Do I need an aftermarket CPU cooler

[apav]

Hey guys,

I'm building a system with 2 6950's CF. I plan to unlock them and OC them to 6970 clock speeds. This is my first build and I'm new to overclocking in general.

I've been told that if I plan to overclock the stock cooler might not be enough. But my question is if I plan to overclock only the GPU, NOT the CPU or RAM, do I need a better CPU heatsink?

I'm looking at getting this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=d3cd77k8udud

Seems like the upgraded version to a legendary cooler.

My specs:

Mobo:
Asus P8Z68-V

CPU- i5 2500k

PSU- Corsair Professional Series HX850 850W Power Supply

RAM- Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB DDR3 1600(they're the red ones with the huge heatsinks on the top)

GPU- 2x Sapphire Dirt3 Edition 6950's crossfired. I plan to unlock the cards and OC to probably 880/1250MHz

 

[inzone]

If you only overclock the GPU then you don't have to worry about the CPU with the fan/heatsink you chose.

 

[apav]

I just have no reason to overclock my cpu. This build will be for serious gaming, I'm not sure if I need to OC my cpu.

 

[apav]

I'll get it if it keeps my system overall cooler. Cooler is better

 

[beenthere]

You also may not be able to OC your 6950's to 6970's unless you got the early versions which allowed this.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Yes, GFX card vendors are "wise" to the flash thing and this can be accomplished on very few cards being manufactured at this point in time. In addition, speeding up the GFX cards has an impact on their cooling.

The Hyper 212 is more "legendary" for it's price (oft about $30) than it's "killer performance". Don't get me wrong, great cooler 'for the price" but hardly one to dominate the competition.

Why the Z68 ? I have yet to build a system for anyone who would benefit from Z68's advantages as reported here ?

http://www.ukgamingcomputers.co.uk/difference-between-h67-p67-z68-and-h61-chipsets-a-22.html

Look at the AX850 which is the newer version of the HX850

The Corsair's "with the huge heatsinks on the top" are the ones you want to avoid. The only cooling effect of these big coolers is that they "look cool". While they served a purpose (when they were effective) w/ DDR2, they are absolutely useless on DDR3.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=773&Itemid=67&limit=1&limitstart=1

At more than 2" tall in certain areas the Corsair Vengeance could pose a problem for users like me who use large coolers such as the Scythe Mugen 2. I was able to use the Corsair Vengeance only after I mounted the fan on my cooler on the backside. Size is definitely a concern with heat spreaders of this size and therefore I encourage users to check that they will have enough space under their heatsinks before purchasing the Corsair Vengeance kit.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=773&Itemid=67&limit=1&limitstart=6

The problem I have with the Corsair Vengeance is the same I have with many kits of RAM on the market. Companies insist on putting large coolers on their RAM and it limits the choice in CPU heatsinks that can be used within users system. DDR3 does not require these elaborate coolers with its lower voltages which translate to lower temperatures then RAM saw during the DDR, and DDR2 era. Corsair is correcting this with low profile versions of its Vengeance line but ultimately I would like to see the average size of coolers drop instead of having to look for specific low profile versions of a memory line.

These are the same spec RAM w/o the useless heat sinks
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186

Ya might wanna consider the relative performance of the 6950/6970's and the 560 Ti

$ 210.00 6950 (479/751) $ 0.44 - $ 0.56
$ 260.00 6950 Frozr OC (484/759) $ 0.54 - $ 0.69
$ 205.00 560 Ti (455/792) $ 0.45 - $ 0.52
$ 360.00 6970 (526/825) $ 0.68 - $ 0.87
$ 205.00 560 Ti - 900 Mhz (495/862) $ 0.41 - $ 0.48

Twin 900 Mhz 560's get 862 fps for $210ish in Guru3D's gaming test suite..... twin 6970's get 825 fps (5% less) even if ya can get em at 6950 prices. And if they don't flash ......

 

[apav]

Yes, GFX card vendors are "wise" to the flash thing and this can be accomplished on very few cards being manufactured at this point in time. In addition, speeding up the GFX cards has an impact on their cooling.

The Hyper 212 is more "legendary" for it's price (oft about $30) than it's "killer performance". Don't get me wrong, great cooler 'for the price" but hardly one to dominate the competition.

Why the Z68 ? I have yet to build a system for anyone who would benefit from Z68's advantages as reported here ?

http://www.ukgamingcomputers.co.uk/difference-between-h67-p67-z68-and-h61-chipsets-a-22.html

Look at the AX850 which is the newer version of the HX850

The Corsair's "with the huge heatsinks on the top" are the ones you want to avoid. The only cooling effect of these big coolers is that they "look cool". While they served a purpose (when they were effective) w/ DDR2, they are absolutely useless on DDR3.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=773&Itemid=67&limit=1&limitstart=1

At more than 2" tall in certain areas the Corsair Vengeance could pose a problem for users like me who use large coolers such as the Scythe Mugen 2. I was able to use the Corsair Vengeance only after I mounted the fan on my cooler on the backside. Size is definitely a concern with heat spreaders of this size and therefore I encourage users to check that they will have enough space under their heatsinks before purchasing the Corsair Vengeance kit.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=773&Itemid=67&limit=1&limitstart=6

The problem I have with the Corsair Vengeance is the same I have with many kits of RAM on the market. Companies insist on putting large coolers on their RAM and it limits the choice in CPU heatsinks that can be used within users system. DDR3 does not require these elaborate coolers with its lower voltages which translate to lower temperatures then RAM saw during the DDR, and DDR2 era. Corsair is correcting this with low profile versions of its Vengeance line but ultimately I would like to see the average size of coolers drop instead of having to look for specific low profile versions of a memory line.

These are the same spec RAM w/o the useless heat sinks
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186

Ya might wanna consider the relative performance of the 6950/6970's and the 560 Ti

$ 210.00 6950 (479/751) $ 0.44 - $ 0.56
$ 260.00 6950 Frozr OC (484/759) $ 0.54 - $ 0.69
$ 205.00 560 Ti (455/792) $ 0.45 - $ 0.52
$ 360.00 6970 (526/825) $ 0.68 - $ 0.87
$ 205.00 560 Ti - 900 Mhz (495/862) $ 0.41 - $ 0.48

Twin 900 Mhz 560's get 862 fps for $210ish in Guru3D's gaming test suite..... twin 6970's get 825 fps (5% less) even if ya can get em at 6950 prices. And if they don't flash ......

Z68+i5 2500k= $315 @ microcenter. Can't seem to find the same deal for other motherboards. It's an Asus, and it features dual x8/x8 bandwidth, all I need really.

AX850, only difference really is it's gold certified where mine is silver? Is the PSU THAT much better that I should return it and buy the newer one?

For the RAM, I got that as a gift(my friend had leftover RAM sticks from his build so he gave them to me) can't complain if they are free. I was under the impression that they did serve a purpose however, I'll avoid in the future. But I doubt the sticks will block the stock i5 fan or even the Hyper 212+

I'm no benchmark enthusiast, but I hear the 560 ti SLI just doesn't compare to the 6950 Crossfire. I heard it scales better and is cooler, generally. I plan on unlocking/OC'ing the cards near the end of their lifespan(after 2 or 3 years) and when technology is catching up to them. I could be wrong, and I'm open to ideas. But I heard the Sapphire 6950 is cool and quiet and has exceptional performance.

 

[badtaylorx]

i run both nvidia and amd......what he says is not true.....those 560's will only outperform in games nvidia paid the game companies to over-tesselate......you were on the right track......besides with the 69x0 series at least you have the option for a third card

your best case scenario would be to find one of those toxic 6950's from sapphire