SLK-800 or SLK-800u for NF7-S + Barton

[LesPaul]

I ordered an NF7-S and a 2500+ barton and i'm trying to decide on the heatsink.. The fan i'm gonna get is the Enermax 80mm Adjustable.. I like the idea of a bolt on heatsink for increased physical stability (even tho I don't usually ever move my case) and not having to mess with the clips.. the 800u is only 33 bucks @ excaliberpc (2 bucks more than clip version, and only 4 dollars more than the SLK-700)... I've never really liked clips cause i'm always scared my screwdriver's gonna slip and put a nice chunk in my mobo, but i've also never installed a bolt on heatsink.. they pretty simple to install/remove?

Any suggestions as to which version/model would work best with my CPU/mobo? Or does it even matter which one (ie, both about the same performance/stability/ease of installation/removal)?

 

[xbassman]

I have an SLK-800u on my NF7-M and am glad I bought the bolt on.
Yeah... It's a little more trouble installing it the first time, but reinstalls are a breeze!

You may want to get a stronger fan than the Enermax though. I have 6 of those in my case and a YS-Tech adjustable on my heatsink. Overclocked to 2.2 @ 1.775 vcore, I run about 45-47C @ 100% load. I think that fan is like 53CFM and is always on full.

I bought a replacement for it that I have yet to install though. A Thermaltake Smart Fan II. I liked it's performance using the included thermistor attached under the cpu on my daughter's computer. SFII will adjust as temperature rises up to 73 CFM @ 55C. (I will probably never push it that far though)

 

[LesPaul]

thanks for your input, xbassman. I researched a little more into the Bolt-on version and I really like them.. and @ only $33, why not

I was originally going to get a ThermalTake Smartfan II, with my second choice being the YS-Tech Adjustable, but after the fan review I read from that post RichDog made in this forum, I changed my mind to the Enermax Adjustable. The Thermaltake was just waaaaay too loud for my liking, and the YS-tech's performance seemed to be below what i was looking for. The Enermax looked to hit the sweet spot in CFM/Noise ratio.