q6600- zalman 9700nt vs ultra 120 extreme

[hippomofatumas]

I have been going back and forth on this. I have managed to figure everything else in my rig out, except the hsf.

i need great air cooling for my upcoming q6600. it nneds to fit in my thermaltake armor va803bws case w/ the 25cm side fan. the case is 22cm wide. the heatsink is 16cm tall. im not sure it will fit. but then theres also the ease of installation and the convex surface issues. this is my first complete build, and i honestly dont want to lap anything on my first build. im a little too scared. since this is also my first time overclocking, im not really going for something in particular. if i could get 200 mhx more with the 120e, i really dont care. i just want good quality and pretty easy installation. im also still a bit afraid of an ultra120e cracking my mb somehow, even though ppl say it wont. its huge.

so i think go with the 9700nt its a great cooler with a consistently flat mounting surface and it delivers solidly good results for oc'ing, and it glows green!

then i think no go with the ultra 120 extreme it is a way better hsf, ittl fit in your case you scaredy-pants, and put a scythe sflex on there and it will work so great!

so any thoughts on this? please dont bring up any other hsf's, its gonna be one of these.

thanks

 

[Twinsen]

I am in same boat, and after plenty of research I think I shall go with the 120e, though I may use some more thermal paste than usual to get that concave as small an impact as possible.

the cooler weighs 790 grams..which I can assure you is nothing, it defiantly won't crack\break anything otherwise it wouldn't be on the market.

I too plan on having the side 25cm fan; though on the Enermax Uber Chakra case.

You aiming for the 3.0ghz mark too 😛

 

[hippomofatumas]

around there yes.

i was tempted by the cooler master stacker 830 case, which is 100% guaranteed to fit the 120e, but its just too much money for a case, and it only comes w/ 2 fans. definitely going with the armor va8003bws. but im still torn on the hsf. the 120e might be that little bit better, but i honestly dont care that much. and I've heard horrible things about the quality control of the thing. i dont want to worry about it. the 9700 nt is a great cooler. i think its better for me.

I bet i can hit 3 ghz with the 9700 nt, a p5k deluxe and all the fans in the case.

: )

 

[Twinsen]

lol, after talking to a few ppl they brought up some moot points, if som1 more experienced can deluge into them plz.

After say a few years, having that 120e which weights 790grams on ur mobo...with the heat generated could it then; say bend the PCB board itself? and if so...would that effectively destroy the circuits inside the mobo?

 

[lurker1]

lol, after talking to a few ppl they brought up some moot points, if som1 more experienced can deluge into them plz.

After say a few years, having that 120e which weights 790grams on ur mobo...with the heat generated could it then; say bend the PCB board itself? and if so...would that effectively destroy the circuits inside the mobo?

Theoretically, yes, this could happen. I havent seen anyone loose a MOBO to cracking due to the heat/weight of the HSF (unless it was being transported), so I don't think it is a big worry. However, alot of people who require such extreme heavy coolers upgrade their CPU/MOBO long before this can actually be tested, so I don't think there is a definitive answer of "yes this will happen" or "no it will be fine." These heavy HSF have not been around long enough to test long term effects. Unless of course there is someone here that has had this sort of exprience. 😀

 

[hive_]

So, does anyone knows whether the TR U120extreme fits the TT Armor cases w/25cm sidefan ???

The fan sticks into the case quite a bit...like 2,5 cm...

Thanks for your thoughts ~

 

[cnumartyr]

So, does anyone knows whether the TR U120extreme fits the TT Armor cases w/25cm sidefan ???

The fan sticks into the case quite a bit...like 2,5 cm...

Thanks for your thoughts ~

No, it doesn't.

The Ultima 90 does (I think) and it outperforms the Zalman 9700.