[citation][nom]sykozis[/nom]If 24dba is enough to keep you up at night....your hearing is far more sensitive than the majority of the world's population.[/citation]
It might not keep you from sleeping, but it sure hinders your ability to rest. My former NAS machine was clearly audible through a wooden door, and though it was quiet, I did sleep much better when it was off during the night. Part of you is still "up" even when you're sleeping, to make sure you can jump right up if attacked (basic survival instinct). The more noise there is on the outside, the more "awake" you need to be to filter out ambient noises...
[citation]It's not the job of the CPU HSF, to cool motherboard components...[/citation]
Actually, AFAIK standard ATX implementations do expect some airflow to "spill" over from the CPU HSF to the rest of the motherboard to at least keep voltage regulators cooler. Past HSF reviews have stated that more than once. That is also why there have been a few motherboard makers that have offered VR fans (Asus comes to mind) for high-end motherboards to be used with no motherboard-facing airflow.
So yeah, it kind of is the job of the CPU HSF to keep the rest of the motherboard cool.
In any case, and not ditching this product's abilities (I haven't seen a review yet), but don't both Intel and AMD CPUs get to the base OC limit on air with stock or near-stock HSFs? I mean, 4.5GHz from a 2500K seems to be relatively doable without too much trouble or elevated voltage (which can actually kill the CPU). More speed usually needs more voltage and sub-ambient temperatures outside the ability of air coolers...
Still, quite a looker. Way down on my "to buy" list, though... My standard LGA775/1156 CPU HSFs are still good enough. Maybe if I win a lottery or something... hehehe
Cheers.
Miguel