New Heatsink CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo

Since the power supply failure of my Corsair AX850, I've decided to fit in a new Heat sink for the cpu since I was going to fit in a new replacement psu.  Not that the current stock heat-sink for the i5-2500k was any bad at all, it was actually quite decent.

During the initial part of picking components for the whole setup, I was actually contemplating  of getting the Xigmatek Dark Knight Cooler. I decided not to get it at first because of not really needing it at that particular moment. Regretfully, 5 months later the Xigmatek was already bought by someone else and there was no stock available.

I was considering between the Xigmatek Dark Knight and Cooler Master Hyper 212+. Unfortunately no one seems to be selling the 212+ in my area. So in the end I was left to choose ( again ) from what was available during the time. It was the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo.

Size & Clearance

One of my primary concerns about this particular cooler was the size. I wasn't really sure whether it would fit in my casing, a Cooler Master Elite 310. X)  Obviously it's really not the best of casings when it comes to airflow and space inside.

Comparing the size of the 212 Evo and the stock i5 stock cooler I would certainly say the Evo's size is humongous. Fitment wise with the side panel closed, the Evo's clearance is just millimeters from the side panel. Obviously with that I lost one of two side panel slots for mounting side fans, not that I have any fans setup on the sides anyway. RAM clearance is also about the same, by millimeters. Fortunately for me, I decided to get the Corsair Vengeance LP ( Low profile ) RAM sticks early on. So RAM clearance wasn't an issue.

• Side panel Clearance - OK
• RAM slot Clearance - OK

Temperature differences

Well the temperature differences made by the aftermarket cooler for me is very satisfying.  The temperature when the CPU is under load is very very good. Below are some temperature range for comparisons of before and after the new cooler was installed.

• Stock Cooler    - Idle 38c - 42c  Under load 75c - 82c   *prime95 runs reached 82c
• Hyper 212 Evo - Idle 30c - 34c  Under load 56c - 60c   *prime95 runs never went past 62c

*note the ambient temperature was around 23c. The A/C was on :) .

There you have it, the difference in before and after temperatures for me is quite good. I was quite surprised but was also expectant there were going to be differences, as the casing's airflow isn't really the best. I only have 2 case fans inside, one for intake and another for exhaust.

So yeah, for the price of about 45usd it was Okay....well good anyway.