changes and suggestions, see how to in the below link. If you let us know your budget we can help you get the most for your money

How to Post Your Specification to the Forum - Check this Spec

Just a first note, if you've been provided this link, don't amend your first post as it won't update the queue, please add an additional comment to the thread, that way it will go back to the front of the queue. Otherwise we don't know it's been updated. When creating a forum post looking to...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[Altech]

Yeah there are issues here mate, the case you've selected is just bad. Practically no air flow with the solid front panel.

Your storage set up isn't ideal

Your PSU is extremely light and the CV models are basically for office computers and not all that reliable.#

Sound cards on motherboards these days are really really good especially on the B550. The ASUS Xonar will not offer you anything the B550 cant

This build can really be optimised mate

You can also post a link to your build that we can make changes and suggestions, see how to in the below link. If you let us know your budget we can help you get the most for your money

How to Post Your Specification to the Forum - Check this Spec

Just a first note, if you've been provided this link, don't amend your first post as it won't update the queue, please add an additional comment to the thread, that way it will go back to the front of the queue. Otherwise we don't know it's been updated. When creating a forum post looking to...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

H, just a quick reply as I am signing off now. When I select "Post spec to forum", it simply displays the original specification ordered which has had several changes since, so does not represent where I am now. Please refer to this screenshot, which I know is not ideal but it is accurate. I hear what you are saying re the sound card which I will consider dropping. Please advise which case you would personally recommend.
I understood that this setup was running much cooler than earlier spec. The PSU appears to be fine as the maximum required power is 251W.
I will naturally read your reply but I really don't want to tamper much more now as I have enough invoices and credit notes issued! Thanks.

 

[Steveyg]

The minimum we would recommend is the Fractal Focus G at £50. It's a very admirable case at a very cheap price point.

The PSU I'd want at least 650W and a TXm Model personally. The TXm's are decent enough and it allows room for upgrades extending the life of the machine

 

[C836]

Your PSU is extremely light and the CV models are basically for office computers and not all that reliable.#

can I see evidence that cv psus are unreliable please

 

[Steveyg]

can I see evidence that cv psus are unreliable please

Just google it mate, there is plenty of info out there it's the most basic of PSU designed for run of the mill office computers with no real load going through them. They're also made as cheaply as possible as they are budget entries not something I would recommend doing in one of the four key areas of a build

Four key areas being Case, CPU, Motherboard & Power Supply. They are key areas because changing one of these is not an easy task and is usually only done when compiling a completely new build

 

[Altech]

I have to say that I am baffled when you say you would need at least a 650W PSU as when I select a 550W TXm Series, I get a message informing me that “based on our calculations you actually only need a 450W power supply. We have calculated your specification to require around 289W of power including a 20% allowance.”
Also, looking at the Fractal Focus G case, I’m not excited by the amount of holes in the top surface and front, which would allow a lot more dust to enter over time, plus personally, I don’t find the two bay unit outlines at the top of the front panel attractive as they wouldn’t be accessed from outside and they just look like leftover relics from when I had a DVD drive included. I personally think the two additional fans would be overkill because I am not exactly going to be pushing this system hard and anyway I now have a much more power-efficient system.
I am seriously considering saving another £36 by removing the Asus Xonar SE, although its 116dB SNR and support for 192kHz 24-bit hi-res audio is more important to me, so the jury is still out on that one.
As I said in an earlier post, I never for one minute expected my choice to be favourable to everyone else, but I will let my gut feeling decide on these last two details. I do however thank you again for contributing.

 

[sck451]

I have to say that I am baffled when you say you would need at least a 650W PSU as when I select a 550W TXm Series, I get a message informing me that “based on our calculations you actually only need a 450W power supply. We have calculated your specification to require around 289W of power including a 20% allowance.”

It's about (a) longevity, (b) efficiency, and (c) quietness, as well as reliability. Don't cheap out on power supplies. Will it work? Sure. But a better PSU is a better choice. Your machine, of course.

Also, looking at the Fractal Focus G case, I’m not excited by the amount of holes in the top surface and front, which would allow a lot more dust to enter over time, plus personally, I don’t find the two bay unit outlines at the top of the front panel attractive as they wouldn’t be accessed from outside and they just look like leftover relics from when I had a DVD drive included. I personally think the two additional fans would be overkill because I am not exactly going to be pushing this system hard and anyway I now have a much more power-efficient system.

Go for the 4000D Airflow, then. It's only £10 more than the Focus G and far better than the cheaper cases. The openness allows airflow, which means cooling and therefore quieter operation (important if you're interested in audio stuff). Will you get more dust build-up? Maybe though that's a complex question, and the mesh filters Corsair make are excellent, while cleaning it out is easy. A cheaper case with poor airflow means cheaper fans that run at a higher speed all the time, and therefore make extra noise.

I am seriously considering saving another £36 by removing the Asus Xonar SE, although its 116dB SNR and support for 192kHz 24-bit hi-res audio is more important to me, so the jury is still out on that one.

That's only a tiny bit better than what comes included on the Tuf B550 (192KHz, 24-bit, 108dB SNR). If you're really interested in audio quality, get an interface like the Focusrite 2i2.