best cooler for intel i5-3570k processor

[Rodriguez_bronx]

I have been using my system since 2 years and it was working fine by now and I did not had any issues. From a week I don’t know what has gone wrong with it and now the processor is getting overheated. I have tried applying thermal paste to the same but it is not making any difference in the temperature. I have asked about the same to some of my friends and they have suggested me to some either upgrade the cpu or the cooler. I am not willing to invest in cpu for now but I will like to know the best cooler that can handle Intel i5-3570k processor without any issues. Any suggestion.

[Kunal ?]

If you want to get a cheap one then you can get COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO or ZALMAN CNPS7X, they will cost you around $33 on new egg. Their features and specification are as followed:
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO
Features:

• It comes with 4 Direct Contact Heat Pipes / Aluminum Fins for giving a Well-balanced cooling between high and low speed operations as well.
• It is capable of giving an excellent airflow because of its unique wave-shaped blade design
• It is said to be a versatile all-in-one mounting solution for Intel LGA 1366 / 1155 and AMD FM1 / AM3+
• It comes with patented CDC (Continuous Direct Contact) technology

Specification:

• CPU Socket- Intel Socket:LGA 2011 / 1366 / 1156 / 1155 / 775 , AMD Socket: FM1 / AM3+ / AM3 / AM2+ / AM2
• CPU Support- Intel:Core i7 Extreme / Core i7 / Core i5 / Core i3 / Core2 Extreme / Core2 Quad / Core2 Duo / Pentium / Celeron , AMD:
• FX-Series / A-Series / Phenom II X4 / Phenom II X3 / Phenom II X2 / Phenom X4 / Phenom X3 / Athlon II X4 / Athlon II X3 /Athlon II X2 / Athlon X2 / Athlon / Sempron
• Dimension- 120 x 80 x 159 mm (4.7 x 3.1 x 6.3 in)
• Heat Sink Dimensions- 116 x 51 x 159 mm (4.6 x 2.0 x 6.3 in)
• Heat Sink Material- 4 Direct Contact Heat Pipes / Aluminum Fins
• Fan Speed- 600 – 2,000 RPM (PWM) ± 10%, 600 – 1,600 RPM (PWM) ± 10% (EU Version)
• Fan Airflow- 24.9 – 82.9 CFM ± 10%, 24.9 – 66.3 CFM ± 10% (EU Version)
• Fan Air Pressure- 0.3 – 2.7mm H2O ± 10%, 0.3 – 1.7mm H2O ± 10% (EU Version)

ZALMAN CNPS7X
Features:

• It has an optimally designed aluminum fins and 92mm fan for giving a powerful cooling and giving dispatching heating from the case.
• It has V-Shaped Dual Heatsinks for minimizing air resistance and giving best cooling.
• The cpu heat gets transferred to the heatpipes directly due to its DTH technology which maximizes the cooling and gives the best cooling performance.
• As compared to the other sintered-type heatpipes ZALMAN CNPS7X transfer capacity is quite better as it utilizes Composite heatpipes.
• It comes with a Switching noise-free 92mm PWM fan along with Blue LED.

Specifications:

• Compatibility- AMD Socket AM2 / AM2+ / AM3, Intel LGA 775 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366
• Fan Size- Fan Size
• Heatsink Material- Pure Copper, Aluminum
• Heatsink Dimension- 90(L) x 127(W) x 135(H)mm
• RPM- Quiet Mode (with RC33P): 1,250 ~ 1,500rpm ± 10%,Performance Mode (without RC33P): 1,500 ~ 1,950rpm ± 10%
• Noise Level- Quiet Mode (with RC33P): 17 ~ 20dBA ± 15%,Performance Mode (without RC33P): 20 ~ 25dBA ± 15%

[Sru S]

I will suggest you to better get Noctua NH-D14 120mm, it will cost you around $85 but I think it is the best. I have bought the same and I am having Intel i5-3570k processor and I have not yet faced any overheating issues. it has comes with 6 Heatpipe Dual Radiator Design, Dual NF-P14/NF-P12 Fan Setup, Asymmetrical Design for High Compatibility, Excellent Component Cooling, SecuFirm2 Multi-socket Mounting System, and NT-H1 Thermal Compound. Its specification is as followed:
Type-Fan & Heatsinks
Fan Size-120mm & 140mm
Compatibility-Intel LGA1366 / 1156 / 1155 / 775, AMD Socket AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / AM3+
Bearing Type-SSO
RPM-Rotational Speed (+/- 10%): 1200 RPM (NF-P14) / 1300 RPM (NF-P12), Rotational Speed with U.L.N.A. (+/- 10%): 900 RPM (NF-P14) / 900 RPM (NF-P12)
Air Flow-Airflow: 64.96 CFM (NF-P14) / 54.36 CFM (NF-P12), Airflow with U.L.N.A.: 49.29 CFM (NF-P14) / 37.34 CFM (NF-P12)
Noise Level-Acoustical Noise: 19.6 dB(A)(NF-P14)/ 19.8 dB(A) (NF-P12),Acoustical Noise with U.L.N.A.: 13.2 dB(A) (NF-P14) / 12.6 dB(A) (NF-P12)
Heatsink Material-Copper (base and heat-pipes), aluminum (cooling fins), soldered joints & nickel plating

[Jamna Behn]

You can also check out the below ones, they seem to better choices for Intel i5-3570k processor:
ZALMAN CNPS9900ALED 120mm ($55)-
Features:

1. Pure Copper Heatsink Base and Fins
2. High-efficient Heatpipe Design
3. 120mm Cooling Fan with PWM Function
4. Universal Socket Compatibility

Specification:

• Type-Fan & Heatsinks
• Fan Size-120mm
• Compatibility-Socket 754 / 939 / 940 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 ,Intel LGA 775 / LGA 1156 / LGA 1366 / LGA 2011
• Bearing Type-2 Ball
• RPM-with RC33P 800rpm ~ 1,300rpm ± 10%,without RC33P 1,000rpm ~ 2,000rpm ± 10%
• Noise Level-with RC33P 18dBA ~ 28.5dBA ± 10%,without RC33P 19.5dBA ~ 38.0dBA ± 10%
• Power Connector-4-Pin Connector (PWM Control, Auto Restart)
• Color-Gray
• LED-Blue
• Heatsink Material,Pure Copper

Thermalright Silver Arrow ($78):
Features:

1. It has an 4 x 8mm Sintered Nickel Plated heat-pipes for dispatching heat from the CPU even when overclocked.
2. It comes with Special Arrow fin design for taking the heat out rapidly and providing faster cooling to the cpu.
3. It has 2 160x140mm Ultra low noise PWM fans

Specification:

• Compatibility Intel Socket 775, 1366, 1156 & AMD AM2, AM3 Processors
• Heat Pipes 4 large 8mm heat pipes
• Mounting Bolt through motherboard retention for secure mounting
• Heatsink Dimensions L147 x W123 x H160 mm (heatsink only)
• Cooler base Material C1100 Pure Copper with Nickel Plating
• Fan Dimensions 160mm x 26mm x 140mm
• Fan Speed 900 - 1300RPM
• Fan Air Flow 69CFM
• Fan Noise 19dBA
• Cooler base Material C1100 Pure Copper with Nickel Plating
• Weight 825g with Fans

[BPin]

What about cooler master Vortex Plus (RR-VTPS-28PK-R1). It has a Compact profile design with 4 x Direct Contact heatpipes as well as balanced PWM fan for excellent airflow. It is said to be a very good choice for HTPC chassis
Specifications:

CPU Socket- Intel Socket:LGA 1366 / 1156 / 1155 / 775,AMD Socket:FM1 / AM3+ / AM3 / AM2+ / AM2 / 940 / 939 / 754
CPU Support- IntelCore i7 Extreme / Core i7 / Core i5 / Core i3 / Core2 Extreme / Core2 Quad / Core2 Duo / Pentium / Celeron,
AMD FX-Series / A-Series / Phenom II X4 / Phenom II X3 / Phenom II X2 / Phenom X4 / Phenom X3 / Athlon II X4 / Athlon II X3 / Athlon II X2 / Athlon X2 / Athlon / Sempron
Dimension- 116 x 100 x 84 mm (4.6 x 3.9 x 3.3 inch)
Weight- 445g (1 lbs)
Heat Sink Material- Aluminum fins + 4 heatpipes
Fan Speed- 800 – 2800 RPM (PWM)
Fan Airflow- 15.7 – 54.8 CFM
Fan Air Pressure- 0.35-4.27 mm H2O
Fan Noise Level (dB-A)- 17 – 35 dBA