CPU Fan Suggestions Please!

[Coolio_alert]

You Want The Thermalight Ultra 120 Extreme With A 120mm Fan From Scthye

 

[aevm]

You Want The Thermalight Ultra 120 Extreme With A 120mm Fan From Scthye

1. Have you noticed the part about

I won't really be overclocking

on line 2 of the original post? Why spend $80 or so on the best ever cooling solution if a $25 solution will do.

2. What's up with capitalizing every word in the message???

 

[i sea]

Stregachess, i too am a beginner builder with no helpers to ask questions. But, i found something that will make up for that(at least for me). On youtube you can find videos explaining almost anything involving building the machine, from applying thermal paste to mountng the mobo, and probably the software stuff (although i havent seen any). the one youtube vid i saw with the mobo installed the mobo first and added everything else later. But it also said u could do the psu first then mobo, followed by pcu, etc...

hope this helps

 

[Stregachess]

I've had a little drift in my plans... I'm not looking at Q9450 instead of a Q6600.
Also I'm told that the AC7 might be a bit harder to install for a complete newbie, someone suggested that I try the ZEROtherm ZEN FZ120.

As it would be easier to install does that make sense?
The Zen over the ACT?

 

[aevm]

LOL. The AC 7 Freezer is the easiest thing to install. Here's a quote from Anandtech's review:

http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=3210&p=4

The fully assembled Freezer 7 Pro comes packaged in a protective styrene shell. Everything is pre-assembled. Even the thermal compound is pre-applied.

or this:

Even the thermal compound comes pre-applied so mounting is incredibly easy. Push the four pins in the holes until they click and the cooler is mounted. The pushpins are not our favorites for secure mounting, but they seem very adequate for this lighter weight heatpipe tower. Installation is the easiest we have ever seen, which should be welcome news for mechanically challenged cooler installers.

I consider myself mechanically challenged all right, so I remembered this review

I'm not familiar with the Zerotherm ZEN FZ120. I know their Nirvana model - very good, if a bit noisy.

Edit: whatever you buy, don't buy a Scythe Ninja. It's an excellent cooler, but installing it was definitely a challenge...

 

[Stregachess]

LOL. The AC 7 Freezer is the easiest thing to install. Here's a quote from Anandtech's review:

http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=3210&p=4

The fully assembled Freezer 7 Pro comes packaged in a protective styrene shell. Everything is pre-assembled. Even the thermal compound is pre-applied.

quotemsg]

Only problem, is I'm almost finished putting this together and found out that the AC 7 does not fit my board well at all. A big mess...

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=12074597

So for now I went with the stock fan, since I'm not doing overclocking maybe I'll be OK.

 

[aevm]

Ouch! I screwed up with my AC7 idea. Sorry, man.

 

[Stregachess]

No problem, it's all a learning experience, just wanted to double back so someone else can learn from my experience!

I might be OK with the stock fan given that I'm not overclocking, if i move to OC later I can always change the fan...