What's a good but not gianormous CPU cooler?

[kyzen]

Now I know for a fact that my Tuniq Tower 120 is not mounted tightly - but when I tighten it more, the CPU gets dislodged somehow, and the machine doesn't post. I'm tired of rubbing my fingers raw fiddling with the Tuniq's goddamn screws, and I'm ready to move on to a different cooler. $45 wasted on the Tuniq, but oh well.

Anybody have any suggestions for coolers that aren't as massive as the Tuniq, and are still better than the stock C2D coolers? Maybe even with the same super easy mounting method as the stock coolers?

I'd like to place the order for a new cooler tomorrow, so feedback is appreciated

I'm currently looking at this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...p?item=N82E16835186134

 

[swtethan]

Thermalright Ultima 90I from heatsinkfactory.com


Its just a shorter ultra 120 extreme

http://www.heatsinkfactory.com...PU-Cooler-p-16614.html

 

[KoolDrew]

Thermalright Ultima 90I from heatsinkfactory.com

:thumbsup:

 

[BonzaiDuck]

ThermalRight Ultima 90 (for weight)

:thumbsup:

ThermalRight Ultra-120-Extreme (If weight is a problem, recommended if you can hang the fan nearby from the case or some sort of bracket)

:thumbsup:

I'm making an educated guess -- a gamble -- but I believe the Ultima shows equivalent performance to the U-120-Extreme.

I have not examined the mounting bracket design for the Tuniq. I've seen that this is somehow a problem for several people. I cannot see how any of the heavier ThermalRight coolers -- including what appears to be the "monstrous" IFX-14 -- would either damage the motherboard, put pressure on the CPU so that it fails to provide successful post and bootup, or any of the described problems.

Gotta interrupt for urgent errand -- will return --

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Continuing --

All of the ThermalRight coolers recently introduced just before the Ultima 90 weigh in the 750 to 800 gram range. In fact, there is hardly a difference at all between the IFX-14 and the Ultra-120-Extreme.

The retention mechanisms are spring-loaded, and they do not require any guesswork about how far to turn the screws. You turn them all the way until they stop.

 

[kyzen]

Thanks for the advice so far, though those coolers are all still pretty massive and intimidating.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I'd think that the new Ultima 90 has a considerably smaller footprint than the Tuniq. It's definitely smaller than the Ultra-120.

This begins to emerge as a decision-factor at the crossroads of choosing between air and water-cooling. When the fins and heatpipes begin to take up more and more case-interior real-estate, even the diehards blind to the greater effectiveness of water-cooling systems may start shopping for water-blocks and hoses.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Arctic Freezer 7 Pro.

Good performance, and not too big.

 

[PianoMan]

:thumbsup:

+1 on the AF7. Good cooler, good price, not too big.

PM

 

[mjrtoo]

I have had both the Freezer 7 pro and the Ultima 90. I prefer the Ultima 90 simply because it fits in my case much better. If you have a tight dimension above the northbridge coolers such as a 680i mobo, or dimensionally because of CPU placement and case restrictions such as a Lian Li with a bottom mounted power supply, the Ultima 90 is probably a solution you should look at. The heatpipes extend above the northbridge before the cooling fins start, and is also very slim in one dimension so you can turn the cooler 90 degrees to fit your case. The Freezer 7 pro fin placement start almost immediately above the CPU, meaning you may have to trim off a few bits to clear the northbridge.

As with all coolers, make sure it fits your case/mobo selection before you buy.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: kyzen
Now I know for a fact that my Tuniq Tower 120 is not mounted tightly - but when I tighten it more, the CPU gets dislodged somehow, and the machine doesn't post. I'm tired of rubbing my fingers raw fiddling with the Tuniq's goddamn screws, and I'm ready to move on to a different cooler...

Anybody have any suggestions...

Hrm...

Sounds like your mobo is bad!

I'd keep the Tuniq and get rid of the real problem...