Milk Rulz

I am currently looking for a decent CPU Cooler so I can overclock my PC but I have no idea what one to go with.

Can somebody please suggest one from this list:
http://umart.com.au/pro/products_lis...0&bid=2&id2=54

csayantan

can you post your hardware configuration details?

Milk Rulz

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
ASUS P5Q Motherboard (Socket 775)
Corsair TX-750W PSU
2x 2GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2 RAM

I think that's what you mean?

My current idol temp is around 27-30C and about 70C stressed on Prime95 on stock speed. When I simply overclock to about 3GHz I get full load temps of around 80-90C

Phædrus2401

Ones that I have found to be quite good:

Zalman 9700
Zalman 9900
Thermaltake V1
Arctic Freezer Pro 7

Milk Rulz

and if you could pick out of those 4 cpu coolers which one would you go with?

I don't mind spending a bit of money.

edit: actually they only have the zalman 9900's in here, I think I'll go with one of those, thanks.

Phædrus2401

The Zalman 9900 or Thermaltake V1 would offer the best performance. I'm not sure which is better. The 9700 is a little weaker but still quite adequate, and the AFP7 will only suffice for a moderate overclock--higher than the stock, but not to the same level as the others.


I'm using a Thermaltake V1 right now, and with my CPU overclocked by 43% (most people only overclock ~30%) my idle temp is 25C and the Prime95 temp is 68C. Average gaming temperature is 30-45C.

Tyree

You can't go wrong with Zalman. Very high quality product.

Underclocker

Out of that list and ignoring price:
1. Xigmatek HDT-S1283 or the HDT-S1283 Red Scorpion
2. Thermalright HR-01 Plus
3. Noctua NH-U12P
4. Cooler Master V8
5. Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme

Best value picks based on price:
1. Cooler Master Hyper TX3
2. Xigmatek HDT-S1283 Red Scorpion

Zalmans are overrated. Check Frostytech reviews: http://www.frostytech.com/articlevie...id=2461&page=5

derek_jones_36

I really like the selection of heatsink/fan combos listed here but I'm not sure the noctua units have the heat pipe direct touch feature. I find that this may be the best method of cooling for cpu set up's. I know some people say it's a little gimmicky because the noctua units are so popular. Personally the frosty tech review lists the xigmatech units as well as some others available. I would really like to replace my Asus unit for something with larger and more heatpipes for better cooling. Right now she sits at 38 for both cores with the living room at a good ambient temp. If anything I'll be grabbing a unit by the end of the year and with newer units coming out there should be a great selection.

Jones

grimx133

The Xigmatek isn't really that big, compared to some of the other units out there. However, they sure do work nicely. Only issue is those darn pushpins, hate those. Xigmatek makes a crossbow kit for the S1283, install the backplate and then screw the heatsink down, works great, such a solid a reliable mounting system.

Underclocker

The Noctua's great if you want to build an almost silent air-cooled rig.

I've also heard that Xigmatek sends you a Crossbow kit for free if it's not widely available near you, but don't take my word for it.

grimx133

Noctua does make great fans. And the heatsink comes with two of them, those fans alone are worth 20 bucks each, or so. I've used their NF-R80 and NF-S12 and you can't hear them, not like some of the other fans out there.

greenbrucelee

I have a tuniq tower, its big and quite heavy but offers great cooling.

derek_jones_36

Does that unit from tuniq have the screws for mounting to the motherboard? I can't see me getting one of those units unless they have the screws. They are so heavy I would hate for any damage caused when placing the case upright and then having the unit fall off the mounts....Eeeeeewwww that would be very bad indeed.

Jones

Phædrus2401

@Derek: Happened to me once, because the V1 uses a snap-on system. It came loose during a ten hour car trip and ended up leaning against my $200 graphics card. No damage though, thankfully.

derek_jones_36

Holy @%#%?& that would be frightening to have happen to me. I can't for the life of me believe that they would have that kind of mounting system for those really heavy units....seems a little outdated. No wonder they sometimes come with both mounting units.

Jones

Underclocker

Yes the Tuniq tower uses a spring-bolt system.

If you don't move your PC there's very little chance of a pushpin mounted cooler coming loose if installed correctly.

greenbrucelee

If you screw it in tightly so your fingers nearly bleed then it wont do any damage. The key is to turn the screws slighlty one by one then you don't get a 6kg block in your face

derek_jones_36

Similar to tightening a tire on a car. A little bit each side or Wammo...right in the beak. My Asus unit uses the spring mounted system and I really love that method. I can't even imagine my precious rig getting damaged by a $50 unit used for keeping the one part of my system I couldn't fathom getting irreversibly damaged....the CPU or motherboard.

Jones

greenbrucelee

I did see a cooler rip a motherboard once, it was a screw in spring loaded one that didn't have a bracket and when they guy who was working on it released a few of the screws it pulled the motherboard out and over the screws but leaving little bits of it behind where the screws were. Fortunately it was a cheapo motherboard that no one was bothered about.