M59SLI-S5 Heatsink Recommendations

[dipz]

I would like some recommendations for a fairly good performance HS that will fit on this mobo and that is not so heavy that i can move my system around without having to remove it. thanks

 

[dipz]

I mean a processor heatsink that will fit well on this mobo without hampering RAM and voltage regulators. i don't think the zalman cnps9500 AM2 will fit properly. i am also looking at the gigabyte 3d rocket II.

Most aftermarket heatsinks are over recommended weights and it is not safe to move your pc without removing the heatsink. do you have this mobo? or know anyone who changed their stock HS? i have a 3800+ right now.

 

[dipz]

ok thanks a lot. i know that zalman is lighter but when i measure the clearance i wasn't sure it would match up. there is clearance on thre sides but it might be pushing the capacitors on the last side. if you know anyone with this board with the zalman please let me know, or even anyone with just the mainboard.

 

[ZozZoz]

Yup, Zalman won't be a problem. They are not that wide at the base at all.

 

[DukeDave]

I have the same board and also the same Gigabyte 3D Pro cooler that mpilchfamily was talking about.

I originally used the Gigabyte cooler but as my ambient temps are quite high I found that I had to run it too fast and the noise became an issue, it is a very good cooler though. Just as a side note, the revised 3D Pro is not as good as the first one, it has 1 less heatpipe and is smaller, I don't believe it cools as well either.

I am currently running the Zalman 9500 AM2 and it does fit quite well. It is close to the memory but it does clear it, that is with the Corsair XMS though, if your memory has large heatsinks on it I don't believe it will fit. There are no other clearance issues with the motherboard. If you have a side port on your case it will need to be removed, that is in the instructions for the cooler.

In closing, the 9500 cooler is the way to go, it fits, it's quiet, works very well and if you lay the case on it's side for transport you will not have to remove anything.

 

[dipz]

Ok thanks to everyone for contributing. I DO have the same Corsair XMS so I guess I will be ok. I will be ordering one. I read that you need to remove any ducting but I just have a side case fan (Thermaltake Tsunami). If I have the clearance with the fan do i still need to remove it?

Also, what are your temps like @ 2.51?

 

[DukeDave]

The side duct is designed and required for Intel (apparently) for a cold air intake, the Zalman does not require this as it draws air from the side not from the top, it did however work quite well with the Gigabyte 3D Pro, go figure.

If the fan is above the CPU cooler I would imagine that it may disturb the airflow, I would recommend putting it together and having a look. I run an exhaust fan directly behind the Zalman as recommended by them and it works quite well, especially with the way the motherboard heatsinks are configured. I am not familiar with that case but I thought the side fans normally were for use as an exhaust fan for the video cards, I could be wrong though.

As far as my temps are concerned, I have the motherboard fan control turned on (NOT the AMD cool n quiet thing) and idle temps are only about 3c above ambient with the fan at approx 1000rpm, once it starts working and heats up a bit the fan increases to approx 1250rpm and you can just hear it but the temp has never been higher than about 42c even with ambient temps of over 35c.

 

[dipz]

Ok those temps seem pretty good. The side fan is an intake fan and is positioned above the CPU, not lower down near my video card. I do have a 120mm exhaust fan so I will run it with the side fan. If it seems to cause problems I will just disconnect it. Again thanks for the help. Might post an update here after everything is done.

 

[fpdoc]

Zalman fits fine on this board. Comes close to the northbridge but clears it fine. I have one on my M59.