[paranoidmarv]

I need to upgrade the fan on my CPU before summer and I'm looking for some advice on picking one. Seems like it wouldn't be very complicated but anyone who has this mobo knows it's not THAT easy.

Here is the relevant system info:
Gigabyte GA-MA790GPT-UD3H
Phenom II 945
OCZ Reaper 1600 ram 2Gx2

Here's the problem. The mobo puts the cpu right next to the ram limiting the space for the fan. The ram that I have has heat sinks attached to it which take up even more room. Right now I have the stock fan which is 90mm i believe. I'd like to upgrade to something that will allow me to OC the cpu more than a bit. Currently it idles at around 38-40C and at load (converting video files) can hit 71C which is too hot.

Anybody have the same problem and know how big i can go with the size of the fan? I'm guessing 92mm but there doesn't appear to be very much room left. What else should i take into consideration and which thermal paste would help the most?

Noob questions but any help would be appreciated.

[dostov]

The fan doesn't have to be parallel to the board. Did you consider a tower heatsink? Tower designs can accommodate large fans (92mm to 120mm) and often offer enough clearance for surrounding motherboard components and memory modules.

Cheers!

[QuietIce]

I'd definitely go for a vertical heatsink. I like the Sunbeam 120 because it's fan pushes toward the back of the case instead of the top. It's also an excellent cooler.


You can also move your RAM over two slots. No reason to leave them in the closest slots anymore ...

[paranoidmarv]

Thanks dostov! I hadn't seen any of these tower heatsinks.

Originally Posted by QuietIce

I'd definitely go for a vertical heatsink. I like the Sunbeam 120 because it's fan pushes toward the back of the case instead of the top. It's also an excellent cooler.


You can also move your RAM over two slots. No reason to leave them in the closest slots anymore ...

I looked at the Sunbeam 120 but it wasn't built for an AM3 socket. I'll keep looking but I have a question about the exhaust you mentioned. You said that the Sunbeam 120 aims the exhaust toward the back of the case. I have a 200mm fan on the top of my case and I read on one of the Newegg customer reviews that a guy with a similar fan aimed the exhaust toward the top of the case. Any thoughts on that? I can't see this being a good idea but considering how hot it gets here during the summer, I'll take any advantage I can get.

Thanks!

[diaz]

If you can fit a MegaHalems or a Xigmatek Balder then you are in business!

[QuietIce]

Originally Posted by paranoidmarv

I looked at the Sunbeam 120 but it wasn't built for an AM3 socket.

AM2/AM2+/AM3 are all the same thing as far as a CPU heatsink mount so, yes, the Sunbeam will fit.

Originally Posted by paranoidmarv

I'll keep looking but I have a question about the exhaust you mentioned. You said that the Sunbeam 120 aims the exhaust toward the back of the case. I have a 200mm fan on the top of my case and I read on one of the Newegg customer reviews that a guy with a similar fan aimed the exhaust toward the top of the case. Any thoughts on that? I can't see this being a good idea but considering how hot it gets here during the summer, I'll take any advantage I can get.

You didn't mention your case but for your situation a fan pushing toward the top would also be good. The Sunbeam is still a very good cooler, though, for the price it's an excellent cooler.

If you have a lot more to spend, like in the $70-80 range, then there are better coolers like the TRUE & Megahalems ...

[paranoidmarv]

Originally Posted by QuietIce

AM2/AM2+/AM3 are all the same thing as far as a CPU heatsink mount so, yes, the Sunbeam will fit.

Heh, that's good to know! I figured that I had to pick a fan that specifically mentioned my socket since they went to the trouble of stating them on the product pages. A bit misleading.

Anyway, I'm reconsidering the Sunbeam 120 as well as the Balder that diaz suggested. The balder looks beefier but I'm worried that it's going to scrape against my 200mm fan (Antec 902 btw). They're both equally priced on newegg but the Sunbeam comes with a 15 dollar MIR and TX-2 Thermal Paste(according to reviews it's more than adequate) already applied and with a fan controller (not PWM). Some of the customer reviews also show similar builds which means it's very likely to fit on my mobo.

On the other hand, I can't take my eyes off of the XIGMATEK balder. Maybe I'm fussing too much. I have to pick one tomorrow so if you guys have any last words to sway me, now is the time. Although there probably isn't much to say.

[QuietIce]

It doesn't matter to me which one you get. The performance is close enough that testing error could account for any advantage shown on either side. If you like the Xigmatek better go for it ...