RE III - Frankie

I'm getting aftermarket cooling for my computer to bring it down say 10*c. I thought the new Zalman 10X was worth a go, what do you think? Costs 120AU here, worth it? I do plan on some OCing in the future so it will be worth it for me. Does anyone have any input?

EZero

Well general consensus is that the Prolimatech Megahalems is the best air cooler available, but it is expensive.

Your next best bet is the Thermalright True Black 120 . (Newegg apparently doesn't carry Thermalright products)

In both cases you'll want to put them in a push pull config. Example (Not my picture)

Anything after that I'll just refer you to Frostytech and you can read some reviews and decide yourself.

RE III - Frankie

Yep, I've heard a lot of rave about the megahalem also the thermalright. Am interested in the Zalman 10X though. Coolit Domino looks really tempting, unfortunetly it would not fit in my Raven case.

Lowfat

Either the Noctua NH-D14 or the Megahalem. Nothing will compare to these big bad boys. The NH-D14 is absolutely monstrous so make sure it will fit in your case besides purchasing.

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EZero

The sad reality is that despite the Domino being a "water cooling" heatsink, it really doesn't perform all that well.

Look at how the Ultra 120 did VS the Domino. Link

EDIT: Also, being a closed loop, if for some reason you need to replace the liquid inside (shouldn't have to but I've seen stranger things) you're pretty much out of luck. At which point you're forced to buy another heatsink. Not exactly a fun option.

EDIT #2: What I meant by not all that well is just the fact it still can't beat an air cooler, which is the 120. I know the review ended up in favor of the domino

RE III - Frankie

The true must be getting "old now. I'm surprised The SpinQ did so poorly, but I guess IRL you'd have to try it to see for yourself.

gascieus

Frankie are you using a stock cooler right now? If so, then any aftermarket cooler will do (depends on how hardcore you're going to overclock of course). The Tuniq Tower is very good, as is the megahalem. Both are crazy ass coolers, but they will satisfy all your inner nerd fantasies.

RE III - Frankie

Ok, basically I really don't want to be attaching a cooler that needs me to remove all of the internals to do so, at least that's what I'd prefer.

Bolletje

And the Mugen 2 from Scythe?

It comes with a silent fan, it's a lot cheaper and has decent cooling capabilities.

anonemus

...and if you want the cheapest bang-for-the-buck, the CM Hyper 212 Plus is rated among the Top 5 by Frostytech

Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus Socket 1156 Heatsink Review - FrostyTech.com

and, FWIW, earned maximumpc's 10 rating

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus | Maximum PC

Lowfat

You really are out of luck. Any good cooler requires the use of a new backplate to be installed.

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gascieus

Lowfat's right. And besides, I can't even remember the last cooler that didn't need a base plate (or backplate, same thing). Any kind of heatsink will weigh like 500g or so, thus requiring the plate to strengthen the stability (remember in most cases the heatsink will be hanging off the side due to how the motherboard is mounted in most cases).

RE III - Frankie

What about the Xigee S1283 with an 1366 kit? I can go pick one from a local store I know they have 'em. They have heatpipe direct touch also and I've used an S1283 before on my e7300 and it kept temps below 60 at 4.0.

Though an E7300 is no Corei7 and I do know that Core i7 can handle a little extra heat over previous Core 2's and also produce more of it. I guess though without going water cooling I'm out of luck trying to bring my temps to my prefered spec.