I just upgraded my MoBo and CPU per my signature so I could overclock. After reviewing OC expectations and weighing +/- of performance vs lifecycle I opted for a CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO air cooler. Out of the box with one "push" fan I got Prime95 blended temperatures (RealTemp GT 3.64) of 75-80C while OC'd to 4.7GHz (103X46, Vcore=1.425). The system was stable for 12 hours with min Tj = 28C and max Tj = 82C. I've been told that idle temps in the 50s and loaded temps in the 80s are good to go with the 2600K.My personal experience with temp regulation is "the lower the better". I know the 2600K chip is less prone to high temperature clock and voltage transients but the evidence seems to be subjective rather than empirical. That being said I opted for a second fan in a "push/pull" configuration drawing ambient room air into the case and exhausting via the rear exhaust fan and top/bottom/front cooling vents. Cable layout in my Thermatake mid tower is very clean and there are no air flow impediments. This new arrangement lets me achieve Tj temps in the mid 60C range at 4.6GHz and low 70Cs at 4.7.Does anyone have opinions on just how hard I can push this chip without going to liquid cooling. I was able to clock it to 5.1 GHz but I didn't stress test it so I can't comment on stability. Idle temps were 35C at 104X48. The logical step for me would be a Corsair H100 since my case is set up with two 120cm fan slots above the CPU. I'v read that the H100 will only provide a lower temp by about 1C. What kind of experience have others had? I also realize that benchmark testing, especially Prime95 stresses the processor way beyond normal expectations both in power consumption and intermitent duration.Thanks for your comments and consideration.

You're wanting 1.42v to be your 24/7 overclock?Pardon me *1.425v*What case? Which Thermaltake?

Edited January 28, 201214 yr by ZachLW

I'd say you are quite good - I'm known for not really caring about high voltage though - 80c is plenty, I wouldn't go any higher. 1,42? Pfff... It sounds to me like you know what you're doing.Say, your hyperthreading IS off, right? HT off = lower temps, lower Vcore requirement.

Thanks Guys-Sorry Zach, but I don't remember my case specs and yes Word Not Allowed, HT is off. IMHO HT just burns clock cycles (and chips, literally =@), It's like Congress trying to run the country -- too many cooks in the kitchen.Does anyone look at the 2600K power response? More than anything else Watts = Heat. RealTemp reports total power including all the Sandybridge extras. My power consumption at 4.6GHz flutuated between 1.5 and 110 watts, directly with the Delta_multiplier (of course). Do you enable the Advanced BIOS speedstep stuff or let 'r rip at full BCLK X Multiplier_max ? BTW I use the ASUS ROG overclock guide for the techy settings and tend to leave BCLK at 100 or maybe 103 just to tickle the PCIe and memory freqs (or is it freaks) a little.I just ran FSX for 4 hours w/ NGX all to the right (see Ryan M's nVidia tweaks) w/ all my extras and the Tj_max topped at 53C at 4.6GHz and V_core at 1.4vdc. When pushing it up to 4.8GHz there was no subjective improvement, great pans, few if any stutters thanx to the SSD and GPU/CPU cool as cucumbers (<70C). FPS locked at 30 via nVidiaInspector using the 290.53 Beta drivers. For what it's worth FSX frame rates (on unlimited) bounced around 28-32.I also tried the Sandybridge/Z68 poor man's SLI, VIRTU, It started out okay but after a half hour of sharing the graphics workload, my FPS dropped to 1 or 2. REALLY. I have NO idea how it works internally so I can't explain the circumstances. All I know is everything is fine without it and no so good :lol: with it.Thanks again for looking at my setup, I appreciate the great help provided in these forums.Regards,

Edited January 29, 201214 yr by RickBertz

I wish I could have idle temps like that, what's your room temp? At the moment here in Melbourne can be anywhere from 20 to 35 degrees.

Andrew,Room temp is 28C, 70F. Outside temp at KMSP is -8C, 20F. If I keep "investing" in this hobby that's where the wife is going to move me and the rig! The clue to cooling is case layout and component selection. I like the bottom mounted PSU arrangement which allows for top mounted fans and provides direct cool air to the CPU cooler. Besides, the PSU is a huge heat engine and venting it out the bottom right on to your CPU is just crazy. In my mid tower the 612's cooling fins are +/- 120mm and sit within 2cm of the top. This allows the "pull" fan to access 28-30C room air which is then vented by the "pull" fan into the rear case exhaust stream. The rear case fan runs pretty high at the cost of some noise. I'd use a low speed high volume 140-200 mm rear fan but it doesn't fit. I tend to profile fan speed to the high end since experiments prove that it's better to stay low rather than trying to "get" low ie recover. BTW, the GTX 460 acts as a baffle and ensures good exhaust flow. EVGA's graphics card is double wide. It has an internal heat sink and fan that draws room air through the side vent and exhausts through the back. It never gets much hotter than the CPU even during benchmarking. I've tried fans in front of the HD frame and on top but they didn't make much of a difference and added alot of noise. If I had to pick one component responsible, I'd have to go with the CoolerMaster 612 EVO as the best bang for the buck. It was $39US plus $17US for another fan. This is half of what the H100 is selling for on the Web and $80US less than my local Microcenter. A close second would be the case. If I had room, I'd go for a full size case. Besides just think of the fun it would be trying to fill that sucker up!Regards,