Confused overclocker

[peyman_tp]

Hello. I have max $90 budget and i am looking for the best cpu cooler (water or air, doesnt matter) within that range that will help me oc my C2Q Q9550 from stock to about 3.6 - 3.8. I have a good case (NZXT Tempest) with 6 fans (it holds max 2 x 120 radiators). PS: i use canadian dollars which are worth a bit less than US ones. Thanks

 

[LoneWolf_53]

I am in Canada and I use the OCZ Vendetta 2 with my Q9550 with no problems and you can consider the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 as well.

Vendetta here... http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=29311&vpn=OCZTVEND2&manufacture=OCZ%20Technology&promoid=1061

That is well under your budget and right now less money than the Xigmatek so a good buy but if you feel like spending more and getting a better air cooler that will do you across several platforms then you might also consider this one.....

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=42728&vpn=TRUEBLACK120%20Rev.C&manufacture=Thermalright

 

[Conumdrum]

Go to FrostyTech, or even better yet, google is a fine tool, as is reading many posts here for a few hours. Or you can ask your local Best Buy saleman, I ain't one of those.

 

[LoneWolf_53]

Go to FrostyTech, or even better yet, google is a fine tool, as is reading many posts here for a few hours. Or you can ask your local Best Buy saleman, I ain't one of those.

Our access to hardware isn't quite as easy as it is in the USA with many items extremely hard to come by or out of stock.

For example I'd love to try a megahalem but none of my suppliers up here have any and to get one from eBay or the US is just too cost prohibitive.

 

[peyman_tp]

@ lonewolf the first fan doesnt realy seem like it can handle 3.8 ghz. also, u can always buy ur items from TigerDirect.ca (if its higher than $100 u get free shipping). also, i want my cpu temps to stay bellow 60C with full load. thanks for responses

 

[LoneWolf_53]

@ lonewolf the first fan doesnt realy seem like it can handle 3.8 ghz. also, u can always buy ur items from TigerDirect.ca (if its higher than $100 u get free shipping). also, i want my cpu temps to stay bellow 60C with full load. thanks for responses

I don't think anyone can guarantee you that you'll stay under 60C at 3.8Ghz with a fully loaded Q9550 because for starters CPU's are not all equal and some demand more voltage than others.

I'm currently using the Vendetta on this PC which has a Q9550 @ 3.5Ghz and under full load my hottest core is 62C and the other three are in the mid 50C range as read from the cores by RealTemp.

This is the temp readings as given by the DFI monitoring utility that comes with the board..........

Voltage required to stay stable for this CPU is 1.31V

On a previous motherboard this same CPU required 1.36V to remain stable.

I can improve these temps with the Thermalright Ultra 120 that I also gave you a link to.

I know we have Tiger Direct but they are last on my list of preferred Canadian vendors.

Best prices for us are generally NCIX or Direct Canada alternating between first and second place depending on product and promotions at the time, then Best Direct and Canada Computer.

 

[peyman_tp]

that NCIX site u told me about was great i cant believe i didnt kno about it bfore. anywayz i found a great cooler Noctua NH-D14. it seems pretty good. how far do u think i would be able 2 oc my q9550 w/ it? also, does getting a good cpu cooler help cool the ram? im gonna have to oc my ram a bit if i wanna get to my desired clock. (my ram is 4gb 800 mhz)

 

[LoneWolf_53]

that NCIX site u told me about was great i cant believe i didnt kno about it bfore. anywayz i found a great cooler Noctua NH-D14. it seems pretty good. how far do u think i would be able 2 oc my q9550 w/ it? also, does getting a good cpu cooler help cool the ram? im gonna have to oc my ram a bit if i wanna get to my desired clock. (my ram is 4gb 800 mhz)

Glad you found it useful. The majority of my purchases are NCIX or Direct Canada as they both have very fast shipping times and always seem to compete with each other on price so I always compare the price of an item between the two.

Naturally it may factor in where a person lives but I have received a couple of Direct Canada orders within 48hrs of paying.

I'm afraid I have no personal experience with the Noctua so do not feel qualified to offer feedback.

I lean more toward the Thermalright product if I'm looking to push the envelope as I have used them and know what they are capable of and if anything could take your proposed 3.8Ghz OC then it would.

Still you have to be prepared that your CPU may not like going that far as Q9550's can be tricky at times.

For what it's worth I spend a lot of my spare time amongst enthusiasts who always run their PC's under full load working DC projects and I know quite a number of them OC and they have a lot of good things to say about the Megahalems cooler but so far I haven't had any luck finding one on a Canadian site.