I swapped out the Intel stock cooler for a tt Blue Orb II I got here http://www.thermaltakeshop.com/ref/ref-cooler.html (great prices I use them alot as of late). I was nervous about removing the stock NB cooler so I just tightened down the screws abit and hoped for the best. The Blue Orb covers the first to dimms but with a little dexterity I can still remove them. After the base attatchments its easy to remove and reinstall without motherboard removal. I had errors plugging it into the cpu fan header so I just plugged it in to a molex w/adapter. Even at full speed I barely here it at all. My gpu runs louder. I just got a new digital camera to replace my stolen one, so i will shoot some beauty pics tommorrow.