Quit blindly recommending it... it doesn't make any sense!
it's virtually the same price... has better hardware... is insanely easier to mount, has a better build quality, is quieter, and performs better!
Every build in the Build a PC forum recommends the damned CM 212 EVO... and the Enermax ETS-T40 outperforms it on every level... Logan... the entire internet seems to recommend this product... it's just NOT a product that demands the sheep that follow it... the hardware is flimsy at best... hard to install... the performance is average... I'm not saying the ETS-T40 is MUCH better on a performance level... it's an air cooler with fins and a fan, who cares? BUT it IS better... by several degrees performance-wise... it's way easier to install and comes with SOLID hardware... I ask that you officially introduce the new replacement go-to budget CPU cooler... it's a worthy of a 5 minute video just to tell people that there ARE other budget coolers that perform better than the 212 EVO... and it's a worthy $35 if you haven't used one...
Sorry... it was rant 30 here :(
EDIT: I don't care what the bottom-line is... just do a budget CPU cooler test... may the best man win!
I dont know why your butt hurt about the 212 being hard to install. I have them installed in two of my systems and the install were easy enough for air coolers. I would like to see a video on this as well. Im not a 212 fanboy over here. I guess a lot of people go for the 212 just because it has a reputation behind it.
the ETS is not as well known, that's all...
The 212 EVO is cheap, goes on sale for even cheaper often, is well known, tried and true, and is a solid performer. It's been the goto choice for budget cooling for some time now. The enermax is a solid performer as well (not a drastic difference between the two either way though from what I've seen), but it's not as well known or as widely used. So it lacks name recognition. It's also a bit larger than the 212, which is something to keep in mind as well.
If you want to recommend the Enermax, go right ahead. It seems to be a fine product. But there is nothing wrong with recommending a known quantity like the Cooler Master, and quite frankly, most of the numbers I've seen on the two show they are close enough in performance for it not to matter much either way.
+1 I would like to see a video like that. I have no problem changing my mind about what to recommend or support, if the evidence is there.
But yeah to your question as of why it's really just true that the 212 EVO has gained a solid and incredibly widespread reputation. As to how? I don't know, just luck of the draw I guess.
I hate hearing "tried and true" and "it's not a big enough difference"... I've tried several coolers, and the Enermax offering for that price range is the best I've personally tried, and has superior build quality when compared to the 212 EVO, along with mildly better performance... there's no more tried and true than personal experience... I feel like some many people just recommend things because other people recommend them... then you get a herd of people that have never had anything different to know any better...
If something's better, it's better... it doesn't need to beat it into the ground to be "better enough"...
I'm not butthurt over "how difficult" the 212 EVO is to install... but when comparing the ease of installation to the ETS-T40, by comparison it's a pain in the ass...
There's very likely several that are the exact same price as the 212 EVO and perform better... I just think it should be tested and results brought to the masses... the ETS-T40 is simply one example
I think the 212 Evo is fine.
I dont doubt the ETS is good, but my 212 EVO has done fine even with my 3570K cranked up to 4.6Ghz and runs quite as well.
Maybe this thread should be a petition for the Tek team to do a budget air cooler showdown. I'd love to see something like that, assuming their upcoming cooler showdown is mostly high end I believe.
I'd love to see this happen.
I would love to see a video comparing budget coolers so we know what is the best thing to get for well most things, since even the 212 evo can handle both intel and amd's latest chips at 4.5ghz or so. If there is something even better for a comparable price I'd love to know about it. Granted making a a complete dick about it post wont make that happen.
Tried and true simply means that it has been used and tested by a great number of people over a long period of time. Meaning it has a reputation and established track record for performance and reliability. Those things are important. More data points give you more accurate results.
The point behind "it's not a big enough difference" was that it's not a travesty for someone to suggest a reliable cooling option that may be 1 or 2 degrees warmer than a similar option. You act like someone is suggesting a 2ghz single core celeron for a 3d rendering rig. We're talking about budget CPU coolers here, and the performance difference is not enough for it to be ludicrous to suggest either one over the other purely based on performance.
As far as "there's no more tried and true than personal experience", that may be true... for YOU. I've had great personal experiences with products that a lot of other people have had nothing but problems with (and vice versa). Does my personal experience trump the problems every one else had? Does that mean I should suggest these products to everyone in the market? Of course not. I've had a good experience, but there are known issues. It's not "tried and true" by the general user base. On the other hand, if I have a good experience with a product that gets good reviews and is well regarded by most other users (like the 212), then I'm more likely to suggest that product. It's pretty simple really. And since more people have used the 212 and had a good experience with it (and seen that other people have had good experiences as well), they are more likely to suggest it.
Now, that has nothing to do with the quality of Enermax. Like I said above, it seems to be a fine product. I just thought that statement was kind of ridiculous lol.
As far as bringing the data to the masses, I'm all for it. Give people the numbers. Let them decide what to do. If the Enermax gets a broader user base, then it may well overtake the Cooler Master as the goto suggestion for budget cooling. But until then, people will continue to suggest the more known quantity. And like I said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with suggesting the 212 evo. The difference between the two isn't enough to make much of a difference in real world use.
So lets not act like people are somehow leading others into poor decisions or suggesting products that wont do what they need. I'm just not sure why something like this would bring out such vitriol in you. Feels like an extreme over reaction to something so small.
its just that 212 is a good, famous cooler, its too much trouble explaining to people why they should pick similar cooler that relatively unknown and use it to get temps that are a couple degrees lower than 212