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What's a good air cooler for a Q6600?

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JimmyG

Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2001
Location
Michigan
I just installed a Q6600 into my signature computer. I'm using the Intel fan that came with it. The temps are running around 50C on all 4 cores. I'm not comfortable with those temps. Prior to this cpu I ran an E6750 and the temps were consistently below 40C. I have reasonably good case cooling and the ambient temp is about 23C.

What would be a good air cooler for this CPU?
 
TRUE is my favourite air cooler. it's also still a top 5 cooler, when combined with the right fans.

the king of air cooling isn't the TRUE anymore. the new Prolimatech Megahalems is the king.

another cooler you may want to look at is the Xigmatek Thor Hammer. i'm sure that's a decent cooler as well.
 
Xigmatek s1283 Dark Knight is a great cooler at nearly half the cost of the TRUE, and comes with a decent fan and bolt-thru kit. Great deal, and a great cooler too.
 
The coolers mentioned above are first rate. Word of advice: if purchasing a heatsink now for Socket 775, get one that is designed for Socket 1366 but that has mounting hardware for 775. That way you are ready to update some day and keep your heatsink. Many 775 coolers will mount OK to 1366 boards, but the 775 coolers have smaller bases than true 1366 coolers.

I would avoid the Thermalright TRUE unless people are reporting that the new ones have flat bases, not unless you think hours of sanding is an enjoyable reacreational activity that you pay a premium for.
 
thermalright ultra 120 extreme aka TRUE with 2 KDE1212PMB3-6A in push pull cooled my E8600 pretty good. i should also add im using MX-2 TIM

i had it for awhile with just one of the above fans i mentioned and it worked good. also cooled the e6700 i had it on for awhile good too, but then i put the E8600 on water.
 
if you are looking for value, then look into the scythe mugen 2. it has the mounts for just about any socket including the 1366. and is about half of the true's cost. and includes a fan as well
 
TRUE is just overpriced, and most of time it doesn't even work right out of the box, requires some lapping and a peny shim. Worst of all is the mount, the cross mount will make u not want to mess with it once its mounted. Usually i wash my heantsinks in the dishwasher but with true is impossible. Its just awefull. I can live witha few degrees warmer but with a better easier mounting system.
 
CCF for $40
true for $70
Are those Socket 775 or 1366. If you are putting down money for a new heatsink, get a 1366 with adapters for 775, NOT the other way around. Most Socket-775 specification heatsinks have smaller bases. That is not good if you later move up to Socket 1366.

Gilgamesh, I completely agree with you.
 
TRUE is just overpriced, and most of time it doesn't even work right out of the box, requires some lapping and a peny shim. Worst of all is the mount, the cross mount will make u not want to mess with it once its mounted. Usually i wash my heantsinks in the dishwasher but with true is impossible. Its just awefull. I can live witha few degrees warmer but with a better easier mounting system.

I've not had any of those problems.
I Put a washer under the bracket once as a test, same goes with the lapping. Not enough of an improvement to justify the extra work IMO.
TBH, the TIM patterns upon removal have always been quite good.
And the dust is nothing a compressor or can or air won't fix. Dishwasher? That's a first for me.
Go with the TRUE, it's excellent in pretty much every regard, but it is a bit pricey.
 
good one many over look is the SpinQ by Thermaltake. My load temps using AS5 is 35 and idle is 24c.

And my buddy has it on a q6600 in antec 1200 and his idle is 31 and load is 43. Its great cooler if you have good air movement in case.
 
Confused yet JimmyG? hehe All of the above mentioned coolers are solid choices. My top 3 choices based on quiet, good cooling were:

1- Noctua NH-U12P
2- Thermalright HR-01 Plus
3- XIGMATEK HDT-S1283

I also looked at the Scythe Mugen2, SilenX ICX-120HA2 and Zerotherm Zen FZ120. So there are even more choices for you. :p

Anyway, the point is you ahve lots of options and most of them are going to be within a few degrees of each other using a quality thermal compound.
 
Well, I have a Thermalright XP-90C in my parts box. I was reading on another forum that I can buy a bracket ($5) to make it useable on my motherboard.

Is this a good idea?
 
Jimmy, the XP-90C is a good cooler as well, just not in the same league as high performance heatsinks recommended in the other posts. It's heads and tails better than the stock heatsink, though. If quiet operation is your goal, then it might be worth your while to purchase the mounting kit. If overclocking + quiet operation is your goal, then you would be better served applying your money towards a new, high performance cooler.
 
Muddokkter, one of the mods here, uses an xp90-C on a quad and has great temps with it. Even though its an older unit, still very effective. If you dont mind spending the $5 to buy the bracket and trying it out, it may surprise you with its performance.
 
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