If you are looking for a good cooling option to replace an older fan or the stock fan that came with your CPU, then the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus is a very good option. It is based off the highly successful Hyper 212. This CPU cooler can be especially useful if you are looking to overclock a new or old CPU where the stock cooler simply cannot keep the temperatures low enough for the increased performance boost.
The 212 Plus comes with direct-contact heat pipes, which helps to give it good performance and is an air cooling system. There are brackets for an additional fan that allow and a second fan to be installed and then used in a push-pull configuration. Lastly, it works with a wide variety of socket types – LGA 775 / 1156 / 1366 and AM2 / AM2+ / AM3. These socket types include the newest from Intel and AMD so this cooler will work with many of the newest and upcoming CPUs.
This is a good upgrade option that is relatively inexpensive. It usually sells for about $30, though some places have increased the price due to popularity. It is often described as quiet, which is important for high-end computers that have lots of fans generating lots of noise. The less the better and this product seems to deliver. Additionally, lots of users have seen anywhere from 8-18 degree drops in temperature over the stock coolers that come with the CPU. One main complaint comes from the installation process, and many people describe it as difficult and that the packaged instructions do not help. Users have mentioned that there are ways of finding better instructions online though video websites such as Youtube. If you are looking for a better way to cool your CPU on a budget, this is it.