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Whats the best heatsink now for Athlons?

Swiftech MCX462, although Alpha's PAL8045 isn't a bad choice ... but the MCX462 owns all. Expect to drop $60-$75 with a decent fan.
 
ThermalRight's new AX-7 is very competitive; many say its better than the Alpha, some say its the same, some say its almost as good.

In answer to your question for the "best" Athlon HSF, I would have to give you three:

Swiftech MCX462
Alpha PAL8045
ThermalRight AX-7

they are in order of price; Swiftech is around 70 or so I think, Alpha around 50, Ax-7 around 40. All of these use 80mm fans, so you can mix and match. Panaflo L1H fans are very quiet, as are PC Power and Cooling Silencers, and even more so, Pabst fans.
 
i have a alpha right now but it and the swiftechs are kinda expensive. I see a lot of cheaper ones coming out that some say are even better than the alpha and swiftechs. Like the ones with 2 fans and the stuff.

Also some seem to before better with different fans. Which one performs the best with the papst fan? Is it the same order?
 
If I were to get one right now, it'd be the Coolermaster HHC001 Copper HSF.
Coolermaster is known for their quality and value. my current Coolermaster HSF is awesome, and at a very low price. I love their stuff.
 
**ALPHA PAL8045**

very nicely machined product

get it with a super quiet sunon whisper 80mm fan. the noise that bothers me now from my system is the stupid tiny fan on my geforce chip 🙁

 
The ALPHA PAL8045 is a great HS, however be wary that it's huge and may not fit on all boards.

I use Thermalright SK6 with a 80mm Fan mounted diagonally... Thermalright does have their new AX7, however I hear it has the same size issue as the Alpha 8045. It doen't fit on all boards. I believe the sk6 will fit on practically any board.
 


<< The ALPHA PAL8045 is a great HS, however be wary that it's huge and may not fit on all boards.
.
>>



right, be sure to check http://www.micforg.co.jp/mb_inf_pal8045e.html to see if the board is compadable. My board was not fully compadable but it was due to a capacitor that was too close so I filed a little nibble off the heat sink and its fine (that page will show you if its not compadable but can be made to fit with a little help from a metal file 🙂 )
 
I just read a prototype review for some new copper microfin fan that was in a pyramid shape that ranked very high, and wasn't nearly as bulky as most others. Anyone see that review and remember what HSF & manufacturer was? I think it may have been Thermalright.
 
How easy to install is the Thermal right? Here is my ratings for installation from 1-10

Alpha - 2
Switech - 2
Dragon Orb 3 - 9
Volcano II - 5
Cooler master 6Ill - 5
Golden Orb - 4
FOB 38 - 5
Celeron retail - 3
 
my fav hs right now is the alpha pal 6035 for those that aren't oc'ing. this thing will cool almost any xp cpu out there. i got one on my xp1700+ (not oc'd) running very comfortably. the pal 6035 is affordable and quiet. if you really need performance you can put a delta on this thing and it really cools. i've had swifty's, pal 8045's, zalmans, thermalright sk7 and ax7 and they are all GREAT hs's but i like this one cause it will fit any mb, it will cool adequately and it's CHEAP.
 
I have an Alpha 8045 and think its great, especially for the price.... I got mine for $29.95 at SvCompucycle, but see its now $31.99... Also I was very happy with the customer service there....

Dave
 
All heatsinks are intrinsically quiet. As a matter of fact, the only time they make noise is if they collide against something. (ex dropping on the floor--BIG noise with MC462!) 😛

Anyways, the fan dictates what noise you really hear. The only heatsinks that can really produce good results with a nearly silent fan are the MC462 and PAL 8045.

If you need greater performance (in the 0.25 °C/W range) AND quiet operation you're going to have to resort to a closed loop recirculating liquid apparatus.

Cheers!
 


<< I think the Alpha Pal8045 is supposed to very good. Here's a review:

Review


Add a Panaflo fan and I think that it should be quiet.
>>




sure get the alpha if u don't mind the thought of going deaf in a few months... (80mm delta fans) plus its too big of a HSF unit. theres a good chance that it will not rest well on yer mobo as some transistors will prolly be in the way.
 


<< I like my HHC-001. I don't think I would say it is the best, but its afforable. >>



well, unfortunately i can't find the review i was looking at, but the Coolermaster was 2nd, off by ONE degree to the Swiftech (out of maybe 10 coolers), for 1/2 the price, it got the best value award, and since it was ONE DEGREE away from the Swiftech's cooling ability i think it deserves a spot in even the hardcore overclockers system. I still vote this as best overall cooler due to low price and great cooling ability. Coolermaster rocks!
 
another vote for the alpha 8045 heatsink as it allowed a 1800+ to go 1725 mhz at 1.8 volts and still stayed plenty cool




my personnel favorite is watercooling





Jen
 
Vote for the AX-7....beats the Alpha 8045 in terms of performance and price...some of the reviews I've read also show that it can match Swiftech's performance as well.
 
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