Hi, I am going to build a new system, fairly good case cooling (Lian Li PC-71, 2 80mm intake fans, 2 80mm exhausts) The CPU is a AMD 3200, what heatsink would be the best in this situation? I would prefer a quieter fan/heatsink, but also want good cooling so meh. (But I really dont want annoying sounds, i.e. whining) any help much appreciated!
what he means (just in case you're new to this) is: around the processor socket, does your chosen motherboard have four little holes arranged in a rough square, to allow for heatsinks to bolt through the motherboard?
I'm going to have to say Swiftech makes one badass heatsink. It just plain owns. If you arn't willing to take the risk with how much it weights I'd recommend a zalman. Theya re also great.
I would recommend an Alpha Pal 8045. It's a great heatsink and works much better with quieter fans than the Swiftech. It's pricey but you get what you pay for. Oh, and you need the four mounting holes round the socket.
Ah yes, I did indeed forget to tell you the motherboard, ASUS A7N8X Deluxe, which I think does have mounting holes. I was looking at the Zalman-big-round-job but worried it might not cool too nice... Edit: Actually I DO have the big swiftech heatsink, but I have threaded one of the nylon nuts which secure it, I am worried it wont work again once I take it off.
you will be fine with any of the larger mounted heatsinks with that motherboard, so, I'd recommend getting one, either the MCX462 or the PAL 8045, whichever is your preference, they're pretty much a dead heat for performance. You're idle CPU temp might not be quite so low as with some other heatsinks, but when a cpu is under load, these heatsinks come into a class of their own... as their load temp is usually only 3-5*C above the idle temps, which consequently increases cpu lifetime
