Cooler for intel core 2 quad q9400

[malwaretracker16]

Hello i have a core 2 quad q9400 with a dq45cb motherboard and was wondering if a arctic alpine 11 cooler will work my budget is $14.49 or is there any better cooler for that price?

 

[Wolfshadw]

That cooler shows that it's compatible with socket 775 motherboards, so it will work, but unless your current cooler has failed, it's not worth the $15 asking price.

-Wolf sends

 

[malwaretracker16]

I am using a intel stock heatsink and at idle it is 40c to 50c and load is 70c to 88c

 

[Wolfshadw]

I don't think you'd see much, in any improvement over your current cooler. I'd probably try replacing the thermal compound and see if your temps go down before thinking about replacing the cooler.

-Wolf sends

 

[malwaretracker16]

i use halnziye hy510 and it is still not keeping it cool i am using a cooler from a pentium dual core e5300 and my cpu tdp is 95w

 

[Wolfshadw]

With less than a $15 budget, you're not going to improve anything. Anything that costs that little is nothing more than a replacement for what you have. It won't likely perform any better than what you already have.

If you can swing a couple extra bucks, see if this cooler will fit your case.

-Wolf sends

 

[malwaretracker16]

ok on a $20 budget what will it get me it also has to be low profile like thew intel heatsink

 

[malwaretracker16]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NexLink-Desktop-Dual-Core-2-7-GHz-Pentium-2-GB-RAM-No-HDD-Windows-Vista-Bus/112601351192?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
That is the system i have

 

[Wolfshadw]

Toss in the Low Profile requirement and you're back to square one. Nothing in your price range is worth the cost.
Rosewill RCX-Z775-LP

This one should fit and is in your original price range, but again, I doubt it would perform any better than your current cooler.

-Wolf sends

 

[malwaretracker16]

How will this perform? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0039P998M/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1

 

[Wolfshadw]

Isn't that the one you started with?

From what I found on PC Part Picker, there are not a whole lot of low profile CPU coolers for socket 775 motherboards on the market these days. Given the cost of these, I would suspect that NONE OF THEM are likely to perform any better than the one you already have.

-Wolf sends

 

[malwaretracker16]

do i have to have a cooler that is rated for 95 watts? for a 95 watt cpu?

 

[Paul NZ]

I've got a Q9400 in the other PC here. I'm just using the fan that the previous dual core came with. It's fine

Just had to reapply thermal paste, when I installed it and chucked the old fan/cooler back on

 

[malwaretracker16]

ok but the cooler i have is for a 33w tdp and my cpu is 95w so what should i do? under load it is 86c/95c and idle is 45c/56c and i have reapplied paste i can use any cooler that is the same size as the stock heatsink

 

[Wolfshadw]

You can use any CPU cooler that is compatible with the socket 775 motherboard.

I've never seen a TDP limit on any cooler. If you're not happy with the performance you're getting, you can TRY a different cooler, but again, in my opinion, it's a waste of money.

-Wolf sends

 

[malwaretracker16]

ok than what should i do?

 

[Wolfshadw]

All I can do is give you my opinion. I'm not going to make a decision for you.

-Wolf sends

 

[Darkbreeze]

ok than what should i do?

What you SHOULD do, is deal with the temps you have now, use the unit sparingly and try not to overheat it anymore than you already have, and then when you have enough money to afford a decent cooler, THEN you get one. If you get a 15 dollar cooler I promise you that it will perform WORSE than the stock cooler you currently have. At best you MIGHT see the same results, but it's doubtful.

What you CAN do now though, because that cooler has probably been installed on there for a long time (And if it hasn't, when was it installed) is get yourself a good tube of thermal paste (Arctic silver 5, Noctua NT-H1, Cryorig Cryopaste, Phanteks PH-NDC_02 and Cooler Master Thermal fusion 400 are all really decent, inexpensive options) and completely clean both the CPU lid and the cooler heatsink base with isopropyl alcohol and re-paste your current CPU cooler so it performs well again.

Most likely the thermal paste that is in there has been there for a long time, has dried and has lost much of it's thermal transfer ability. A new paste job every two years of so is always a good idea no matter what cooler you are using.

That's the only solution for under 15 dollars that has any chance of doing you any good. Otherwise, save your money and get a 25-30 dollar cooler down the road.

 

[malwaretracker16]

i found a better option here https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00563LXDY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1JDVQBTNMED4K&psc=1

that should fix my problem

 

[Darkbreeze]

That's exactly what you have now, and is going to give you the exact same performance. That's a stock cooler, so how do you figure a stock cooler is going to improve your cooling performance over the stock cooler that you already have? I don't see that happening unless there is something wrong with the fan on your current cooler.

It's like replacing a rusted out muffler with another rusted out muffler.

Looking over this thread more closely it seems you HAVE replaced the paste on your cooler, so I have to wonder if you didn't perhaps either use too much or not enough TIM. If you used ANY more than about one quarter the size of a #2 pencil eraser on there, then you used too much. If you used less than about the size of two grains of rice, then you used too little. Either of those could cause a 10-15°C difference in cooling performance.

 

[malwaretracker16]

its called a copper core heatsink is better than aluminum

 

[Darkbreeze]

Ok bud. Good luck with that.