Help me choose a good heatsink

[slashDevSlashNull]

I'm lookig for a high quality HS to build a QUIET system. The HS will be used together with a moderately overclocked XP2500+ Barton. (On Abit NF7-s v2.0)

I'm searching for a heatsink specifically... if the bundled fan is too loud I will replace it with a silent one. (IMHO it's faaar more difficult to find a good HS than it is to find a good fan.)

And... I'm looking for 1st hand experiences... I don't have even the slightest interest in people telling me what to buy if they havent really tested what they're recommending.
So, please, don't bother if you haven't used the HSF you recommend!

I seriously consider buying a Alpha PAL8045T and pair it with a Papst 2000RPM fan, anyone tried this combination?

 

[Slogun]

You want the Zalman CNPS700a for ultra quiet, ultra cool.

Edit: arg, nevermind, it's incompatible with that board.:brokenheart:

 

[slashDevSlashNull]

ok?.... I'm a little confused here....

You say that the model (CNPS7000A) is incompatible with my MoBo (NF7-S). Why is that? The link to Zalman you supply clearly states that this HSF i compatible with socket 462, and as far as I know socket 462 is another name for socket A? Correct me if I'm wrong here. Or is the problem that ths particular Zalman HSF don't fit the NF7-S?

 

[Slogun]

Yea, there is a compatibility chart.
NF7 either doesn't have mounting holes or has some components that are raised higher than specs would allow.

 

[DahDee]

I got the Thermalright SLK-900A (all-copper clip-on) from SVC.com during one of the recent $19.99 deals, and it fits and works great on my Albatron KX18D Pro II motherboard with a Barton 2500+ @ 23xx Mhz. 28C idle, 40C load.

Edit: 900A at SVC

Shows up at $29.99 in your cart, but there's a code to add that'll knock another $10 off.

Edit2: Anandtech Hot Deals thread on the current 900A deal at SVC

Edit3: I also saw a thread over at Extreme Overclocking that says this heatsink fits your Abit.

 

[McArra]

Silent boost works great, better than SLK-800 and so similar to SLK-900

 

[jlyda]

i use a vantec aeroflow + as3 with my barton 2500+ oc @ 3200+ and i havent broken 50C under full load running seti and cs, battlefield running 24/7 the last 3 weeks.