Which XIGMATEK HSF?

[Shadow703793]

Ok I need a new HSF to replace my OCZ Vanquisher because the one of the push pins broke (I hate those pins; this is the 2-3 time this has happened). I have it underclocked now to 3Ghz(@1.36) from 3.2Ghz (@1.44) due to heat (Idle: 45C; load 65C now lol). The PC I'm cooling is in the sig. I have narrowed down the choices to two coolers:

One:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233001
XIGMATEK HDT-S963 92mm Rifle CPU Cooler
$25
This one has 3 heat pipes.

Second:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233014
XIGMATEK HDT-SD964 92mm Rifle CPU Cooler
$25
This is the 4 heat pipe version.

Apart from the 1mm differences in the dimension the only other difference is 3 heat pipes vs 4. My question is, will the 4 heat pipe version give a little better performance (as in 1-1.5C cooler)? Also note the 92mm fan will be replaced with a 120mm fan (yes, I know I will have to mod). I will also buy the bolt in kit depending on which one I will buy.

I am unable to compare using reviews because the reviewer set ups for these two are different. And I will also be using a 120mm fan so that will change things a lot.

Thanks.

 

[RJR]

Well, this is tricky considering you probably know more about this than 99% of the people (including myself) here at TH. But, what the heck. I would say either one would be fine for you system, but the 964 does do slightly better at Frosty, and since they don't use any processor for there reviews (as I'm sure you are aware) I'd have to vote for the 964.

http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2390&page=5

 

[JohnnyLucky]

There is a another option. You can replace the push pins on your current cpu heatsink with #40-4 nylon nuts and bolts. That's what I did. I got the nuts and bolts at Ace Hardware for 11 cents each. I learned that trick over at the ASUS forum. Works good and provides uniform pressure for even contact.

 

[Shadow703793]

^Hmm... in that case I think I should head over to Ace or Homedepot and get some. Thanks for the replys. With the 120mm fan the OCZ holds up pretty well. The limitation are CPU and not the temps, so that should save me some $$ so I can swap out the 8400GS to a 4830(or 4770)! 😀

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Shadow - Are you still there? Forgot to tell you. You can also use the #40-4 nylon nuts and bolts on chipset heatsinks. Last Summer I had an ASUS AM2 board with one of those all-in-one mem-pipe heatsink combos held in place with push-pins. Seating, thermal compound, pressure, and contact was totally uneven. I cleaned off the thermal compound, applied my favorite compound, and then reinstalled the mem-pipe heatsink(s) using the nylon nuts and bolts. It works good.

 

[Shadow703793]

Thanks for the info. I'll be going to Ace this weekend. One more thing, do I need to use washers?

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Good thing you asked because I forgot to mention the washers. Yes, I used washers. The darn things are tiny and I'm a big guy with big hands.

Someone else at the ASUS forum mentioned that the hardware store might not have the right length nylon bolts. It's okay to get longer ones and snip off the excess after they're installed.

Hope I didn't forget anything else.