Cooling advice please

[HUSTLER]

I have got an e6300 with the stock heatsink and fan. I did get the thermal paste (arctic silver 5) a few months ago. Used it and the temps were around 35 etc. However, I just noticed that the temps are back up running around 60 normal and mid 70 under load (using TAT). The temps are with one side of the case open btw.

1. Should I take off the heatsink and re-apply the paste?
2. Should I get an after market heatsink and fan? (if so then which one?)
3. Should I go with water cooling? (never done it before but it sure sounds tempting)

I want to stay under $100.00 for whatever solution you guys provide. Ideally I would like to overclock this cpu to atleast 75% of its potential but need to keep the temps low obviously. Right now, I am not ocing at all.

You guys have always helped out so I def appreciate it.

Below is the list of my components.

E6300
Antec PERFORMANCE TX TX1050B Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
500W Power Supply
ATI X1950xt
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

 

[Evilonigiri]

Re-applying thermal paste is a great idea. I usually do it every 6-8months, but it really depends on how good the TIM is.

If you want to overclock, an after-market cooler is a must. If you want the best air-cooling out there, go for the Thermalright Extreme 120. However you may need to lap it (Read the guides here). If you want a decent cooling at a relatively low price, I read that the Zerotherm Nirvana is really good (2nd best air-cooling, beats Tuniq tower...supposedly). It's on newegg for about $35 with mir.

Just keep the temps under 65C and everything should be fine.

 

[HUSTLER]

Thanks for the reply. Now, how low can I go with a decent water cooling setup (can I get one under $100.00?) I am just curious. Ideally, I would like my setup to run at or around 20 deg. Is it possible?

I did read the reviews on Zerotherm Nirvana and so far it looks a really good buy.

 

[phreejak]

What you will eventually find out is that the best air cooling solution will perform as good as the worst watercooling solution (and in some cases, better). I tell you this because, eventually, you will see that going a "do it yourself" route is, ultimately, the way you would end up going - choosing a pump from this brand, a cpu waterblock from another and a rad from, yet, another differring brand. This will, of course, become much more expensive than $100 - even if you just cool the CPU.

 

[HUSTLER]

So with good airflow, would I be able to get 20-30deg temps with one of the good air coolers like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835887011&Tpk=Zerotherm%2bNirvana
or tuniq etc?

 

[Groveling_Wyrm]

With good airflow in the case, and a good heatsink/fan, then yes, you should be able to get in the lower 30's range.

 

[HUSTLER]

Would I have to take out the motherboard to install the Nirvana?

 

[Evilonigiri]

I think so. A bit of a pain but oh well.

Nirvana is really big just to let you know.

 

[Hatman]

Water is a big %%% for the looks or "cool" factor since for price/performance it sucks.


Everyone and their mother recommends thermalright ultra120ex its the best but not by that much theres things like ultima 90 that are almost as good bar 1 or 2 degrees but MUCH smaller, 120 is HUGE.



The coolers that perform bets these days are the ones were air is blown down onto the CPU area thru a heatsink they really are great.


The dual 120mm fan coolermaster one comes 2 mind, not the best long way off it but a gd example.

 

[Evilonigiri]

Everyone and their mother recommends thermalright ultra120ex its the best but not by that much theres things like ultima 90 that are almost as good bar 1 or 2 degrees but MUCH smaller, 120 is HUGE.

Anandtech did a price per performace chart. It showed that the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme had the lowest price/performance, indicating it's the best value.

 

[Hatman]

Doesnt that depend where you shop though? Different countries?

Besides I didnt say price/performance I stated the size of it. 120ex hardly fits on most cases or a tight squeeze.

 

[bildo123]

I grabbed the CM TX-2 for $8 AR for my E2180 OC. Works like a charm 53C MAX under hour of prime fft's. I think its now $2 at the Egg AR. Ambient is around 20C +/-2C

 

[HUSTLER]

I grabbed the CM TX-2 for $8 AR for my E2180 OC. Works like a charm 53C MAX under hour of prime fft's. I think its now $2 at the Egg AR. Ambient is around 20C +/-2C

Thanks for the link. I guess I am gonna try this before I go buy anything else. Cant beat it for $2.00