Recommended Core 2 Duo cooling for $50 or less?

[blacksun1942]

Hey guys, I'm a long-time lurker...consistently impressed by the level of knowledge and experience displayed on this forum.

I've recently made a big upgrade and I'm in the process of putting together my Core 2 Duo build.

So far my system looks like this:

Core 2 Duo E6400
Intel D975XBX "Bad Axe"
eVGA 7900GT
2x1gb A-DATA Vitesta DDR2 533
( http://anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2797&p=17 )
OCZ 600watt GameXstream PSU


Thing is, my E6400 is OEM and I don't have cooling for it.
I'm on somewhat of a budget here and I'd like to get a good heatsink+fan that sells for $50 or less. There are quite a few choices out there but user feedback is extremely varied.

I do intend to OC my E6400, so I'm wondering what good, low-cost cooling solution would be right for me (and compatible with my motherboard)?

Any suggestions?

I was thinking of going with the CoolerMaster Hyper 48.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835103157
At ~ $35, the price is excellent, but one big drawback is its weight; I've heard it can potentially damage your motherboard.

[kman540]

I'd grab a Tower 120 if you can find one.

[tys90]

TT Big Typhoon seems to be popular/effective and is right around the $50 mark.

[Mikesnav]

If you want to spend little and don't want to fiddle with changing brackets, backplates, etc, there's the Arctic Freezer 7 Pro.

It's not the best performing one, but it's $23 (and they offer cheap USPS 2 day delivery) and much better than stock (http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/arcofr7pro.html)

[CPLB]

Thermalright's Ultra 90 and 120 are really nice too! There is a good review done by an XS member a few posts down.

[Dr.Frankenstein]

The Thermalright MST-9775 is very cheap and should perform well, it's under $25. I'd try to find a Big Typhoon for under $50 if you can, that'll be the king kong solution.

With a backplate you can put monster HSF on boards with no problems at all.

[dab420]

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro is another good cheap heatsink..

[Mako88]

Don't believe the overly dramatic nonsense that's prone to XS when it comes to pecker wars over air coolers. :)

The reality is that the Ninja, Big Typhoon, Tuniq Tower 120, and a few other topline coolers are within a few degrees C of each other in terms of performance. There is absolutely no reason, at all, to "wait" for one of them to come into stock, as many are hilarious doing with the Tower 120, nor is there a reason to pay a premium for one over another. Just pick the cheapest of that group.

The BT does have a fringe benefit however, which is better PWM cooling due to the downward facing fan blowing on the board, so that may influence you. Otherwise just pick the cheapest one and rock it. For me that was a Ninja Plus for $38 shipped. Very pleased with it as it easily overclocked an E6400 from 2.13GHz to 3.7GHz stably. And I'm equally sure that any of the aforementioned coolers I just mentioned would have accomplished the same. ;)

[blacksun1942]

Wow that sounds really good. I too have an E6400.

What are your idle and load temps?


One BIG issue for me is that it seems that many heatsinks are INCOMPATIBLE with my board, the Intel "Bad Axe".

The CoolerMaster Hyper 48 is definitely NOT compatible, and many other ones too simply will NOT work. The reason is the little modules (in all honesty I don't know what they are) bunched up right next to the LGA775 socket. This prevents heatsinks that are heavy at the bottom from fitting at all.

- Is the Scythe Ninja Plus compatible with the Intel Bad Axe?
- Can anyone here with practical experience with 3rd part cooling for the Bad Axe tell what they used and if it fit properly?

Mako, do you know if the Ninja Plus would fit my motherboard?
From what you're telling me (and some reviews I just pulled up), this heatsink is now at the top of my list.

Besides, Ninjas are awesome. I found the official website for this heatsink-
http://www.realultimatepower.net/index4.htm

[hausner]

Big Typhoon or Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro if u can find this

[Mako88]

Wow that sounds really good. I too have an E6400.

What are your idle and load temps?


One BIG issue for me is that it seems that many heatsinks are INCOMPATIBLE with my board, the Intel "Bad Axe".

The CoolerMaster Hyper 48 is definitely NOT compatible, and many other ones too simply will NOT work. The reason is the little modules (in all honesty I don't know what they are) bunched up right next to the LGA775 socket. This prevents heatsinks that are heavy at the bottom from fitting at all.

- Is the Scythe Ninja Plus compatible with the Intel Bad Axe?
- Can anyone here with practical experience with 3rd part cooling for the Bad Axe tell what they used and if it fit properly?

Mako, do you know if the Ninja Plus would fit my motherboard?
From what you're telling me (and some reviews I just pulled up), this heatsink is now at the top of my list.

Besides, Ninjas are awesome. I found the official website for this heatsink-
http://www.realultimatepower.net/index4.htm


Bad Axe is compatible with all three of the heatsinks I mentioned above. Good luck.

[fhpchris]

I would just get a BT and a 120x38mm fan.

[GOATSLAYER]

Ninja + FTW.

[ZBr]

another thing to consider, is that the heatsinks like the tuniq 120 have the fins very close togther, and to really see an advantage you need a high powered fan to really push that air through, whereas the ninja's fins are spaced out farther, and a much quieter fan can be used...check out here (http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticle&articID=419) for some good comparisons of popular heatsinks all tested in the same environment

[tuoho]

Like others have said, TT Big Typhoon and Tuniq

[vengance_01]

I would not get the TT BT imo. When I had mine it did worse than the AMD Heatpiped stock heatsink on my opteron 165. Mabey I mounted it wrong but its mounting system blew on the TT.

[blacksun1942]

Well, I'm narrowing it down to a few choices:

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro

Thermalright MST-9775

Scythe Samurai

Scythe Katana cu

AeroCool X-Fire


I *DO* want to OC my E6400, and I'm wondering what you guys think about which of these heatsinks will offer the best raw cooling, aside from any price considerations?

[DTU_XaVier]

*sorry for hijacking, but better than creating new threads for the same question :)*

What about the Scythe Mine, is it anywhere in this game?? :)

Best Regards :toast:

[Corsa]

TT Big Typhoon, ..without hesitation.

[Shift]

TT Big Typhoon, ..without hesitation.

I agree. It's the all-in-one package.

[[TAG]Imp]

TTBT thirded

[davefr]

*sorry for hijacking, but better than creating new threads for the same question :)*

What about the Scythe Mine, is it anywhere in this game?? :)

Best Regards :toast:

When they're all outfitted with the same fan, Mine and Ninja are nearly identical in performance and just a degree or two worse then the Tuniq Tower which is top dog. (Mine is better then Ninja for mounting on socket 775 boards)

The Scythe Infinity just got released and it outperforms the Mine and Ninja. I would assume it also outperforms the Tuniq Tower and is now top dog but I haven't seen a TT vs Infinity test yet.

[Drunner611]

Scythe Infinity, or TT 120 if you can find it.

[pcmoddingmy]

If you want something that installs quick and performs great, I wouldn't recommend anything better than the Big Typhoon VX.
If you worry about weight, grab the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 PRO instead. If you happen to have a powerful 92mm fan, swap it over the Freezer's fan and you have a pretty kickass cooler.

[blacksun1942]

Hey! PC Modding Malaysia is a great site, I visit it! Great reviews.

I'd like to know which you think would allow me more OC'ing room, the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro or the Scythe Katana cu.

The Scythe Katana cu is smaller and made of solid copper, so it seems like that would be an advantage.

Also, does the Samurai Z hold up to those two coolers?

[Chris583]

I got the xp-90c with fan coming this week. Its supposed to be really effective. Good choice you think for a slightly smaller HS+FAN combo i think than the big typhoon, or ninja, etc etc.

[pcmoddingmy]

Hey! PC Modding Malaysia is a great site, I visit it! Great reviews.

I'd like to know which you think would allow me more OC'ing room, the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro or the Scythe Katana cu.

The Scythe Katana cu is smaller and made of solid copper, so it seems like that would be an advantage.

Also, does the Samurai Z hold up to those two coolers?
Well, Freezer 7 PRO is a really especially when you hook up a better 90mm fan over it. It's lighter than the Katana CU, and the Freezer has 6 heatpipes vs. 4 heatpipes on the Katana CU. Mobo removal is not required through the Freezer 7 PRO but you get to use it only with socket LGA775. Katana CU works with a wide range of socket but installation can be PITA. So yeah, the Freezer 7 PRO should perform better than the Katana CU provided you compare them with the exact same fan. Btw, although I have not tested the Katana CU yet, I'm starting to believe that the Freezer 7 PRO will outperfom it even with the stock fan.

Same goes with the Samurai Z too. Check this review (http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticle&number=15&artpage=1537&articID=384) for a good idea on the Freezer PRO series.

[pcmoddingmy]

I got the xp-90c with fan coming this week. Its supposed to be really effective. Good choice you think for a slightly smaller HS+FAN combo i think than the big typhoon, or ninja, etc etc.
XP-90C is a really good cooler but it requires mobo removal and you need that LGA775RM to mount on socket LGA775. Besides, it weights close to 700g (w/o fans) and it tends to look really ugly overtime. My vanila XP-90 looks almost new even after 1 years with me... thanks to nickel coating!

Btw, I heard that Ultra-90C is coming out pretty soon... :toast:

[blacksun1942]

I trust you, PC Modding Malaysia, so I will go with the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro.

Thank you. :)

[Chris583]

XP-90C is a really good cooler but it requires mobo removal and you need that LGA775RM to mount on socket LGA775. Besides, it weights close to 700g (w/o fans) and it tends to look really ugly overtime. My vanila XP-90 looks almost new even after 1 years with me... thanks to nickel coating!

Btw, I heard that Ultra-90C is coming out pretty soon... :toast:

i probally jumped the gun on the xp-90c...its all copper so thats nice, but the fan on top pretty much hides it from view. Its been doing its job well however :)

[Luck.exe]

I 2nd the Scythe Ninja+, If you're in America then check out www.jab-tech.com because they have the best deal I could find on one! :D

[norse]

I hear tower 120's are the best air for these so far.

[burningrave101]

The Thermalright SI-120 is better then the Thermaltake BT. The only two coolers better then it is the Tuniq Tower and the Scythe Infinity and both of those coolers are so large it's silly to try and even install them for a little bit better cooling.

[BlaqMale]

The Thermalright SI-120 is better then the Thermaltake BT. The only two coolers better then it is the Tuniq Tower and the Scythe Infinity and both of those coolers are so large it's silly to try and even install them for a little bit better cooling.
how comes you didn't recommend the Thermalright SI-128 then or the ultra 120?

[BlaqMale]

Air Cooler Comparison (http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=de_en&trurl=http%3a%2f%2fplanetoverclocking.hartware.de% 2freview_604_7.html)
^^^ found that if anyone is interested

[rpr]

Uh-oh! Not one mention of the Zalman 7700 I just bought (998 grams of pure Cu and comes with quiet but huge 120mm fan).

What's wrong with it? :confused:

[burningrave101]

how comes you didn't recommend the Thermalright SI-128 then or the ultra 120?

My bad, i meant the new SI-128, not the SI-120.

[xlink]

Air Cooler Comparison (http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=de_en&trurl=http%3a%2f%2fplanetoverclocking.hartware.de% 2freview_604_7.html)
^^^ found that if anyone is interested
those are all using
Papst 0,72W 120mm 12V fans FYI... you'de also need to eb using that fan vs. the stock fan for that to be accurate.

(FYI Papst is pope in german so it translated it to pope)

[richnewman]

The Thermalright SI-120 is better then the Thermaltake BT. The only two coolers better then it is the Tuniq Tower and the Scythe Infinity and both of those coolers are so large it's silly to try and even install them for a little bit better cooling.

Erm? It doesn't seem like having a bigger heatsink would make it harder to install... maybe because you have to take your motherboard out for installation? *shrug*. I'm pretty sure reviews say they're not that hard to install. Just get the Infinity for a little more than $50 =]

[BlaqMale]

those are all using
Papst 0,72W 120mm 12V fans FYI... you'de also need to eb using that fan vs. the stock fan for that to be accurate.

(FYI Papst is pope in german so it translated it to pope)
thanks for the info

yeah, stock fans would be a nice roundup to see but it's the best i found so far