What's the best overall heatsink and fan?

[Stryfe]

I'm thinking of changing my heatsink and fan.
Just wondering what people's opinions are of which is the best combination of performance, price, and noise level?

 

[vodka314]

Volcano 7.

 

[Stryfe]

From what I read in the review, the variable fan speed on the Volcano 7 doesn't sound very appealing.
What have you found using it?

 

[AntiHeiss]

The SwifttechMCX462a has consistently ranked above all the others. Just head to www.tomshardware.com and check out the heatsink review.

*EDIT* OR...I feel stupid now..you can check out overclockers.com's review on the front page...oops...sorry.

 

[hpotter]

Thermalright SK-6 with a delta fan.

 

[Stryfe]

I was checking out the Thermalright SK-6 with a delta. But isn't the delta rather loud? I'm looking for something that doesn't make excessive noise but still has good cooling performance

 

[hpotter]

I was checking out the Thermalright SK-6 with a delta. But isn't the delta rather loud? I'm looking for something that doesn't make excessive noise but still has good cooling performance

Well you can also get the SK-6 with other fans. I tried it with the YS Tech fan before buying the black label delta. It was a LOT quieter but was maybe 2-3c hotter than with the delta. You can always do the voltage mod, get a rheostat.

 

[AntiHeiss]

Check out the panaflo fans. They seem to have good airflow vs. noise.

 

[Hoot]

This is not a complex task.

Take a look at Joes HSF ranking list from the front page:

http://www.overclockers.com/articles373/

Print it out. Hit the Web sites and write the best price, for the top ten performers, next to their name. Find the best performance for the least cost and you have your answer. FWIW, the SK-6 is 14th. While the SK-6 made great in-roads a year or so ago, the state of the art in HSF design has moved forward. The SK-6 design has remained frozen in time.

Hoot

 

[Yodums]

If you have problems with noise, I would recommend a Millennium Glaciator II, or CoolerMaster HHC Heatpipe.