The argued winners are the Thermalright IFX-14, Ultra-120 Extreme, the Scythe Ninja or the Tuniq Tower. Any of these will give you amazing performance, as long as you have room to fit them in. Remember that the Thermalright coolers require the purchase of separate fans. I like this idea as you can choose a fan you like. Also take note that these coolers are vast so if you have a narrow case you may want to measure up. If you're looking for something a bit more reasonably sized or cheap, then go with an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro. Hands down there is no better cooler that cheap.
I was thinking of getting an Arctic Cooling Freezer. Would this one be ok? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360017961410&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123 Are they hard to install?
they are the same fitting as the stock intel cooler, so quite easy. dont forget to get some tim cleaner to remove the old paste tho and new paste if its 2nd hand.
Yes, if you're already using the processor this heatsink's going on you need to clean off the old thermal paste. Arcticlean or Akasa TIM works wonders, but if you can't get it, I found window and glass cleaner to work admirably, just make sure it's all gone before you put the new cooler on. It comes with its own thermal paste applied so just plonk it down. Freezer 7 Pros are a doddle to install.
I'm waiting for it to arrive. Would I apply the cleaner to the cloth and then clean off the thermal paste or apply it directly to the thermal paste? Does it mater what cloth I use?
I usually put a drop of Arcticlean on the CPU surface and wipe with a lint free cloth. If you're using something like windolene though you should put it to the cloth first, for obvious reasons.
