help choosing a good heatsink at ~$50

[cgrecu77]

Actually I'm looking for a good heatsink (not the best) that is reasonably priced and reasonably big. I want to overclock my a64 a bit (say from 1.8 to 2.4) and remain stable.

I have a lanParty board and I can overclock to 2.3 but I'm not stable for long under intensive loads. My memory is not great so I'm using 5/6 multipliers so I would guess that it's a nonissue. It's interesting that nothing really makes a difference, higher voltage or other tricks don't seem to affect the stability much. I'm thinking that there must be an issue with the heatsink, probably it can't dissipate the heat effectively so higher voltage can't really help. It's weird that the sensors don't indicate a high temp and usually running Prime is stable for hours. But if I fire any 3d game I'll have a crash within 2 hours. The videocard is not (or shouldnt be )affected by overclocking the fsb, right?

Anyway, I just bought some quality grease and I'm thinking of getting a quality heatsink as well. I'd also like to keep the stock cooler, is there any problem other than the cooler spinning too fast(and loud)? As I said, I'm not looking for extreme overclocking, 20% should be enough to make Oblivion more playable at my lcd resolution of 1280x1024.

Thanks.

 

[swtethan]

my next cooler will be the tuniq tower for my core 2

http://www.frozencpu.com/cpu-tnq-01

$50

 

[cgrecu77]

it's a nice cooler, but as I said, I'm looking for a heatsink. I know everybody is obsessed with Conroe, but based on the latests news/reviews it looks like it's going to be a while until you can actually get a Conroe retail - at least at Intel's suggested prices.

 

[swtethan]

............ heatsink = cooler

tuniq tower = heatsink

 

[n7]

That heatsink works for A64s also.

It's likely the best out there right now.

The TTBT (Thermaltake Big Typhoon) is another excellent HSF.

 

[Markfw]

I still like the XP90 @25 + fan.

 

[BlingBlingArsch]

thermalright > all

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: BlingBlingArsch
thermalright > all

Opinions are a funny thing...they're merely that

 

[the cobbler]

Originally posted by: n7
That heatsink works for A64s also.

It's likely the best out there right now.

The TTBT (Thermaltake Big Typhoon) is another excellent HSF.

TTBigTyphoon FTW!! :thumbsup:

 

[imported_killuminati]

Ninja.

Peace & ciao !!!

 

[peleejosh]

big typhoon.

 

[cgrecu77]

ok, but that thing is almost 1kg .. I'd really like to stick with something moderate ...
anyway, thanx all for the advice, I have to see what I can get in Canada, we don't have as many online store as in the us ...

 

[shabby]

Try www.adpmods.com or www.bigfootcomputers.com for cdn stores.

 

[Henny]

I did a lot of research and just ordered a Scythe Mine 3 for my upcomming Conroe build!!!

The MINE is better then the NINJA for active cooling and has a superior mounting system. It's big but not as massive as a Tuniq Tower yet almost identical in effectiveness.

The NINJA is a good passive cooler but the mounting system isn't that great and attaching the optional fan is a real kludge.

If Zalman brings out the CNPS9700 it might be worth taking a look at. However the CNPS 9500 is inferior from both an effectiveness/noise or price performance standpoint.

 

[Howard]

The Mine works with basically all platforms. The Ninja Plus is one of the best, especially for quiet cooling, but it doesn't fit AM2 (yet).

 

[buzzsaw13]

Originally posted by: peleejosh
big typhoon.

 

[zephyrprime]

Scythe ninja for $33
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835185001

 

[Duvie]

The fact is 2.4ghz can likely be had with stock cooler....so basically you don't need to spend $50....

I say get the XP-90 and go for 2.6ghz.....The tuniq may not garner you naymore cause you either will just hit the cpus limit or need more vcore then you feel comfortable with....


That is my opinion as N7 say, but it should be the only one you listen to!!! wink wink (joke)

 

[xgunnas32]

big typhoon all da way!

 

[hardwareking]

arctic cooling freezer 64 or zalman cnps 9500 led.The latter costs $60 but delivers nearly unparalleled performance for a heatsink/fan combo which works with air.

 

[fernanartvigo]

dont get zalman 9500 for dual core, it doesnt perform as well as other contenders, i like tuniq tower, when my room is a/ced it about 32 idle and 38 load overclocked to 2.6.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

ninja. tt has been 0-2 in my books with a PSU with loud fans, and a crappy case with sharp edges that give deep cuts and LOUDDD stock fans. i wouldn't buy the TT big typhon just because of tt's rep. ninja. search for results. runs passive (0 db) cooling better than most other heatsinks

 

[Avalon]

Thermalright SI-120, or the XP-90 if you want to go lighter.
You really can't go wrong with anything else mentioned in this thread.

 

[Arcanedeath]

This is a no brainer in this price range Just get a TT Big Typhoon, yes a Tower HSF from the various manufactures may slightly outperform it, but for what your doing its the best bang for the buck and should just screw into the backplate of your current motherboard w/out an issue. (I have an NF4 SLI DR and got this HSF and it also lowered all my northbridge and pwm tems as well vs the stock amd cooler although I did have to purchase 2 longer screws to mount it properly w/out removing my motherboard.)

 

[Munky]

Thermalright SI-120. It cools well as far as air coolers go, but it doesnt come with any fans, so you can chose one yourself. It has no problem cooling a OC'd Opteron 154 with a slow spining 120mm fan.

*edit: and it's light too. That was one of the reasons I got one instead of those tower coolers.