I was planning on getting this:

http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] MAN%20TECH

Just wondering what other people had to say.

Thermalright Ultra 120, paired with a quiet fan.

i have it, and it is pretty good, a bit expensive, and i would have preferred a metal backplate, it's good for only a smaller overclock (probably not more than 3.2ghz on a c2d), quite heavy though, you should go for the 9500 it's a bit cheaper, not as heavy only a temp diff of 2-3 degrees, i would recommend the thermalright ultra, but it too is also quite heavy, and when you add a fan to it, it is also quite expensive. I would personally recommend the arctic freezer pro 7, its easy to install, is cool, quiet, cheap, and also very light in comparison.

becarefull as the fins do cut.. :? like paper cuts... so yeh

id say that cooler is even good as a passive one! just depends on ur case/airflow too. i used speed fan to stop the fan and the temps never got above 36c with ambient of 25. also, it cools the chips around it ( if you have exotic cooling solutions like asus of gbyte). overall i think its the best thing taht happend to my cpu. the surface is also very shiny, in fact you should see your relflection very well at the base. the fins dont bend that easily but they still do so becarefull of them!

id suggest taht over tower coolers because it acts like a mini windtunnel =]

gl with ur oc etc..

That's a great heatsink ...not the quietest though

For the ultimate in quiet coolers, it's got to be the HR-01. Here's a lil' review, but there's a better one out there somewhere. It needs to be used with it's fan duct cvonnected to a 12cm case fan. Then it's noiseless and provides excellent cooling too!

http://www.overclockers.com/articles1277/

Works a charm on LGA775 systems, trickier for AMD motherboards though.

Others to look at are:

Thermalright Ultra 120:
http://www.anandtech.com/casecooli [...] spx?i=2943

Tuniq Tower 120:
http://www.anandtech.com/casecooli [...] spx?i=2906

I just installed the Enzotech Ultra-X on my C2D 6600 OCed to 3.2 Ghz. I used the Shin Etsu TIM (not the AS5 that came with the cooler) and replaced the OE fan with a SilenX 120mm to quiet the system a bit... I wanted a HSF that was blowing down on the heat pipe fins on my Asus P5B Deluxe.

Anyway, with my NZXT Lexa case temp at 23-24C, Intel TAT is reporting that I'm sitting at 31C idle temperatures, and around 40-41C under 100% load.

I had a Zalman 9500 originally, and it was keeping things "cool" at 38 C at idle and around 54-55 C under 100% load according to TAT.

Therefore, I'd highly recommend the Enzotech Ultra-X over the Zalman any day. It was a pretty drastic temperature decrease.

However, I'm still looking for a better fan to put on the Ultra-X. I don't think the SilenX generates enough static pressure to effectively push air through the fins on the HSF. If I can find one that has a high enough static pressure, I'm betting on another degree or two temperature drop, along with better cooling of the MB and NB.

Does anybody know how quiet the Thermalright Ultra 120 is, and what kinda fan for example i would have to buy? Also, why doesn't it come with a fan?

it doesnt come with a fan because not everyone wants the same thing out of it. some want quiet, some want high CFM regardless of noise, some want a mixture, etc.

how quite it is is going to be more a function of the fan and not the cooler itself.

i personally like the S-Flex from Scythe for a blend of power/noise efficiency.

what kinda fan would I have to get to have very nice cooling, with a little noise but not so annoying [I had a fan before that i think was like 44-48dba, even the local computer store guy said that I have an extremly loud fan lol]

I see you're in canada, as am I. I just bought the Noctua NH-U12F, it came highly recommended from Proof. I'm in the exact same boat in that i want a very quiet computer with the maximum cooling possible. Suffice to say, noise level was a big factor in my decision, given that this cooler holds it own right up to the tuniq, its a heck a cooler. Check it out Here . As I mentioned earlier, based on what people have said about it, it is so quiet that you "literally have to have your ear next to it". And another thing, it comes with a backplate along with screws that wont break when you're installing it! (just ask anyone with a tuniq, half will mention the screws)

Here is a review on the noctua cooler.

A little quip about how quiet the fans are

I'm getting the Antec 900 so i added 4 120mm noctua 17 dba @1200 rpm to replace the three that come with it as well as adding the side panel fan. Anyway, I hope this helps you make your decision!

The best one right now is the Thermalright Ultra 120 Plus, pair that up with a great fan like FM121 and your all set.

I have the 9700 and it does keep it cool I keep mine at 3.0 Ghz and it stays about 33c and 40c idle and load kept the same for 2 months. 680i did need some mod to back plate but was very easy

I second this... I actually had the Arctic Freezer Pro 7 and it did ok. It is easy to install and uses the same type clips as the stock system. It has 6 heatpipes and less fins than alot of the coolers out there though. Granted it is expensive at $60 on newegg. It used to be cheaper as I remember buying it for much less. So if you want an easy install that is an ok one. If you are looking at getting GREAT performance, learn to love Thermalright. They simply make some of the BEST coolers out there. They never include fans, well because they dont make fans, they make coolers. They have an Ultra-120 Extreme comming out with 2 more heatpipes than the Ultra-120 but it only gives you like 1-2C cooler. Make sure you get a fan that hits about 1800 -2200rpms. I initially got a 1000rpm fan and I found myself always cranking up my fan controller. A nice quiet 1800-2200rpm fan will do wonders. Scythe makes good quiet air moving fans at a higher price point though. Invest in good cooling you will just want better later. I replaced all my arctic cooling with Thermalright and love it. Their VGA cooler keeps my x1900xtx 20C cooler at load. It's amazing.

better cooling, more noise, more $ - Scythe S-Flex SFF21F = 1590 RPM / 31 dBA / 70 CFM / $15

lesser cooling, less noise, less $ - Yate Loon D12SL-12 = 1080 RPM / 22 dBA / 47 CFM / $4

hmmm so the type of fan you pair with something with a thermalright is a Casefan?

For example, if I bought this: http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] ERMALRIGHT




Where it says "*Fan Not Included*", I would add something like this?:
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] ure=Noctua

yes, you want a 140mm or 120mm case fan for the cooler itself and an 80mm case fan for the backplate.

Tuniq Tower 120