CPU cooler, do I need it?

[calvin0416]

I've never used a cooler before of any kind.
I saw some deals on CPU coolers and I wonder if I need it.

My HP, My Antec 650W PSU. My XFX Radeon 5850.

The ones I saw was
XIGMATEK HDT-S963 92mm Rifle CPU Cooler I5 775 AMD compatible
and
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler I5 775 AMD compatible

 

[faxon]

the simple answer is that you have used some type of cooler before unless your last computer ran something pre x86. the complicated answer is what do you use your computer for, and do you plan to overclock? if you dont, do you live in a hot area, do you game, run distributed computing, or crunch data (be it math, audio, video, pictures) for long periods of time? if you answered yes to any of those, i would look into a better cooler, and if you plan to overclock, i would push what cooler you have to the end of your budget and system space constraints

ed: check what cooler HP is using in that. if it has heatpipes already i would think about if you think it's worth it to upgrade the cooling. run some stress tests (linpack generates the highest temps) and see what your temps are after an extended period in worst case conditions, if they're still acceptable then you should be just fine

 

[jvroig]

I saw some deals on CPU coolers and I wonder if I need it.

If you don't have any idea, then safe to say you won't need to buy a new cooler. Your current one, whatever is in your machine now, will be fine.

When you start running into high temp problems, or want to start overclocking, then it would be prudent to upgrade your CPU cooling. Barring that, don't bother, and your default CPU cooler will suffice. Unless you are experiencing problems, upgrading your CPU cooler will not gain you anything and will be a waste of money and effort.