Intel i7 920 cooler help needed

Hey guys im building a new comp with a i7 920 in it

Im looking for some guidence on which cooler to get for it,

price : does not matter , just the performance


i was thinking of something by thermaltake or zalman , but anything would help

I will prob OC the cpu to 3. something

i was also told that these cpu's listed below are good

Scythe Mugen 2
Sunbeam CCTF 120MM + 1366 retention kit
Xig Dark Knight

Another review site, you can never ever read enuff before spending your pennies.
http://www.frostytech.com/

With a TRUE (thermalright ultra 120 extrem ) you cant go wrong. But the Vandeta2 is very good too.

Those you listed are decent and can do it EZ for your minor OC.

have fun !

XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm 45$

Scythe MUGEN-2 SCMG-2000 120mm 37$

Noctua NH-U12P 120mm 56$


All Cheaper and maybe better. I wont pay 80$ for a CPU heatsink since there are tons that cost 50$ and are the top of the line ...

Edit : The V10 isnt really that good. Yes some reviews proved that he can do it nicely. But its HHUUGGEE and this "junk" will use 70Watts on full load because of its kinda useless TEC. a 70W TEC = that if you have a stock 70W TDP cpu your just doing nothing and if the HOT side isnt cooled properlly your heating more then your cooling ... TEC is really something that need lots of calculation. The V10 is doing a good job but for 130$ .... at my eye its a peice of junk. SRY Cooler Master !

wow thanks alot , this really helps im going to decide in the next few minutes !!

oK im going with the Thermalright Ultra120 eXtreme .

Last question , what is the best thermal paste to use with the cooler and what is the correct way of applying it to the i7 920 processor with this cooler . thanks guys !!

AS-5 or MX-2 are good. Go to the thermalright web site. They have a pictorial tutorial on their recommendation. It is as good as any. My advice, use very little; too much becomes an insulator.

+2

Usually you just connect it to the PSU header connector. Or buy a fan controller. There are cheap manual ones with knobs, more expensive ones that have cheapo thermal measurement probes you can stick wherever to measure temps (they work okay) or a high end that works in software to monitor temps.

IF you need the extra CPU cooling besides the one fan, then do what you need to. It's a hobby, you'll figure it out.

Up to you.

I think one fan is enough. I think a constant noise is less obtrusive, and I usually keep it at a fixed speed anyway.
In addition to the fan holder, you may get a set of the old wire type anyway.

The thermalright has been known in the past to have an uneven base. Current production may be better. To test , put a drop of water on the base, and press a plate of glass to it. The water should spread evenly and should hold the cooler to the glass by a good suction. If the base is uneven, you may want to try lapping. The objective is to make it plane, not to put a mirror shine.

Install it first, if temps are poor then consider lapping.

I have the Vigor Monsoon III. It is a good cooler and was the only one available that looked worth buying when the 1366 coolers first came out.

Is there a significantly better cooler compared to that?

Price is not really a problem. I even thought of Prometeia or Vapochill type cooler but Prometeia is no more and I am not sure I need the hassle or super extreme cooling of vapochill. I also looked at some of the hybrid CoolIt products but even the high end ones don't seem that great but so far they are the best choice I have seen for good cooling with high OC.

I'm trying to figure out how all you guys are missing Prolimatech Megahalems. They are EASILY the best air cooler on the market right now. I'm using a Dark Knight for my current rig, but i'll upgrade to i7 in a week or so and i'm not trusting a DK with my overclocked i7. I've done my reasearch and the Megahalems have been taking the top prize home for a while.

No it doesn't come with a fan, but i'm going to slap on a DD Yate Loom 120mm High speed fan and let the icecubes start forming.

Prolimatech Megahalems - $64.99
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/ [...] 2_AM3.html

Danger Den Yate Loon 120mm High speed fan.
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/ [...] SH-12.html

heatsink and Case came in today , cant wait to show pics of my new build !!

As far as dual fans go, there's a nice Akasa splitter for PWM fan. It splits the 4 pin for the motherboard header into 3 but wires a molex in to actually power the fans. That way you can use PWM to sync your push/pull setup.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/show [...] =CB-031-AK