going from a stock heatsink to a new one.

[hitman24]

i plan on getting a new cpu should i ditch the stock heatsink and get the following ZALMAN 9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler for 60 bucks or is there something better for that price.

 

[badge]

i plan on getting a new cpu should i ditch the stock heatsink and get the following ZALMAN 9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler for 60 bucks or is there something better for that price.

The Zalman is great. Much more efficient that stock. Be sure the 9700 will fit on your MB properly. I always take a look on the Zalman website and double check.

 

[little_scrapper]

I went with the Scythe Ninja for $40. Its about $25 less then the top-o-the-line models, and my temps are about 28C/48C gaming usage. If I use TAT to get some seriously artifically inflated temps I get a load temp of about 60C on my E4300 OC to 3.0Ghz @ 1.36V. droops to 1.33v under TAT 100% load. Personally I think my latest pressure mount mod mounting is suspect and may be giving me higher temps. My first mount, before rma of mobo, I was only getting 55C max with TAT at 100% load and same voltages.

EDIT: But I also lapped both my CPU and Ninja to a 600 grit finish. Which took 8-10C off my stock, first attemt, mounting. But its down to a 5C drop in temp now which is why I suspect my mount job. I think I may have "leaned" the HS while mounting and may have let in some airbubbles in the paste...maybe..just speculating. Just though I should mention that to make sure its kept in proper context/perspective.

 

[clue69less]

i plan on getting a new cpu should i ditch the stock heatsink and get the following ZALMAN 9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler for 60 bucks or is there something better for that price.

Check out Anandtech. They have done a bunch of HSF tests lately. The Thermalright Ultras are great value. Plenty of good models to choose from these days.

 

[Newf]

i plan on getting a new cpu should i ditch the stock heatsink and get the following ZALMAN 9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler for 60 bucks or is there something better for that price.

If you need better cooling efficiency in order to overclock, or want a quieter system, an after-market cooler can be of use. Otherwise, the stock Intel/AMD coolers work just fine.
Check out this site:
http://www.frostytech.com/
Many other sites also review cpu coolers.