Zalman or Artic Cooling

[zerkai]

My rig:

Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor
GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W
POWERCOLOR AX5850 1GBD5-MDHG Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Rosewill CHALLENGER (CASE)



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134&cm_re=heatsink_and_fan-_-35-186-134-_-Product

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118019&cm_re=heatsink_and_fan-_-35-118-019-_-Product

I'm also thinking about getting this: http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-120mm-Silent-Value/dp/B000O8I474/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

along with: http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=FAN-7PROV2&title=ARCTIC-COOLING-Freezer-7-Pro-Rev-2-92mm-CPU-Fan-For-Intel-AMD-CPU (better deal than newegg)

 

[sarsoft]

Both coolers will do the job. That Zalman has been been around for a while. I would go with something like Cooler Master Hyper 212.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

GL

 

[JohnnyLucky]

sarsoft - The Coolermaster Hyper 212 is a 160mm tall tower style cpu heatsink. It will not fit in the Rosewill Challenger pc case. The case is not wide enough.

 

[lothdk]

You have not posted why you want an aftermarket cooler, if your intended usage is going for overclocking, then neither of these LGA775 coolers would be a good choice.

 

[zerkai]

this is for overclocking. one of the reviews for the rosewill case did imply he managed to install the zalman 9700

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Heat Sink - For performance and ease of installation, the Prolimatech Megahalems fits both criteria. If that's a budget breaker, look at the Xigmnatec S1283 or one of the others here:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/Recommended_Heatsinks
http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm#INTELHEATSINK
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=371&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=15

pick a TIM from the top few here:
http://www.hwreviewlabs.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64%3Amega-44-thermal-paste-round-up&catid=32%3Around-ups&Itemid=47&limitstart=3
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/thermal-interface-roundup_10.html#sect1
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=138&Itemid=1&limit=1&limitstart=3

As JL said above, you have to make sure you can fit in the case. The Challenger BTW is not for sale on newegg anymore.

 

[lothdk]

this is for overclocking. one of the reviews for the rosewill case did imply he managed to install the zalman 9700

Problem is not whether he could install the cooler or not, the cooler itself is not a good match for an overclocked i7 920.

The Noctua NH-U9B SE2 would be a better option at the same price point, and should fit in that case, but if interested, make sure that does.

 

[sarsoft]

@JohnnyLucky

Good call there might be a conflict with the case. That case is 7.48 inches or 190mm wide. Its a close call but might fit after all.

 

[zerkai]

I'll try and get the measurements from my cpu to the side of the case. I also have artic cooling thermal grease (how far would that get me with stock cooling?)

 

[lothdk]

I'll try and get the measurements from my cpu to the side of the case. I also have artic cooling thermal grease (how far would that get me with stock cooling?)

Arctic Cooling makes several thermal pastes so hard to say, but likely not further than with any other brand of paste as you are limited by the stock cooler.

 

[sarsoft]

I'll try and get the measurements from my cpu to the side of the case. I also have artic cooling thermal grease (how far would that get me with stock cooling?)

I say form 3.0 to 3.4 depending on couple of thing chip, ambient temps, luck, and experience on stock cooling.

 

[zerkai]

sorry, I mean artic silver 5 thermal compound. I'm not sure if that's made by artic cooling or not, just got the names a bit mixed up.

 

[Keiki646]

Both coolers will do the job. That Zalman has been been around for a while. I would go with something like Cooler Master Hyper 212.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

GL

I would have to agree with that and just add another 120 mm on the other side of the Cooler Master Hyper 212 heatsink for better cooling results.

But...

I have an Intel i5 750 and I have the Zalman 9700 and it works great as well.
Only because it's Pure Copper, and when I lapped my CPU later on after seeing new results with the ARCTIC SILVER 5 Thermal Grease
(I seeing results now but it takes about a full week or two to really see 100% results, )

Note ARCTIC SILVER 5 would be best with apply thermal grease.

 

[zerkai]

From my cpu to the side of the case is about ~7inches (~18mm)

 

[jsc]

If your case is 7 1/2 inches wide, the big coolers such as the Hyper 212+ or Xig Dark Knight will not fit. You need a minimum of about 8 inches.

 

[zerkai]

Is the Noctua NH-U9B SE2 the best option I have?

As far my supplied case fans go, would replacing the 2 in the rear and adding 2 on the side case with these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O8I474/sr=1-3/qid=1267338773/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1267338773&sr=1-3&seller= worth it? or buying 2 of these? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0026ZPFCK/sr=1-1/qid=1267338773/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1267338773&sr=1-1&seller=

 

[lothdk]

Is the Noctua NH-U9B SE2 the best option I have?

I do not know that it would be the best, but it is one of the better options when you are limited in the hight of the cooler, another that might be of interest to your is the Thermalright AXP-140.

Read some reviews of the coolers, especially those where they test on i7 920 as it is a completely different beast than an i5 or core 2 CPU.

 

[Keiki646]

I have an Intel i5 750 and I have the Zalman 9700 and it works great as well.
Only because it's Pure Copper, and when I lapped my CPU later on after seeing new results with the ARCTIC SILVER 5 Thermal Grease
(I seeing results now but it takes about a full week or two to really see 100% results, )

Note ARCTIC SILVER 5 would be best with apply thermal grease.

Exactly why there are better options out there. Who wants to wait a week or two to see what the REAL temps are. If you use something like TX2, you get immediate readings with no break in time.

Well something some thermal grease you do have to wait a week to see real results.
It's like a show, you have to wear them to wear them in until they fit right.
Or breaking in some new skates or skateboard trunks. etc

 

[zerkai]

How much gap is recommended between the heat sink+fan and the side of the case? Since my case's width is about ~7.5 inches, most of the heatsinks I looked at had their height smaller than that..

 

[JackNaylorPE]

sorry, I mean artic silver 5 thermal compound. I'm not sure if that's made by artic cooling or not, just got the names a bit mixed up.

read the bottom of this page and the "1 year curing time under normal use"

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=138&Itemid=1&limit=1&limitstart=5

 

[Keiki646]

read the bottom of this page and the "1 year curing time under normal use"

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=138&Itemid=1&limit=1&limitstart=5

I would listen to JackNaylorpe. He has very good knowledge about this.

 

[zerkai]

I don't understand though, if the width of my case is ~7.5 inches, and the height of say this hsf http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003&cm_re=Xigmatek_HDT-S1283-_-35-233-003-_-Product is 50mm, is the gap between the heatsink and side of the case still too small?

 

[JohnnyLucky]

There is a problem with the newegg.com specifications for the Dark Knight. For some reason the dimensions listed are for the 120mm fan instead of the overall dimensions of the Dark Knight. It is a mistake. The Dark Knight is much larger than the 120mm fan. You can see it in the photos.

The actual dimensions are 120(W) x 50(D) x 159(H) mm

http://www.xigmatek.com/product/air-dark-knight-s1283-v.php#3

A pc case would have to be 8 inches (204mm) wide to accomodate the Dark Knight. You will have to settle for a low profile cpu heatsink or get a new case.

 

[zerkai]

The Nexus LOW-7000 Silent Low Profile CPU Cooler seems be popping its name everywhere in my searches, looks like it might be a good fit for me. I'll keep looking to have a select few to start narrowing down on

http://www.amazon.com/Nexus-LOW-7000-Socket-LGA1366-Profile/dp/B001RI7TZS/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1267424146&sr=8-1-fkmr0

http://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-AXP-140-Fanless-Copper-Cooler/dp/B001PTNPRU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1267423570&sr=8-1 This showed up a few times as well, but the thought of not having a fan on it concerns me

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103046&Tpk=Coolermaster%20GeminII%20S

Also, this looks pretty sweet, Thermaltake MaxOrb. If only it was for my cpu.

http://www.nexustek.nl/NXS-XiR-2300_Xir-3500_silent-CPU-Cooler_version2_1366.htm

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010 - Corsair H50

Currently leaning towards the Cooler Master Gemini, what do you guys think if you were in my shoes?



Also! A question I haven't received an answer for yet; My case came supplied with 3 fans, 1 big intake fan in the front and 2 extakes in the rear/top. I'm wondering if I should replace the 2 extake fans and add 2 additional fans on the side case with these: http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-120mm-Silent-Value/dp/B000O8I474/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1267424612&sr=1-3 or should I get multiples of these: http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-120mm-Blue-Case/dp/B0026ZPFCK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1267424612&sr=1-2 ?