CPU Coolers

there are tons of cpu coolers out there its hard to pick which one. I would recommend Noctua since I have it my temps are 32c idle 46c load. Another one would be thermaltake true, both of them are screw ins. You will need to insert the bracket underneath the mobo.
 
i have the zalman 9500 and i love it. i have made countless posts on CF praising it which should give an idea of how good of a product it is. :D

it keeps my CPU frosty which is the main thing i like about it obviously, but where it really stands out from the others is its simplicity and effectiveness in installation. it doesn't use those stupid pushpins like a lot of other LGA775 HSF do. the motherboard has to be removed to install it, which is the only negative thing about it that i can possibly think of, but most of us on here can remove and reinstall a motherboard with our eyes closed so its no big deal.

you mount a bracket onto the back of your motherboard and then screw the base of the HSF onto the bracket. once that is done, you use a retention clip to hold the fan and heatsink in place. it is all amazingly simple and easy to do, and effective too. once the heatsink is on, you KNOW it is on correctly and you don't have to wonder if it is on 100%, or if it will come loose like you do with the pushpin method. if you need to remove the heatsink for any reason you just push down on a clip and it pops right out.

my temps have been lower than i have ever had them before with any CPU, and this is using the 9500. the 9700 for a little more money is even more effective, and uses the same installation that i love so much. all in all definitely worth your money.
 
If you plan to OC a quad core, i would go with liquid cooling. I have the Q6600 and my CPU temperature is around 50 degrees Celcius. If I were to OC hen I would have to get Liquid Cooling too.
 
scythe mugen, thermalright 120 ultra, arctic freezer 7 pro, tuniq tower.
pick one i'd say. they all perform about the same though the arctic freezer costs less and produces more sound.
 
i have the zalman 9500 and i love it. i have made countless posts on CF praising it which should give an idea of how good of a product it is. :D

it keeps my CPU frosty which is the main thing i like about it obviously, but where it really stands out from the others is its simplicity and effectiveness in installation. it doesn't use those stupid pushpins like a lot of other LGA775 HSF do. the motherboard has to be removed to install it, which is the only negative thing about it that i can possibly think of, but most of us on here can remove and reinstall a motherboard with our eyes closed so its no big deal.

you mount a bracket onto the back of your motherboard and then screw the base of the HSF onto the bracket. once that is done, you use a retention clip to hold the fan and heatsink in place. it is all amazingly simple and easy to do, and effective too. once the heatsink is on, you KNOW it is on correctly and you don't have to wonder if it is on 100%, or if it will come loose like you do with the pushpin method. if you need to remove the heatsink for any reason you just push down on a clip and it pops right out.

my temps have been lower than i have ever had them before with any CPU, and this is using the 9500. the 9700 for a little more money is even more effective, and uses the same installation that i love so much. all in all definitely worth your money.


I agree, except I love the push pins. Those take me a good 10 seconds to put in or take off.

Anyways, I have the 9700, which keeps my system around 30C and loads around 44C. When im really sitting idle (my comp is never truly idle, something is always running 24/7) but when its just sitting there, no programs, I am in the 20s.

The CNPS also blows the air right over the fins and right into your back exhaust fan. Put a intake in front of that and you really get an effective wind-tunnel. Im planning on building an enclosure for mine.

Plus, the Blue led fan in it looks sweet. I have a crappy camera, so the pics I took of it look kinda dull (see avatar) but I love it, and I don't hear it ever.
 
Get a Tuniq Tower, or TRUE 120

A Zalman 9700 is good, but unless your case is too small, those above are better.
 
Get a Tuniq Tower, or TRUE 120

A Zalman 9700 is good, but unless your case is too small, those above are better.

Tuniq Towers are huge.... I would recommend the Xigmatek I have in my build, its cheap and works fantastically. It is supposed to outcool the Zalmans. The fan it comes with blows the air straight towards my rear exhaust and my case temps are ice cold :). I didnt try attaching it with the push pin system it comes with but the retention bracket I bought works wonders. Theres no way to over tighten and installation was extremely easy. There is no way my Xigmatek will budge with the bracket holding it down.
 
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but unless your case is too small, those above are better.
That is the thing I'm unsure of. Would the best option be to measure the space for CPU to side panel before getting the HSF? I would like to get them at once though... Or should I measure from the mobo tray and use that as an estimate?

From try to edge is about 180mm (giving myself some room)

Tuniq Tower: 131 x 108 x 153mm
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283: 120(W) x 50(H) x 159(D)mm
Zalman 9700: 90(L) x 124(W) x 142(H) mm
Zalman 9500: 85 x 112 x 125mm

So, those would all fit then?
 
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i second xigmatek. tomshardware did a experience with all them high end coolers and xigmatek is the best performance for the money! it's only 20 bucks after MIR at micro. can't beat that!

choung
 
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