i7 - Looking for an easy to install heatsink...

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Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 22, 2008
Messages
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I'm having some serious issues with the stock intel heatsink. The push pin design is driving me insane. :( I think that either my heatsink is defective or my motherboard's holes are not drilled properly. After about two hours at it, I was able to install the the thing once but the temps were 65-70 degrees on idle, leading me to believe it wasn't inserted properly despite me pushing as hard as I can without breaking the board. I've taken it out and now I can't even get two of the four pins to go through the holes in the board and I've wasted a good deal of my TIM.

Can someone just recommend me a cheap no-nonsense heatsink that is EASY to install... I don't care about temps as long as it's at least as good as the stock.

Thanks. :)
 
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The Xigamatek Dark Knight is cheap (40 dollars includes fan and crossbow bolt thru kit) and very easy to install, about 30 dollars less than the Noctua and from what I've read, similar performance.

I had the same problem w/ stock HSF, no matter how many times I reseated that thing, my temps were out of whack. I got the DK, and my temps are great and was able to OC to 3.6, can (8 instances of Prime 95 for 14 hours, my temps didn't go above 60 degrees). Can probably OC higher, but I'm slowly working my way up.

Just read up on how to apply thermal paste to direct heat pipes, I recommend Arctic Cooling MX 2 paste. Unfortunately have to take your mobo out to install the bolt thru kit, but it's very easy to do.
 
Define "Easy". I dont really consider any of the heatsinks I have used or seen to be that hard or tricky... so I wonder what you mean by that or want exactly.
 
I believe that any heatsink that uses a bolton backplate should be equally easy as any other one. At that point it just becomes personal preference and budget.
 
Best for what? Thats not very clear. Best looking? Best to throw around like a football? Best to mount a fan too? The U-120 is not the best for cooling... it WAS, but its been debunked by a few others like the Noc. The BEST air cooler so far though seems to be the Thermalright IFX-14.
 
Anything with a bolt-thru kit. If that is too difficult than you probably should pay somebody else to do it.
 
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