Stock CPU Fan Good Enough?

[1337n00b]

Even if you don't plan on OCing your CPU, is an after market cooler still a good idea?

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

I can't stand push pins, so that is reason enough to upgrade to an after market cooler for me. After seeing the ICD7 pressure tests, I will never use push pins again.

 

[Samalama]

It's only a good idea if the stock fan isn't capable of keeping your CPU below a certain temperature in your given setup. So the largest variables will be: Case, Case Fans, Number of Heat Emitting Components (i.e. video card(s), hard drives) and of course Ambient Temperature.

So take my CPU (e6600) for example; When it ran at stock frequency with the stock fan, it would exceed 65C-70C under full load. This was largely due to this rooms high ambient temperature in the summer and I had little choice but to upgrade the cooler to something more capable.

 

[Skott]

Like Samalama said in most cases its fine but if you want it to run more quiet then a aftermarket hsf is a good choice. And of course if you want it to run even cooler than normal a aftermarket hsf is also a good choice. Just depends on your room's ambient temps throughout the year.

 

[roid450]

back when i had the stock cooler on my q6600 just one month ago, OCing to 2.8 made it go upwards of 60C under load. now with the tuniq tpower it rarely hits low 50s under load. usually id idles mid 30Cs

 

[BlueAcolyte]

Well, to answer the question, if Intel didn't think it was enough, why did they pack it in with the CPU?

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: BlueAcolyte
Well, to answer the question, if Intel didn't think it was enough, why did they pack it in with the CPU?

And protect it with a 3-year warranty, no less.

Unless you're operating the chip in an extreme environment, or you're overclocking, the stock fan is fine.

 

[coxmaster]

Usually the stock cooling is enough, for a STOCK application. If you overclock at all, or dont have very good air flow its not going to work for crap

 

[Binky]

If you ask a normal person whether the stock fan is acceptable, they would say yes. If you ask a bunch of crazy gotta-run-at-24c crazies (like here in this forum), they will say you need to replace the cooler even if you're not overclocking and you live in Siberia...

The stock fan is perfectly fine at stock speeds. If it's mounted securely, you have nothing to worry about.