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The awesome Coolermaster 212 Tower CPU cooler

Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2020 3:18 pm
by FlyingPenguin
I posted about this heatsink in another thread in march last year when I installed it in my workstation because I was doing a lot of CPU based transcoding back then, and I felt the stock cooler wasn't up to it and wasn't allowing the CPU to run full throttle under load.

I'm revisiting this because I'm putting together a tentative parts list for a new gaming PC build for 2021 (see other thread). I'm not totally committed yet. My current rig is running a Core a i7 7700k, which is 7th gen and nearly 4 years old. Still probably plenty of horsepower for gaming, but I'm feeling the itch to build something new - at least until the RTX 3080's are available to mere mortals. :)

I would still HIGHLY recommend this heatsink. Tremendous bang for the money.

It comes in standard aluminum/copper colors, like mine, for $25:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005O65JXI

And, if it matters to you, it also comes in gun-metal black anodized and brushed nickle for $34:
https://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-RR ... B07H25DYM3

The stock fan is fairly quiet, but I replaced the one on mine with my all-time fav 120mm fan, the Noctua NF-F12 PWM for $20, which is dead quiet. I also use these as case fans.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00650P2ZC

Just make sure you have a full width ATX case, because this is a tall puppy. Here's what mine looks like in my workstation. That's a Corsair Carbide Series 100R case, which is a mid-size ATX tower:

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The case is 7 inches wide, and the cooler barely fits, and I THINK the only reason it does fit is because the left side panel has a 1/4 inch bulge in it to allow clearance (as you can see in the photo below), otherwise the tops of the heat pipes would be scrapping the panel if it was just a flat, flush panel. BTW: I love this case, and the taller Carbide Series 200R (which is what I used for my gaming PC). Tons of room, clean design, well ventilated, and can handle monstrously long video cards. If I build a new gaming system, it'll be in a 200R case again. I have no need for clear side panels, RGB lighting, or any of that nonsense.

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Re: The awesome Coolermaster 212 Tower CPU cooler

Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2020 1:54 am
by normalicy
I'll keep this in mind. I've been surviving quite well with a few Thermaltake Big Typhoons that I bought years back. They aren't technically compatible with anything current, but it's extremely easy to adapt them to current mounting holes.

Re: The awesome Coolermaster 212 Tower CPU cooler

Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2020 11:46 am
by Executioner
I still have a couple of those Coolmaster heatsinks that I've used. I really like the plate that attaches to the motherboard which is very secure in mounting such a beast.

Re: The awesome Coolermaster 212 Tower CPU cooler

Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2020 4:47 pm
by Err
I had a 212 on my previous rig. It's a great heatsink. If you notice, a lot of other manufacturers copy their design. I think the direct heat pipe contact really helps this thing cool.